Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Profit-Making Method of Mou Li X

"What are you saying?" Lin Feirui sat up abruptly. "Has the fighting reached us?"

"Yes," Zhou Suyan said anxiously. "The front lines have collapsed, and they have been pursuing them all the way here. The camp has already been taken, and Lu Zhi has fled. We must go now!"

Lin Feirui was stunned.

How could they leave? Their general points were exhausted, the fate of her team members was unknown, and it would take at least an hour to pack up the Mobile Team Space. Should she just abandon it here?

Damn that Red Electricity! She gritted her teeth. While she wouldn't have minded him suffering a minor setback, she certainly hadn't wished for the total collapse of the Han army!

Now, everything was over. All their previous investments and efforts were supposed to have multiplied upon the conclusion of the battle. But that premise required a win—a victory!

A crushing pain burned within her. But now was not the time for complaints; she had to find a way to clean up this mess.

"We are going out," Lin Feirui quickly pulled herself together and made a decision. "We will surrender. We must preserve our lives and this camp."

Fortunately, the captured Zhou Yingxiong could still serve as a bargaining chip, and Suyan had some rapport with the other side; they should be accepted.

"Once we sell it later, we will still have a chance to start over."

---

"Has the outcome been decided?" Ranke looked at the dumbfounded Charles beside him.

"Yes, the Revolutionary Army won," Charles said, trembling. "I bet on the right side... I clearly bet on the right side!"

And yet, you couldn't keep your hands to yourself and burned down their main camp. Ranke suppressed the urge to say this aloud or burst into laughter. "Well, if you're afraid, there's no need to go back. We are still on the Revolutionary Army's side, after all."

So, hurry up and release me!

"If I don't go back, how will I collect the reward? The final reward requires being at the main camp to redeem it!" Charles's voice lowered. "That person—if he loses, he will hold everyone accountable, regardless of whether there is evidence or not. But if he wins, he doesn't seem to care about such trifles."

"True," Ranke quickly replied. "Don't worry, I can testify for you—that agents from Wuzhou infiltrated the camp, and we tried our best to stop them and killed two of them. But in the end, they still managed to set the tents on fire."

Are you satisfied with this story? Hurry up and untie me!

"Exactly!" Charles shouted excitedly. "That’s it. Besides, you were the one who wanted to burn the camp in the first place; you wouldn't want anyone to know about that, would you?"

The corner of Ranke's mouth twitched a few times. "Of course."

---

This time, the harvest from capturing the Han camp was not as bountiful as the last. However, after a difficult battle, having routed the enemy and holding a victory banquet in their tents using captured grain and supplies—this brought immense joy and a surge of confidence to the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army, who had been under tremendous pressure and had faced several defeats in the recent past.

A powerful force is built through victory after victory. In battle, the soldiers weeded out the weak, accumulated experience, deepened friendships, refined their skills, and solidified their ideals...

Wang Luo sat in the center of the main tent, in the seat originally occupied by Lu Zhi. He drank deeply, watching his subordinates laugh and drink until they were dead drunk, without the slightest intention of stopping them.

Zhou Yingxiong sat at a distance, his face serious. Understandably so; he had been a prisoner in this camp when the victory occurred, and having previously lost the camp he was responsible for guarding, shame was inevitable. Yang Wentian spoke with nearby officers, masking the fact that he had not fought today.

He did not dare to look at Wang Luo, clearly ashamed of their previous conversation. Garyville and the others were laughing and drinking, revealing genuine joy. Clearly, they were happy to have picked the winning side.

Zhou Chen was wrapped in bandages. He had performed very heroically in today's battle—both in the initial engagement and the subsequent pursuit. Zhang Shitou raised his glass, shouting and laughing. Wang Chuan and Wang Meng were talking, both of them in high spirits.

Tomorrow, he would leave some soldiers behind to reorganize the captives; he would send another contingent out to reclaim the entire region—punishing the landlords would please both the soldiers and the peasants. Then, the boats at the ferry camp should be intact; he would occupy that, head north, and find an opportunity to defeat or annex the Yellow Turban forces. Once that was done, this scenario would come to an end.

Ha! Having routed and captured most of the contractors in the area, the hardest part was already done.

It felt like something was missing.

With that, Wang Luo stood up, swaying slightly with his glass, and signaled for his subordinates to carry on as they pleased. He walked out of the tent, ordered the guards at the entrance to assemble, and headed straight for the prisoner-of-war camp.

---

Though it was called a prisoner-of-war camp, the security was not tight. This was Wang Luo's intention, as many Han soldiers had not resisted behind the front lines and had chosen to surrender directly—either by standing still or by joining the Revolutionary Army in the pursuit of the Han forces. He would be integrating them into his own ranks in the coming days, so overly strict management was inappropriate.

But there were a few others: high-ranking officers loyal to the Han Dynasty and the contractors from Wuzhou. As for the former, they were beneficiaries of the old system who could not be offered status or resources exceeding what the Han Dynasty provided; if necessary, they would simply have to be killed. As for the latter...

"Suyan, come out."

Seeing Zhou Suyan mixed in with the captives, Wang Luo pointed at her and nodded to the guards.

She walked out. With her head bowed and without a word, she stood behind him.

"Is everyone from your team here?" Wang Luo looked at the remaining twenty or so people. "Are there any who have escaped?"

No one answered him. Wang Luo smiled. "It doesn't matter. You will all be registered by name soon anyway. For those who have fled, notify them to come and surrender as soon as possible. I'll give them five days. If they haven't arrived within five days, I will kill them on sight if I encounter them later."

This statement triggered a wave of murmurs. Some Wuzhou members glared at Wang Luo.

"I know, this isn't what you expected. You might have developed an illusion that failure carries no price and that you can surrender easily. Some of you have even mocked me for it. But now, I want to tell you that the reason for mocking me has vanished—I will not give you such opportunities again."

"Each of you must pay 50,000 general points to be allowed to surrender. That is how you will survive. Otherwise, you die."

"Of course, you could try to surrender to other contractors, but I know who everyone is. If any of you switch sides without paying me, I will deal with you—all of you, immediately, and completely!"

A Wuzhou member spoke up. "You are forcing us to our deaths! We don't have that many general points."

"Of course, you spent them all fighting against me, didn't you?" Wang Luo laughed. "Then there is another option: join my team. Work for me for three scenarios, and this debt will be waived."

"If any of you want to test whether these words are true, you are welcome to. Of course, you can still complete missions after surrendering to make up for your losses. It is only natural that the treatment for surrendering before the final battle differs from surrendering after a defeat, isn't it?"