Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Section 46. The route is a big problem.

Five minutes later, Cheng Xiao met Najeta and her group in a spacious hall.

"Speak your mind." He spread his hands, his wide white sleeves casually unfurling to the sides. The candlesticks lined up on both sides of the hall flickered in unison, exuding an aura of authority unique to those in power.

His gaze was oppressive; when he looked at the group of uninvited guests, everyone except Najenda involuntarily took a small step back. Mine, the girl with pink twin ponytails and carrying the beam sniper cannon named Pumpkin, even blushed bright red. Realizing she had taken a small step back, she wanted to take a big step forward and adopt an aggressive stance.

Najeta casually stopped her.

“Alice is an alias.” Najenda didn’t waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point: “Her real name is Arya, Arya St. Grey. Her father is Viscount St. Grey, who holds a position in the capital and belongs to the faction of Minister Ernest.”

Cheng Xiao looked at her quietly.

"so?"

“She is very likely a spy sent by the minister to try and control the Path of Tranquility.” Najenda quickened her pace, her expression very serious. “According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, Arya St. Grey hadn’t shown any combat ability until she was fourteen years old, which is inconsistent with the immense power she now possesses. And in the entire empire, there is only one person who can train an ordinary noble girl into a powerful warrior in such a short time. That is Minister Ernest.”

"The Anning Path and our rebel army once had an alliance. We are all the same; we fight to defeat the minister and save the suffering people of this corrupt empire—our beliefs have remained unchanged to this day. But I would like to ask, Master, have you not forgotten your original aspirations?"

Her tone was urgent and pressing, as if she would make Cheng Xiao pay if he didn't give her an answer. An ordinary person… or even someone with a slightly weaker presence might have been pressured and controlled by her words, thus falling into a disadvantageous position in the subsequent conversation. However, Cheng Xiao was different.

Not to mention that he is now the legitimate leader of a sect, holding the power of life and death over thousands of believers. Even before he entered the cycle of reincarnation, he was a special forces soldier from a privileged background who had undergone the most rigorous training. He wouldn't even consider Najenda's mere aura a threat.

He wanted to kick the Night Raid Assassins out, but considering they probably wouldn't give up and Alice still had a use for them, it wasn't a good idea to just kill them directly. So he decided to stall these clueless guys for now.

【not to mention……】

[Both I and that woman are transmigrators! We were originally just imposters in disguise; what do our past identities have to do with us? —No!]

“What you said is baseless. Moreover,” Cheng Xiao said calmly, “the Way of Peace is a religion of peace. The reason I established it is not to fight for power and profit, nor to overthrow the empire and cause war. It is to provide a haven for the resting souls of the many toiling people in the world.”

“Anning Road is a home, and I am just a road sign pointing home.”

“Ms. Arya… I’ll just call her Alice for now. Now that she has abandoned her past name and joined the Path of Tranquility, she is a member of the Path of Tranquility, a family member I can trust. Whatever her past identity may have been, that is the karma that Arya St. Grey bears, and has nothing to do with Ms. Alice now.”

Before he could finish speaking, Leone, standing on Najenda's other side, clenched her fist in anger. Taking a step forward, she shouted, "You bastard! Do you even know what kind of person she is! She's—"

“She’s an incorrigible villain,” Najenda picked up where Leone left off, gently patting her shoulder to signal her to be quiet. “There are very few inherently evil people in this world, but Arya St. Grey is definitely one of them. She was born into a wicked family whose favorite pastime was luring innocent strangers into their homes, imprisoning them, and torturing them to death…”

Describing it might not give you a clear picture, so I specifically had Lubbock make a trip to our nearest covert location to retrieve her intelligence file. You can see for yourself what she's been doing.”

Cheng Xiao reached out and took the document handed to him by the green-haired youth guarding Najenda's side. Although he was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise upon seeing the text and illustrations.

Cruel, terrifying, bloody… Cheng Xiao almost thought he was reading a slaughterhouse inspection report or the latest script for Inn of Human Skin. The writer's prose was clearly excellent, vividly portraying a young monster with a penchant for torture and torment. Although the record itself was unbiased, the words seemed to echo with the wails of countless wronged souls, flowing with dark red blood!

His brow furrowed slightly.

“Master, you are a good person, and you are lenient towards her, but she doesn’t deserve your leniency.” Seeing that Cheng Xiao seemed to be tempted, Najenda quickly pressed her advantage, taking a step closer and lowering her voice, “I know that traces of that woman are everywhere in Anning Road. She controls that puppet army and all the large factories. Anning Road certainly can’t do without her. But you must understand, a born demon like her cannot be reformed. No matter how normal she seems now, once she reverts to her old ways…”

"...You wouldn't want your other 'family members' to suffer the same things described in the documents you have, would you?"

Cheng Xiao paused slightly, as Alice's words when she left resurfaced in his mind once again.

"I have only one request of you: don't get in my way. Otherwise, you can stay in the city, go out preaching, or even do nothing at all—sleeping all day in the temple or indulging in debauchery—it's all up to you. But you must remember, don't get in my way."

These words echoed in his mind, like the deep tolling of a late-night bell, lingering in his thoughts for a long time.

“…The Path of Tranquility cannot exist without her.” Cheng Xiao looked at Najenda and said seriously, “She is the Path of Tranquility itself, the power of the Path of Tranquility is her power, and her will is the will of the Path of Tranquility.”

“But she’s all alone, isn’t she?” Najenda’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “I went to the city and saw that she didn’t appoint any subordinates or interfere with any personnel changes. Her factories and army consist only of mechanical puppets, not a single living person. Although I don’t know how she manages to make the puppets work automatically even when they’re far away from her… but that’s not important.”

"Because she is all alone, without confidants or followers, if she were in this city, she would naturally be all-powerful and invincible. But now, she is not in this city."

“Alice, we only agreed to send troops to the southern border because of your pleas,” Cheng Xiao said in a deep voice.

“It’s an agreement between our ‘Rebel Army’ and the ‘Tranquil Path’,” Najenda corrected, looking relaxed. “She was simply fulfilling her duties as a member of the Tranquil Path voluntarily, and it has nothing to do with the stance of our Rebel Army or our Night Raid Assassin Group. Besides… all's fair in war.”

"Moreover, we don't need to confront her directly. Just before I came to visit you, my informant in the capital told me something—General Esdeath has temporarily returned to the capital from the North and has organized a large army to march south."

“They will definitely meet, and they will definitely clash. Even if she avoids it, the people I've placed around her will make sure she clashes with the Imperial Army. And all we need to do is stand by and watch.”

“And when that time comes,” Najenda looked at Cheng Xiao, her tone full of allure…and sincerity, “you will gain a peaceful path that is entirely yours, where all believers can live in tranquility. I will gain a trustworthy and reliable ally. It’s a win-win situation, and you won’t even need to do anything extra.”

......................................................

Esdeath should have returned to the capital by now. She's probably already begun investigating me, or she might have already headed south to deal with these insects there. In that case, I'll inevitably encounter her in the southern border, and conflict will be unavoidable, but defeating her is no longer my primary objective.

After dealing with the insects, the group returned to the armored command vehicle and continued their advance deeper into the southern territory. Due to the insects' exceptionally strong combat capabilities, and considering their potential for biochemical contamination, Alice did not allow her legion to leave many survivors—her puppet legion only captured one warrior insect that was severely damaged, losing more than 70% of its mass but still retaining some vitality. The remaining insect remains were completely destroyed with high-temperature flames, leaving no chance of survival.

The crippled warrior insect was transported by the puppets to another command vehicle, where she personally allocated a portion of her computing power to perform remote surgery for dissection and research. She herself sat in the previous vehicle, resting with her eyes closed, seemingly unwilling to speak.

Since she remained silent, the others in the carriage naturally refrained from making any overt movements. The three Imperial Arms users—one man and two women—exchanged glances, and ultimately remained silent.

They may not realize the seriousness of the problem.

Alice gently tapped her forehead—a habit she had when thinking. After annihilating the scout Zerg army, she realized a serious problem: given the combat strength of her own forces, they might not be able to defeat the Zerg swarm in a head-on confrontation.

Because these insects... are very strong.

[Even just using the basic reconnaissance soldier insects as basic units, I need to deploy ten times the number of puppets to achieve complete suppression with the first move. If it's a head-on confrontation with equal numbers, the chances of the opponent achieving a 1:2 or higher exchange ratio are extremely high. And if the opponent closes the distance, or even launches a surprise attack... the casualty ratio will probably be even worse.]

[This is only a battle between basic units. I don't believe these 'prototype' Zerg don't include advanced units with higher firepower and combat effectiveness. Judging from their behavior patterns, they are undoubtedly a group of competent biological weapons with a high level of technology. Therefore, given that they control the entire southern border of the Empire as a logistical base, if I want to subdue them, I need to establish a larger production base and wage a quality war.]

A life-or-death battle doesn't necessarily have to be fought.

Alice was very clear about her goal. She hadn't come to this world to defeat Esdeath, nor to wipe out these obviously stronger insectoids—her target was the super-strong member of the Morizu team who had unlocked the fourth stage of the genetic lock. Everything she did in this world was meant to accumulate the 'momentum' needed to defeat him.

Since the goal is to build up strength, it is natural to find a way to unify all available forces. And since the objective is to unify forces with oneself as the leader, then one must at least subdue the opponent through force or intellect.

Dealing with Esdeath is easy; just defeat her. Although Alice can't confirm the extent of this guy's power, having deciphered the world's historical legends and established a vast network of faith through the covenant between humans and gods, she can now bypass the suppression of the 'Emperor' concept and wield some magic... Of course, the Emperor still has to die; only when he dies can she use her full power in this world.

Once Esdeath is dealt with, consolidating the remaining power of the empire after the emperor's death will be quite simple. Force, intrigue, interests… Alice is confident she can quickly subdue those unwilling to stand on her side. However, that applies to people; subduing people isn't difficult. But insects… are a different story.

He might not necessarily lose, and he might not necessarily need to engage in a direct battle. However, if he didn't take action, the likelihood of the Imperial army's defeat would greatly increase. And if he then defeated Esdeath and killed the Emperor, even if he managed to gather the remaining forces of the Empire, he would inevitably face an extremely powerful swarm of insects and a Tier 4 enemy that he was almost certainly unable to defeat. And regardless of victory or defeat, this world, which had gradually shed its illusion and was transforming into reality, would be reduced to scorched earth.

—So, how about trying to be a savior?

As she pondered, her brow twitched slightly. A newly acquired message arrived in her mind via the communication network established among the puppets—she gently raised her hand, and the moving armored command vehicle slowed its pace. A metal partition on the side front quietly lowered, revealing part of the scene outside.

....................................

Countryside banquet...so tiring

It took a day to prepare, and another day to pack...

I've completely become a couch potato _(:з」∠)_

Chapter 47: I Need a Kitchen Knife!

That place should have been a town with a population of about two thousand, thirty-five or thirty-six soldiers, horse-drawn carriages and mules, convenient transportation routes, and merchants coming and going. The town was surrounded by vast rice paddies. Wild animals and some powerful and dangerous species had been cleared away, and the farmers toiled in the fields all day long, exchanging their sweat for food that was barely enough to fill their stomachs.

Life is tiring, but it's not that I can't survive.

However, now...

“There’s no one in the town, no bodies, but there are signs of a fight… It ended quickly, so there shouldn’t be any survivors.” Brand jumped off the command vehicle the second after the metal partition was lowered, and returned two minutes later with a grim face.

He gripped the long spear in his hand tightly.

“I know this town.”

“Every time I go back to headquarters, I always make a habit of resting here for one night... The people who stay here are all good people. The hotel owner always prepares free hot water for me at night. Every time I leave, the old lady who sells breakfast at the entrance of town always stuffs a bunch of greasy sesame cakes and fried fish into my hands without telling me... How awful!”

He let out a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his gloomy expression. Akame quickly leaned over to comfort him in a low voice, while the taciturn Hill awkwardly tried to encourage him.

Alice paid no heed to the petty interactions of these night raiders. Her tethered puppets told her there was no sign of insect activity within at least ten kilometers. She then gently disturbed the information field, and the convergence of sound and light proclaimed to her that the area within a fifty-kilometer radius was temporarily safe.

Within fifty kilometers... there were no insects. Nor were there any other living creatures.

There were no horses, no deer, no jackals or tigers, and even cats, dogs, and birds were extremely rare. It was certain that the Zerg had cleared the area, capturing all living creatures and taking them away. And their fate…

The outlook is probably not very optimistic.

[I've annihilated a Zerg reconnaissance squad. Judging from their technological level, these bio-weapons should now be aware of the loss—they'll inevitably send a legion at least fifteen to fifty times the size of that squad to investigate. And this is exactly the kind of engagement I've been hoping for.]

Alice had no intention of actually rescuing the remnants of the rebel army. The agreement was just talk... their lives and deaths were none of her concern, nor was the agreement between the rebels and the Path of Peace. To her, the Path of Peace was merely a tool. Tools could have their own will and could be uncontrollable, but if one wanted to influence or even interfere with the actions of the tool's holder... then that tool had no value.

She wouldn't allow a tool to influence her decisions. And the current situation doesn't support her taking any risks.

To charge in alone is a path to certain death.

With her current combined forces of 200,000, excluding the 100,000 mortal auxiliary troops whom she didn't consider combat power, she could easily defeat one or two million Imperial troops if the target was any of them. But if the opponent were these prototype Zerg... she felt that her troops would probably be insufficient to even fill their teeth.

The biological weapon is very strong, at least based on its current performance, it is stronger than she expected.

[I have no way of confirming the enemy's core location, and these bio-weapons may not even have a command center, so a decapitation strike is not feasible. Under these circumstances, if we want to suppress these insects through sheer force, the most suitable and convenient way at present is to launch a war of attrition... using minimal force to achieve maximum effect, with only a small hand but a substantial body. To prepare this lever to change the course of events, I cannot venture too deep into the Southern Territory.]

I must rely on the defensive lines and use my dominion to gradually erode the Zerg's territory. At the same time, I must ensure the Zerg's attention isn't completely drawn to this area. I also need to find a way to get them to help me eliminate some uncontrollable Imperial forces.

【Then let's establish a defensive position here. A small town of two thousand people can't possibly hold an army of one hundred thousand, but the String Puppets are different, and my troops' infrastructure capabilities aren't just for show.】

Her thoughts were fleeting, while the three members of the night raid hadn't even fully recovered. So she gently tapped a pillar beside her, drawing their attention with a 'clang'.

“We’ll camp here tonight,” Alice said calmly.

Her tone was calm, but her will had absolute control over the entire puppet army. The moment her words left her lips, the puppet army surrounding the command convoy sprang into action—they swiftly divided into different ranks to perform different tasks: felling trees, leveling the land, building earthen walls, and digging ditches. The puppets moved with methodical precision, like a swarm of ants building a nest.

"Wait!" Brand jumped up from his seat, his still-gloomy expression instantly turning to surprise. "We shouldn't waste time; there are still many people deep in the Southern Territory..."

“Those people are people, but aren’t these?” Alice’s casual remark left him speechless. “This is the very edge of the Southern Territory, the last land the insects ever touched. If we can’t save the people here, what about the people in the rest of the land… hah.”

She smiled, and the meaning behind that smile was self-evident.

"Besides, it's already close to evening. We have vehicles, and my soldiers are puppets, so marching at night is no problem. But don't forget that I still have 100,000 auxiliary troops behind me who haven't caught up yet—they need to build supply lines and reinforce logistics. And I can't just abandon them."

Alice spread her hands and looked at Brand.

“I understand your desire to save your comrades, but you have also led troops before, so you should know that the movement of a large army naturally follows certain patterns. The vehicle we are standing on is ultimately just a command vehicle that runs a little faster and more steadily, not the Imperial Arm Shangri-La that can perform spatial jumps at will.”

"If you feel restless, I suggest you do some searching around. You might find some clues about survivors, and many lives could be saved as a result."

Her words left Brand speechless. He tried to speak several times, but the words he wanted to say were swallowed back down his throat—all he could do was give Alice a deep look before turning and leaving.

"Excuse me, Miss Alice, I'll go keep an eye on Brand." Akame gave Alice a slight bow, then turned and chased after Brand in the direction he had gone. Clearly, while she might not have understood the deeper meaning behind Alice's actions, she at least knew that her companion was unhappy because of it.

Her opinion of Alice naturally declined slightly, and there became a distance between them in her words—which was exactly the direction Alice had hoped for.

She turned and left, leaving Hill, the girl with the eyes, standing there stammering.

"I...I..." She looked like she was about to leave, but couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Go quickly, I'm safe here." Alice gave her a bright smile. Her fingers trembled slightly, and in the short time it took to say those few words, her group of wielding puppets had built the rudiments of a fortress on the outskirts of the town. Utilizing the terrain and the shallow foundations that already existed in the town, they quickly completed the outermost earthen walls and moats.

"Companions are very important. Cherish your companions, and you will not regret it later."