Chapter 217 - The Crime One Intends to Assign

Chapter 217: Chapter 204 The Crime One Intends to Assign"I must quickly spread the news of the Naga coming ashore!" Lu Hong knew well the terror of the Naga. Before crossing over, the second version of the game opened with a battle called "The Tide of Naga," where endless seawater poured ashore, nearly drowning the game world. Countless players banded together to barely defeat the final boss, the Naga Queen. In this version of the game, Lu Hong lost his life numerous times; the might of the Naga left a profound impression on him.

Dragging his broken body, Lu Hong, driven by sheer willpower, finally made it to the main road, rushing back to Diyalos City with the help of civilians. Upon seeing the unconscious Lu Hong, the Military Department quickly reported to Hu Buping.

Receiving the news, Hu Buping was extremely pleased. This officer did a fine job, and he’s sure to get promoted once he returns: "Someone! Take this person who delayed the military order to Qu Hai Camp!"

Using the teleportation array within the city, Lu Hong, after being given basic medical treatment, was brought to the Qu Sea Army’s parade ground.

"Wake him up." Hu Buping looked at the wounded Lu Hong without a trace of sympathy.

A basin of cold water poured over his head, startling Lu Hong awake.

Just as he wanted to move, he realized he was tightly bound: "What are you doing?!"

"What are we doing?" Hu Buping sneered, "You violated military orders, failing to reach Haiya City in eight days. Not only that, but the scattered soldiers from the two cities along the way, not one from your squad is to be seen. What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"What do I have to say?" Lu Hong laughed bitterly, "I received intelligence in Diyalos City saying scattered soldiers were gathering at Shallow Breath Lake, so I took my brothers to investigate. It turned out the soldiers had long been killed by the Naga, and my brothers were massacred by the Naga too."

"Hmph!" Hu Buping mocked, "You sure can spin a tale, even bringing in the Naga. If you said it was the Snow Clan invading, I might believe you somewhat. Saying it’s the Naga, don’t you think that’s too far-fetched!"

Hu Buping ordered loudly, "After all the excuses, someone, break his legs for me!"

"General, he is,,,,," the Deputy General wanted to plead for Lu Hong but swallowed his words under Hu Buping’s angry gaze.

"How dare you?!" Lu Hong raged, "The Naga coming ashore must mean they’ve found the Tidal Pearl. If the empire doesn’t prepare early, when the sea rises, the entire empire will be affected by the Naga,,,,,, ah!"

Before Lu Hong could finish, a heavy military stick brutally broke his legs.

"You,,,,,," already severely injured, Lu Hong passed out again from the fresh blow.

Hu Buping stepped down from the podium, walked to Lu Hong’s side, and sternly declared to the assembled Qu Sea Army, "Our army has guarded the coast for a thousand years, never seeing a Naga. Now this man tries to cover his crimes with tales of the Naga appearing, utterly vile! He must have already killed his soldiers and the scattered recruits for reasons, a grave offense demanding punishment. Today, I will, in front of everyone, announce his execution to enforce military law!"

"General Hu, you must not!" Zeng An, the Qu Sea Army’s second-in-command, finally stepped forward: "He is a baron personally appointed by the Great Emperor and was even promoted just last month."

"So what? This man violated military law. Waiting for his report delayed the Qu Sea Army’s departure for Hanguguan Pass by at least a day. Do you know how many changes could occur on the front line in a day’s time?!" Hu Buping had decided to get rid of Lu Hong, forcefully crushing Lu Hong’s right arm, a surge of magic power invading his body, rendering his arm completely useless.

The intense pain brought Lu Hong back from unconsciousness, eliciting a pained howl.

Hu Buping sneered, drawing a sword toward Lu Hong’s head.

Clang~

Swords collided, Hu Buping stepping back half a step, glaring darkly at Zeng An, "Do you intend to rebel?!"

"I dare not." Zeng An shook his head, "I just cannot watch you kill him. Regardless of his crimes, he should be escorted back to the Empire’s Military Department for the Emperor’s judgment."

"Hmph! Just a mere baron, what qualifies him to trouble the Emperor?" Hu Buping sneered, but the interference from Zeng An did temper his murderous intent. Since Zeng An intervened, he wouldn’t give up halfway.

"Someone, throw him out of the camp. The Qu Sea Army will never allow someone who violates military orders and kills his compatriots to mix among us!" At Hu Buping’s signal, two trusted aides carried Lu Hong out of the camp, dragging a long trail of blood.

"Brother Hang, what should we do with this guy?" the trusted aide on the left asked after exiting the military camp.

The person called Brother Hang sneered, "This guy offended the Duke, he’s definitely not going to live, just throw him away wherever."

"Where do we throw him?"

"Isn’t there a sea cliff three miles ahead? Throw him into the sea to feed the sharks."

Following Brother Hang’s instructions, the unconscious Lu Hong was brought to the edge of the sea cliff and tossed into the sea.

With a splash, he disappeared without a trace.

"General Hu, to be honest, aren’t you afraid of retaliation from the Queen?" Back in Hu Buping’s military tent, Zeng An spoke gravely, "Don’t you know he has been staying in the Queen’s palace since returning from the Divine Grace?"

"Hmph! In matters of national importance, even the Great Emperor’s entreaty is useless. With an action like this, if not punished, how can I command respect in the future?" Hu Buping was resolute, confident in the promise made to him by the Supreme. He entirely disregarded threats from the Queen. As for Konstantin’s side, sorry, he belonged to the Duke from the Xia He family. As the Emperor of the Southern Territories, Konstantin could at most exert pressure on the Xia He family. What to do was at the behest of the Supreme, anyway.

"What did you say?!" It took half a day for the news about Lu Hong to reach Nono.

Nono had considered misfortune befalling Lu Hong on the battlefield but hadn’t thought he’d fall at the hands of his own people.

"Someone, bring Hu Buping down for me!"

"Your Majesty, you must not. Hu Buping has controlled the Qu Sea Army for many years. If you bring him down now, the Qu Sea Army may resist, and the front lines are increasingly challenging. We can’t cripple ourselves."

"That’s right, Your Majesty. Furthermore, the documents clearly state that Baron Yitian harmed his compatriots due to some private, nefarious reasons, which are terribly egregious."

"Private, nefarious reasons? Harming compatriots?" Nono laughed angrily, "He and Lock Fan are brothers through life and death; who do you say he wants to harm?!"

At that moment, En Jing calmly entered the hall, lacking even the most basic courtesy, and spoke coldly, "The Supreme has spoken, let this matter be. While Hu Buping’s actions were somewhat aggressive, given the crisis in the Northern Empire, let him atone for his crimes on the battlefield."

"Get out!" Nono wouldn’t listen to this dog of the Supreme.

"This is the Supreme’s order." En Jing spoke dispassionately, completely ignoring Nono’s anger.

"The Supreme, the Supreme!" Nono fumed, "Where was she when my mother died? Now she comes to protect Hu Buping? I refuse to follow her wishes; I will personally kill him!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down." At En Jing’s gesture, Bai He reluctantly blocked Nono. She was sent by the Supreme and naturally remained loyal to the Supreme.

"Please, Your Majesty, follow the Supreme’s arrangement." The officials also knelt and sided with the Supreme.

"You,,,,,, you?" At this moment, Nono finally realized how powerless as a Queen she was, collapsing onto the luxurious throne, silent for a long time.

Meanwhile, in Jinrui City, Emperor Konstantin was equally troubled. Questasa, apart from Constantine, was the only one who knew Lu Hong’s lineage. The Great Emperor had several times tried to deal with Lu Hong but eventually gave up. Instead, witnessing the remarkable feats accomplished by his nephew, Konstantin grew increasingly fond of his half-blood nephew. Yet today, he hadn’t expected Lu Hong to fall at Hu Buping’s hands.

Family can kill family, but others absolutely cannot!

"Where is Baron Yitian now?" Konstantin suppressed his rage and asked.

"Your Majesty, according to the report from the Black Guard, Baron Yitian was thrown into the sea by Hu Buping’s two trusted aides, alive unseen, dead unfound." Questasa’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke. This man was the Emperor’s nephew, the Queen’s man; he was killed by a mere duke?

"Alive unseen, dead unfound?" Konstantin laughed in rage, "Good, good, good!"

"Questasa."

"I am here!"

"Feed those two trusted aides to the fish."

"I receive the order."

As for Hu Buping, Konstantin had initially wanted to deal with him but understood that Hu surely had a backer, and this backer could only be the Supreme of the Xia He family.

"You old thing, you think he was my spy in your northern territories, but you don’t know he is my nephew, carrying the bloodline of the Plore family. We will settle this score slowly,,,," Konstantin’s gaze was icy as he penned a letter addressed to Danni.