At that moment, aboard the helicopter hovering over the port ---
Li Wenxing and Qian Jin gazed down from above,
looking at the dense horde of zombies swarming across the ground below. Both
men couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.
It had only been a little over ten hours since
the zombie outbreak began, yet the number of infected had already exceeded ten thousand.
Thankfully, Li Wenxing had acted swiftly,
evacuating the nearby civilians at the first sign of trouble. Otherwise, if the
corpse poison had been allowed to spread unchecked, it would’ve been impossible
to contain.
Even so, the presence of over ten thousand near-invulnerable zombies
was still a massive headache.
He had already ordered multiple rounds of
aerial and artillery bombardments.
Half the port had been destroyed, but the effect was negligible.
Now, all he could do was focus on stalling the zombie horde as much as
possible.
“Your Highness, almost all the zombies in
Wugang City have been herded here. As for the remaining stragglers, our teams
are trying to track and capture them. They shouldn’t affect the overall
situation,” Qian Jin reported after receiving an update through his earpiece.
“Well done. All that’s left now is for that
peerless expert to make his move,” Li Wenxing nodded.
The zombie army was mostly gathered. As per
their initial plan, all that remained was for the peerless powerhouse to strike and eliminate them in one fell swoop
--- resolving the crisis completely.
“But what if that peerless expert doesn’t show
up?” Qian Jin suddenly asked.
“The message from Margaret was clear. There shouldn’t be any mistake,” Li Wenxing
replied, shaking his head.
“Still, better safe than sorry, Your Highness.
We’ve been using human lives to bait these zombies. If the situation spirals
out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable,” Qian Jin said
seriously.
Placing the fate of the city --- and their own
future --- in the hands of a complete stranger was far from a sound decision.
“You’re not wrong,” Li Wenxing admitted. “In
truth, I’ve already prepared a backup plan. But the cost is far too great.
Unless we have no other choice, I won’t deploy it lightly.”
“As long as Your Highness has a contingency in
mind,” Qian Jin nodded in approval.
In times of crisis, especially for a future
monarch, calm and calculated
decision-making was paramount.
“Oh, right --- what’s the situation in Lincheng and Liyang City?” Li Wenxing asked suddenly.
“Lincheng is in chaos,” Qian Jin reported.
“When the zombie horde breached the city, the Second Prince’s first reaction wasn’t to retreat or evacuate
civilians --- he ordered the military to launch a counterattack. The result? An
entire division of over a thousand troops was wiped out. The civilian
population was caught in the crossfire, and the number of infected is now
skyrocketing --- likely several times
higher than ours.”
“Still so reckless,” Li Wenxing shook his head,
though a trace of a smile tugged at his lips. “Always thinking he can solve
everything with brute force. He doesn’t understand when to retreat. He ends up
harming himself and everyone else.”
The more chaotic the situation became in Lincheng,
the more it worked in his favor.
If the city fell completely and the corpse
poison spread beyond control, there
would only be one option left --- obliterate the entire city with overwhelming
firepower in the name of national security.
And once that happened, Li Guanglong would be finished --- he would no longer have any
legitimacy to contend for the throne.
Even with a massive base of supporters, it
would be useless.
A prince responsible for the destruction of an entire city due
to a single reckless decision? No one would ever trust him to rule Dragonmarsh.
Not the civil officials, not the military
commanders --- and certainly not their
father, the emperor.
So naturally, Li Wenxing was hoping Lincheng
would collapse as soon as possible.
Once he eliminated Li Guanglong, his strongest rival, the path to
succession would be far less obstructed.
“What about Third Brother in Liyang City? Has the corpse poison spread?” Li
Wenxing asked again.
“Liyang’s situation is a bit worse than ours in
Wugang, but still better than Lincheng. It’s somewhere in between,” Qian Jin
said. “To be fair, the Third Prince
has handled things fairly well. Liyang was the first city to experience the
corpse poison, and to keep things from spiraling out of control up to this
point is no small feat.”
“Third Brother’s always had a bit of cunning,”
Li Wenxing said coolly. “He’s doing better than Second Brother --- that much is
expected. But he’s short-sighted
and lacks vision.”
“I heard that when the red mist outbreak
happened, Third Brother was busy hoarding
wealth and seizing resources, angering many of Lincheng’s high-ranking
officials. Now that the corpse poison has spread, those same elites aren’t
cooperating --- they’re even actively
obstructing him. If this continues, I doubt he’ll last much longer.”
He had detailed knowledge of his two brothers’
movements. The spies he had
planted at their sides regularly sent back reports.
“Neither the Second nor Third Prince can
compare to Your Highness’s wisdom and charisma,” Qian Jin flattered him. “You
are brave, intelligent, and truly care for the people. The position of crown
prince could only go to you. No one else is worthy.”
“Hahaha... Qian Shu, you always know just what
to say,” Li Wenxing laughed, clearly pleased with the praise.
If his maternal family had been more powerful,
he wouldn’t have been overshadowed by Li
Guanglong or Li Wenxing
in the first place.
In terms of strategy, leadership, and talent,
he was superior to both of them.
Only he had the right --- by virtue and capability --- to inherit
the throne.
Just then, Qian Jin’s eyes narrowed. He pointed
into the distance and exclaimed:
“Your Highness, look! That peerless expert is here!” - Ton
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