Chapter 253 - Infighting

After defeating Feng Xiaoxiao’s Giant Demons, Han Wu kept building towers, gradually claiming her territory as his own. Her goblins couldn’t even damage his towers, and within hours, Feng Xiaoxiao suffered a decisive defeat.

Han Wu wiped out all of her goblins and destroyed her Goblin Towers. When the final one crumbled, Feng Xiaoxiao flared with light before vanishing, booted from the wargame. Han Wu emerged victorious and obtained all of Feng Xiaoxiao’s territory.

[Current Land Size: 29,780 square kilometers]

[Current Energy: 38,092.4]

Along with her territory, Han Wu also gained valuable loot from destroying her towers. He picked up seven Upgrade Stones, one Final Battle Card, and a Unique Sacred Object called the Giant Demon Heart.

Equipping the Giant Demon Heart granted a tower 200 Armor, 20 Attack, and the War Crash effect, which allowed the tower to launch a second attack immediately after the first.

A Unique Upgrade Stone could be crafted by merging five Elite ones. After merging them, Han Wu used the resulting Unique Upgrade Stone on an Iron Skeleton Tower. Once the tower was enhanced, he was presented with two upgrade paths: the Skeleton Knight Tower or the Death Skeleton Tower.

Han Wu saw the name and immediately recognized the Death Skeleton Tower as a choice granted by the Death’s Gaze effect. He recalled the Death Aura Bug Tower’s devastating power and chose the Death Skeleton Tower without hesitation.

[Death Skeleton Tower (Unique)

Armor: 1,197 (Sacred Object +100)

Attack: 609

Defense: 112

Attack Method: Bone Spear

Range: 30 km

Attack Rate: 1.1 second (Sacred Object +45%)

Skills: Corpse Explosion (Passive) – Corpses explode on contact. Explosion damage equals 200% of the corpse’s original damage when alive.

Sacred Object Slots: 4]

Han Wu was dissatisfied as he studied the Death Skeleton Tower’s stats. Despite its Unique status, its Armor and Defense were weak. His enemies could easily destroy it. The silver lining was its high Attack and wide coverage. More importantly, it possessed the formidable Corpse Explosion. Still, he was uncertain just how powerful it truly was.

Coincidentally, a group of Abyss Demons soon wandered into his territory and stepped into the tower’s range. The Death Skeleton Tower launched a bone spear that pierced through the air and slammed into one of the demons, nailing it to the ground with brutal efficiency.

With its 609 Attack, the tower killed the demon in a single blow. The others barely reacted; born as cannon fodder, death was common to them. They pressed onward until one accidentally touched the corpse. The corpse exploded, sending bone fragments that pierced through the remaining demons.

Han Wu quickly calculated the toll. Based on the Energy he absorbed, nineteen Abyss Demons had died in the blast. The survivors teetered on the brink of death. It was only a matter of time.

“I never expected Corpse Explosion to be this powerful!” Han Wu marvelled.

He realized he had to protect the Death Skeleton Tower at all costs. He could already picture what would happen if Corpse Explosion triggered in the middle of an entire army. Next time, the casualties would far exceed nineteen.

Originally, the Death Skeleton Tower could target only a single enemy. Corpse Explosion changed that, granting it an AoE attack that injured multiple foes at once. Its range rivaled even the Death Aura Bug Tower’s broad reach.

In order to protect it, Han Wu surrounded the tower with numerous Locust Towers, then merged them into four Abyss Bug Towers. These fortified towers had exceptional HP and Defense, positioned strategically to guard the Death Skeleton Tower from all four directions.

Han Wu didn’t expect the Abyss Bug Towers to kill the enemies; he only needed them to soak up damage and buy time. Every second mattered because the Death Skeleton Tower could strike nearly once per second, each attack building toward an explosion that would devastate even more enemies.

After building the Death Skeleton Tower, Han Wu’s territory expanded rapidly. The faction of God King of Life feared him and allowed him to seize their lands without resistance.

Han Wu scratched his head in mild embarrassment. He preferred battles where his opponents resisted until the end. Winning after a struggle felt more rewarding.

...

For the next few hours, Han Wu focused on managing his towers. He hadn’t expected any trouble, so when someone from his own faction launched a surprise attack, it caught him off guard. He had braced for conflict with the opposing faction, not betrayal from within.

After defeating Feng Xiaoxiao, Han Wu had claimed her territory and found himself bordering three others, each controlled by representatives of the God King of Death. One of them was Li Zhe. Upon noticing Han Wu’s vast land and powerful Locust Towers, Li Zhe hatched a ruthless plan. Since he was already seizing territory from the God King of Life faction by force, why not do the same to his own allies?

Li Zhe’s greed knew no bounds. He built towers along the border of his own territory and targeted Han Wu’s newly erected Locust Towers. Although those towers were Elite rank, their stats barely exceeded those of Common towers. It didn’t take much for Li Zhe to destroy them.

As the assault continued, the border between their territories slowly shifted in Li Zhe’s favor. Each tower he destroyed pushed the line further. To his satisfaction, the loot and Energy he gained from attacking Han Wu’s towers were just as rewarding as the spoils he had claimed from the God King of Life’s faction.

Han Wu reacted swiftly and rushed to the edge of his territory. He had already lost 500 square kilometers and six Locust Towers. Rage burned through him—Li Zhe was supposed to be an ally, not an enemy. He refused to tolerate a betrayal like this.

Li Zhe was busy building towers when he happened to encounter Han Wu. “Hey there. I’m Li Zhe, third-year at Imperial College. We’re from the same faction, so you won’t mind if I take some of your land, right?”

“I am Han Wu, a first-year at Imperial College.” His tone left no room for misunderstanding. They were from the same school, and he had no intention of clashing with a fellow student.

Unfortunately, Li Zhe didn’t care and smiled. “I know who you are. The only first-year qualified for the wargames. That’s some luck you’ve got. Since we’re from the same college, I’ll let you off easy. Just hand over 10,000 square kilometers and join forces with me. I’ll protect you. Stick with me, and you’ll survive to the end.”

He spoke as if he were offering a generous gift, not an outrageous demand.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Han Wu scoffed. “Ten thousand? Why stop there? How about I give you everything and withdraw from the wargame while I’m at it?”

Li Zhe caught the sarcasm and grew serious. “Junior, aren’t you going to help your senior?”

“You don’t deserve my help. I don’t help useless seniors, especially not ones who think they can take advantage of their juniors,” Han Wu shot back.

Li Zhe’s face twisted with fury. “Fine! Let’s fight! I want to see how you plan to win against me!”