Terra Tinkers Construct is fine.

San Si Ling Qi - = Er Er Si 8 is a big spender!

Steel pipes are just small fry; Cracked Tooth is the real big fish. Milan, having taken down Cracked Tooth, is not short of money for the time being. However, as an infected person, it is inconvenient for him to go to the surface frequently. So, the money he gave to the Canned Food Squad turned into a lot of orders for non-infected gangs—food, drinks, books, tools, and other daily necessities, all of which became revenue-generating projects for these gangs to earn the difference.

This income is so easy to earn; it's not like dealing with contraband or risking your life. Gang members love this kind of business—so much so that although the outside world is quiet, the black market here still looks vibrant because of the business flowing out of canned goods.

The reason why Helag said it was "lively" was this: the territory of Cracked Tooth was still too big for the Canned Food group, and the things they had spent money to buy these days had made the place more lively.

However, when, guided by familiar members of the canned food group, they finally saw the mastermind Milan himself—Hrag opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything more.

"General, you don't know, if I didn't have some bottom line when it came to disciplining the army and not allow them to drink too much... what you saw would probably be even more chaotic."

Milan shrugged noncommittally.

"...They seem to follow the rules quite well."

Herag opened his mouth, but decided to continue the topic.

"You guys played well in that match, I heard. Now it seems they played well too... or rather, your product performs even better than I expected."

He was training twenty-four people, and now the number of familiar faces had not decreased but increased, which could not be hidden from his eyes; and the mentality of the team members had also changed after a bloody battle. Milan's overwhelming force brought a sense of security, but the reality of being beaten also dispelled some of their pride and brought them a sense of tension in facing reality.

This level of skill is far from sufficient to be a guardian of Milan.

"You saw it."

Milan smiled.

"I see, there are still more people than before."

Herag turned his head to look at the few new recruits who were spontaneously leading the newbies in extra weight training... well, they were no longer just new recruits, but at least rookies, and casually said, "What, are you planning to expand the team?"

"It's just that a few of the initial fence-sitters have now made their decisions."

Milan shook his head—after a final struggle and negotiation, Pavel also reached a conclusion. Those workers who already had stable jobs ultimately could not give up their peaceful lives and brought their families into the illusory future described by Milan.

Even though Milan promised that he would not ask them to abandon their families.

Fortunately, the five who joined the combat team from the beginning were already prepared, so with Pavel himself, there were only three people in the team. Milan had no objection to this; everyone parted amicably, and it wasn't something that couldn't be discussed.

He only exchanged a few words with Hrag, and it was clear that neither of them was interested in the topic—during the conversation, Hrag's eyes kept darting around, and he couldn't help but ask, "Jung, what are you... preparing for?"

"I don't remember the carnival being held in these days, right? Or is it because it's the origin of the Sarkaz carnival that there's some kind of witchcraft ritual involved?"

He wasn't talking about anything else, but rather the pumpkins scattered on the ground that he'd seen since he came in, so out of place with the style of this rifty stronghold; Milan wasn't doing anything else either. When Herag arrived, he was holding a pair of scissors, and in front of him was a pumpkin carved with a ghostly face. The smiling face was so abstract that it hardly seemed eerie.

"A ceremony... well, you could say that."

Milan thought for a moment, then put down the scissors and smiled, "What, General, you're interested in these things too? Should we bring a couple back for the children?"

"That's not urgent. I'm here today to tell you some information."

Hrag's expression turned serious. He stopped paying attention to the pumpkins and said in a deep voice:

"Two things."

"On December 9th, which is yesterday, I officially observed the Reunion Movement's offensive against Chernobog; although it looks like a mob riot on the surface, the details behind it are not hidden from my eyes."

"The second thing is... Jung, you might be in trouble."

Chapter 80 - Interlude

"Jung, you might be in trouble."

Herag spoke with a serious expression, and Milan listened with the same serious expression. He blinked and said seriously, "How come we're in trouble again?"

Helag: "..."

Although your expression looks quite serious, why does what you said sound so inappropriate?

Let's start from the beginning.

The old general sighed, found a square pumpkin next to Milan and sat down, and said, "Based on the current situation, it can be confirmed that the Reunion Movement has begun its formal offensive against Chernobog; unlike the previous infiltration, since yesterday, there has been an organized and large-scale riot by infected people in the northwest city."

"The attack was fierce and the numbers were huge, including well-equipped and highly skilled organized teams; although there was indeed a chaotic spread, the overall operation clearly showed signs of unified command and premeditation."

"Based on your previous reminders and the anomalies I've observed within the city."

He paused, then said seriously, “A riot of this scale took shape very quickly, catching the military and police completely off guard. The city garrison troops, who should have been there to assist in the suppression, have been nowhere to be seen. The intensity and manner of their response are completely different from what we have seen before… Although I really don’t want to guess in this direction, your previous prediction may already be coming true.”

"What does the general think?"

Milan tapped the seemingly delicate scissors.

"If it's the Ursus troops I'm familiar with, I can only think of two possibilities."

Hrag shook his head: "Either they have already betrayed us, or... they have been restrained or even transferred by higher authorities for some reason, which is why this situation has emerged."

At this point, Lao Yue—; Yi Er Yi Yi San Qi Jiu Lu Yi San Er General looked at Milan, who seemed thoughtful but remained unmoved. After considering for a moment, he lowered his head slightly.

“The man-made disaster you predicted has already begun, and the natural disaster shouldn’t be far off... I’m ashamed to say, but if things continue to develop this way, I don’t have the confidence to continue protecting Azazel.”

"At that time, we may also need to move underground, which may cause you trouble."

"It's just a matter of survival supplies, General, please don't worry about it. I'm not so stingy as to be so harsh on the children."

Milan smiled and said easily, "And General, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Maybe there will be a turning point."

"..."

Faced with Milan's composed demeanor, as if they had everything under control, Hrag remained noncommittal, but his expression softened somewhat.

He then thought for a moment, his expression turning strange. Yue/Yi grabbed Liu Jiu's shirt and said in a slightly odd tone, "As for the second thing, which is your trouble... sigh."

"?"

"Your previous rally was quite a big conflict. I don't know which gangs had ulterior motives and leaked this to their backers."

"What's behind them?"

Milan didn't react for a moment, then, under Hrag's subtle gaze, he clapped his hands and exclaimed in realization, "Oh, backstage?"

"Yes, the people behind the scenes, the ones they're currying favor with."

Herag's tone was not without disdain: "Someone is interested in you now, and they'll probably send someone to contact you soon... You should understand."

"I don't quite understand."

Milan blinked: "Shouldn't the authorities be overwhelmed by the Reunification Movement? How can they have the time to send military and police to deal with gang-related matters?"

The reason they directly targeted the military and police was because both he and Herag knew that, aside from the unreliable garrison, the only forces the nobles could command were the military and police. After all, gangs knew what was going on, and anything else was too much for them.

We can't expect them to field two interior defenders, can we?

As for the military and police...

"For some important figures, maintaining order and dignity is sometimes more important than dealing with a real crisis."

A rare look of helplessness appeared on Hrag's weathered face: "Especially when they are completely unaware of the severity of the crisis and can only see the path to wealth that is right in front of them."

"Even these foolish nobles who are still stuck in Chernobog?"

Herag: "It is precisely because they are such nobles that they are capable of doing such things."

"……Fine."

Milan chuckled: "I don't have any prejudice against the military and police in Ursus."

Anyway, it wasn't me who planned to do something to them.

"At this critical juncture, I'm too lazy to cause any unnecessary trouble... Even if they do come, as long as they're not completely out of their minds, it shouldn't be too difficult to deal with them."

"Since you've already come all this way, I won't bother you with anything else. I happen to have something I'd like to ask you about..."

Have you heard of Rhodes Island?

Trouble arrived as expected.

Unlike what Hrag had warned of, the first to arrive were not uniformed military police, but a well-dressed middle-aged man; the middle-aged Ursus man was arrogant, his chin held higher than his eyes, and he wore a rather old-fashioned formal suit, as if the symbolic meaning of the clothes was more important than he himself.

He also brought two attendants with him, and when they arrived at the current canned goods' stronghold, they looked at them with disgust as if they were stepping into a garbage dump.

"Let the person in charge of your department come out and speak."

"By the will of His Excellency Alexander Petrovich, Member of the Chernobog Municipal Council, I have come to deliver this order."

—MD Classical Aristocracy.

The voice was high-pitched, carrying a deliberate, self-imposed sense of superiority, and an air of indifference that made one not even bother to look at someone in the eye, as if every syllable was trying to distance itself from its surroundings.

Milan felt that stereotypical feeling creep up on her immediately.

He quickly waved Alexei away to deal with the situation. This man, who had been involved in the underworld before being framed and becoming infected, smiled bitterly, composed himself, and recalled his past feelings as he came out to greet him.

"This envoy is honored to have you here. May I ask what brings you, Your Excellency Member of Parliament?"

"...You're the boss? You don't look like a complete peasant."

The messenger glanced at Alexei, scrutinizing him for a moment over his long-unseen "former political advisor" mask, before speaking in a pretentious tone reminiscent of the common Ursusese official jargon:

"Listen, this is an opportunity he is giving you!"

His gaze swept around, discreetly scanning the neat white armor of the surrounding canned food team members. A hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an even stronger arrogance.

"You lot have been causing quite a stir lately... I've come on behalf of a distinguished lord, and I'm willing to give you beasts a chance to pledge your allegiance."

"To bring you, with your tattered armor and men, under his protection, and to allow you to serve him in this filthy place... this is a great honor for you! You should know how many people would love to curry favor with him but cannot find a way!"

"Now, bow your heads and offer your loyalty!"

—Did I do something just as disgusting before?

As Alexei listened, he inwardly berated himself—but outwardly he maintained a fake smile and said flawlessly, "We are deeply grateful for Your Excellency's kindness, but we are a group of people who are used to being undisciplined and may not be pleasing to Your Excellency; moreover, Chernobog is in turmoil, and I think we have not yet decided whether we will stay here for long..."

He had been tactful enough in his dealings.

However, the messenger's patience was even thinner than he had anticipated, and his pitiful reserve quickly turned to anger as he saw that Alexei did not immediately kneel down to express his gratitude.

"Cut the nonsense!"

"I'm not negotiating with you, this is an order! Who do you think you are? A swarm of infected worms, thugs from the gutter, stop with your gang mentality!"

"Look at the situation clearly, the city hall's military and police are on their way! If you don't accept your mercy, just wait to be wiped out as rebels!"

"...My lord, I have done my best."

Alexei sighed, took a half step back, turned to the shadows and said helplessly, "I really can't reason with them, or rather, they never intended to reason with us at all."

"I heard."

Milan, still fully armored, emerged from the shadows. The envoy, startled by his even more imposing figure, took a step back, then quickly exclaimed, "You're their leader? Let me tell you..."

"Representative Petrovich...a name I've never heard of."

Milan's voice interrupted his shouting, saying calmly, "They're still in Chernobog, so their information isn't very good."

"you--!"

The envoy's face instantly turned red—as a border industrial city, Chernobog didn't have many nobles to begin with, its social circles weren't large, and its internal composition wasn't particularly complex.

It's normal for one or two high-ranking figures to leave the city, but for one or two people of such high status to be absent from the city for various reasons is, in a sense, a hint.

Those with good connections are often high-ranking officials, and when they vaguely sensed something was wrong, most of them followed suit and rushed out; those who are still in Chernobog are either not very bright, or... from the beginning, they were still some distance from the so-called inner circle of power.

Well, to put it more simply, it's a roadside path.

As for the reason Milan is now making this clear, which is also the reason for the envoy Hong Wen's actions, it naturally lies here...

"Shouldn't the military and police be extremely busy right now? If they were truly capable, they wouldn't be able to be transferred here from the military. Or perhaps the reason they're being ordered around by the military and police is simply because they're the only ones they can command."

Ignoring the envoy's flushed face, Milan chuckled indifferently: "As for nobles... don't be naive. They're just lowlifes who only know how to scheme and plot. They can't even protect themselves now, yet they're full of crooked ideas."

"How dare you insult a nobleman! This is insubordination and blatant disregard for the law! You..."

"Isn't it a common trick used by the Ursus nobles to first frame others as infected and then deal with them?"

Milan tilted his head: "Besides, he's some nobody noble family, he's not even of any use, no wonder he was abandoned in Chernobog, waiting to die without even knowing when... Heh, get lost, I'm too lazy to kill you now, it would make me seem like I'm impolite."

As everyone knows, lies have limited damage, but the truth is the real blow—the messenger's face flushed red and then turned pale, trembling with rage as he screamed, "You just wait! You just wait!"

"The military and police will be here soon. I don't believe you dare to spout nonsense in front of the Ursus army! Just wait to be crushed! I'll make you kneel on the ground, crying and begging me for mercy!"

"Will we regret not having troubled you?"

Milan replied calmly, "But if you don't leave now, you might not have a chance to regret it later."

tread.

At Alexei's prompting, the white-armored soldiers stepped forward in unison, and the crossbowmen cocked their crossbows. The cold glint of the arrows immediately frightened him so much that he dared not curse anymore, and he fled in a disheveled state with his two followers.