Armor: After finding the Demon-Sealing Box, I won't eat beef.

"Dung buckets! They're all dung buckets!"

"I meant a bucket for holding manure! Not a bucket for holding food! Are you deaf?"

The ugly general patted the stone seat armrest and corrected him in a hoarse voice.

Spits flew half a meter away.

Shadow King hung his head, his face hidden under the brim of his hat was as black as charcoal, extremely ugly.

Of course he knew that the ugly general was cursing a dung bucket.

But no matter what, he was the previous summoner of the Earth Tiger Armor, and he still had some pride he couldn't let go of.

"Tell me yourself, what have you accomplished in the few months since you joined the film industry?"

"A dozen or so mutant beasts will be handed over to you."

And then? Huh?

They've sent out one after another, but haven't gotten a single important task done for me!

The ugly general was so angry that his mouth twisted to his ears, and his chest heaved violently.

Logically speaking, things shouldn't have turned out this way at all.

Previously, the mutant beast was in his own hands.

Although they didn't gain much advantage, they could at least put up a fight with the Armor Heroes.

But ever since that idiot Shadow King joined,

The mutant beasts handed over to him were sealed away every few days, and he was sent away faster than anyone else.

The one that died the fastest.

He couldn't even last two rounds before being instantly defeated by the opponent.

If they keep sending them like this,

He probably won't be sitting on that rocky throne of the film industry for much longer.

"In all my years, I've never seen such a stupid dung bucket!"

"You've lost twelve of my most important generals, all of whom I've been saving up for years!"

That's all my humble servant's wealth...

The ugly general pointed at Shadow Master's nose and cursed him, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

Standing below were not only Shadow King, but also a dozen or so idle members personally recruited by Ugly General.

They were all dressed in brightly colored, non-mainstream afro hairstyles and flashy clothes, looking like street thugs.

They were mostly young, blond-haired girls and delinquents who frequented internet cafes and the streets; none of them could fight.

We didn't recruit them expecting them to fight; they were just there to put on a show.

Lin Zhen saw that the time was ripe.

When he began developing the Dark Shadow Realm, he handed over full management authority over the realm to the Ugly General.

Listening to the endless accusations and insults from the ugly general above,

Shadow King lowered his head, muttering to himself with dissatisfaction, "Your generals are only so-so."

He eagerly came to join the ugly general, having a perfectly good plan in mind.

Once the alien beasts from the Shadow Realm have trampled the ERP research lab, he can take advantage of the chaos to steal the Earth Shadow Stone.

Who knew that the alien beasts in the ugly general's hands were not as powerful as the legends said; they were all showy but useless.

At this rate of loss,

Even Shadow Master couldn't help but wonder how many more months this Dark Shadow Realm could last.

"Alright!"

Stop standing there!

"I need to find a way right now to completely reverse this disadvantage!"

Perhaps he was tired from yelling and his mouth was dry.

The ugly general took a breath and finally steered the conversation back to the main topic.

The other blond thugs we brought in were just freeloaders, at most they'd go out and put on a show.

To put it bluntly, it's just about making up the numbers to appear more powerful; they can't come up with any real ideas.

Although Yingba was holding his breath, he was indeed the most intelligent and motivated one among the group.

After all, the Earth Shadow Stone he longed for was still in ERP's hands.

"Lord Ugly General,"

"I do have a solution." Shadow King stepped forward and was the first to step forward.

The ugly man glanced at him sideways, his face full of doubt: "What method? Tell me."

"Then I will dare to speak."

Yingba lowered his voice and said, "You sent people to capture Bei Miao's sister before, although she was later rescued..."

But that move was truly effective.

"I think these armor summoners are very loyal and sentimental. Why don't we take advantage of that and use their families to manipulate them?"

The ugly general suddenly became interested and leaned forward: "What do you mean by using relatives to manipulate people? Explain it clearly."

Shadow Master chuckled, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth:

"If I remember correctly, the summoner of the Flame Dragon Armor seems to live in a restaurant called Happiness Dumpling Restaurant."

If we arrest his whole family,

Threaten him with his life to hand over the Flame Dragon Summoning Device, do you think he dared not to?

"No! Absolutely not!"

Upon hearing this, the ugly general's face immediately fell, filled with disgust, and he rejected the idea on the spot.

He thought Shadow King would come up with some brilliant idea.

After all that fuss, it turned out to be a terrible idea that's not even worth mentioning.

Actually, he had thought of this method before; he had thought of it when he first took over the film industry.

But he simply wouldn't dare to do that—

On the surface, he's the one who calls the shots in the Shadowlands.

But the real power holder is Chairman Lin of the Riyin Group.

The purpose of the Shadowlands has never been to truly eliminate ERP.

Because the ERP research lab itself was also established with the support of Chairman Lin.

Ugly General was never afraid of being outmatched by those armored warriors from ERP who hadn't even grown their first hair yet.

What he feared was being overshadowed by Bing'er, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and losing favor with Chairman Lin.

Ugly General never mentioned the inside story of the film industry to Shadow Master, and he didn't miss any information related to the Japanese Sound Group.

Therefore, in Shadow Master's understanding,

The Dark Realm and ERP are mortal enemies, locked in a life-or-death battle of light and shadow.

In reality, it was all just a show put on for outsiders.

The one who truly reaped the benefits was Chairman Lin from beginning to end.

What Chairman Lin wants is for the alien beasts and armored warriors to keep fighting until he no longer needs these two forces.

The ugly general now only has about twenty magic stickers left.

It has only been half a year.

If four or five more Armor Warriors were sealed away, his superior, Lin Zhen, would probably strip him of his power.

After all, the number of magic stickers is fixed; once one is used, there are fewer left, and there's nowhere to replace them.

"Lord Ugly General, I think this method is really feasible!"

They're in the open, we're in the shadows; making a move would be a piece of cake for them.

"Besides,"

We, the Shadowlands, are villains by nature, and villains should act like villains.

If you can't win a direct confrontation, you resort to underhanded tactics. Isn't kidnapping and blackmail just common practice?

Shadow King was unconvinced and stubbornly argued with Ugly General, feeling that his idea was perfectly correct.

The ugly general, enraged even more after hearing this, slammed his hand on the stone seat and shouted:

Shut up!

I said no, and that's final. Stop talking nonsense and think of another way!

Shadow King was seething with anger, feeling both aggrieved and furious.

He felt from the bottom of his heart that the Ugly General was simply incapable of leading the Shadow Realm and was completely out of his mind.

If you're going to be a bad guy, you should be bad to the end. Why bother with all the rules of the underworld?

Why should we have to face off against Armor Heroes head-on?

"If you can't figure it out, then go back and think about it. Don't stand here in my way!"

The ugly general was in a fit of anger and found fault with everyone.

He simply waved his hand and kicked all those good-for-nothing subordinates out.

Without saying a word, Shadow King turned around and walked out.

As he walked down the street, he felt increasingly frustrated and his chest felt tight.

Back in his cramped room, he smashed things around, venting his anger.

Only after smashing everything that could be smashed to pieces did the tightness in my chest finally ease a little.

He sat slumped on the hard bed, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, muttering to himself, "If this continues..."

When will I be able to defeat ERP and reclaim my Tsuchikage Stone...?

at this time,

A strange energy fluctuation suddenly appeared in the room, distorting the air around it.

"Hehehe—"

A sinister laugh rang out, and amidst the churning black mist, the Evil Tree slowly emerged from the dark realm.

"Who?!"

Startled by the sudden commotion and eerie laughter, Yingba jumped up from the bed.

A young man dressed in a slick, disreputable style emerged from the black smoke, his eyes occasionally flashing with an eerie green light.

He doesn't look like a normal person at all.

Evilwood controlled the body it possessed, and Chongyingba raised his chin as a greeting.

His voice was high-pitched and hoarse, with an indescribable eeriness: "My name is Evilwood."

Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. On the contrary, I can help you fulfill your heart's desire.

"Evil wood..."

"I've never heard of such a person in the film industry." Shadow King took a half step back, his eyes full of vigilance.

"We've been watching you for a long time."

Evilwood smiled slyly, and every word he uttered precisely struck at Shadow Master's thoughts, making him unable to resist being tempted.

He slowly began, "Do you know who actually founded the Shadowlands?"

Want to know where those mutant beasts came from?

"All the magic stones in the world were brought from the dark universe by us."

Without us, there would be no Alien Beasts.

As for that ugly general...

To put it bluntly, he's just a puppet, a pawn who can't be played on the table.

"Shadow Master"

I know you have ambition, and I am also aware of your past identity as the summoner of the Earth Tiger Armor.

You, a dignified summoner of the Earth Tiger, are you willing to be suppressed by someone like Chou Jiang, who points his finger at you and curses you every day?

As long as you listen to me and do as I say.

Before long, the Earth Shadow Stone will be back in your hands.

The Earth Shadow Stone will be retrieved soon! These six words struck Shadow Master's mind like a thunderbolt.

Just moments ago I was on high alert, but the moment I heard the words "Earth Shadow Stone," my guard instantly relaxed.

"Tell me first! Who are you? Who are you people?!"

Faced with the Shadow Demon's trembling question,

Evilwood didn't intend to hide it, since there was nothing to hide anyway:

"We are the Shadow Guardians from the Dark Universe."

To put it bluntly, it was because of us that the Shadowlands and all the alien beasts came into being.

in addition,

I can also tell you why the ugly general rejected your proposal outright.

Despite losing so many mutant beasts, he still insisted on adhering to the so-called rules and dared not kill them.

Shadow King took half a step forward and asked urgently, "Why?"

"Because while Ugly General is ostensibly the boss of the Dark Shadows, the real mastermind behind it all is Lin Zhen."

He commissioned the development of the alien beasts, and he funded the construction of the Dark Realm.

He even discovered the summoner of the Light and Shadow Armor.

The so-called righteous organization ERP was also established with his support.

To put it bluntly, this is a game of the left hand fighting the right.

Both sides are his prized possessions, so of course he has to hold back. The battle of light and shadow is just a game of make-believe, stopping short of real fighting.