Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

The next second, a tearing pain swept through his limbs and bones, so painful that he clenched the cold, damp soil in his palms tightly, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted.

In his hazy state of consciousness, he vaguely saw flowing light swirling in the sky, emanating a faint, ethereal glow. The deafening artillery fire that had been deafening had quietly subsided, and through the haze, several figures approached. A medic silently lifted him up. Cheers and shouts erupted all around him, clearly the ecstasy of a great victory.

But he wasn't interested in any of that.

"Really? If you have no attachment to victory whatsoever, why did you set foot on this battlefield in the first place?"

A clear, ethereal female voice suddenly echoed in the depths of Wang Zhiming's mind. His lips trembled slightly, and he tried hard to answer, but his body remained motionless.

"Is the gap between reality and your inner desires too glaring? Or have you finally realized that you are just an ordinary person in this mortal world, powerless to control your fate?" The woman's voice paused slightly, seemingly with a hint of mockery, "Or perhaps... deep down, you are ultimately afraid?"

After a long silence, Wang Zhiming, using his last ounce of strength, hoarsely and brokenly squeezed out three words:

"Who are you?"

The female voice in my mind fell silent for a moment, like a lowered gaze and a soft sigh in the wind, then rippled out with a light and distant laugh, its lingering ethereal quality:

"Me..."

You might as well call me—"Night."

Chapter 117, The Demon of War

Wang Zhiming had a dream.

In his dream, the demon of war was about to descend upon the world in three hours, and the news was being widely spread across major media platforms. Whether His arrival would bring salvation or destruction, Wang Zhiming had no way of knowing. Amidst the various opinions, all he wanted to do first was eat a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

The universe is infinite, and human life is insignificant. He came from nothing and should return to nothingness. The only thing he cared about and couldn't forget was the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in the army camp.

The roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) wasn't big, and the bread was dry. I first met it three years ago. He was young, and it was ethereal. I took a small bite, and "wow," it was delicious. Unfortunately, I started eating later and later, and when I wanted to reunite with my former love, I had to wait through crowds of people, time and time again.

It's a pity I don't regret where my dreams led me, but I regret that they passed by too quickly.

I don't know when it started, but the meat in roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) has become less and less. Admittedly, it has become more pre-made and less personal, which has made Wang Zhiming lose his former love for it. Or perhaps it can no longer be called the same roujiamo.

But in this vast universe, who can control the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in the military camp?

In truth, everything in this world is preordained. Wang Zhiming doesn't worship the emperor, but he believes in the God of Amber. Perhaps that God, who symbolizes protection and shelter from famine, will scatter benevolent roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) across the earth.

Whether he was alive or after his death.

The demon of war descended. On the Eastern Front, there was no negotiation. Amidst the smoke and the roar of artillery, the world lost its color.

He arrived because he had to. As an imperial soldier, he bore the mission of saving the world; who else but him?

But standing at the feet of the demon of war, Wang Zhiming realized how insignificant he was; He was larger than the pure gold and amber statue of the Theocracy. Although he had never been to the Theocracy, he had watched videos of it.

The demon of war halted its advance, looked down at Wang Zhiming, and gestured for him to give it his hand. Wang Zhiming dared not refuse, yet he couldn't stop trembling. So it wanted the roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwich) in his hand. It seemed that no matter how advanced a being was, it couldn't resist the temptation of roujiamo.

A bullet pierced his chest, and the words he heard before he died accused him of treason.

Haha, is this human nature?

Demon of war, I'm starting to understand you. But suddenly... I really want... a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)... ah...

Until I woke up.

The dream filled with the smoke of battle is still vivid in my mind; the warmth of the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) still lingers in my palm, and the hallucination of the gunshot wound in my chest throbs faintly.

Wang Zhiming got out of his hospital bed; there was no one around.

The Empire dispatched a Platinum-rank Duke of Chu to the western front, who used the power of the "Immortal Killing Move - Overlord Six Slashes" to defeat three Gold-ranked warriors of the Kingdom and wipe out the Kingdom's artillery regiment in one fell swoop. This battle resulted in a great victory on the western front.

Everyone was celebrating, but Wang Zhiming didn't understand why, if the Platinum Rank could win by himself, they had to send these mortals to their deaths in the crossfire.

Perhaps... this is also a conspiracy by the civil service.

In this world with healing sorcerers and healing arrays, gunshot wounds, if they don't kill, mean you can be back on the battlefield the next day, all lively and energetic. Wang Zhiming only stayed at the field hospital to escape the soldiers' celebratory clamor.

According to the above arrangements, the Empire will continue to advance on the western front, with the goal of controlling the agricultural and industrial cities in the western part of the kingdom and cutting off the supply lines to the main battlefield on the eastern front.

The wars to come will be even more intense and more frantic.

At that time, who knows how many parents' children, how many girls' dream men, will die on this desolate battlefield?

If I were to die, would my parents at home shed tears for me?

Although I didn't die this time, perhaps it won't be long before I can go to the Amber God's Heaven to be with Xiao Chunan and the others... I just don't know if I, whose hands are already stained with the blood of the Kingdom's people, am still qualified to ascend to Heaven.

Wang Zhiming was unaware of this; he silently touched his chest.

Hanging there was a bronze star medal, awarded for his bravery in the Western Front campaign, where he killed more than a dozen enemy soldiers and survived wounds—a second-class merit. For this battle, he was promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant and became a platoon leader with three squads totaling thirty men.

Although he was only a junior officer, he had already achieved the transformation from a non-commissioned officer to an officer, which should have been a cause for celebration.

But Wang Zhiming didn't feel particularly excited or honored; he felt it would be better to just go to the cafeteria and have another roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).

The medal itself is not important; what matters is what is hidden within it—the mysterious woman who calls herself "Night," who is his greatest secret at this moment.

According to Ye, she was the remnant soul of a fallen immortal venerable. She discovered on the battlefield that her soul was a perfect match for Ye's, so she chose to stay by her side—and in return, she was given some abilities that would allow her to survive on the battlefield.

Wang Zhiming had also read the novel. With his profound understanding of the Dao of Immortality and his mastery of online literature, he naturally knew that this "Miss Ye" was the greatest destiny he had for immortality in his life.

however……

"After all, my power is not yet complete, and there is not much I can give you." Night's voice echoed in your mind. "Now, you can turn anything you touch into a weapon: knives, swords, guns, bombs, halberds... even cannons can be conjured up."

“These are all meant to kill the enemy,” Wang Zhiming sighed. “But I want to live more.”

"Then you must help me regain my authority and become stronger."

"How to do it?"

"Help me find my children," Night chuckled softly. "With each child you find, my authority will be restored by a fraction, and I will be able to grant you even more power."

Children...?

Miss Ye's voice sounds very young; I never imagined she was already a mother of several children... I suppose her true form must be a pure-blooded elf with a long lifespan.

“Just saying that doesn’t mean I know what your child looks like…” Wang Zhiming hesitated.

“I have three children. My eldest son is like the sun, young, energetic, and full of vitality; my eldest daughter is a reliable and easy-going person, good at socializing, and has many, many friends.” Miss Ye’s voice was soft and melodious, as if she was reminiscing about the past. “As for my second son, although he is impatient and somewhat rebellious and flamboyant, he is also a decisive and good child… In short, you will definitely recognize them when you see them.”

I asked you to describe the child's appearance, why are you talking about the child's personality...?

Miss Ye suddenly added, "But until then, I still need to hide here with you, since I have many enemies looking for me."

"What kind of person is my enemy? Will he take his anger out on me?"

“It’s hard to say. After all, one of our enemies is a fanatic who might use any means to achieve his goal,” Miss Ye sighed. “The other one is easier to talk to. She’s a little girl with amnesia and she’s very kind… If you’re accidentally caught, try to get on the second one’s side.”

"It feels like you met your enemy in a mental hospital," Wang Zhiming muttered.

What he didn't say was that this Miss Ye also seemed to have just escaped from a mental hospital; she spoke incoherently and seemed to have some mental issues.

"Who says otherwise!" Miss Ye laughed heartily upon hearing this. "But it's still better to be careful... especially lately, my enemies have hired a blind female detective who's been searching the world for me. Wang Zhiming, you'd better protect me!"

A blind girl...a detective?

He really is mentally ill. How did those two words get connected?

My "fate-granting cheat" doesn't seem very reliable.

…………

"The demon of war has already descended."

The Celestial Realm, a data subspace created by the Amber God, is also known as the "Spirit Realm," a place where all information in the world converges.

At this moment, in the deepest part of the Celestial Realm, three illusory figures sat facing each other.

The prophesied Saintess Serafina, representing the theocracy, addressed the two monarchs who ruled the two poles of the world: "In order to bypass the protective barrier built by our Lord, He resolutely abandoned most of His origin and descended, and is therefore still very weak... But as long as the world continues to fear war and remain in chaos, He will eventually be able to fully recover and restore His original power."

"At that time, no one in the world will be able to stop it."

Ji Yushen lightly tapped the dragon throne, raised her eyes, and asked casually, "So where is He hiding now? Have you found Him?"

“If I look directly at Him with these eyes, I will not only go completely blind, but He will also catch me and kill me by following my gaze.” Serafina put on the blindfold and shook her head. “Besides, there is a fog of war in His authority, so I can’t see Him even if I want to.”

"Therefore, we invited you to this meeting in the hope that the Empire can suspend the war," Freya said earnestly. "With a formidable enemy at hand, we should deal with the war demons first before continuing the war... or, I can exchange 'Power' for the 'Hanged Man' with you; this war simply doesn't need to continue."

“This isn’t worth it,” Himeko shook her head. “Dain was a surrendered subject, and I have no interest in ‘power,’ but you desperately need the ‘Hanged Man.’”

"The kingdom can offer other forms of compensation, but it's time to stop this pointless war. I don't want to see any more innocent people die..."

"In my opinion, it's because you suffered defeats on the battlefield and dared not continue fighting that you came to persuade me in alliance with the Holy Kingdom, right?" Ji Yushen sneered. "War is a continuation of politics. If we can achieve our goals at the negotiating table, then violent means are indeed meaningless... What you all say makes a lot of sense."

Freya exclaimed with delight, "Then, you are willing..."

"But I refuse!"

"Why!!!"

"Because one of my favorite things to do is to refuse those who think they are right with 'no'!"

"Don't act like a child over something so important!" Freya felt like she was about to collapse from anger.

"A child? Are you implying that I am short?!" Ji Yushen roared in fury. "If you were my subject, even the execution of your entire family wouldn't be enough! Besides, are you really that tall? Freya, you're the one who looks most like a child!"

"That's not what I meant! And I really am very tall, with a great figure. Want to see photos of me before I shrunk? It's convenient to retrieve information here in the Celestial Realm... Oh my, those long legs, that slim waist, that thunder... I'm so beautiful, completely different from that loli emperor who never grew tall!"

"How dare you! Freya, are you prepared for another million kingdoms to die because of this outrageous remark?!"

"Who's afraid of who! Come on then!"

Seeing the two monarchs arguing about their appearances, practically betting their kingdoms on who was more beautiful, Serafina had to step in to mediate: "Gentlemen, stop arguing! Haven't you noticed? You've both been affected by the terror of 'war.' Continuing this argument will only please the real enemy!"

"Indeed... I'm sorry, it's really impolite to argue about someone's appearance."

"I forgive you. I was indeed a bit emotional just now."

The demon of war has descended, and the earth is about to be ravaged by conflict. Even though both of them are legendary beings who have mastered the source of energy, the highest beings in this world, they are unwittingly shrouded in the shadow of war, becoming violent, paranoid, and competitive.

After realizing this, Freya and Himegami wisely took a step back.

"Besides, no matter how you two compare, I'm still the most beautiful. After all, I've been recognized as the world's most beautiful girl for thousands of years," Serafina continued to comfort her. "So there's no point in saying these hurtful things. Let's talk about something practical."

"Hey! Serafina! What do you mean by this?!"

"Why does a thousand-year-old crippled woman act like a virgin? It's laughable! Why don't you come to my palace and become a court jester!"

Now it's a three-way free-for-all.

Just as Freya and Himegami were about to use their source energy to recreate the war between the demon gods, Serafina suddenly stopped talking, took a half step back, and moved aside.

Behind her, the silhouette of an old man in a golden robe slowly approached.

Clement III, the legendary figure who was the shepherd of the amber god, the supreme ruler of the papacy, and the one who held the title of "Pope."