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

Quan Duo'er sneered three times, then drew his sword and said:

"Is that so? Old man, then you'd like to test whether my battle formation is still sharp?!"

In an instant, all of Dor's personal guards and everyone in the [Comrades] raised their weapons and aimed them at Herag and the others.

Wang Chong scratched his face. This scene, these lines, they seemed so familiar. Could it be that Old Master Hrag's next line was...?

As expected, Herag's smile vanished, and faced with the pressure from all of Dor, Herag also chose to draw his sword:

"All of you, though I am old, my sword and my men are still as sharp as ever!"

Chapter 329: The Mysterious Retreat

As soon as Helag spoke, Wang Chong readily agreed and had the sharpshooter squad raise their guns and aim them at the surrounding enemies.

For a time, tensions were high between the two sides, and war could break out at any moment.

"Alright... then I'll see just how sharp your sword really is! Attack!!"

With nowhere to retreat, truly nowhere to retreat, Quan Duoer knew that if he retreated, it would confirm that his battle formation was very likely to be broken. At that time, not only would he be relentlessly pursued by the enemy, but the morale of his troops would also collapse.

Since that's the case, he decided to go all in and go all out! This general, who has been cautious for over a decade, is about to embark on a high-stakes gamble.

After giving the order, Quan Dor immediately retreated under the protection of the Royal Guard. Skadi and the others tried to catch up, but they were blocked by the cumbersome elite Imperial Guards.

Even though Skadi and Specter's swords could still repel the heavy guards, their advance speed was never as fast as the speed at which Dor had left.

Wang Chong remained unmoved, because he noticed something strange surrounding Quan Duoer, which made him narrow his eyes slightly.

Then, he looked at Herag and asked, "So, old man, after this probing, are we confident we can break through the enemy formation?"

"It's hard to say... until the very end, Dor still chose to attack, leaving no room for maneuver. It makes it impossible for me to completely judge whether we can take them down in one fell swoop this time."

After knocking back a vanguard with his sword, Hrag said, "At the very least, our troops are very likely to suffer heavy losses before we can completely defeat the enemy. This is a foreseeable outcome."

"However, the fact that he has been forced to the point of wanting to negotiate means that we have achieved our minimum objective, and that's all the judgment I can offer. Mr. Wang Chong, the decision of whether to continue fighting or to conserve our strength and break through the encirclement is up to you."

Upon hearing Helag's words, Wang Chong looked in the direction where Quan Duoer had just left. The strange and unsettling feeling that had just flashed by made Wang Chong ponder it carefully.

As a crimson glint flashed in Wang Chong's eyes, he swiftly made his judgment:

"Let's retreat. Now that our objective has been achieved, and continuing to take risks cannot guarantee any real results, we might as well retreat."

Herag was taken aback. He hadn't expected Wang Chong to choose such a conservative strategy. They had a chance to take down all of Dor today, but he suddenly stopped.

In Herag's eyes, the worst possible outcome would be the death of him and his elite marksman squad. But with Wang Chong's unpredictable black mist abilities, he could not only escape successfully but also continue to attack the entire Dor region, potentially wiping out their entire force.

"I'll explain when we get back. Let's break through first."

Wang Chong naturally saw through Helag's question. He didn't offer much explanation; every second that passed now meant the potential loss of a member of the Sharpshooter Squad. These were squads he had painstakingly built up with a significant amount of reputation points, and he couldn't afford to trade them for the entire Dor army.

So Wang Chong immediately set off in one of the directions, and with Wang Chong leading the way, the team's progress was undoubtedly much faster.

The sharpshooters who were brought to close range stopped using crossbows and instead drew their bayonets, engaging the elite veterans in a fierce battle.

In terms of close combat skills, the members of the Sharpshooter Squad were indeed inferior to the elite Hundred Battles Vanguard. They were basically being suppressed and had to rely on their teammates behind them to finish off the attackers before they could catch their breath.

However, thanks to the black mist covering them, Wang Chong was able to withstand the Hundred Battles Vanguard's bayonets without injury. Both sides were essentially blessed with a "pseudo-invincible" buff, making it impossible for either to cut the other.

Fortunately, Wang Chong and his men were strong enough that they managed to break through and quickly head towards their original black mist formation.

Strangely, after Wang Chong and his men broke through the encirclement, Quan Duoer inexplicably only ordered those veteran soldiers to pursue them, but did not organize other troops to attack or continue to surround them.

Therefore, after Wang Chong and his men broke out of the battle formation, they easily fought their way through all of Quan Duer's battle lines. Only after they returned to the black mist did the veterans stop and return to the area around Quan Duer.

Moreover, at this moment, Quan Duo's troops stopped attacking the black fog area and instead maintained the front line to keep watch. After arranging the night watch rotation, the elite troops using the Allied Forces formation followed Quan Duo's chariot and retreated towards the inner city.

……

"Sure enough, Quan Duoer is a smart man. When he saw that we didn't intend to gamble with him and instead chose to break out of the encirclement, he took the initiative to cooperate and let us break out of the encirclement smoothly."

……

"Sure enough, Quan Duoer is a smart man. When he saw that we didn't intend to gamble with him and instead chose to break out of the encirclement, he took the initiative to cooperate and let us break out of the encirclement smoothly."

After seeing the enemy's movements through the black mist, Wang Chong breathed a sigh of relief and said to Herag:

"Tonight's battle is pretty much over. All Dortmund is no longer confident of taking any more bite out of us, so we can only remain in this stalemate."

Herag nodded, looking at the sharpshooter squad members. It could be said that this team had almost suffered casualties, but fortunately, everyone returned to the position safely in the end.

"Now, Mr. Wang Chong, can you explain what just happened? Why did you choose to retreat instead of continuing to fight?"

"That's when Helag asked."

"One of the reasons is, as you can see, that I don't want this team to be destroyed so quickly in this place."

Wang Chong directly confessed:

"However, besides this reason, there are other reasons as well, and I believe you can guess them to some extent, sir."

"For example, it would be more valuable if Quan Duoer continued to live... He could awaken more people in Chernobog and get them fully involved in the resistance... He could also hold back those troops and delay Grand Duke Baikal's northward march, so that my main Reunion Movement forces would be less stressed, etc..."

"But none of these reasons were the final reason why I ultimately chose to withdraw my troops..."

After speaking, Wang Chong looked again in the direction where Quan Duoer had gone, and suddenly asked:

"Old man, do you believe in fate?"

"Fate...why bring up those two words?" Herag asked, puzzled.

"What if I told you that if we had really gone all out in that battle, there might have been some unexpected surprises?"

After saying that, Wang Chong pointed to the sky and continued:

"For example, something like an Originium catastrophe might suddenly appear in the sky and crush us to death."

Herag frowned as he listened to Wang Chong's words. This was the first time he hadn't been able to follow Wang Chong's train of thought, so he shook his head and said:

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say… If you’re worried about natural disasters, then it’s basically unnecessary. I have messengers of natural disasters among my companions, and I can confirm that there’s no need to worry about natural disasters appearing over Chernobog for the next month.”

"..." Wang Chong did not continue to explain further. He knew that even if he explained the matter of fate clearly, Herag would probably not take it seriously.

After all, no one in this world dares to say that they can control their own destiny.

But just as Quan Duer issued the order to attack and left under the escort of his personal guards, Wang Chong, on a whim, used his Qi-observation technique to observe Quan Duer's fortune.

But then a strange thing happened: the originally pitch-black fortune began to gradually rise, its color changing from white to green, then purple, and finally to crimson, the color of the highest fortune.

Wang Chong didn't believe that an unknown character could have such high luck, even reaching the same level as Amiya, the protagonist of this world.

And this... was not the first time Wang Chong had seen such a strange phenomenon of fortune... Ever since he came to this world, joined the Integration Movement and changed their original fate, he had noticed this strange change of fortune repeatedly playing out around him from time to time.

In his heart, he already had a vague guess and an answer, but the example that happened to Quan Duoer made him even more certain of the answer.

"In that case... then entering the stone coffin tomorrow has truly become an urgent matter."

Wang Chong thought to himself.

Chapter 330: Pleading for Mercy

The night passed quickly, and the late hour made it impossible for most people, who were on edge, to get a good night's sleep.

Early dew arranged for the police station and the several thousand private soldiers to repel the dispatched motorized forces and scouts one by one, which gave the civilians enough time to be sent back home.

Those seriously injured among the marchers are temporarily treated at the Azazel Clinic, and will later find a way to return to their homes.

In short, the protesting citizens have all devised a code, allowing them to regroup at any time. For now, they must lie low, continue to recruit more people into the resistance, and only then can they make further plans. (The last sentence appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)

As dawn broke, Zao Lu, who had been busy all night, finally had a little time to rest. This time, Wang Chong took Zao Lu directly to where her parents were temporarily staying.

This time, the family was finally able to reunite and share what had happened during this time.

As they talked, Zao Lu finally succumbed to her exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep in her mother's arms.

At this moment, Zao Lu's father, the head of the Rostov family, looked at the mother and daughter huddled together and initially showed a look of relief. But when he saw Zao Lu's clothes, which were already soaked in blood, he seemed to make a decision.

He slowly left the room, walked onto the street, and started walking towards Wang Chong's office.

Wang Chong was taking stock of the casualties. Quan Duo'er's troops were not as badly injured as he had imagined. When the black fog arrived, their infected troops had already suffered nearly a thousand casualties after making contact with the Hundred Battle Vanguard. Most of them were wounded by arrows, and many had lost limbs or were lame.

Although the infected troops inflicted over a hundred casualties on the enemy in the first round of battle, it was still a huge loss in terms of the overall ratio.

"After all, they didn't have enough combat experience and their equipment wasn't very complete... If it weren't for the Black Mist and the sharpshooter squad coming to clear the field, the infected troops would probably have been unilaterally slaughtered by the enemy."

Wang Chong's own Integrated Movement troops were in a better position, having undergone long-term training, and were able to contend with the entire Dortmund army.

After handling the arrangements for the injured and the condolences and compensation for the deceased, Wang Chong turned his attention to the current strategic layout of the city above ground. Once he had finished sorting it out, he would go to Helag to give him an explanation.

Although a tacit ceasefire had been reached between the underground city and the forces of All Dor, it didn't mean All Dor was inactive. His troops began to gradually spread throughout the city, deliberately bypassing the underground passages, and started to control all the hard currency in the city.

Grain production bases and factory areas became key areas of control for All Dor. Once All Dor controlled these two areas, it would have complete control over the life and death of the people of Chernobog.

There's also the passage connecting Chernobyl to the outside world. All of Dor will definitely not let this place go, and they might even clash with the underground city again.

Since there is more than one entrance and exit from the outer city to the outside world, it is almost impossible to protect the entire underground street.

In particular, the sharpshooter squad cannot move for the time being and needs to continue fighting against the entire Dortmund forces on the front lines while training new recruits. Therefore, it was foreseeable that some entrances and exits would be vacated.

This is why Wang Chong insisted on halting the advance at Chernobyl ahead of schedule. Only by stopping the advance at Chernobyl could more Reunion troops arrive at Chernobyl ahead of the rest of Dortmund's reinforcements.

At that point, even if Dortmund occupies some entrances and exits, it won't matter to the overall situation.

Wang Chong was even considering bringing Rhodes Island over as well. After all, he was already planning to snatch a certain Doctor away ahead of time.

Meanwhile, the sniper squad was no longer under as much defensive pressure as they had been at night. They no longer needed to use live ammunition to engage the enemies. They could use the Originium energy from the circuits built into their guns to continuously inflict damage on the enemies.

Moreover, each gunman was accompanied by an infected crossbowman who had performed well at night, who trained them in gunfire. These people adapted quickly and were gradually becoming proficient in using their guns.

The sharpshooter squad has officially expanded to 1600 people, which is now a regimental-level unit, and this number will continue to increase in the war.

After organizing this information, Wang Chong roughly drafted a three-day battle plan. He quickly wrote it down using the black mist's ability and then prepared to head towards Helag with the documents.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a figure rushing towards him.

"Mr. Rostov?"

Wang Chong called out the other person's surname.

"Ah... Mr. Wang Chong."

When the head of the Rostov family heard the other party call his name, he was also taken aback and then stopped in his tracks.

"Mr. Rostov, why are you rushing here so urgently? Is there something important?" Wang Chong asked.

“Mr. Wang Chong, I have come here specifically to thank you for saving my daughter, providing her with so much help, and reuniting our family,” Rostov said slowly.

"Ha, that child was lucky to have met me that day. And she herself is quite capable; in fact, the reunion was a miracle she created through her own efforts. So Mr. Rostov, you don't need to come and thank me."

Wang Chong smiled and waved his hand, saying, "If it's just this matter, then let's leave it at that for now. There's plenty of time in the future. I have important things to take care of."

After saying this, Wang Chong prepared to leave, but at this moment, Rostov suddenly called out, "Mr. Wang Chong, may I trouble you to take up a little more of your time?"

Hearing the change in the other person's tone, Wang Chong stopped and turned around to ask, "Is there anything else, Mr. Rostov?"

“Mr. Wang Chong, I have a favor to ask…” Rostov took a deep breath, as if he had made a decision, and said, “I… hope that you will not hurt that child, considering how much she has helped you.”

Wang Chong narrowed his eyes slightly. He did not answer Rostov directly, but returned to his office, opened the door, and gestured for the other party to come in and talk.

Rostov swallowed hard, as if some ferocious beast lurked within, filling him with dread. Yet, remembering the early dew, the other man resolutely entered the room.

"Why would Mr. Rostov think that way? You should know about that child, Zao Lu... Oh, now you should call her Natalia. You should know her relationship with me."

Wang Chong sat back down in his chair, a gentle smile on his face, and said, "Now that I am her teacher, how could I do anything to hurt her?"

"Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. My daughter may not understand, but that doesn't mean I, her father, can't see it..."

Rostov shook his head and said slowly:

“Mr. Wang Chong, although I don’t know exactly why you value my child, one thing is certain: you are using her to incite public opinion, isn’t that right?”

"Yes, but that was the price Natalia willingly paid for her revenge. I think she's made that clear to you."

Wang Chong slowly said, "It was Natalia who fought for this herself. My original plan was just to let Natalia forget her noble status and live a good life as a commoner."

"Perhaps you didn't think of it at first, but what about later? Mr. Wang Chong... Looking back on my daughter's journey, besides her own efforts, the biggest factor in her success is her identity, isn't it?"

"Her noble status allowed her to unite the entire nouveau riche circle and gain their support. Her identity as an avenger seeking revenge for her parents further resonated with most of the people of Chernobog..."

"With your vision and ability as the leader of a Northern Unity Army that rose from nothing to shake the Empire, you couldn't possibly have failed to see Natalia's potential, could you?"

After Rostov finished speaking, a chill ran down his spine. He knew very well that his words had essentially laid bare certain things—things that could not be brought to light.

As expected, Wang Chong had already put away his smile at this moment. He simply asked in a calm tone, "So, you've come to ask me for an explanation for your daughter, Mr. Rostov?"

"No, that's not the case..."

Rostov shook his head and said nervously: