Chapter 1008: Chapter 978:
A little brother swung a torch upwards, and in an instant, everyone was ablaze atop the pile of corpses. The roaring fire quickly engulfed the entire heap of bodies. Watching the bodies burning in the flames, some even stood up immediately as if to struggle before falling back down. Most of the bodies twitched in bursts. Ye Chen understood that this was merely an instinctive reaction of the bodies during cremation.
As they say, when a person dies, their heart is not yet dead, reflecting such situations that are often seen in crematoriums. Once a body enters the incinerator and the flames ignite, it will quickly jump and twitch. However, it quiets down soon after.
Amidst the spectacle within the flames, everyone quietly stood in front of the fire. Staring at the burning flames, all were blankly watching the remains of their little brothers turning into ashes in the blaze. At this moment, everyone shed tears. They looked upon those brothers in the flames, who used to drink, eat meat, chat, and joke alongside them, but from today, they would be separated by life and death.
"Brothers who are alive, let us send off our departed brothers!" Ye Chen lifted a large bowl of wine and said, "This bowl of wine is to bid farewell to the brothers who have left, come, drink!"
Ye Chen drank half of the large bowl in one gulp, and the remaining half was poured entirely in front of the pile of corpses. A farewell ceremony ensued, and the scene erupted into torrents of tears as many were brothers who went to battle together, watching their brother disappear was inevitably saddening.
The little brothers all cried bitterly. Ultimately, after the great fire subsided, all that remained were a pile of ashes and puddles of corpse oil. The corpse oil ignited, and the surrounding soil was also set ablaze. When the fire finally calmed, Ye Chen instructed the little brothers to bury all the ashes in the square within the inner city, with plans to erect a monument in the future. It would memorialize those brothers who sacrificed their lives to defend Sunset City.
This painful cost made Ye Chen realize what war truly was. War wasn’t a street brawl, nor a gang fight. War should be a communal game and not a game of one person. Ye Chen had never commanded large troops before, only directing small units in combat. This time, he left in a hurry, causing the little brothers to resist leaderless and in disarray. A team without a leader is as scattered as sand, quickly smashed into pieces by the opponent. Ye Chen’s previous battle strategy was also crushed by the enemy. Capturing the enemy leader should be done with the capability for such a feat.
Ye Chen knew deeply that he needed to reflect, to harshly impose self-isolation for introspection.
"Brother Chen!" Everyone rushed to follow him.
"Don’t come after me, let me have a moment of peace!" Ye Chen turned his back on everyone and quickly walked away. Once inside the Royal Palace, Ye Chen sealed the doors shut. They stood before the palace, watching the heavy doors slowly close, with the guard team keeping watch.
"Alas, Brother Chen is heartbroken this time!" Feng Zhixiao sighed.
Indeed, Ye Chen was heartbroken. Beyond the intense battle, so many had died. Although it was a victory, it felt overwhelmingly bleak. This wasn’t the victory Ye Chen wanted; he desired a grand triumph, one where the enemy is annihilated without the loss of a single soldier on their side. If only he hadn’t considered the plan to capture the enemy leader at the time, perhaps the brothers wouldn’t have died so tragically.
Ye Chen entered the Royal Palace, reflecting with closed eyes in the vastness of the palace. He was re-evaluating himself, his arrogance, and overconfidence. The darkness felt like a narrow space constantly compressing Ye Chen, squeezing out all his space until he couldn’t turn around, feeling even stiflingly hard to breathe.
"Zhi Xiao, what do you think we should do?" Da Hei felt a hint of unease, anxiously looking at Feng Zhixiao, and said, "If Brother Chen continues to be demoralized like this, it’s not going to be good!"
"Damn, I know that too!" Feng Zhixiao nodded in agreement and said, "But what can I do? Brother Chen refuses to see anyone now, and me trying to persuade him would be as good as a death sentence, wouldn’t it?"
"Just because he won’t see you doesn’t mean he won’t see someone else!" Da Hei flashed a cunning smile and said, "Brother Chen’s favorite is Li Ruo. Why don’t we call Li Ruo to comfort Brother Chen?"
"Hmm, I think that’s feasible!" Da Xia quickly nodded in agreement and said, "Our elder brother is demoralized, and if this continues, we’ll only face destruction. If we don’t come up with something, we’ll be doomed when the forces of the Church Court return!"
"So...who’s going to contact Sister-in-law?" Feng Zhixiao quickly asked.
The three looked at Feng Zhixiao in unison and said in chorus, "There’s no one else but you!"
"Fine, you bastards, good deeds never fall upon me, but when it comes to hard work, I’m the one carrying the burden. You’re all ruthless!" Feng Zhixiao grumbled fiercely. What other choice did he have, given the friends he had made? Helplessly, Feng Zhixiao made the call.
After a quick phone call, Li Ruo understood the general situation over the phone and expressed her intention to come to Ottawa immediately. The news that Li Ruo was coming to Ottawa quickly spread throughout Sunset City, and even the guards standing in the corners were discussing it. Before long, Ye Chen, who was reflecting within the Royal Palace, learned of this news from the guards. Immediately, Ye Chen flew into a rage.
"Bastards, who told you to bring Li Ruo here?" Ye Chen looked at Feng Zhixiao and the others angrily.
"Brother Chen...we...we were just worried about you!" Da Hei quickly said.
"Worried my ass, I’m a grown man, do you think I’ll do something as stupid as taking my life like a woman would?!" Ye Chen gritted his teeth and looked at them, saying, "Do you know that Sunset City is a future gift for Li Ruo? You made my gift known too soon, are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"
"Ah, Brother Chen, we... we didn’t know!" Feng Zhixiao’s eyes widened in shock.
"Get out of here!" Ye Chen roared.
The crowd saw Ye Chen lose his temper and quickly left the scene, not daring to stay in the Royal Palace any longer. Ye Chen sighed, resigning himself to put on his clothes and head to the Ottawa Airport to pick up Li Ruo.
At around 9 PM, Li Ruo arrived at the Ottawa Airport and walked out through the terminal. When she saw Ye Chen waiting for her at the gate, she felt something was off. Wasn’t Ye Chen supposed to be shutting himself away in depression? Why was he suddenly here?
"Ye Chen?!" Li Ruo looked at him in surprise.
"Xiao Ruo, you’re here?" Ye Chen smiled warmly and approached Li Ruo to hug her.
"Ye Chen, why are you here?" Li Ruo looked at Ye Chen in confusion, saying, "Did Feng Zhixiao trick me into coming here?"
"How could that be!" Ye Chen immediately shook his head and said, "I was just thinking today, and those bastards thought I was upset about something, so they called you. I intended to tell you not to come, but I missed you so much that I felt sad not seeing you. So, I decided I needed to see you!"
"Hm, you sweet talker!" Li Ruo’s heart melted at Ye Chen’s words.
"Yes, yes, sweet talker! I deserve a slap!" Ye Chen gently slapped his own mouth.
Ye Chen drove Li Ruo to the Ottawa Hotel and booked a luxurious suite. The two of them entered the hotel hand in hand.
At the hotel entrance, a man with his cap pulled low saw this scene and immediately relayed the information back to the base. In the base, the red-clothed woman and her people received news that Ye Chen had entered the Ottawa Hotel alone with Li Ruo. They immediately began discussing whether to take action.
"Sect Leader, I believe this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate Ye Chen!" the Minister of Defense eagerly said.
"Sister, I don’t think so!" Brofei hurriedly shook his head and said, "Ye Chen has extraordinary abilities, I know this well. If we act rashly, not only will we fail to capture Ye Chen, but we might also alert him!"
"Then what do you propose?" the red-clothed woman smiled at Brofei and said, "You’re just afraid that killing Ye Chen will implicate you, right? Brofei, you can’t go on like this forever. Ye Chen’s life is a threat to you, but as long as Ye Chen lives, the Church Court will always be in danger!"
"Sister..." Brofei hung his head.
"Alright, I know what to do!" The red-clothed woman flicked her sleeves.
In a certain suite at the Ottawa Hotel.
Li Ruo was taking a bath in the bathroom while Ye Chen crouched at the door like a sneaky thief, peeking in, making people think a burglar had arrived. Li Ruo had long since noticed that rascal Ye Chen was peeping through the door, but she paid no attention. To satisfy Ye Chen’s little perverse desires and his interest in voyeurism, Li Ruo didn’t make a sound. Instead, she bathed in an even more seductive manner.
The milky white skin, as red as a ripe apple, with a curvy body, round behind, proud peaks, and those deep, mysterious crevices continually tempted Ye Chen.
Hiss...
Watching Li Ruo’s devilish figure, even though he’d seen it many times before, every time gave him a new feeling, a new experience. Ye Chen couldn’t hold back any longer; he finally stood up and stripped off all his clothes, revealing skin with a healthy tan shade.