"Hmph! Nonsense!" Chen Yu snorted coldly upon hearing Xiang Shaogang's words.
His eyes revealed an unwavering determination as he stared directly at Xiang Shaogang and continued, "Xiang Shaogang, who do you think your sweet talk can fool? I know Li Liguo's true colors better than anyone!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the other team members and sneered, "Li Liguo is nothing but a smiling tiger. You all think he's a good person because he's at the very bottom of the Fireseed Base, just like you! He needs you to risk your lives for him to keep his position as squad leader, which is why he greets you with a smile. Once a crisis arises, he won't hesitate to sacrifice you to save himself. He's cunning and ambitious by nature. Once he seizes an opportunity, he'll stop at nothing to climb the ladder."
“If Wenshui Village voluntarily submits to the Fire Seed Base, then in order to set an example for other small forces and to appease the villagers, the credit will definitely go to the village leader! Li Liguo will at most only have the merit of assisting.” Chen Yu said with a mocking expression, “But if Wenshui Village kidnaps members of the Fire Seed Base, and Li Liguo goes through all kinds of hardships and risks his life to return to report the news and lead people to wipe out Wenshui Village, without affecting the Fire Seed Base’s capture of the hot springs, then Li Liguo will have made great contributions and may even become a hero of the Fire Seed Base, and from then on, he will rise to the top and reach the pinnacle of life.”
"Xiang Shaogang, if it were you, what would you do?" Chen Yu stared intently at Xiang Shaogang, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, as if trying to see through the other's heart.
"You...you're talking nonsense!" Xiang Shaogang shouted, his voice trembling with fear. "The captain isn't that kind of person! The villagers of Wenshui Village saved our lives, how could the captain repay kindness with enmity!"
"Slap!" Chen Yu slapped Xiang Shaogang hard across the face. The slap was so powerful that Xiang Shaogang staggered several steps and almost fell to the ground. His cheek quickly swelled up, and his eyes were filled with anger.
However, Chen Yu had no intention of letting the matter rest. He then pulled out a dagger from his waist.
"Chen Yu, no!" Xu Anbang was horrified and stood up. Although what Chen Yu said made sense, it was just Chen Yu's conjecture. Their Wenshui Village only had a chance of survival if they submitted to the Fire Seed Base.
If something were to happen to Xiang Shaogang, then this only glimmer of hope would likely be lost.
The other villagers in the house also looked at Chen Yu with tense expressions, fearing that Chen Yu might do something drastic again.
Chen Yu gave Xu Anbang and the villagers a reassuring look, signaling them to calm down.
Xu Anbang opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words he was about to say.
He waved to the villagers, indicating that they should let Chen Yu handle the matter.
He knew all too well that at this critical moment, any slight disturbance could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Although Chen Yu acts impulsively, his intuition is often incredibly accurate, a fact that Xu Anbang has to admit.
With the village chief's permission, Chen Yu grabbed Xiang Shaogang by the collar, pulled him close, and gently pressed the tip of his dagger against Xiang Shaogang's throat: "Xiang Shaogang, do you think I don't know what you and Li Liguo are up to? Believe me or not, I'll kill you right now to prevent future troubles?" Chen Yu's voice was deep and cold, and the tip of the dagger lightly drew a shallow mark on Xiang Shaogang's throat, from which a trickle of bright red blood slowly seeped out.
A flicker of fear crossed Xiang Shaogang's eyes, but he forced himself to remain calm, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Chen Yu, you...you wouldn't dare! If I die, Wenshui Village will be confirmed as a rebel, and there will be no way you'll submit! You'll only face death!"
Chen Yu sneered, pushing the dagger forward a few more times. A deeper gash appeared on Xiang Shaogang's throat, and blood began to flow down his neck: "You don't really think you're something, do you? In the eyes of the higher-ups at the Fireseed Base, you're nothing but lowly ants. If they really wanted to peacefully recruit Wenshui Village, they wouldn't say a word even if they killed your entire squad, let alone you."
Xiang Shaogang's face had turned deathly pale. He could clearly feel the coldness of the dagger against his neck and the stinging pain from the constantly flowing blood.
His eyes were filled with fear and despair, and his body trembled slightly with fear.
"Chen Yu, you're playing with fire! You're gambling! You're using the entire village as a stake! As an outsider, why should the whole village risk their lives with you?" Xiang Shaogang's voice was choked with sobs, but a sliver of reason remained, as he tried to push Chen Yu to the opposite side of the villagers.
"Damn it, Brother Chen Yu, I support you! Kill them all, and at worst we can run away before those bastards from the Fire Seed Base arrive." A villager suddenly stepped forward, waving his fist, his voice filled with determination and indignation.
“Yes! Who doesn’t know what kind of people the Fire Seed Base is? Even if we really submit to them, we will suffer endless oppression and live a life that is neither human nor ghost! Even our wives and daughters may be insulted and bullied by those beasts at the Fire Seed Base at any time!” Another villager shouted angrily, his eyes flashing with determination.
“We will not surrender, much less submit! We have lived in Wenshui Village for generations, why should we hand over our home to those cruel and ruthless people from the Fire Seed Base?”
…………
The villagers inside roared in anger, their emotions completely ignited. Their anger and dissatisfaction with Li Liguo and others' betrayal and the Fire Seed Base erupted like a volcano.
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