Novel Full Chapter 230: Aiden’s Question, Red Rain
Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Aiden’s Question, Red Rain
“You’re good. I’ve been following the news about the Demon invasion of the White City in the Great Shaw Empire,” Vincent said, nodding at Aiden.
Then, he casually turned to the injured soldiers beside him.
“Okay, this guy isn’t a weakling. If you’d actually read about the White City incident, you wouldn’t have spoken so ignorantly.”
“As for the rest of you… I can’t tell yet if you’re tough or not.”
Hearing this, the wounded soldiers turned their gaze toward Aiden with fresh curiosity.
“How dare you talk like that? We’re here to help you kill Demons!” one of the contestants shouted, feeling insulted.
A faint, mocking smile appeared on Vincent’s face. He patted his pocket, then held out his hand toward the soldier who was smoking.
The soldier immediately handed over a pack of cigarettes.
Under the watchful eyes of over a hundred contestants, Vincent calmly lit a cigarette and took a deep, long drag.
“Kill Demons?” he asked, exhaling smoke. “How many of you have actually experienced real war? How many of you have been surrounded by hordes of Demons, forced to just stand there and watch your friends fall one by one?”
He gestured to the bodies lying nearby. “These corpses? They haven’t even been moved yet today. The cruelty of war is nothing like you imagine.”
“Let’s not talk about killing Demons. Just don’t slow us down, and I’ll be grateful enough.”
Vincent’s eyes darkened with disgust. He knew the true cost of war.
Every day, soldiers died on the battlefield—not always by Demon claws, but sometimes by his own bullet.
Many marched in with high spirits, ready to be heroes, but the moment real combat started, they crumbled. Soon enough, they were fleeing.
And Vincent had executed too many of those cowards to count.
He wasn’t sure many of these hundred-plus geniuses would survive the reality of war. Only half of them, he guessed, would find the courage to fight on.
Of course, Aiden was the exception.
Vincent had studied the incident at the White City closely. He’d analyzed Aiden’s tactics in detail.
Among all these contestants, Aiden was the only one who truly impressed him.
“Watch your tone!” one contestant shouted, feeling insulted. “Demons aren’t invincible!” His words sparked a wave of agreement.
Vincent was too tired to argue. He crushed out his cigarette and walked over to Robert.
“Lord Robert,” he said, “the resting camp is ready. I’ll lead the group into the front lines first thing tomorrow.”
Robert nodded. “Everyone, follow Major Vincent.”
But the moment the group arrived, they froze in shock.
The camp was just a few rickety, makeshift tents set up in a pile of ruins.
Suddenly, one contestant stepped on something hard. He looked down and let out a scream. It was a human arm, half-buried in the dirt.
“What the hell!” he cried, his heart racing.
Vincent’s face hardened. “Soldier!” he barked, calling over a nearby guard. “Who’s in charge of this sector? Do you know that leaving body parts lying around can cause an epidemic?”
The soldier snapped to attention, looking terrified. “Reporting, Major! The unit assigned to this area was attacked by Demons at dusk. They’re all confirmed dead.”
In an instant, Vincent fell silent. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long, deep drag.
“Guess he was lucky.”
Without looking back, Vincent walked away.
The contestants fell silent for a moment, then accepted reality. They headed into the tents to rest.
Aiden did the same. Honestly, he wasn’t annoyed. He noticed Vincent hadn’t gone far; he’d entered a tent just as dilapidated as the others.
If anything, Vincent’s tent looked even older.
“The Elephant Empire’s front line must be in bad shape,” Aiden muttered, frowning.
He had assumed this was a safe area on the edge of the battlefield, where supplies were plentiful and everything was in order.
Just then, a soldier jogged over. He bowed respectfully to Aiden and said, “Mr. Aiden, Major Vincent asked for you. He wants to discuss some tactical plans and hear your opinion.”
Immediately, all the contestants still standing outside turned to look at Aiden. They whispered excitedly:
“What’s going on? That officer is asking Aiden for tactical advice?”
“Don’t you know? Back in the Great Shaw Empire, the Great Shaw Empire’s War God, James, gave Aiden his highest praise.”
“Really? I didn’t know Aiden was so good at tactics too?”
“True. Just search online. You’ll find tons of videos. The White City incident caused a huge sensation.”
“How come I never heard of it?”
“Probably because the news spread mostly within the Great Shaw Empire. People in other countries might have seen it, but they didn’t pay much attention.”
Hearing these rumors, Victor looked uncomfortable.
He had tried to make Aiden’s life difficult because of the White City incident, only to realize later that Aiden was right all along.
Victor watched Aiden walk away and took a deep breath. “I can’t just fight him again,” he muttered to himself. “I need to find a way to force him into a tactical showdown!”
“I lost last time, but that doesn’t mean I’ll keep losing. Once I’m ready, I’ll prove myself again!”
Victor kept staring until Aiden disappeared into Vincent’s tent.
Inside, the tent was sparse. Besides basic supplies, the only thing that stood out was a massive battle map table.
As soon as Aiden entered, Vincent lit another cigarette. He got straight to business, pointing at the map.
“The situation is grim,” he said bluntly. “Especially these past few days, regular Abyss Demon soldiers have been attacking with much higher frequency.”
“Plus, those Demon geniuses are a nightmare. They completely ignore our defenses. No one knows where they’ll strike next.” Vincent sighed.
This was another reason why he had been so harsh on the contestants. The casualty count was rising rapidly day by day.
As Vincent explained the details, Aiden offered his own insights.
Slowly, the frown on Vincent’s face disappeared. He started moving miniature units all over the map.
“I knew I picked the right person!” Vincent exclaimed ten minutes later, eyes shining.
Though Aiden’s ideas were a bit raw and lacked experience, they were enough to show Vincent how to optimize their tactics.
Vincent took a long drag of his cigarette, then looked at Aiden. “You know, I’m going to tell you to quit the competition.”
“People like you only need a little time in the field to become great commanders of large armies. ”
“The front lines are too dangerous right now. You should wait…”
Aiden shook his head. If he quit, how would he complete the “Bane of All Races” mission?
And besides, if I quit, I’d miss out on the mysterious treasure map fragments.
Seeing the look of regret on Vincent’s face, Aiden suddenly recalled his earlier confusion. He asked, “This should be on the edge of the battlefield. The supply lines shouldn’t be attacked. So why does it feel like you don’t have enough supplies?”
Vincent’s expression shifted. He instinctively reached for his cigarette, but his pack was empty.
Frustrated, he crushed the empty box into a ball and tossed it on the ground. He sighed deeply.
“War is about protecting homes, families, and homeland for most people. But for some, it’s just a way to make a fortune.”
“I can say no more. You should understand what I mean.”
Aiden’s eyes widened slowly. He had guessed it might be a delay in supplies or something else, but he never expected the real reason to be corruption.
“Even when fighting the Abyss Demons, can this still happen?” Aiden thought. “Don’t they know what happens if the Elephant Empire falls?”
“Not really,” Aiden realized in his mind. “They know exactly what will happen if we lose. Even if the Elephant Empire falls, those traitors will carry away wealth that ordinary people can’t even imagine and flee to other countries.”
Vincent waved his hand. “Okay, Aiden. This is something you’ll have to deal with eventually.”
“Go rest now. I’ll send over all the latest intelligence on the front lines. Review it; it might come in handy.”
Aiden nodded and turned to leave. Just as he was about to step out, Vincent spoke again.
“If possible, hope you can take down more Demons. Good luck.”
Aiden paused slightly, then replied softly, “Thank you. We will.”
Once Aiden had fully left, Vincent picked up the stub he had thrown away, lit it, and took a deep drag.
“I’ve chosen to accept what I can’t change. Will you?”
…
The next morning at 8:00, a light rain began to fall.
The rain pooled into dark red puddles one after another.
The blood hidden in the soil overnight finally surfaced before the contestants’ eyes.
The smell of blood in the air grew thicker and thicker.
Tension began to show on the contestants’ faces.
Vincent, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, first glanced at Robert, then at the flying pets equipped with cameras, and finally the staff nearby.
He took a deep breath and shouted, “Everyone, get ready to move! I’ll have someone lead you into the real front line!”
“Within thirty minutes, you could encounter the enemy.”
“Even though I don’t have much hope for you, I’ll still say this: May you have good fortune in battle and return as victors!”