I write obituaries for the gods

"Chief, are we really going to let this mad dog stay on the chessboard?"

“He is the key,” Louis’s voice came through, “Believe me…”

"He is crucial..."

......

"Is it still not ready? I'm losing patience..."

The helicopter hovered over the border area of ​​Pearl Beach, looking down at the dilapidated city below.

Tang Xiaoren stood on the edge of the helicopter, gazing at the burning Liberty district in the distance, his expression one of dissatisfaction.

"How much longer will it take you to pry open the port gates! Are you even capable?!" Tang Xiaoren shouted.

"Entering the port."

In the passenger seat of the Cullinan, Lin Chen pulled up a red mask and tied a red headscarf on his head.

He turned his head and looked at Jiang Zhengge in the back seat—the section chief had also tied a red headscarf.

"Don't try anything funny," Jiang Zhengge whispered to Mrs. Redfield.

"I'm afraid tricks won't work on you, will they?" Mrs. Redfield said calmly, as if she weren't the one with a gun pointed at her. "Rest assured, since a deal has been struck, everything will proceed according to the agreement..."

"..."

When the Cullinan arrived at the port checkpoint, a group of Red Gang soldiers immediately came to greet it.

The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing Mrs. Redfield's kind face. She smiled and nodded at the soldiers.

"Is everything alright?"

"Madam, you're alright!" the soldier exclaimed excitedly. "We thought..."

“I was indeed nearly ambushed, but thankfully these brave warriors saved me,” Mrs. Redfield pointed to Jiang Zhengge behind her. “However, that doesn’t matter now, because the people who attacked me were American soldiers.”

Upon hearing this, the soldiers were clearly unsettled.

"Are you sure?" he lowered his voice, "At this point in time..."

“The defender of democracy wants to get revenge, you know, demigods are all madmen,” Mrs. Redfield said calmly. “He wants to kill me, and then mobilize the remaining forces of the Red Gang, for his… uh… military achievements…”

"What should we do? The watchtower is currently in their hands," the soldier asked.

"Don't make a fuss yet. Just take me to the watchtower. I'll try to talk to him."

Mrs. Redfield smiled kindly:

"Don't be afraid, soldiers. For you, even if I sacrifice myself, it's nothing. Tonight, I will protect you."

"Madam..." the soldiers chanted in unison, "We will follow you to the death."

"..."

The car windows closed, and the port gates slowly opened, revealing a road wide enough for the convoy to pass through.

"You really have the nerve to say these things..." Jiang Zhengge exclaimed.

"The best way to manage your subordinates is to make them believe that you are willing to do anything to protect them. In this way, they will repay you with the same level of loyalty."

Mrs. Redfield finished speaking with a smile and looked at Lin Chen:

"So, did your section chief do that?"

"That trick won't work." Lin Chen didn't even turn his head.

“Oh dear…you’re all too wary of me…” Mrs. Redfield chuckled.

As the convoy passed through the port gate, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a bustling port where armed convoys were transporting various supplies to the riverbank.

In the very center of the port, a tall building that resembles an airport control tower stands, with rows of streamlined cannons swaying slightly in the night.

“Lookout turret, the port’s secret weapon, you’ve never seen it before, have you?” Mrs. Redfield said with a smile. “If you force your way in, that’s what’s waiting for you. This thing is one of the very few useful things that the American army brought. It’s said that even the inner defenses of New Washington use this type of thing.”

“It does look quite convincing,” Jiang Zhengge said. “So, what was the purpose of you taking us to that tower?”

"Of course, it's because... the true form of the defender of democracy is inside..."

Just as Mrs. Redfield finished speaking, Lin Chen heard the sound of wings flapping.

Looking out through the windshield, he saw a figure with an eagle's head flying across the sky, hovering above the watchtower.

"Anyone who isn't an idiot can deduce where the true form of the Democracy Guardian is from this scene, right?" Lin Chen narrowed his eyes.

“Oh dear, this is officially verified information, much more accurate than your speculation,” Mrs. Redfield chuckled. “Of course, with my help, your entry will be very smooth.”

Cullinan stopped in front of the watchtower, where a group of white soldiers came to greet him.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!” an American soldier shouted.

"I've come to see your demigod leader!" Mrs. Redfield shouted. "It's time to consider a retreat!"

Upon hearing that they were to retreat, the American soldiers, who had been extremely aggressive just moments before, immediately relaxed considerably.

"Ah, thank God, we're finally making our way back! Come on, escort Mrs. Redfield inside!"

"I would like to be escorted by my own people, thank you."

Mrs. Redfield glanced at the hesitant American soldier and frowned:

"Oh, come on, my friend, you don't think I can kill your demigods with a squad of soldiers, do you? For God's sake, I want to retreat as soon as possible. Of course, I need some security. Don't you need it too?"

“No problem, no problem,” the soldier waved his hand, “Let them in!”

Several American soldiers stepped forward, opened the car door, and gestured for Mrs. Redfield to get out.

Lin Chen got out of the car, hung the AK47 around his neck, and turned to look at the convoy behind him.

Li Zhanyi and Lucy jumped out of the SUV, both carrying weapons.

As for Black Sword, she was waiting for orders in the trunk of the SUV.

Led by Mrs. Redfield, the group entered the watchtower without any obstacles.

As they climbed the stairs, Jiang Zhengge couldn't help but speak:

"These Americans let us in so easily?"

“Americans have always loved to retreat, haven’t they? They don’t like battles where you could lose your head at any moment. After all, they’re used to crushing the battlefield with demigods,” Mrs. Redfield smiled. “Don’t rush into action later, take it slow, okay?”

“Of course.” Jiang Zhengge nodded.

The staircase is very long, and for security reasons, the watchtower has no elevator at all, with American soldiers stationed on each floor.

Even such core facilities are controlled by the Americans, which shows that Mrs. Redfield was not lying—the actual controller of this port is the United States.

No wonder she brought in the Bureau of Investigation rebels.

“…”

After a long climb up the stairs, the group arrived at the entrance to the command center.

“Be prepared,” Mrs. Redfield turned her head. “You know, the emotions of demigods… are never so stable.”

......

Chapter Thirty-Six: Phase Two

"Buzzing..."

The command center door had barely opened a crack when Lin Chen heard cursing:

"Damn it! You know I've already earned enough military merits! You understand!"

"I killed so many people! Isn't that enough to earn me a place in the White House? Isn't that enough?"

In the center of the hall, a defender of democracy was pacing back and forth, phone in hand.

He wasn't wearing a helmet, which allowed Lin Chen to see his true form for the first time.

The face no longer had many human features; the mouth had become a bird-beak-like structure, but was covered with human skin and lips; the left brain had curved cow horns, while the right brain was covered with fish-scale-like structures; his eyes were even more bizarre, with vertical pupils, like those of a lizard.

It is evident that in the process of devouring various groups and incorporating them into its own culture, the defenders of democracy have become distorted.

However, during the process of splitting into clones, he did know how to make his clones look more human—at least to outsiders, they had to look human; internally, they didn't matter what kind of monsters they were, since outsiders couldn't see them anyway.

At this moment, the Democracy Guardian is on the phone, and he appears to be very agitated.

"Retreat because you don't have enough military merits... Why not?!"

"You're saying that the people I killed...were just nobody...?"

The hands of the defender of democracy trembled violently.

"Killing ghosts... and you're letting me retreat? How do I know you're not lying to me again! You're always like this, you always love to deceive me! You promised me a reputation if I fought alongside you until the end, and now you've sent me to Rain City! I hate this place! My legion is full of idiots!"

"drop."

The phone call ended, and the Democracy Guardian stood in the center of the hall, lost in thought.

He turned his head to look at Mrs. Redfield at the door and murmured softly:

"You're still alive? Weren't you attacked?"

“What a pity I survived,” Mrs. Redfield shook her head. “Were you on the phone with your brother?”

"That's none of your business!" The voice of the Democracy Guardian was tinged with anger. "I heard you're planning to send the Ocean Ship out of port! Who gave you permission?!"

“The war is going to be lost, we have to retreat, don’t we?” Mrs. Redfield shrugged.

"I have not received orders to retreat! We will fight to the end!" the Democracy Guardian shouted.

"You're just worried I'll take all the troops with me, aren't you?" Mrs. Redfield shrugged. "Those who retreat are mostly the old, weak, and disabled like me; they won't affect your fighting..."

No! None of you are allowed to leave!

The Democracy Guardian suddenly became agitated. He stormed up to Mrs. Redfield and looked down at her.

“I can’t leave…you all have to go to the battlefield,” he said breathlessly. “The old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled all have to go…you hold them off…I’m going to kill the ghost! Yes…I’m going to kill the ghost! If I can kill him, my brother will approve of me…and I can go back to the White House…”

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Mrs. Redfield shook her head:

"Your brother never intended for you to go back. Which version of the story do you think the American public would prefer to hear: a general who died on the battlefield or a general forced to flee?"

"Don't fucking pretend you know everything! You country bumpkins from Liberty!" the Democracy Guardian roared. "Gather all your men... and let me..."

"Snapped."

A soft gunshot rang out, and the eyes of the democracy defenders widened instantly.

He looked down and saw that Mrs. Redfield had somehow acquired a small pistol and pulled the trigger toward his heart.

That was a whale-sounding grenades.

“My dear, you’re so foolish,” Mrs. Redfield’s voice carried a hint of pity. “Killing you would be doing the Freedom Hawk a favor, wouldn’t it? Two brothers dead on the battlefield—it’d be a morale-boosting recruitment advertisement…”

Before the defender of democracy could say anything more, he heard the sound of glass breaking.

He turned his head and saw that Lin Chen had already taken off his mask and was holding a revolver shotgun.

"Goodbye."

"Oh!"

Another whale-sounding grenade struck the Democracy Guardian in the heart, blasting him away, smashing through the French windows, and falling downwards.

Screams immediately erupted from below the watchtower, followed by the sounding of the port alarm.

"Lucy, Oss, block the door!" Jiang Zhengge shouted, looking at Mrs. Redfield, "Where did you get your gun?"

"It was hidden in the umbrella holder in the Cullinan's door, and I just pulled it out when I got out," Mrs. Redfield shrugged. "What for? I didn't shoot you, isn't that enough to show my sincerity? He'll be wary of you, but he'll never be wary of me. It's good that I'm the one to start this game."

"Next time, just let me know in advance," Jiang Zhengge sighed.

Just then, an explosion was heard outside the window, and Black Sword leaped up from the edge of the French windows and entered the hall.

"Hey! Where's the defender of democracy?" Black Sword looked around.

"He didn't fall?" Lin Chen was taken aback.

Almost simultaneously, a figure soared into the sky—

"boom!"

Lin Chen ran to the French windows and looked up: he saw the two clones of the Democracy Guardian grabbing his main body and flying into the sky. Their bodies were cracking and reforming, with flesh and blood still connected.

"They're really not easy to kill..." he murmured.