Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

On the western front, the frozen ground churned, and lead-gray clouds hung low over the wasteland.

The howling wind carried snowflakes and acrid gunpowder smoke across the land. In the distance, the Kingdom's bunkers stood tall, their dark gun barrels aimed at the Imperial army's lines ahead. Bullets rained down on the ground, splashing up patches of cold mud and snow, while the constant roar of artillery fire shook the earth.

Rows of soldiers charged forward under a hail of bullets, their comrades falling one after another beside them.

The western front was never peaceful; corpses littered the road ahead, and blood soaked the bitterly cold earth. Every charge was accompanied by the loss of countless lives.

Wang Zhiming mingled among the charging ranks, his eyes cold and resolute.

After receiving the power from Miss Ye, he can turn anything in his hands into a weapon, or even a magical artifact, and has repeatedly made great contributions on the battlefield.

"boom--!!"

A high-explosive shell came flying towards him. Wang Zhiming raised his hand, and a copper coin in his hand suddenly transformed into a heavy magical shield, steadily blocking the fatal blow. Seeing the heavy machine guns of the main bunker in front of him firing wildly, suppressing his own soldiers so they couldn't raise their heads, Wang Zhiming had a thought. His palm flashed with light, and he transformed the rifle in his hand into a dark cannon.

With a deafening roar, the enchanted shell slammed straight into the bunker wall!

"boom--!!"

An explosion a hundred times more powerful than before rang out, the brickwork instantly collapsed, and the enemy soldiers inside screamed as they were buried. Wang Zhiming leaped forward and planted the Empire's dragon flag atop the enemy's bunker!

"We've won!!!"

The surviving soldiers on the battlefield all looked at Wang Zhiming and burst into thunderous cheers!

After the battle, everyone was covered in blood and exhausted, but their eyes were full of respect and fervor as they looked at Wang Zhiming.

As the smoke gradually dissipated, the battlefield returned to a brief period of calm.

Wang Zhiming returned to the rear camp covered in blood and entered the simple mess hall. On the wooden table sat cold, shriveled roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), the dough hardened, the meat filling meager, and barely any oil.

He picked one up and took a bite; the rough texture rubbed against his throat, and he sighed inwardly.

With supplies running low on the front lines, even the meat in the soldiers' roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) is becoming increasingly scarce.

The soldiers on the front lines suffered from hunger and cold, and countless died of cold and starvation, a stark contrast to the prosperous and extravagant scene in the capital.

He had just finished eating two roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwiches) and hadn't even had a moment to rest when a group of officers in neat uniforms walked straight up to him, their faces serious.

"Wang Zhiming, come with us."

Wang Zhiming's heart stirred slightly. He thought that he had made great contributions on the battlefield and should be going to receive a promotion and medal. Without thinking too much, he followed a group of officers and left the canteen.

After traversing through military camps, they finally arrived outside General He's tent on the western front.

As Wang Zhiming lifted the tent flap and stepped inside, his heart sank—everyone inside the military tent was dressed in neat military uniforms and magical armor, their expressions solemn, and the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe—this was no scene of receiving honors; it was clearly a well-prepared trap!

General He Yiwei, a cultivator at the Gold Rank, sat upright in the main seat, his cold gaze fixed on Wang Zhiming:

"Ah, it's Wang Zhiming."

Wang Zhiming was startled, and then saw General He raise his hand and throw a stack of papers hard onto the ground in front of him:

“Pick it up and read it!”

Wang Zhiming bent down to pick up the paper from the ground. His gaze swept over the opening; there was no name, only the title "A Memorial Speaking Frankly on the Most Important Matter Under Heaven." Then, in front of everyone in the tent, he slowly began to read aloud:

"Your Majesty's current actions have caused numerous problems and are difficult to reverse... The people of the world have long been dissatisfied with Your Majesty!"

Each word slowly entered my ears.

The memorial directly points out the various malpractices of the empire at present, bitterly denounces the harm of the corruption order, condemns the extravagance and waste of large-scale construction projects, and expresses pity for the soldiers suffering from the cold at the front. Every sentence hits the nail on the head regarding the current situation!

The more Wang Zhiming read, the more excited he became. He felt that every word of this memorial was precious and hit the nail on the head. It was a truly wise and insightful document that showed his concern for the country and its people.

Upon reading the moving passages, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent! It's so well written!"

"Such a person, though born a civil official, has the well-being of the people in his heart, understands the hardships of soldiers on the battlefield, and possesses the integrity of a military officer. He is truly a civil official with military merit! If I have the opportunity to get to know him, I, Wang Zhiming, will definitely become sworn brothers with him!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere inside the tent plummeted to freezing point.

General He slammed his hand on the table, his face ashen and his eyes blazing with fury: "How dare you! Do you know whose memorial this is? This is the memorial of the traitor Tong Chuxue, accusing him of treason! How dare you applaud him in public and even want to become sworn brothers with this traitor?"

Wang Zhiming was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, his admiration froze, and he subconsciously said, "It's the boss..."

"Boss?" General He's eyes suddenly sharpened, a murderous intent surging within them. "Just as I thought! You've been secretly seeing Tong Chuxue all along; you're her accomplice!"

"Men, seize Wang Zhiming! Interrogate him severely and make him confess honestly how many others in the military camp are Tong Chuxue's accomplices!"

The soldiers on both sides immediately stepped forward and held down Wang Zhiming's arms tightly!

Wang Zhiming struggled fiercely, loudly retorting: "What Elder Tong Chuxue wrote were all words of loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, every sentence was for the sake of the nation and the people, how can there be any talk of treason? Why does the general not distinguish right from wrong and wantonly frame loyal officials!"

"Still dare to argue!" General He roared, his face contorted with rage. "Execute him! Give him a good beating with military rods!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull, heavy sound of the military baton rang out. The soldier showed no mercy, striking Wang Zhiming's body again and again. His skin and flesh tore open, and blood seeped out continuously, staining his clothes red!

Excruciating pain swept through his entire body, but Wang Zhiming gritted his teeth and refused to utter a single plea for mercy, insisting that everything he said was true.

After the beatings, all sorts of cruel torture followed.

Whipping! Tiger bench! Tooth extraction! Honey trap!

Wang Zhiming persisted until the honey trap failed, his will was firm, his eyes were full of loyalty to the emperor and the country, and all he felt was respect and loyalty to his savior Tong Chuxue!

"Looks like they're not convinced..." General He murmured. "Get on your horse!"

The sixth form of punishment is dismemberment by two horses!

Two racehorse girls were invited into the military camp. Wang Zhiming thought it was a variation of the honey trap, but then he saw one of the horses grab one of his arms and then pull wildly in different directions!

"Ahhhhh!!"

Under unimaginable and unbearable pain, Wang Zhiming finally uttered his first words after being tortured: "Tell me... isn't this ridiculous...?"

Before long, Wang Zhiming was covered in blood and gore, his arms were torn off, and hot blood kept gushing from his empty shoulders.

General He slowly walked to the dying Wang Zhiming, holding a document already filled with names. The document listed all the civilian officials who opposed the military clique. They naturally knew that Tong Chuxue had no allies, and Wang Zhiming was just one of the people who had received favors from Tong Chuxue.

However, they have a great deal of audacity to use the pretext of arresting accomplices to engage in factional strife and suppress the civil service group!

General He grabbed Wang Zhiming's still-warm severed hand and pressed it against the signature of the document. A complex look flashed in his eyes as he sighed softly, "Even in this state, you still refuse to implicate others. You can be considered a hero. It's just a pity that you chose the wrong side and ended up like this. It's truly a pity."

Wang Zhiming's consciousness gradually sank into darkness.

"deal?"

The excruciating pain in his body kept tugging at his mind, and in his dazed state, a clear and gentle female voice softly entered his ears.

It was Miss Yoru's voice.

Wang Zhiming slowly opened his eyes and saw a snow-white garden, boundless and flawless.

“Miss Ye…?” Wang Zhiming stood up, as if he had taken a nap in this sea of ​​flowers, and all memories of the Western Front war, torture, and cold military tents had vanished.

A slender figure slowly walked out from the depths of the sea of ​​flowers.

The woman wore a plain white dress, her figure slender and delicate. Her dark bangs fell down, covering most of her eyes, making it impossible to see the expression in them. They were somewhat cold and aloof. A deep and shallow scar ran across her fair cheek, adding a chilling murderous aura to her delicate features.

Cold and sharp.

This was the first time Wang Zhiming had seen Miss Ye's true face.

"Because you're going to die, I came to see you." Miss Ye walked up to Wang Zhiming. "Would you feel sad to die alone...?"

"..."

Wang Zhiming remained silent for a long time, then shook his head: "In this life, although I did not achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating the civil service group, I tried my best for it, so I am not lonely or sad."

"Eliminating the civil service...is that your ideal?"

"Correct."

“Wonderful, interesting, truly fascinating.” Miss Ye suddenly smiled, slowly walking up to Wang Zhiming, stopping in front of him, and said calmly, “Your wish… isn’t it to take revenge on the entire world, Wang Zhiming?”

"Bullshit!" Wang Zhiming said, "What grudge do I have against the world?"

Miss Ye looked at him silently, her expression complex, a mixture of disdain and pity.

“Okay, I understand… Actually, I can help you.” Miss Ye nodded slowly, “but I have conditions.”

"What conditions?"

“Have you heard of Faust? Hmm… it doesn’t seem to exist in this world.” Miss Night sighed. “Simply put, the devil Mephistopheles made a bet with Faust: Mephistopheles would become Faust’s servant, and once Mephistopheles satisfied Faust with worldly pleasures, the master-servant relationship would be dissolved, and Faust’s soul would belong to the devil. My conditions are similar.”

"Devil... are you a demon?" Wang Zhiming asked.

“No, I am not.” Miss Ye smiled. “I am the Demon God.”

Demon God.

Another name for the Primal Demon, an existence beyond legend, a world enemy who wields the power of source matter.

Wang Zhiming scrutinized Miss Ye's face, a question rising in his mind: "Why me?"

“Because in this war, you are the only second-generation hybrid.” Miss Night paused, “a hybrid of human and dragon… You are the Dragon King representing war and fire, the son of Constantine who was lost to the human world.”

"Can't understand."

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. You just need to make a deal with me.” Miss Ye held up four fingers. “One-quarter. If you give me one-quarter of your life, I can lend you the power of the Primordial One once, allowing you to possess my body and fight for me… until you use it four times, offering up your life, soul, body, and bloodline to me completely, then the deal will be over.”

Wang Zhiming's mind was racing.

A quarter of life... It sounds like a lot, but I only need to use it three times, and I would never use it a fourth time. Wouldn't that be equivalent to getting Miss Ye for free?

He likes to get things for free.

Moreover, Miss Ye claims to be the Primordial Demon God... If she never makes a deal and never dies, wouldn't she be able to seal away a great enemy for humanity?

Thinking about it this way, there's really no reason to refuse.

Moreover, he also had his own ideals—Tong Chuxue's sincere memorial on maintaining order, the countless soldiers who froze and starved to death on the front lines, the wealthy and powerful in the capital who indulged in luxury and disregarded the people's livelihood—the factional infighting among the civil officials and the rise of treacherous ministers, which caused the people to suffer and deserved to die a thousand deaths!

The root of the empire's current turmoil lies not in the loyal ministers who speak frankly and offer advice, but in the treacherous officials who hold power in the court, and in the civil service group that deceives the emperor, instigates internal strife, and disregards the common people!

Therefore, he wants to—

Remove the corrupt officials from the court, rectify the government, protect the loyal and virtuous, and bring peace to the people!

For this matter, Wang Zhiming would gladly give his life!

After a brief moment of thought, Wang Zhiming raised his head, looked at Miss Ye in front of him, and slowly nodded: "I promise you."

"Contract complete."

Miss Ye stepped forward, gently opened her arms and embraced the wounded Wang Zhiming, her cool lips lightly kissing his lips.