Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 432 Front
Xiao Dushui ultimately didn't explain things clearly to Zhou You, only saying that he hoped to visit him another day, and then bowed and left.

Time passed and the next day arrived.

This time, the meeting was not held at Yuan Chengwen's residence, but at a military camp not far from the battlefield.

Similarly, most of the revolutionary army's forces on the front lines had gathered here.

Looking around, one could see black flags waving, swords clashing, and gunfire raging like a forest—it was truly the most elite of the revolutionaries. Moreover, with Yuan Shikai's decades of corrupt support, this army, judging by its appearance alone, vaguely resembled the style of later generations.

But even the most elite troops are ultimately just ordinary people.

Just as Yuan Chengwen had said, and as he himself had witnessed, the army camp was filled with unease and restlessness under the influence of the supernatural and various strange occurrences. Everywhere one could see eyes filled with extreme anxiety—

Even so, the soldiers held their weapons tightly, and not one of them tried to escape.

"Although we take different paths, we are ultimately the same group of people."

"Mr. Zhou You, what did you say?"

"No, it's nothing."

Zhou You shook his head and let the matter drop.

This time, Howard was leading the way. It seems that because he was a China expert and a foreigner, he held a nominal position in the Revolutionary Army.

However, when facing Zhou You, he seemed extremely hesitant, and it wasn't until they reached the command post that he spoke hesitantly.

"Mr. Zhou."

"what happened?"

Zhou You originally thought that the infatuated girl wanted to ask about Hanlu, but after hesitating for a long time, she finally managed to utter a sentence with her face flushed red.

"I'm so sorry, I accidentally lost the photo you asked me to take."

Is that all?

Zhou You shook his head and smiled.

"It's something you do on a whim anyway, so if you lose it, you lose it. It's no big deal."

“But that thing…” Howard hesitated, then finally sighed softly. “Never mind, if you say it’s alright, then it’s alright. But if I heard correctly, sirs, you’re planning a final battle this time, aren’t you?”

"Yuan Da Nao's secrecy is pretty good, isn't it? What, you want to interview him?"

Howard's expression grew increasingly bitter.

"Please don't joke with me. In Chinese terms, after this experience, I've seen my own worth. As soon as the train arrives this afternoon, I'll immediately go to Pudong, take the ferry back to my hometown to inherit the family business, and never set foot in this place again."

Zhou You laughed.

"That's a good choice. Otherwise, if we meet again after a while, we might become enemies, and I won't hold back then."

Howard immediately patted his chest and assured him.

"You can rest assured about that. I will never run into you again, even if you kill me."

"So what do you plan to do for a living after this? Just live off your vast wealth and wait to die?"

"Maybe? I might even write a book about my experiences here—you probably don't know, but this kind of subject matter has always been very popular in China, and various books on it are bestsellers. What if I become a Marco Polo reincarnated?"

"."

"."

The journey wasn't long, and it passed quickly while they chatted. Howard only bowed formally when he was seen to the door.

"Then I'll leave you here and then go to say goodbye to Mr. Yuan."

But when he got to this point, for some reason, he suddenly became conflicted, and after a while, he hesitated before speaking.

"Um... Is Miss Hanlu still here? I wonder if I could ask her to come out, at least to see her one last time. Please rest assured! I will absolutely not do anything impolite, it really is just to see her one last time."

Zhou You could only shake his head with a wry smile at this display of infatuation.

"I'm not too sure about that. I haven't seen her since yesterday. It seems like something's happened. I'm really sorry."

Howard sighed heavily, his shoulders slumped, and his disappointment was palpable.

Zhou You suddenly laughed.

"I'd like to say, Brother Huo."

"I've already said my surname isn't Huo. Oh, sir, please just call me that."

"Although Hanlu is a pretty girl, she's far from being a beauty of unparalleled grace. With your wealth, Brother Huo, you could easily go to a brothel and redeem a few of the top courtesans. There's no need to be so conflicted, is there?"

Howard shook his head.

“I don’t know what you think, sir, but Miss Hanlu’s beauty is not superficial, but deep in her bones, like a beautiful flower blooming in her soul. To be honest, I have met many women over the years, but I have never seen anyone with such inner beauty.”

Why is this getting more and more mysterious?
Howard didn't seem to expect Zhou You to understand, and after saying that as if he were confiding in someone, he said it again.

"Since Miss Hanlu refuses to see me no matter what, let's leave it at that. What's that old saying again? I wish you good fortune in your military endeavors."

Zhou You shook his head and smiled.

"Although this saying originated in China, it is more commonly used in Japan, and frankly, it's not a very auspicious saying. Oh well, just think of it as such."

"—Then I wish you a safe journey, Brother Huo."

After Howard's figure had completely disappeared, a cold voice rang in my ears.

"he's gone."

"Yes, I left with immense regret and reluctance."

Only then did Hanlu emerge from the shadows. Judging from her expression, she seemed to have no desire to get involved with him at all.

Zhou You teased him upon seeing this.

"He's deeply in love with you, and although his status isn't exactly noble, a hereditary knighthood is still quite good—that's what Yu Sanzhi spent his entire fortune for. Why are you so dismissive?" "Senior brother," Han Lu looked at him speechlessly, but quickly let out a heavy sigh. "Fine, that's just the kind of person you are. You can't expect too much from him. Shall we go inside?"

"What do you mean by calling me someone like that?"

Zhou You said this casually as he prepared to knock on the door.

But before he could make a move, the door was suddenly pulled open.

"Messenger, messenger! You sons of bitches, where have you all gone? Wait, are you... Mr. Zhou?"

His angry face suddenly lit up with surprise. Before Zhou You could react, he was dragged into the house.

He tried to break free, but soon, the smell of blood filled his nostrils.

A strong smell of blood.

His flippant face instantly turned serious. Zhou You looked at the man and asked earnestly.

"Who are you? What happened? What happened to the military council that was supposed to be held here?"

The barrage of questions caught the man off guard, but he quickly recovered, first standing at attention and then giving a Western-style military salute.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, I am the Assistant Commander-in-Chief under Marshal Yuan, surnamed Ruan, named Jingde. The original military council meeting was canceled. Just now, the Qing forces suddenly intensified their offensive. The Deputy Commander-in-Chief only held out for less than half an hour before being forced to retreat. He was already on the verge of death and was transferred from here to a rear hospital for emergency treatment. Marshal Yuan also personally went to the front line to take command."

She was perfectly fine this morning, how did she suddenly turn into this?
Zhou You frowned and said.

"Brother Ruan?"

"Please just call me by my military rank."

"Alright, Commander Ruan, I will now organize the allied forces and quickly head to the front lines to provide support?"

"No." Unexpectedly, Ruan Jingde respectfully rejected the suggestion. "Commander Yuan said that this could also be considered an opportunity. After all, the Qing demons have come out in full force, and the defenses in the rear must be lax. So he directly divided the troops into three groups. He and the experts invited by the eight great merchants formed one group, Li Zhangfan personally led another group, and Mr. Zhou, you will prepare the last group to break through."

—As expected of a guy suspected of being Yuan Shikai, putting everything else aside, his decisiveness and ability to find opportunities are absolutely top-notch. Even under such an unexpected attack, he was able to find a chance to turn defeat into victory.

Zhou You nodded, and then said.

"So where do I need to go?"

"Yes, sir."

"Changshui Temple".

The situation was urgent, so Zhou You didn't waste any words. He summoned the roe deer and had it lead him to the destination as fast as he could.

To be honest, he wasn't the kind of person who would let his guard down in the face of danger. From the moment Howard picked him up, only half an hour had passed.

But the situation...
It seemed to have become extremely intense in the blink of an eye.

When Zhou You arrived at the battlefield, the first thing he saw was the allied forces at the front organizing the next wave of attack.

In this world, there is a shortage of everything except men willing to risk their lives, especially when the eight great Shanxi merchants and Feng Zhengye are spending money like water. The front lines have indeed gathered a lot of cannon fodder. At this moment, a man with a fierce face, who looks like he is a martial arts expert, is standing on a high platform, shouting something to the crowd below.

"Ten taels of silver for each Qing soldier killed, one hundred taels of silver for each Qing officer killed, one thousand taels of silver for each troublemaker killed, and ten thousand taels of silver for the first to break through the gate. Brothers, this is all pure silver! You are all used to being poor. Whether you become rich overnight or remain poor for life depends on today. As the saying goes, 'Are kings and generals born with a special destiny?'—take a gamble. At worst, you can risk your life for a lifetime of wealth!"

Although there weren't many who echoed the order, their emotions were still stirred up. Then, a man who looked like a sergeant gave some kind of command, and the army, using this group of cultivators as the vanguard, pressed forward once again.

Zhou You could see it clearly from afar. Although it was similar to yesterday, with those guys acting like rabble, they actually had some skill. Just as they rushed out, a hazy blue light shot into the sky, turning into a light rain that sprinkled on everyone—it was a spell to ward off arrows and exorcise evil spirits.

Then, several golden lights appeared in the battleground, and under their layers, the people at the front instantly became like golden figures—it was a spell cast by the remaining craftsmen to transform their bodies into gold.

An old woman waved her hand, and countless Gu worms filled the sky. There was also a corpse-driving zombie dressed in black and white robes, followed by several walking corpses pulled from the graveyard. Amidst the chaos, Cang Le suddenly sang a theatrical tune.
Even for Zhou You himself, suddenly facing such a group of guys would at least make him flustered for a while.

And the armies of ordinary people need no further explanation.

—Of course, it must also be an army of mortals.

As an enemy, the decorations on the other side are actually quite familiar to me.

Uniform, trousers, and black cloth boots.

This could be considered the standard attire of Qing soldiers.

However, the soldiers did not react to the various spells. Their faces were blank, like rotten wood, until the officer at the rear waved the command flag, at which point they slowly took a step forward.

Suddenly, the two sides clashed in close combat.

Surprisingly, the Qing troops did not collapse at the first touch when faced with this group of monsters and demons.

Or rather, it was the revolutionary army that was quickly carved out of a bloody path.

The spells left no trace on the soldiers' bodies; the spells, poison gas, and black mist were distorted and dissipated upon contact.

On the contrary, the Qing soldiers seemed to possess immense strength, capable of breaking bones and tendons with a mere gesture. Moreover, they appeared fearless and indomitable, continuing to brandish their weapons even after their heads were severed.
Wait a moment.

wrong.

How can a normal person fight back after having their head cut off?
Zhou You stared intently and saw that the soldier was holding his own head, holding a knife in one hand, and suddenly stabbed it into the heart of a low-class person opposite him—then put his head back on, and the flesh and blood miraculously reattached perfectly after a series of writhing movements.

Given this stark contrast, the initial confrontation quickly turned into a retreat, which in turn led to a rout, and the rout then turned into a pursuit.

—The disorganization and lack of discipline of this group were on full display here. Even though not many people died, this bunch of scum still retreated like a tide!
Ruan Jingde, who was standing next to him, explained with a wry smile.

"As you can see, these Qing soldiers seem to be immortal. Unless you can remove their limbs and burn them to ashes with kerosene, they can revive in no time. We are not afraid of death, but we are helpless against this kind of enemy."

"But I heard yesterday that you guys also won a few games?"

Ruan Jingde's expression remained bitter.

"Yes, that's right, but those times we only encountered small groups of Qing soldiers. We barely managed to win by launching elite assaults and killing the commander. In a situation like this, with so many guards, it's simply impossible. So we can only try to defeat them head-on, and then... Mr. Zhou?"

Ruan Jingde was stunned for a moment, and then realized that, without him noticing, there was only Han Lu staring at him with wide eyes.

"Excuse me, where is Mr. Zhou?"

Hanlu silently stretched out her hand and pointed ahead.

Someone is there, and
We're almost at the battlefield!
(End of this chapter)