CHAPTER 210: CHAPTER 210: CRUEL FIRES BENEATH THE ICE

After finishing his words, Lang Yao dipped his head once more, a perfect picture of loyalty and calm on the outside—but beneath that mask, his mind twisted with filth. A slow, bitter smile crept across his lips, invisible to Lord Xun.

It wasn’t amusement. It was venom. Hate. A dark, rotting hunger that had only grown since the day Liora cast him out like garbage.

He remembered every second of it. The way she stood above him, calm and self-righteous, her soft voice delivering a sentence that shattered his pride. She didn’t even raise her voice—didn’t need to. With that steady tone and those sharp eyes, she cut him down in front of everyone.

She saw through him. She didn’t bend. And when she stripped him of his rank and spat him out in front of the base, she did it without raising her hand or voice. That was what made it worse. She didn’t scream. She simply dismissed him, like he was nothing.

And that—that cold, quiet rejection—had driven a spike straight through his pride.

He was dragged through the base like a criminal. Two guards holding him as if he were diseased. The stares from the people. The whispers. Even the weak ones—the beggars, the orphans—looked at him like he was beneath them. Like he wasn’t a man anymore.

All because of her.

That soft-hearted bitch.

That humiliation still burned inside him, night after night. But the shame had long since twisted into something darker. Filthier. Obsession wrapped in fury.

He didn’t just want to bring her down. He had sworn at that time... he would fucking crush this bitch under his boots. She is just a woman with a weak body and dares to be a leader with her soft and seducing figure. She must have seduced her way to the base’s leader’s bed, that’s why she became leader.

Or how could a young girl like her become base leader and act mighty when she is only capable of being coy... In his mind, all of the females are useless... they are only meant for the satisfaction of men, and they should only spread apart their legs and take them... they don’t need to come out of their house and act like supreme lords when they are only capable of whoring.

He snorted as her figure flashed in his mind... When the base would be destroyed, he would be the first person to drag the bitch into a room and fuck her mind and make her call him master and beg him... he would show her how she should behave and not step out of her boundary...

Lang Yao’s expression became much more pleasing as he already thought about the consequence of Liora and how he would deal with her when he gets his hands on her. His pant was already tightening at the thought... Now he could not wait to attack their base... after all, even if she was an arrogant bitch, she is really beautiful... even more than the movie stars... he had never seen such a young beautiful girl... he is sure her cunt was already loosened by fucking all those men around her.

In his mind, he would drag her into the dirt, make her serve the very man she thought unworthy. Make her body betray her, make her scream in front of her people—not in command, but in disgrace. Strip her of every last shred of control, until the only name on her lips was his—and not by choice.

Because that’s what she did to him, in her own way.

She took away his power.

Now he’d take away hers.

He would rip down her walls. Burn her soft little paradise. Poison the peace she worked so hard to build. Let her watch her precious people turn against her. Let her realize, far too late, that the monster she threw out was the one holding the match all along.

And when she was nothing—nothing—he’d come for her.

Not to kill her.

But to make her wish he had.

And then—then—he’d smile.

Not because she broke him.

But because she made him this.

Lang Yao smiled with his fantasy and with that he lifted his face again and continue to manipulate his lord. His tone stayed calm, but the weight of his words hung in the air, heavy with suggestion. "The Dawn Base is comfortable now, but they have grown soft because of that comfort. Their guard is down. They believe they are safe."

Lord Xun rose slowly from his seat, the sound of his cloak sliding against the cold stone floor echoing softly through the room. He moved toward the large war map that spread across the stone table, his sharp eyes studying the marked positions of nearby bases and forest zones.

Lang Yao did not interrupt. He simply lowered his head, allowing the silence to stretch between them.

Finally, Lord Xun spoke in a quiet but certain voice. "Electricity, clean water, proper food... warm rooms... and a woman who has no idea how to protect what she has."

Lang Yao kept his voice respectful as he said, "Yes, my lord. All of it can belong to you."

A slow smile crept onto Lord Xun’s face as if the idea had already taken root deep in his mind.

"And what do you want in return for this information?" Lord Xun asked, his voice steady but sharp.

Lang Yao answered without hesitation. "I want the chance to lead the attack. I want to be the one who takes her base from her hands. And I want to deal with Jin Song myself. I want to see him fall."

The warlord’s smile deepened, and his cold eyes glinted faintly under the weak brazier light. "Prepare the men. We will march soon. I want the woman kneeling before me, and I want her base in my hands. I want everything they have."

Lang Yao lowered his head further and replied quietly, "It will all be yours, my lord."

~~~

Inside the war chamber, the oil lamp was lit, casting soft, flickering shadows over the map spread across the large table. The air felt damp, not from water, but from the heaviness that settled into the room like a silent mist. Every man standing within these walls knew they were about to take the first step toward something large—something that would either crown them with power or stain their hands with failure.

Lord Xun stood quietly near the edge of the table, his fingers resting on the curled edge of the war map. His gaze was calm but sharp, scanning every mark, every corner, every drawn boundary with slow calculation.

Lang Yao stood near the side, his arms behind his back, watching as more officers and trusted men filed into the room. The low murmur of voices slowly faded as Lord Xun finally spoke.

"We cannot attack the Dawn Base directly. Not yet. Their walls are high, their base is quite active, and their guards—though inexperienced—are not asleep."

He paused, turning to face the room.

"We need to weaken them first."

One of the older officers leaned forward slightly. "Should we stir up the zombies from the edge of City B?"