A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

W continued talking to herself, but when she mentioned Ines's spying, Ines's face changed drastically as if by reflex. She immediately squatted down, her body trembling, and she stammered, "No... I don't want to see! I don't want to see!"

"Ines! What's wrong with you? What did that guy do to you?" This was the first time W had ever seen Ines so frightened; she seemed like a completely different person.

Upon hearing W's voice, Ines calmed down. She gave W a deep look, and her mournful gaze made W feel a little reluctant to look at her.

"It's nothing... just the aftereffects of the backlash... W, don't talk about Wang Chong anymore. He's too terrifying... What I witnessed is something I absolutely cannot reveal. You just need to know that if we become his enemy, we will suffer something worse than death." Ines stood up and said coldly.

"Tch..." W didn't refute, she had naturally experienced some of the other party's terrifying nature. She just hated being passively controlled like this.

“Then you need to figure out how to explain this to Hedley later. I didn’t rush back right away specifically for your sake,” W said.

“Hedley… let me think about it.” Ines also understood that some things needed to be explained properly, and there was no escaping it.

“This is really troublesome. In the end, it’s because you’ve been gone for too long, almost half an hour. Since you’re not injured, what did you talk about that took so long… Also, why do you smell so strongly of mutton today? Did you run back and sweat a lot?” W couldn’t help but ask.

"Shut up if you don't want to die right now!" Upon hearing this, Ines blushed deeply. She gritted her teeth and ran forward angrily.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Crossing the Snow-Capped Mountains

The wind and snow began to howl, and before nightfall, the infected members of the Reunion Movement, carrying their packs, began their journey along the snowy mountain road. They walked in silence, each staring ahead, seemingly tireless in their progress.

"By making W pledge allegiance and conquering Ines, I gained a total of 500 villain points. Villain points are alright, but the reputation points I gained were 100 points per person, for a total of 200 reputation points. So now I have another source of points to gain?"

As Wang Chong followed the Yeti squad, he once again opened his system interface to check on the current reputation system. Besides being related to one of the conditions for completing his final mission, reputation points could also be exchanged for villain points. It was precisely this that made Wang Chong particularly focused on earning reputation points.

"Furthermore, with the addition of W and Ines, the approval rating has risen from 20% to 23%, and it's still slowly increasing. It seems that Sarkaz mercenaries are also part of the Reunion Movement's support. Speaking of which, System, I don't think I violated any restrictions by recruiting W and Ines, right?" Wang Chong asked.

"No, if there were such signs, the system would have alerted us immediately. However, you don't necessarily need to pursue the restrictions. Just think of it as completing a task normally and getting a reward, and if you meet certain conditions, the reward will be two or three times higher," the system said.

"Why not take all the rewards if we can? But if we're not happy, that's another story." Wang Chong chuckled twice and said, "The main reason is that there's a big difference in the flow of time between the Type-Moon world and here. Three days have passed here, but only about seven hours have passed there. There's hardly any change there right now, so there's no rush to use force to plunder. We'll slowly harvest the韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting others) and continuously strive to maximize our profits."

"Well, host, I also have a little suggestion about the mission. If you want to significantly increase your support rate in the Reunion Movement, in addition to winning over the representatives of the various factions in the organization, the most important thing is to demonstrate your strength and cultivate your own team."

“Build your own team? I get it, you want me to recruit people, right?” Wang Chong said with a smile, having figured it out.

“That’s right, that’s exactly it. What could be easier to gain support than by supporting you from the very beginning? Now that you have power, and there are so many talented people on the Terra continent that you can recruit, why not take action?” the system said.

"That's true. We can definitely make some plans, especially regarding the operators in those event storylines. If I remember correctly, those event storylines take place after the main storyline, and those operators also joined Rhodes Island after the main storyline. Now it's very convenient to recruit them."

After the system's reminder, Wang Chong turned his gaze to a more distant place. The black mist beneath him continued to seep into the earth and began to spread in all directions.

Now, with his current power, the black mist he releases can spread throughout the entire world. This black mist can then act as his eyes and ears, allowing him to begin plotting against the world. Most importantly, the black mist can silently increase its power by absorbing Originium dust from various places; the longer he stays here, the more steadily his strength will increase.

"You're daydreaming again, Mr. Wang Chong." A cool voice rang in Wang Chong's ears. Without even looking, Wang Chong knew that the speaker was Froststar, who had been accompanying him all along. He had maintained a good relationship with Froststar these past few days, and in addition, he had saved Froststar's life in front of the Yeti Squad. Therefore, the only groups that could accompany him without any reservations, besides those who came out of the wounded camp, were the Yeti Squad.

“Aren’t we all the same? When we’re on the road, we’re all preoccupied.” Wang Chong pointed to the people around him. Even some members of the Yeti Squad, who were usually quite lively when they got together, were unusually silent when marching with the main force.

“According to the news brought back by the Sarkaz mercenaries, the only mountain road that could bypass the army's patrol routes is now guarded. Therefore, a battle tonight is inevitable. The representatives of the infected have already passed on the message, which is why the atmosphere is somewhat tense. After all, every battle is accompanied by injuries and deaths,” Frostnova said slowly.

"Talulah never considered asking me to help? Was it because she didn't want to owe me a favor? Or did she hope that the infected wouldn't develop a dependency on others and would have their own backbone and strive for their own success?" Wang Chong asked.

"No, quite the opposite. Before she left, Talulah left me a message, hoping that she could ask Mr. Wang Chong for help tonight. She didn't want you to deal with those Ursus soldiers, but even if you just saved the lives of the infected, she would be extremely grateful and consider it a favor she would owe Mr. Wang Chong."

Frostnova shook her head and said, "Talulah said that whether it's human relationships or principles, in her eyes, nothing is more important than everyone surviving. Only by living can people create a new future and witness that ideal future. Since we have the ability and the means to ensure everyone's survival, why not use it?"

“I underestimated her. It seems that after several setbacks, she is no longer as superficially righteous as before. Perhaps she is no longer the noble fighter she once was, without any flaws, but has begun to truly become a mature leader.” Wang Chong nodded with a hint of approval and said.

"Talulah and the old stubborn man led some men to separate from us and attack nearby outposts. Not only to seize some food to prepare for the coming days, but also in the hope that by making a big commotion on their side, they can draw away the troops on this side of the mountain road. In this way, the main force can at least cross the snow mountain safely tonight."

After Shuangxing finished speaking, she paused for a moment, and then asked, "So, Mr. Wang Chong, what is your reply?"

"Since Talulah has given me this opportunity, how could I not seize it? Don't worry, none of them will be in trouble tonight," Wang Chong said with a light smile.

“On behalf of the Infected, I would like to thank Mr. Wang Chong in advance…” Frostnova first leaned forward to express her gratitude to Wang Chong, and then looked at him with a strange gaze and said, “However, I am really curious, what exactly do you like about Talulah that makes you willing to go to so much trouble?”

"Didn't I already answer that? It was love at first sight!"

"I don't believe it," Froststar said with a light smile.

"Fine, don't believe me then. In your eyes, I seem to have sacrificed a lot, but is it possible that for me, it was easier than plucking a hair?" Wang Chong said, shrugging.

“I believe that… um.” Just as they were talking and laughing, a cold wind suddenly blew by, causing Shuangxing to frown. Her physical ailment seemed to be aggravated, and the pain spread from her body once again.

However, this feeling had barely appeared when a warm sensation came from behind, and then her whole body felt as if it were wrapped in a quilt, very warm. Froststar naturally noticed that her body had once again been enveloped by Wang Chong's black mist power. Over the past few days, Wang Chong had become increasingly clear about her physical condition. Sometimes, when she had a slight ailment, before Froststar could even say it, Wang Chong's black mist power would already be enveloping her, helping to expel the pain.

Frost Star felt not only physically warmed by Wang Chong's thoughtfulness, but also deeply touched in her heart. Her steps quickened, and she moved closer to Wang Chong, whispering, "Thank you."

"No need," Wang Chong replied calmly.

"Love at first sight... If the person you fall in love with at first sight is..." Frostnova blurted out for some reason, but in the end she smiled and shook her head without continuing.

Wang Chong reached into his pocket, rummaged around for a while, and then took out a red candy. He handed it to Shuangxing and said, "Here, your candy for today."

"It's not some weird-flavored candy again, is it? I tricked you with spicy candy before, didn't I?" Frostnova said, but she still reached out and took it, putting it in her mouth. The cherry-flavored candy made Frostnova feel a little better. "This one is quite sweet."

"Maybe it's something I added that you didn't taste?" Wang Chong smiled and flicked his finger, a shallow wound on his finger quietly disappearing.

"Then I'll just let you eat my spicy candy a few more times." Froststar returned the smile, and the distance between her and Wang Chong seemed to have become a little closer.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Ursus Thousand-Man Camp

"Look... I told you that my eldest sister definitely has feelings for that Mr. Wang Chong. They've been getting really close these past few days, spending all their time together. If this continues, I'm afraid our eldest sister will be taken down before the leader is even taken down."

As Wang Chong and Froststar walked side by side, the Yeti squad behind them finally broke their silence and began their gossip session. It was Big Bear again who started by saying something explosive.

"If you want to be hung up and whipped by your older sister, don't drag me into it! I didn't hear what you were saying!" Yang Ge kept a certain distance from Da Xiong, fearing that he would be implicated.

"Big sister, how dare you tease me like that? Big Bear, have you gotten too cocky lately?" Petrova said, speechless.

"Hey, keep your voices down. Besides, I don't believe you don't have the same idea. And isn't this a good thing? If Big Sister really gets along with that gentleman, then her illness can be cured, right?" Big Bear looked at his group of useless teammates and said with a sense of disappointment, "We should help Big Sister. What if she falls for him, but he doesn't like her back?"

“I don’t like hearing that. Big sister is beautiful and kind-hearted, how could no one like her?” said a member of the Yeti Squad.

"You forgot, that one is pursuing our leader. It's not that our eldest sister is inferior to our leader, it's just that there's a time and place for this, and it's really difficult to handle," a member of the Yeti squad commented.

"So it seems that it's really difficult for you to make him like you, eldest sister. We need to think of a way." Another person said seriously.

"Yes, this is a major life event for our eldest sister. If this doesn't work out, and she decides she won't get married, then everyone will be worried sick." A yeti, bolder than a bear, blurted out an even more shocking statement.

"Wait... how did the topic suddenly veer to Big Sister not getting married... are you all really courting death... ahhh!!" Yang Ge was still thinking of getting away from these useless teammates when, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of Froststar, her face frosty, approaching with a wisp of black mist. Oh no! Big Sister heard everything!

“Big Bear! (Ursusian swear word) You’ve ruined us!” Yang shouted angrily.

"You guys are all so free, aren't you?" Froststar began her lecture, making Wang Chong, who was watching from the side, unable to suppress a laugh.

Incidentally, Wang Chong used the [Eye of Fallen Souls] to check Frostnova's current favorability rating: 65, indicating a certain level of trust. No wonder she was becoming increasingly relaxed around him. Perhaps even romantic feelings were beginning to sprout.

Wang Chong saw through it but didn't say anything. Putting aside Froststar's thin skin, just based on Froststar's cold exterior and warm interior personality, Wang Chong knew very well that it would be more effective to let Froststar take the initiative than to take the initiative himself, as this would be more effective in increasing favorability.

……

As dusk settled, the Reunion forces had completed their ascent and were resting and making a fire in a relatively flat area. A group of guerrilla scouts, along with Faust, who had just recovered from his injuries, went to investigate the situation of the Ursus patrol at the foot of the mountain, while the rest of the forces waited for news.

Hedley gazed thoughtfully at the view below the mountain. His mercenary group was in the vanguard; if a conflict were to break out with the Ursus army, they would be the first to bear the brunt. Therefore, Hedley was still considering how to safely navigate this hurdle.

However, Hadley's mood remained unsettled. Ever since W and Ines returned, Hadley had felt a constant sense of unease.

He had learned from W and Ines about the near-death experience that day: W had provoked the terrifying monster named Wang Chong, and Ines, in an attempt to help W, inadvertently used Originium Arts to spy on him, resulting in a backlash and her immediate death. In the end, W and Ines each paid the price of pledging allegiance to that person, who then resurrected Ines and granted them the blessing of power.

To be honest, when he heard this explosive news, his mind was blank for a moment. It took him a long time to process it before he broke out in a cold sweat. He and his men had almost died at Wang Chong's hands.

For this, he gave W a severe dressing-down for the first time; it was also the first time he had ever lost his temper in front of W. And W, just like with Ines before, knew he was in the wrong and, unusually, didn't retaliate.

Although the final outcome wasn't too bad—both of them returned alive—in Hedley's eyes, it was no different from death. Leaving aside the fact that Ines had truly escaped death, her every word and action from now on would likely depend on Wang Chong's will. Hedley knew very well that every gift of power came with a potentially fatal price.

"If it were just being someone's dog, that would be one thing... Isn't this the lowly fate of ordinary Sarkaz, always either being someone's dog or on their way to being someone's dog, never experiencing true freedom? But why do I feel that both W and Ines are hiding something important from themselves?"

Hedley carefully reviewed the scene when the two women returned, noting the strange atmosphere that permeated the entire scene. Coupled with the intuition he had developed from spending so much time together, it wasn't surprising that he had his suspicions.

"What are you thinking about?" Just then, Ines walked up from behind Hadley.

“Many things. There are the events of today, and there’s also the upcoming match between our team and Ursus,” Hedley answered truthfully.

"Speaking of today's events... that person gave me and W the first instructions," Ines said directly.

"What?" Hedley was shocked. Had the other side made a move so quickly?

“He has confirmed the situation at the Ursus camp at the foot of the mountain; it’s a battalion of a thousand men, with a total of 1230 combat units. He’s told our mercenary group to be the first to charge the enemy,” Ines said.

"That's it? That's all?" Hedley frowned. He knew they were already in the vanguard and were supposed to be at the forefront of the charge. Wasn't this just a pointless statement?

“He also said that he would issue further instructions later. This time he would take action,” Ines said.

"You mean he'll come with us to deal with those Ursus soldiers? Wouldn't that be a bit of a waste of his talent?" Hedley asked, somewhat surprised.

“Don’t ask me, that’s what he said anyway, so we can only do as he says, right?” Ines said.

“In that case, let’s get ready quickly. With that gentleman accompanying us, at least we don’t need to worry about casualties or anything like that,” Hedley nodded.

"He had one last thing to say."

"The last sentence?"

"Keep our men away from Garsen's troops."

……

It was already quite late at night. In order to catch the enemy camp off guard, they chose to rest on the mountain for the first half of the night and then begin their descent in the second half.

Wang Chong did indeed take the lead, and not only him, but the Yeti Squad and Frostnova were also positioned just behind the vanguard. After all, they were now the most elite combatants in the Reunion Movement. In order to break through Ursus's defenses and deliver a crushing blow, they needed to unite their most elite forces first, making them as sharp as the tip of a blade, to be the first to pierce the enemy's lines.

"Silence, wait for the scouts. Tread lightly, we've arrived." Hedley, as the vanguard, immediately warned those behind him. He had already noticed footsteps approaching from ahead.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Camp Demolition

"Achoo... It's fucking cold. We have to patrol this desolate mountain wilderness in the middle of the night. Are the big shots above us just bored and have to make our battalion guard this godforsaken mountain? It's been like this for days. There's not a single bird or beast, let alone any refugees. We can't even find a single game."

Under the cover of darkness, the Ursus patrol slowly made its way through the snow. The leader sneezed and began to grumble. They had patrolled this route countless times and knew the surrounding area intimately. However, the late hours of the night were often when people were most tired and relaxed, and since their previous trips had gone unscathed, the group appeared unusually lax.

"Ha, it's all because of those damned, lowly merchants. The Fourth Army has long since lost its original glory! Now, the Fourth Army is controlled by those short-sighted, dishonest merchants and their families. On the contrary, we, the descendants of families who followed the Emperor in the time of our ancestors and made great contributions to the Empire, have been forcibly exiled to this impoverished place, watching those lowly peasants dangle in front of us all day long. Tch, what a damn bad luck."

"Stop discussing these things! Don't forget that there are still quite a few disgraceful fools in the Fourth Army who are still trying to side with those scoundrels. There aren't many of us in the Fourth Army who follow the honor of our ancestors anymore. Even though our battalion makes up the largest proportion, it's only about 70/30 at most. Open your eyes and watch your mouths. Whether we can rebuild the glory of our families depends entirely on the weapons in our hands and the positions we climb in the future. Understand?" A captain from Ursus who looked quite ambitious said.

Upon hearing their captain's words, the Ursus soldiers couldn't help but flatter him, each fantasizing about how they, as scions of the old noble families, would regain control of the political landscape and bask in their so-called glory. Little did they know, their deaths were just around the corner.

"rustle--"

"What—uh!!"

The Ursus patrol soldiers, who had just heard the commotion and were about to make a sound, felt a sudden heat on their necks and lost their chance to utter a sound. These soldiers, who hadn't yet fulfilled their so-called "ambitions," died silently in the snow.

"Clean up the bodies and move on quickly. It shouldn't be long before they discover this patrol is missing. We must seize this opportunity and attack the camp before they find out," Hedley said, drawing his sword and instructing the Sarkaz warriors around him.

“Wait a minute…” Ines said.

"What's wrong?" Hedley asked curiously.

“Pick a few suitable people and change their clothes,” Ines said.

"You want to impersonate them so you can open the camp gates?" Hadley immediately understood Ines's plan, but he frowned and said, "But we don't know the code."

“It’s simple. I just left him half alive and used my Originium Arts on him to get the code from him,” Ines said.

"I'll keep one of the outfits," W said with a grin, appearing behind the trio. "Since we're going to break into the camp, just opening the gate isn't enough; let's make a bigger scene!"

……

"Can they really manage with just their Sarkaz mercenaries? Those mercenaries only number a hundred, while there are over a thousand over there," Frostnova asked, frowning.

“I’ve already decided to make a move, what do you think?” Wang Chong stood up and said, “And don’t underestimate these Sarkaz. They’ve been fighting in Kazdel for a long time, far superior to these Ursus who’ve been rotting away on the border.”

"That's alright then... but the scouts just reported that they saw the distress signal sent from the outpost. It seems Talulah and the others have succeeded. So it's definitely time for us to strike," Frostnova instructed.

“Alright, but you should still have the crossbowmen ready. It’s not that I’m worried they won’t be able to defeat the enemy or wipe them out completely, thus letting them escape. I just think this is a good opportunity for our crossbowmen to train, after all, there are so many live targets to practice on.” Wang Chong said with a smile.

“Your joke isn’t funny at all,” Frostnova said, shaking her head.

Wang Chong smiled without saying a word, then transformed into a cloud of black mist and disappeared before Shuangxing's eyes. Seeing this, Shuangxing, following Wang Chong's plan, began to deploy the main force and slowly descend the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, only one camp remained, still glowing with fire. The people in the camp were currently assembling and selecting soldiers. They had just received a signal that a nearby outpost had been attacked. Since an enemy attack had occurred, they naturally had to respond. However, they couldn't send all their troops and abandon the camp. Therefore, after selecting only 500 soldiers, they led them out of the camp and headed towards the outpost.

Only about 700 people remained at the camp. At this time, W and his squad, disguised as a patrol team, successfully infiltrated the camp after exchanging the correct password. W used his Originium Arts to plant several key bombs in the camp before hearing Wang Chong use the black mist to give him the command to detonate them.

"BOOM, hahaha, let these stupid Ursus bastards wake up from their sweet dreams~" W pressed the bomb button, and then immediately led the team towards the camp gate.

"boom!!!"

"Something's wrong!! Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack!!"

"Fire! Fire!!"

Explosions rang out one after another in the camp, and for a moment, the camp was filled with horrific sounds. Some Ursus soldiers were blown to pieces on the spot and died in their sleep. Others were still half alive, but they were in a state of near death and just wanted others to give them a quick death.

Along with the explosion, towering flames erupted. The captain and adjutant who were originally guarding the camp had just led men to reinforce the outpost fortress, and many of the centurions who remained were caught in the blast, resulting in the complete collapse of the command system and utter chaos among the personnel.

"What are you doing here?" The soldiers guarding the entrance asked warily when they saw W and his group approaching.

"Can't you see the camp is flooded everywhere? Why aren't you coming with us to put out the fire? If we run out of food, we'll be eating grass roots for ten days or half a month!" a Sarkaz shouted angrily.