Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 317 Desire and Rules Betray Humanity

Three days after the fall of Xiyue Royal City, Chen Mo arrived here under the escort of a massive, top-tier guard.

With the assistance of the Summer Moon Alliance, the elves launched a powerful crackdown, finally restoring some order to the city.

As far as the eye could see, there were only broken walls and charred beams and pillars. Large numbers of civilians who had failed to escape huddled in the corners of the temporary resettlement points like frightened quails.

Their eyes, widened by hunger and fear, stared blankly at the fully armed elven soldiers and Alliance personnel on the street, awaiting the legendary twice-daily "porridge distribution."

In order to slow down the elven army's pursuit, the Stream Moon royal family took as much food as possible during their retreat and burned the remaining warehouses to the ground.

The food and property of these civilians were mostly looted by the prisoners and fleeing soldiers who were covering the rear.

Therefore, even though the elven army swept through the enemy lines and captured the strategic strongholds of Golden Hook Pass and the royal city, their spoils included virtually no grain.

In this situation, not only could they not obtain supplies from the occupied territories, but they also had to follow the orders from the Alliance Political Consultative Office—which was essentially the Alliance Chairman Chen Mo—to reorganize and resettle the poor people on the verge of death in the city on the spot, squeezing out a portion from the already strained frontline military rations to temporarily sustain the lives of these enemy civilians.

At the same time, in order to ensure the continued supply of troops and civilians, it was necessary to establish transport lines to transport large quantities of grain from the rear.

While in enemy territory, these food delivery teams also needed to be escorted by troops.

This deprived the elves of the opportunity to pursue Emperor Xiyue. Fortunately, the chairman generously gave them an indefinite period to deal with the situation. Currently, the intelligence department only vaguely knows that Emperor Xiyue has entered the southern mountains and issued a call to regroup there.

Against this backdrop, Chen Mo entered the capital city of a kingdom on the Starry Continent for the first time.

However, at this moment, Chen Mo felt no sense of witnessing history; he only felt sad.

The elves' battle reports and the battlefield observation team's records clearly conveyed everything that was happening in the city to him.

This is the true fate of ordinary people in this world. They are tools, consumables, production materials, and also puppets that provide emotional value for the nobles of this world.

Without the intervention of the Summer Moon Alliance, many of them might not have died in such a turbulent time. But living and dying are hardly so different.

With such a heavy heart, Chen Mo arrived at the nest construction area of ​​Xiyue Royal City.

Within the royal city area of ​​the Xiyue Federation, there is one large nest, two medium-sized nests, and four small nests. After much deliberation, Chen Mo decided that he could not exhaust the resources, so he only planned to take the core of one medium-sized nest.

Small nest cores only produce special materials, not spirit crystals, and are therefore of limited value.

Large nests... well, given the current strength of Lord Chen Mo's side, clearing dungeons would take too long, and the safety of conquering large nests is questionable.

For Chen Mo, obtaining a medium-sized relic core safely would be enough to achieve his goal for this trip. There was no need to disrupt his established plan for the sake of some other possible gains.

This campaign against the medium-sized nest can be described as uneventful and unremarkable.

The basic process is as follows:

The reconnaissance team cleared out the low-level nest guards on the perimeter.

The reconnaissance team cleared out the high-level lair guards in the inner perimeter.

The reconnaissance team focused fire on the lair leader and brought him under control.

That's right, this reconnaissance force, mainly composed of troops from Silvermoon Forest, with strong support from various tribes and a small number of personnel from the Vast Ocean Territory, swept across the entire battlefield.

Subsequently, Lord Chen Mo's guards arrived at the scene and set up a cordon.

The lord has completed the kill of the lair chieftain, who was already bound and unable to move.

Having obtained the core of the ruins, they promptly returned it to Dongxia.

After leaving the ruins, Chen Mo felt a sense of loss.

It seems that the harrowing experience of the last assassination attempt may become a fading element in his life, and his future life may become increasingly "bland and tasteless" like it is now!
After a brief meeting with the Political Consultation Office of the Summer Moon Alliance to express encouragement and support, Chen Mo immediately embarked on his return journey.

With those two "hundred-ton king" trucks on board, the "Qiming" sped against the wind and headed straight for the vast sea.

After disembarking, we went straight to the north hall of the military camp, where there was a dark room specifically used for handling internal affairs. It was originally an interrogation room used by the intelligence system to interrogate spies and secret agents.

The walls of the interrogation room were made of thick obsidian, which blocked out the sound from inside and outside, and also absorbed most of the light and heat. Only a few fluorescent stones embedded in the corner emitted a cold, faint light, barely illuminating a small area in the center of the room.

Chen Mo sat behind a dark wooden table, his body slightly sunken into the shadow of the high-backed chair. One hand rested on the smooth tabletop, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly, making a soft, almost inaudible sound.

Helan stood slightly behind him, his hands clasped in front of him, his expression solemn. On the other side behind the lord stood Liushuang, his amber eyes burning like flames, locked on the figure at the other end of the room.

There, Lin Zhong sat slumped in a cold metal chair.

Yes, Lin Zhong, the former director of the Security Bureau, colonel of the Military Affairs Department, and head of the Han Hai intelligence system, who used to interrogate others here all year round, is now the one sitting across from the interrogation table.

After being captured, no one dared to make any unnecessary movements. Saying even one extra word could drag them into the storm. So Lin Zhong remained exactly as he was when he was captured, without even changing his clothes. His once crisp and neat Hanhai standard officer uniform was now wrinkled and covered with mottled marks, whether from dust or dried stains, it was hard to tell.

Lin Zhong's hair was a messy tangle, greasy and plastered to his forehead and cheeks. His cheeks were deeply sunken, his eye sockets were dark and bluish-black, and his dry, chapped lips trembled slightly, but he couldn't utter a word.

Having been detained for only a short time, this once spirited director of the State Security Bureau had become emaciated and unrecognizable. Only in his occasionally raised eyes remained a trace of resentment and struggle.

"why?"

Chen Mo spoke, his voice low and devoid of any obvious emotional fluctuations; his tone was even more indifferent than when he inquired about basic official business in the past.

Lin Zhong's body trembled slightly.

He looked up, trying to force a smile, but the distorted corners of his mouth pulled at the dry skin on his face, making it look particularly stiff.

"Lord... Lord..." His voice was very hoarse, like a broken bellows being pulled back and forth, "I... I'm sorry, I'm sorry for the cultivation of Han Hai... I, I was confused for a moment, I was bewitched!"

As she spoke, tears and snot rolled down her cheeks.

"I am a Xiyue person... I am a Xiyue person! The blood of Xiyue flows in my veins!"

"My parents are from Xiyue, and my wife and children are also from Xiyue!"

He choked back tears, gripping the trousers of his prison uniform tightly with both hands: "I can't... I can't just watch Xiyue... watch my homeland be destroyed like this..."

"Elves, elves are a different race, sir!"

Chen Mo didn't say anything, just quietly looked at him.

Lin Zhong wiped away his tears, which had covered his face in a mess of grime. He then forcefully raised his head, his eyes flashing with an almost morbid light.

"They...the royal family of Xiyue, they assured me!"

"They swear they only want to blackmail you, to force you to make the elves withdraw their troops and preserve the Creek Moon Federation. They cannot submit to the arrows of the elven barbarians!"

“Really, they said… absolutely, absolutely not to harm your life! They only want a promise from you! I… I thought… I thought that would save Xiyue…”

Chen Mo's thoughts drifted back to the past without him realizing it.

Lin Zhong's uncle, Lin En, was the first mercenary captain in the Han Hai Territory. The lame mercenary was somewhat slick and had many minor ailments, but he always stood firm on important matters and gradually gained Lin Zhong's trust.

Then, when the Han Hai Territory was most short of people, Lynn summoned his nephew, a young official who had already made a name for himself in Xi Yue.

Yes, he later named himself Lin Zhong.

He was gentle, humble, and polite. Most importantly, he was quite capable, and he risked his life more than once to retrieve a lot of necessary intelligence for the early Han Hai.

At that time, his eyes were so ardent and sincere. In this way, he gradually earned the trust of the lord and the council through his actions, and rose all the way to become the highest intelligence officer of the Han Hai Territory, a colonel in the military affairs department.

In terms of position importance, he even surpassed his uncle, who was a brigade commander in the army.

Lin Zhong, the director of the State Security Bureau, naturally knew about my trip to Luoyu Canyon, and he even personally arranged many of the security measures.

Chen Mo never imagined that he would betray him.

Hearing Lin Zhong's tearful confession, Chen Mo was even moved for a moment.

A righteous man with his heart set on his homeland? A foolish and ignorant redemption?

Unfortunately, the micro-expression analyzer, now in its sixth generation, coldly reminded Chen Mo that this was just a performance.

Chen Mo hadn't used this thing in a long time; he really disliked this cold, detached deconstruction of human nature.

With a slight sigh, Chen Mo pulled his wandering thoughts back and refocused his gaze on Lin Zhong's slightly distorted face.

"How did they get in touch with you? And how did you leak my itinerary?" Chen Mo's voice remained calm, but the fingers that were tapping the table stopped.

Lin Zhong's eyes flickered, and under Chen Mo's direct gaze, he lowered his head dejectedly. "It was... through the Mercenary Guild..."

He murmured softly, "Xi Yue... the royal family has sentries in the Vast Ocean. They... they use specific codes to slip information into the mercenary guilds' cross-domain mission announcements. I... I only found out later..."

"They found me and begged me to save Xiyue. I... I'm sorry, Lord, I lost control!"

Helan let out an angry snort from the side.

The control over spies in the Han Hai Territory is actually quite stringent; under normal circumstances, any small act would be exposed. However, when the Security Bureau runs into trouble, this control becomes nothing more than a joke.

"My trip to Fallen Feather Canyon was just a work assignment. The specific itinerary, route, security personnel, and entry time were not disclosed to anyone. How did you know?"

"I don't know, I'm just speculating... My lord, you might be going to the south at some point, I really don't know how they got the exact information..."

The micro-expression feedback from that sentence actually seems genuine.

"Helan, make a note of this. Have the alliance continue to investigate and get to the bottom of this!"

"Yes, Chairman! I'll arrange it right away!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Mo finally got tired of beating around the bush and directly exposed his lie.

"okay!"

"Stop pretending. What 'loyalty to the homeland' and 'human sentiment'? Lin Zhong, you know what's really going on in your heart. These words won't fool me."

"Tell me, what exactly is the reason?"

"For the sake of our past acquaintance, let's clarify things and think about your family!"

Lin Zhong's face changed instantly, and he screamed, "No! My lord, I... I really just want to save Xi Yue!"

“My children don’t know about this. You are a kind person, and you would never take your anger out on the innocent…”

Chen Mo interrupted him: "Yes, I won't, but if I don't order them to be protected, how many 'loyal' people like you will emerge in the territory, using your children to express their loyalty to me? I can't control that!"

Lin Zhong's shouts came to an abrupt halt.

That's right. The lord doesn't need to punish his own family. He just needs to turn around, close his eyes, and many people will rush up behind him and tear his wife and children to shreds.

In fact, the closer someone is to you, the more they were promoted and trusted by you, the more ruthless they will be in cutting ties with you, trying to regain a sliver of trust from the lord.

Lin Zhong's intelligence gathering abilities are so outstanding; he understands human nature all too well!

He lowered his head heavily, not daring to look at Chen Mo again.

A long silence fell over the interrogation room.

Despite it being the height of summer, a chill, seemingly from nowhere, seeped into his very bones, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. The cold light from the fluorescent stone shone on his hunched back, casting a deep darkness that seemed to bury his past.

Lin Zhong began to sob.

The crying grew louder and louder until the person was trembling violently and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yes! I did it! Not for Xiyue, but for myself!"

Lin Zhong's voice was filled with hysterical despair.

"I've had enough! I've really had enough!"

He struggled to get up from the chair, but the heavy shackles restricted his movements, leaving him writhing in place like a caged beast.

"My lord! Princess Liushuang! Lord Helan! Your births are so noble, you have no idea what I've been through and how much I've sacrificed to get to where I am today!"

Lin Zhong raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, spittle flying from his chapped lips.

"I come from humble origins, I am not a nobleman, and I have no family background! I barely learned some skills by relying on the money my uncle earned as a mercenary, but I don't have enough talent, so I can only stay at the second level forever."

"In Xiyue, I was able to climb to the position of Second Deputy Officer in the Mission Intelligence Department by working like a slave for others, by bowing and scraping time and time again, and by kneeling countless times!"

"I am grateful for the Lord's guidance, which has made me a great figure in the Vast Ocean, but, but—"

Lin Zhong's voice was filled with resentment and grievance.

"But no one knelt before me?"

"Kneeling is forbidden in the vast sea, so those lowly commoners and lower-ranking officials don't have to kneel before me. What kind of person is this? What kind of big shot is this?!"

Helan's face turned ashen with anger. He wanted to speak, but Chen Mo stopped him with a subtle gesture. Chen Mo simply watched him quietly, observing this subordinate whose mentality had completely collapsed, as if he were observing a pitiful, pathetic, yet hateful experimental subject.

Lin Zhong had completely let go of himself; he waved his handcuffed hands excitedly, his voice growing increasingly urgent.

"Furthermore! The rules of Hanhai are that abusing power for personal gain and accepting bribes are strictly prohibited!"

"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!" Lin Zhong laughed maniacally. "Then what was the point of all the hard work I put up to this position? Was it for that pitiful salary? Was it to put on a kind and friendly face to a bunch of peasants every day?"

“I am smarter than them! More capable than them! I have done far more for the lord than they have! Shouldn’t they kneel before me, just like I did back then, kowtowing loudly and respectfully calling me ‘Master’?”

"Shouldn't they offer me money, rare treasures, and beautiful women with both hands, so I can enjoy them at my leisure?"

"Shouldn't I just do whatever I'm told, whether it's east or west, and bark like a dog until the end of time, so that I can feel like I exist as an individual?"

"Why? Why can't I do it in Han Hai? What about all those years I knelt before them?!"

Lin Zhong looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, staring at Chen Mo, finally pouring out all the resentment in his heart, "Then what use is this power to me?! Huh?! What use is it to me?!"

"The Emperor of Xiyue... he understands! He understands what someone like me wants! He promised me a hereditary marquisate, a fiefdom of a thousand miles, and... he promised me the opportunity to elevate my entire family to the status of a member of the royal family. There, I will truly be a person above others!"

"So...so I...I sold your whereabouts..."

After uttering the last word, Lin Zhong seemed to have all his strength drained away, collapsing onto the chair like a lump of mud, with only his chest still heaving violently.

Suppressed, intermittent sobs echoed in the interrogation room.

Chen Mo fell silent.

Looking at the distraught man before him, he felt a surge of indescribable helplessness.

In this world, there will never be a shortage of people like this. Their deepest desire is for privilege and an obsession with the pleasure of being above others.

They revel in the exhilaration of being able to easily smooth things over after breaking the law and committing crimes; they revel in the thrill of wantonly trampling on others; they don't treat the people below them as human beings. On the Star Continent, they are lords or nobles; on Blue Star, they might be directors or screenwriters.

it's the same!
Lin Zhong is not the first person like this, and he probably won't be the last.

What he pursued was never simple wealth or power, but rather the kind of "decency" and "authoritarianism" of the old feudal lords who could trample on the dignity of others and arbitrarily control their fate.

In the vast ocean, the rules that Chen Mo personally created precisely robbed him of this "fun" he had been dreaming of.

After a long while, Chen Mo slowly stood up.

His movement broke the silence in the stone chamber. The shadows shifted as he rose, and the glow of the fluorescent stone seemed to brighten slightly, clearly illuminating the indescribable weariness on his face.

He walked up to Lin Zhong and looked down at his former subordinate.

Lin Zhong seemed to sense something, and struggled to lift his head, his face covered in tears and grime.

Perhaps because he had finally released all his emotions, his eyes were unfocused, and he was unconsciously muttering, "I... I should... be knelt on... I should..."

Chen Mo made a gesture to Helan, who opened the door. Two fully armed, expressionless soldiers entered and, one on each side, lifted the limp Lin Zhong from the chair.

The shackles clanged together, producing a cold, crisp sound.

Only when he was dragged to the door did Lin Zhong seem to awaken a sliver of consciousness from his delirious dream. He turned around abruptly, looked at Chen Mo's figure, and suddenly let out a shrill scream.

"Lord Lord!"

"Lin Zhong's crimes are unforgivable, even by death! May our lord be remembered for eternity!!!"

　Thank you so much to the guild leader 【东游西荡苗反反】 for your support!

　　Keep up the good work, author!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)