An Understated Dominance

At this moment, the skies above Lincheng were shrouded in thick black smoke. The once-bustling streets were now deathly silent, the air thick with the choking stench of scorched flesh, blood, and decay --- an odor that turned the stomach. In the mass graveyard in the city’s southwest, raging flames still crackled, devouring the last traces of life. Charred corpses twisted grotesquely in the fire, and occasionally, half-burned limbs tumbled out from the pyre, exposing pale, white bones. Li Guanglong stood atop a slope, clad in a protective suit, gazing emotionlessly over the hellish scene below. There wasn’t the slightest ripple in his sharply defined face, as if what burned beneath him weren’t thousands of human lives, but a pile of worthless dried grass. The dark red bloodstains on his protective suit had long dried, and now glimmered eerily under the sun. “Your Highness, we’ve just found another thirty-seven plague-infected commoners in the western district. They’ve all b...

Li Wenxing’s expression was grim. He was the high and mighty Crown Prince, and yet now Margaret had stolen the spotlight --- he was naturally displeased. If all those infected with the plague had died, he could’ve sealed off the news and buried the matter cleanly. But now that Margaret had stirred things up, it was no longer something he could cover up. Worst of all, it was Margaret who had saved those people. By comparison, he --- this Crown Prince --- looked utterly incompetent. Still, displeased as he was, he had to maintain appearances. The rain had just stopped, and damp steam still rose from the ruins of Wugang City. Li Wenxing stepped through the mud with a smile as warm as a spring breeze plastered on his face. “Margaret, you look worn out --- surely you’ve overworked yourself. Come back to camp with me. I had the cook prepare some ginseng soup --- it’ll warm you right up.” Margaret wiped the rain from her cheeks. Her dark battle robe was soaked through with m...

As the rain finally began to let up, the isolation zone within the wooden barricades started to take shape. Margaret moved through the rows of shacks, her white dress soaked through with blood and grime. Her skirts clung to the ankle-deep mud, but she paid no attention. She didn’t even bother wiping the herbal residue from the corner of her lips. With practiced precision, she drove a silver needle into a child's darkened fingertip, squeezed out half a bowl of foul, blackened blood, and quickly poured warm medicinal broth into the child’s cracked lips. "We still need twenty more stretchers for the third row of shacks!" Her hoarse voice, rasping like sandpaper from constant shouting, echoed across the makeshift camp. Not far away, Dustin was searing the infected wounds of patients with golden flame. Threads of golden light danced through torn flesh, burning away squirming maggots with ruthless precision. The elderly man beneath his hands trembled in agony, biting ...

"You filthy peasants really have some nerve! How dare you attack a Dragonmarsh officer! I swear you'll all pay for this!" Bound in rope, Zhao Hu struggled and shouted threats. Without a word, Margaret raised her hand and slapped him several times across the face. The blows left Zhao Hu dizzy, his cheeks swollen and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. "A man like you is fit to serve as an officer of the Dragonmarsh? I will personally see to it that you're dismissed and investigated!" "Dismiss and investigate me? Hah! Who do you think you are? What a joke!" Zhao Hu showed no fear at all. He was, after all, a trusted subordinate of Li Wenxing. Aside from the royal family, no one had the authority to remove him from office. "Enough!" Just then, a stern voice rang out from behind. Clad in protective gear, Li Wenxing arrived on the scene with a large entourage. Seeing him, Zhao Hu’s expression lit up with delight. ...

Rain mixed with the stench of blood clung to her face. Margaret stared at the cries and wails echoing from within the wooden walls, and suddenly drew the longsword at her waist. A flash of cold steel --- Clang! The iron lock on the wooden wall snapped cleanly in two. “Open all the gates!” Her voice cut through the curtain of rain, firm and commanding. “Divide the quarantine zone --- move the healthy to the open grounds on the east side, and isolate the infected in the western huts. Move, quickly!” At the same time, three golden rays shot from Dustin’s fingertips, precisely striking the sharpened bamboo spikes atop the wall. They clattered down one by one, preventing the civilians from injuring themselves while climbing. Medical workers rushed into the crowd through the mud, lighting bundles of mugwort they had brought. The pungent green smoke twisted and rose through the rain, suppressing the stench of rot just slightly. “This is… medicine?!” A gaunt man held a clay jar...

When Margaret and Dustin led the rescue team to the slums of Wugang City, they were utterly shocked by the sight before them. Inside the wooden walls, the muddy ground had long been blackened and tainted by filth and stench. Countless civilians were huddled together like livestock in captivity. Their eyes had lost all light --- only numbness and despair remained. Many were dressed in rags, some even half-naked, their emaciated bones casting terrifying shadows under the dim light. In one corner, an elderly man with graying hair curled up in a ball. His legs had completely rotted, covered in wriggling white maggots. Yet he seemed numb to it all, mechanically shoving clumps of mud into his mouth with his withered hands. Nearby, a young woman clutched the lifeless body of her child. The child's face was darkened, with black saliva still staining the corners of her mouth. The mother gently caressed the child's cold cheek again and again, murmuring softly, “Don’t be afraid,...

“These princes --- each one in a position of power --- yet they treat the people like dirt. When Father entrusted them with the Southern Border, he hoped they would temper their abilities and protect the lives of the people. But now it’s clear --- they only know how to fight for power and treat human lives as pawns in their games.” Margaret’s face was full of anger, her beautiful eyes tinged with a chilling coldness. Toward her three older brothers, Margaret felt not only rage --- but a deeper disappointment. In her eyes, none of the three were wise rulers. None of them deserved the throne. “Now’s not the time to assign blame. The priority is to save the innocent people,” Dustin said calmly. He had no good impression of Li Wenxing, Li Guanglong, or Li Juntang. Li Wenxing was a hypocrite --- two-faced and deceitful. Li Guanglong was cruel and violent --- brave but brainless. As for Li Juntang --- selfish, petty, and willing to sacrifice anyone for personal gain. “Mr. Rhy...