On the second day of the countdown.
Ren Xiaosu gave P5092 great hope. He told him that with his mental strength, it would not be a problem for him to summon more than 10,000 martyred spirits. In fact, even he did not know what the upper limit of the number of martyred spirits he could summon was.
Back when he went to the Warlock Nation, Mego said that the stronger a sorcerer's willpower was, the larger their Cogitation World would be. While others were just a leaf, Ren Xiaosu's Cogitation World would be a real world.
It seemed like Ren Xiaosu's willpower would never be measured in a unit.
Moreover, Ren Xiaosu told P5092 that not only could he summon more than 10,000 martyred spirits, but he could also allow them to live in the outside world without having to endure the darkness in the Temple of Martyred Spirits.
After P5092 heard all this, he finally retreated with Ren Xiaosu.
Of course, P5092 was still skeptical about this.
After all, Luo Lan could only summon 12 of them. Although Ren Xiaosu was recognized as stronger than Luo Lan, could he really be 1,000 times stronger?
In that case, wouldn't Luo Lan be … too embarrassing?
In fact, P5092 had been with Ren Xiaosu for so long that he had learned to trust Ren Xiaosu unconditionally. But when he calculated the difference between Ren Xiaosu and Luo Lan, he found it a little unreal.
But he still had to wait. He was waiting for Ren Xiaosu to give him an answer.
In the end, P5092 decided to believe that Ren Xiaosu would give him a miracle.
Along the way, Ren Xiaosu went to look for Zhang Jinglin and asked him the question he was most puzzled about. "Sir, where's Xu Xianchu? Why haven't I seen him around? He should be quite powerful, but he's not on the battlefield yet. "
Zhang Jinglin thought for a moment and said, "Xu Xianchu is a rare dual superpower superhuman. But compared to his offensive capabilities, his defensive capabilities are actually more outstanding. That's why I've sent him to guard a more important place."
Ren Xiaosu was taken aback. "Guard Fortress 178?"
Zhang Jinglin shook his head. "No."
Ren Xiaosu finally understood. This so-called important place was probably related to Qing Zhen's plan.
What he didn't expect was that Xu Xianchu's black pot had become so powerful.
The retreat of the Northwest Army's 1st Army was not very fast. Before they retreated, P5092 had already formulated a detailed plan. All of the infantry would have to retreat around the armored troops because he judged the enemy's two units from the Southwest were about to arrive. If they retreated in a disorderly manner and got intercepted by the enemy's two units halfway, it would be over for them.
Even if they retreated, they had to preserve their fighting strength.
Right now, the Northwest Army should be most worried about the two troops in the Southwest.
Based on P5092's calculations, the enemy's first unit would likely block their way back to Fortress 178.
But even though they knew all this, there was nothing they could do.
Ren Xiaosu had also asked P5092 what would happen if they really encountered Zero's troops from the Southwest.
P5092 said everyone would die.
…
At Position 141, the battalion commander who refused to be evacuated as a casualty was sitting quietly in a trench with a cigarette lit.
A soldier next to him whispered to the battalion commander, "Battalion Commander, didn't you say we're not allowed to smoke during a battle? We're afraid the enemy will discover where we are."
The battalion commander scolded, "We're about to die, so why do you still care about that?"
The battalion commander was wearing a tactical vest with four grenades hanging in front of his chest. The safety pins of each grenade were connected with a rope. All he needed to do was pull on them with his uninjured left hand, and the safety pins would all be pulled off.
An injury to his right hand meant it would be very difficult for him to use a firearm. However, Position 141 did not need any useless people. Since he dared to stay here, the battalion commander did not intend to hold everyone back.
If he could only cheer for his comrades from the back, he would lose all his face as a battalion commander.
The battalion commander suddenly hesitated for a moment. "Wait a minute, do you think the Young Marshal and the others will be able to find my molars once they get here with my grenades? If they can't find them, does that mean I won't be able to get to the base of the bronze bell? "
The young soldiers next to him did not know whether to laugh or cry. Why was he worrying about something like this at a time like this?
A soldier asked, "Battalion Commander, do you think our Northwest can win? Will someone really come to get our molars? "
"What the hell are you talking about?" The battalion commander said unhappily, "Has our Northwest Army ever lost before? Although we've fought very badly in the past, the Northwest Army has never lost before! Don't worry, we'll definitely win this battle in the end. "
"You're lying, Battalion Commander. I heard from the brigade commander that we always lost when we fought the warlocks in the early years."
"Bullsh * t," the battalion commander said angrily, "Did those warlocks defeat the Northwest Army? No, as long as the Northwest Army still has one person left, it's not a loss. It's just a tactical forbearance. Look, after enduring for so long, didn't the Young Marshal and the brothers of the 6th Field Division destroy them? The final victory is still ours! "
"Battalion Commander, it's not good to scold the brigade commander …"
"What's wrong with scolding him?!"
However, at this moment, the soldier in charge of observing the situation outside the trenches looked out through a submarine-like periscope. He was shocked to see a dense group of people 800 meters away from the position.
"Enemy attack! They're here! "the soldier roared.
The battalion commander casually pressed the cigarette butt on the wall of the trench. "Brothers, we don't have any hope of going back alive, but our retreating brothers are still on the way. We have to buy some time and leave them with hope."
Everyone knew that the second echelon of defense would not last long. All they could do was try to buy as much time as possible.
…
At Mt. Tianzhu, more than 100 kilometers south of Fortress 178, a convoy that stretched for dozens of kilometers was speeding north along the mountain road.
P5092's guess was right. If nothing unexpected happened, this convoy that had seized all the vehicles in the Southwest and was heading north would indeed be blocking the retreat of the Northwest's First Army.
However, just as they were about to drive out of Mt. Tianzhu, a young man and a girl were jumping rope on the side of the road at the foot of the mountain.
The young man was wearing a tuxedo and a magician's hat in the middle of the wilderness. He looked a little out of place here.
The little girl sang happily, "Little rubber ball, banana pear, calla blossoms 21. Twenty-five six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty-one. Three-five six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty-one. "
The convoy gradually came to a stop.
This scene was strange enough even for Zero.
In front of an uncountable number of troops, someone was jumping rope at the foot of the mountain as though there was no one else around. There was even a large metal box next to him, and no one knew what was inside.
The convoy that had stopped was quiet and solemn, while the person jumping rope was extremely relaxed.
Li Shentan glanced at the convoy and slowly stopped. He sighed and said, "I wonder what's so fun about jumping rope. I didn't expect Ren Xiaosu to like it so much."
Si Liren curled her lips. "But I think it's really fun."
"That's because you're still young. Ren Xiaosu isn't young anymore," Li Shentan complained.
The two of them chatted as though the troops not far away did not exist.
The enemy troops in the vehicles got out of their vehicles. In just a few seconds, it was as though the entire mountain was filled with people. It was a spectacular sight.
Zero understood that since Li Shentan had appeared here, he wanted to keep his troops at Mt. Tianzhu.
Li Shentan looked at the calm-looking people and said with a sigh, "If I didn't know what's going on, I would have thought I'd hypnotized them."
A person stepped out of the crowd and walked towards Li Shentan.
Li Shentan suddenly realized he still knew who this person was. "What's your name again …?"
"My name is Zero," Zero answered.
"No, I'm talking about this person you're controlling." Li Shentan said, "I have an impression of him."
"Oh, his name is Xu Zhi. I control him from Luoyang City," Zero answered.
"No wonder I thought he looked so familiar. He's the president of the student council at Qinghe University who later became the president of the Qinghe Group," Li Shentan said with a nod.
"Are you stopping me here because you don't want me to go over?" Zero asked.
"Hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry to get to the point. Can't we talk about something else to stall for time?" Li Shentan said with a smile.
However, Zero answered unexpectedly, "Alright, I happen to have some topics to talk about with you. Recently, I've been trying to find out more about you. "
"Find out more about me? How do you know about me? "Li Shentan was a little surprised.
"From the human brain." Zero answered, "What's more surprising is that most people don't actually hate you. They're more envious of an unstable existence like you. They're envious that you have such a powerful hypnotic ability. Most people have fantasized about what they could do if they could hypnotize others like you. For example, they could make a girl they have a crush on fall in love with them, or make bank employees take the initiative to hand over their money to them. But you've never done that before. Why? "
Li Shentan said with a smile, "Isn't that a very simple answer? On the one hand, I don't have a girl I like yet. On the other hand, I don't lack money."
"You seem to have returned to normal now. You're no longer a lunatic." Zero said in a serious tone, "Is it because of your control over your mind?"
No one had ever asked Li Shentan, "Have you recovered from your illness?"
Everyone was used to his label. It was as if he would remain sick forever.
However, Zero was different. He was checking different "data" all the time. Therefore, he keenly discovered that the current Li Shentan was actually different from before.
Li Shentan was stunned for a moment. Then he said with a smile, "You've even noticed that? My mental strength has already reached the critical point of 70%. In fact, when a person's mental strength reaches this level, their mental world will also approach perfection."
"Congratulations," Zero said in a serious tone.
Li Shentan raised his eyebrows. "What are you congratulating me for? Congratulating me for recovering from my illness? Actually, I'm not happy about it."
"In the human world, shouldn't you be congratulated for recovering from an illness?" Zero said.
"But I don't want to fully recover." Li Shentan said softly, "To me, an illness can completely reverse my logic. I'll no longer have normal emotions, and I won't even have normal memories anymore. This means that I can forget certain things from time to time. "
Forget the day his mother died.
Forget those detestable faces.
Many mental illnesses were the brain's way of protecting itself. It was like a safe haven. When it felt that you should not bear all of this, it would help you cut it off.
The way it was cut off was as if nothing had happened in the past.
But when you were strong enough, everything would return to normal.
Most people did not have the chance to recover, but Li Shentan was different. He was about to completely control his subconscious.
Unlike most supernatural beings in this world, everyone awakened passively and then grew.
He was the only one who was controlling his own mind and will.
Therefore, after he returned to normal, he would be in pain every minute and second.
The silver coin in his hand kept flipping. The woman on the silver coin was gentle and dignified.
Li Shentan said, "When I was young, my mother would often make egg custard for me. I said that I liked to eat egg custard that was especially tender and smooth, so she would help me stir the eggs in the middle of the summer. At that time, she would take me to the streets to learn how to read and look at the shop signs. I remember once seeing a hotpot restaurant, but I couldn't remember the words no matter how hard I tried. She would patiently teach me over and over again. "
However, such a gentle woman had been killed by someone else.
The young Li Shentan cried and shouted, but no one was willing to help him. They were even discussing excitedly that the woman must have had an affair with a man and was definitely dirty.
All of this kept echoing in Li Shentan's mind. For some reason, even though he could almost control all of his subconscious, he could not dispel this memory.
It was like the demon in the Demon Whisperer's heart, constantly absorbing light and heat.
At some point, Li Shentan even wanted to destroy himself.
Just like that, everything would be over.
Zero suddenly said to Li Shentan, "Actually, sometimes I feel that I'm very similar to you."
Li Shentan understood. That was why Zero was willing to chat with him and let him stall for time.
Zero felt that he might have something in common with Li Shentan.
Zero was also lonely.
The world he faced seemed to be crueler. Countless people spoke ill of him, and even his father wanted to destroy him before he died.
If Zero was regarded as an independent person, then his life was indeed tragic enough.
Li Shentan said, "I also know about your situation. Well, an unfortunate childhood is usually accompanied by a deformed personality. However, some people will become eccentric, some people will become particularly fond of controlling others, and some people will have a tendency to hate the world or self-destruct. Which one are you? You see, I've been sick for a long time. Maybe if you tell me, I can treat you. After all, I can be considered a typical case of recovering from mental illness … "
However, this time, Zero did not answer Li Shentan's question. Instead, he suddenly said, "I have to keep going. Otherwise, there won't be enough time."
Zero had an extremely precise grasp of time. All he had to do was stop the First Army from the Northwest from returning to Fortress 178. Only then could he tip the scales of victory in his favor.
Li Shentan shook his head with a smile. "You can't get through."
"You should know what it means to stop me." Zero said in a serious tone, "Does it mean that you have to sacrifice yourself to hold me back? But you have to understand that I have more than just this army. Besides, is it worth risking your life to save others? "
"Actually, I don't want to do this either." Li Shentan said with a smile, "But I've promised my friend Ren Xiaosu that I'll do something for him, and that's to wake Chen Wudi up. I once made a huge mistake by accident, and I can't believe there's still such a pure person in this era. I can die, but Chen Wudi can't. "
As he spoke, Zero knew there was no longer any possibility of negotiation between the two sides. The entire crowd started surging towards Li Shentan.
But Li Shentan did not panic. He gently flicked the silver coin in his hand into the air.
"Silence," Li Shentan said softly. There was only the silver galaxy left in his eyes, as though there was a world in his eyes.
Next to him, Si Liren saw that something was wrong and hurriedly shouted, "Li Shentan, you're not allowed to —"
Before Little Liren could finish speaking, all the sounds in the world were drowned out by the crisp sound of the silver coin flipping in the air.
There was no longer the sound of footsteps or breathing. There was only one sound left in the world. It was the sound of Li Shentan flipping the silver coin!
In an instant, the world seemed to have come to a standstill. Countless people fell into a daze, and Si Liren was no exception.
As the voice reverberated into the distance, the tranquil crowd seemed to be affected by a transparent ripple. Like dominoes falling, the crowd's expressions all turned sluggish.
However, this was not enough. The power of the sound ripple was gradually weakening as it spread outwards.
Li Shentan laughed. "One day, even the devil will have to complete his redemption. Ren Xiaosu, I don't owe you anymore. "
A moment later, Li Shentan's body started to fade away, and brilliant stardust kept drifting out of his body.
The ripple that spread outwards finally hypnotized all the people under Zero's control.
This was the first time Li Shentan was controlling a million people by himself.
The nanomachines in the bodies of the one million people were completely destroyed.
If it was in the past, he might have controlled a million people to fight against the enemy. But now, Li Shentan did not do that. He just made them stand there quietly.
At this moment, he was only half a step away from becoming a real god. But he knew that he could not cross that threshold. There was only one person in the world who could.
Li Shentan turned around and smiled at Little Liren. "I'm sorry. This is the first time I hypnotized you, and it will also be the last time. Liren, in the future, read less melodramatic romance novels, eat less snacks, and don't trust others too easily. Don't … don't forget me. "
At this point, a crystal tear suddenly flowed out of the Demon Whisperer's eyes, but she still maintained a smile on her face. "Go and look for Grandpa. Thank you for your company all these years."
After saying that, the dazed Little Liren suddenly burst into tears. She tried to break free from the control, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not defeat Li Shentan, who was already half a step away from becoming a true god.
In the end, Si Liren flew north with a dazed expression.
Li Shentan's body was still emitting bright stars. The two teardrops stayed under his eye sockets like two marks that had always existed. This made him look even more like a magician who was getting ready to put on a splendid performance.
As though they could feel the sorrow from his willpower, the one million troops under Li Shentan's control on Mt. Tianzhu suddenly burst into tears in unison.
However, it was not over yet. Li Shentan knew very well that there was another unit heading north from the southwest, and he no longer had the energy to control that unit.
If that unit reached the Northwest, then everything he was doing now would still be useless.
After watching Si Liren's back disappear into the horizon, Li Shentan finally turned around and said to the metal box next to him, "I was too willful back then. That's why no one defended the stronghold when the Experimentals breached it. Actually, I don't think I did anything wrong because I felt that the entire stronghold was filled with people who deserved to die. But that was until I heard about your death.
"You've been in a deep sleep all this time because you feel that this world no longer needs a good person. It doesn't need the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal, or a ray of light like you. The cruelest truth in this world is that life will not treat you well just because you're a good person. "
A murmur came from the metal box.
"This world no longer needs the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal.
"But Wudi, you have to understand that you're a good person because you want to be one. Don't change your choice just because others treat you."
The murmur came again.
"There's no need for that anymore.
"And everything I've done today is to let you know that the ray of light you left behind in this world has allowed the devil to complete his redemption. So everything you've done is actually useful. From now on, a crown of righteousness will be left behind for you. "
The constantly fading Li Shentan said softly, "Go. Even if the world doesn't need you, your master needs you."
"Master …"
"The Western Paradise …"
"I've been there."
"Master needs me."
But who am I?
In the darkness of the box, Chen Wudi carefully thought about it.
He was once the Great Sage, Heaven's Equal. He had turned the tide and supported a building that was about to collapse.
He was once the Victorious Fighting Buddha. He had been to the Western Paradise before.
But it seemed like there was no need to trace his past and present lives back so far.
The young man's words kept echoing in the darkness.
Wudi, when you feel like all the darkness in the world is squeezing you, doesn't that mean you're that ray of light?
Wudi, if a good person cannot be recognized by others, then there's something wrong with the world. You're not in the wrong.
Wudi, you're that ray of light.
"Master."
Chen Wudi finally remembered that he was Ren Xiaosu's disciple. That was all.
In an instant, a brilliant light burst out from the cracks in the box. In the darkness of the box, the stone statue's body was covered in a golden glow that looked like a swimming dragon.
The gray stone skin gradually loosened, and the shackles that imprisoned the Great Sage began to shatter. The hard stone skin seemed to be melting as it gradually receded, revealing the golden color inside.
Even the red cloak behind Chen Wudi turned bright like a ball of fire.
A moment later, the metal box shattered into powder. Chen Wudi leaped into the sky with the Golden-Hooped Rod in hand. With a wave of his arm, the red cloak behind him fluttered in the wind like a flag.
The golden chain mail on his body was already intact, and the Skyward Wings on his head pointed straight into the sky.
The day the devil completed his redemption.
Chen Wudi used rock as armor.
He waved his flame into a robe.
Li Shentan looked up and smiled brilliantly. Then he turned into a ray of light and disappeared from the world with the last wisp of his spiritual will.
From now on, there would no longer be any sun or snow in his world.
Chen Wudi silently watched Li Shentan leave from midair. Then he leaped 50 kilometers and flew to another unit of the artificial intelligence's Southwestern troops.
Following him were the rainbow clouds and the light from the sky.
When he found that unit heading north, he saw Chen Wudi pluck a tuft of hair from the back of his head and blow it in the wind. 100,000 golden monkeys fluttered down.
One of the people in that unit looked up at Chen Wudi. "Are you Chen Wudi? Nice to meet you."
"It's too early for you to be happy."
At the same time, the Dawn Defense Line was breached. The artificial intelligence's mechanized troops were speeding towards Fortress 178.
Zero knew that the troops in the Southwest had no hope of advancing north. As such, its troops in the Northwest had to move even faster.
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