Duke Destructive's puppet stood about 90cm tall, resembling a young boy with soft brown hair, dressed in a white shirt and a black frock coat, with a pair of clean leather shoes on its feet.

When it spoke, its lower lip could move up and down.

Zhou Yi received it within Jade City.

He wasn't concerned about being assassinated by the Governor; with mic master around and Wu Yi as his guard, his safety was ensured.

The puppet turned its head left and right, surveying the room's interior decor before sitting opposite Zhou Yi.

"I've released the two captured Iron Soldiers; they'll soon arrive in Shell City."

Zhou Yi nodded.

This was a mutual gift of goodwill.

"It's my first time witnessing a flying Alien."

"The technological capabilities of Wasteland Development Company are truly eye-opening."

Duke Destructive's voice was also like that of a boy who hadn't yet hit puberty.

Under Zhou Yi's Alert view, the other's entire body emitted a rich purple color.

A genuine A-Level Life.

Could Duke Destructive's avatar also be an A-Level Life?

This was somewhat astonishing.

Wasn't it said to have fallen from the Skywalker?

Zhou Yi tentatively asked, "Is this body indeed your true form?"

"Mr. Zhou, are you curious about this? Then I have a question too, is your current body your true self?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Yes."

"What you see before you now is my true body."

Duke Destructive was not just showing an image of a puppet. Its true form was a puppet.

Should he take the opportunity to eliminate it?

As long as Duke Destructive was killed, the Honor War would also end.

Zhou Yi immediately dismissed this thought.

Unlike Duke Baili, Duke Destructive itself had no public information; its capabilities and elements were a mystery, and acting rashly could lead to a major loss.

Best to wait and see.

Duke Destructive's eyes moved slightly: "My original thought was to see if I could kill you, then all problems would be easily solved."

"But after arriving here, I find this approach quite difficult and had to give it up."

Zhou Yi also smiled knowingly: "I felt the same."

"Then let's resolve our issues through negotiation."

The puppet's mouth opened and closed: "Continuing this Honor War is already meaningless. It's time to bring it to an end."

"So compensate us with 200,000 Light Seeds for my losses, and end this war."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but laugh angrily.

Translate this.

What it meant was.

Kneel down, and I'll beg you for something.

He also saw things a bit clearer.

Duke Destructive indeed had developed a habit of arrogance. Previously, earth official Lin Qin came over, boldly requesting Shell City to be ceded, and now after being intimidated by the aerial threat of Jade City, it still dares to come over asking for compensation.

In its eyes, this was probably a significant concession already.

Zhou Yi coldly said: "Then let's continue the fight."

"That's an unwise decision."

The puppet showed a surprised expression: "Having mastered Alien flight technology indeed promises limitless prospects. However, the essence of war is about who can control fear, and who can't bear the cost. In this regard, you are no match for me."

"I have 650,000 lives to expend, you have less than 150,000."

"Apart from the native Shuanghe Region, I also control overseas enclaves, and local people and resources can be mobilized at any time."

"In the end, I will be the winner."

Zhou Yi smiled: "If war was purely about numbers, then Heavenly Kingdom should have annexed Shuanghe Region long ago, right?"

The puppet nodded: "Under normal circumstances, it indeed should have been annexed."

"Unfortunately, Heavenly Kingdom faces the plight of rebellion and had also to concede."

Zhou Yi didn't want to waste words: "Then there's nothing to talk about, you may leave."

The puppet stood up, seemingly unable to understand: "Compensating 200,000 Light Seeds is not difficult for you. Why don't you agree to such generous terms and choose a tougher path instead?"

Zhou Yi spoke indifferently: "I despise ceding territory and paying compensation the most. If you have the guts, thoroughly break Wasteland Development Company; we'll see each other on the battlefield."

"Then there's no other way."

The puppet looked puzzled but still said: "You truly are an odd ruler."

...

Duke Destructive's visit had infuriated Zhou Yi.

Just wait and see if I don't finish you off!

Just you wait.

He turned and immediately began to press Shi Gandang harshly.

"Where are the Light Imprint Weapons? Didn't you say that once the Light Seals are connected, they would be complete? Where are your stored 1024 Light Seals? What are you doing!"

"Well... Chairman, please let me explain."

Shi Gandang was hesitant: "Do you really want to install a Light Imprint on Jade City and create a super Light Burst? Do you want it to become a Death Soldier?"

"Don't worry."

Zhou Yi told him: "Jade City possesses multiple building structures, each structure is part of its mechanism; we can use a smaller high-rise as the Light Burst carrier to strategize drops and bombings. This will have minimal impact on Jade City itself, which can be rebuilt again."

Originally, he wanted to use regular housings to create it.

But it simply wasn't feasible.

Existing artificial Light Bursts require high intensity and must be supported by the chassis of Building Life.

"Oh! Now I understand."

Shi Gandang said, "In fact, the core of the artificial Light Burst is a chain reaction of 8 Light Imprints, all of this information was publicly accessible to us at the time. The biggest difficulties lie in precision, stability, and the detonation program."

"Precision is not a worry, as Jade City is large enough. Stability is also not a problem, it's very stable, and our communication is well-established."

"The detonation program, in the past, used a special Light Imprint Device fixed onto the Building Life. Now, we do not use this and can detonate part of its body through Jade City."

"The current biggest challenge is that there are only 11 floors in the upper levels. After using 8 Light Imprints, the remaining Light Imprints do not support its ability to fly... making it impossible to perform remote detonation after precise flight."

Zhou Yi then asked Jade City, "Can you manage to carry the small upper levels while flying?"

"I can."

Then there's no problem.

Zhou Yi said to Shi Gandang, "Do not pursue perfection, airdropping by Jade City is fine."

"If that's the case, then there are 3 Light Imprint slots available, I think they can be used to enhance the power."

The Light Seal Expert thought for a moment: "Chairman, which direction do you want to take? Explosion speed? Intensity? Radiation strength?"

Zhou Yi fell into deep thought.

If bombing a city, radiation's lethality is undoubtedly the strongest, killing a large number of civilians...

Duke Destructive regards the population as consumables, controlling 7 cities and external enclaves, so a loss of population has limited impact on him.

What is something that he finds most precious?

Zhou Yi pondered hard.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Got it!

The loss of a certain resource, Duke Destructive absolutely cannot accept!

"Shi Gandang, is there a Light Imprint Structure that can destroy the local soil structure?"

"Like making the local area incapable of growing plants, or turning it into barren or unproductive land, or causing desertification that is unsuitable for living..."

Shi Gandang responded swiftly, "Yes. Nature itself has prototypes with such abilities, which can make the land dry up and turn into desert."

"However, this requires huge energy to drive, to instantaneously alter the structure of a large area of surrounding land. But by doing so, the explosion intensity will be very weak."

"Are you planning a strategic strike on the cultivated land of the Shuanghe Region?"

"Correct, is that feasible?"

"Yes!"

Shi Gandang understood immediately, "In this world, the scarcest thing is land not covered by the Dead Sea. If the local land structure is destroyed, resulting in an inability to cultivate and build, it would spell true disaster for the Shuanghe Region."

"A region with a population of 600,000, if it cannot produce its own food, will soon rapidly collapse."

This is exactly what Zhou Yi had in mind.

Explosive power and radiation lethality are not what he needs; what he wants is to strike hard at Duke Destructive's vulnerabilities.

"This operation will be codenamed [Break Ground], start manufacturing the corresponding weapons as soon as possible, based on buildings 3 and 4 for modification."

"Yes, Chairman!"

...

The Break Ground plan continued apace.

But Duke Destructive took the initiative on the front line.

Red Kestrel sent the latest battle reports: "In the ruins of Shell City, some puppets suddenly appeared. Those puppets are only palm-sized, and they initiate suicidal explosions, resulting in 17 deaths and 68 injuries."

"There are two methods of these puppet invasions: one is through underground tunnels dug from the dead sea floor, and the second is by being airdropped into hidden peripheral areas."

Images of the puppets surfaced on the tablet screen.

They come in both male and female, filled with fairy tale and stage drama styles, all with long eyelashes and beautifully painted features, seemingly harmless to humans and animals.

Zhou Yi immediately contacted Duke Beidu at the front line.

"Puppets are causing a big problem."

This sea lord said, "They can beguile people; ordinary people controlled just by looking at them and even protect them. This has caused significant obstacles and pressure on our defenses."

"Because it's uncertain when and where an explosion will occur, especially during coastal supply transportation, we've increased manpower, but the explosions continue to happen."

"This self-destructive Puppet Army, we still have no effective response. Someone is controlling them from behind, infiltrating and invading Shell City in layers, coordinating with aerial and sea bombardments."

"The situation in the city is now severe, suspicion growing amongst the populace. Since the war began, this is the most tense and dangerous moment for Shell City."

Puppet Army sightings were also reported in Steel Refining City and Sand Port City.

Explosions randomly occurred in the three cities, causing continuous public panic.

Zhou Yi was clear.

Duke Destructive had made his move.

He said before.

The core of war is about who controls fear, who can't withstand the cost first.

Zhou Yi immediately reacted, having Nemo lead the sand rats in a thorough search of the Sand Port Region to discover underground passages and locate those self-destructing puppets.

After the sand rats made a comprehensive attack, the puppet invasion of the Sand Port Region was effectively contained, uncovering 12 hidden puppets and, with the help of straw-armored samurai crabs, destroying them.

Then Nemo led a team to support Steel Refining City.

On the other hand.

Duke Destructive's subsequent offensive surged like a tide, with Gray Whale returning once more. Whale Song drove another round of forced landings on Shell City while the Thunder Beast pack conducted massive high-altitude bombardments.

Duke Beidu and the 5th Squadron of the Northern Ocean Army were caught in a tough battle.

Frontline puppet numbers continued to increase.

Zhou Yi also dispatched St. Petersburg and Sea God to commence remote sea bombardments in support of the front.

Hand-to-hand combat in Shell City grew more frequent, with ever-increasing casualties on both sides. The number of incapacitated Iron Soldiers rose continuously, weakening defensive forces.

Yet the Shuanghe Region kept sending an endless stream of troops to the forefront, engaged in grueling combat.

Duke Beidu had already made a pessimistic forecast to the rear: "Shell City is unlikely to hold out much longer, if necessary, we may have to evacuate from here."

At this critical juncture.

Shi Gandang finally got results.

"Chairman, it's done, it's made!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.