Chapter 439 209: Preparing to Cause Trouble

He Zhiping had escaped, but his Dragon Lizard Cavalry could not. They were completely surrounded by Elite Heavy Hammer Skeleton Warriors, Skeleton Shooter-1 Types, Skeleton Longbowmen, and Skeleton Short Bowmen.

The few who managed to break through using their superior speed were intercepted and summarily killed by the Evil Spirit Wanderers patrolling the perimeter.

The encirclement of tens of thousands of his Dragon Lizard Cavalry was a devastating blow for He Zhiping, even more severe than the losses he had previously sustained in the Central Zone.

Batubohe didn't arrive until the Dragon Lizard Mobile Fortress had already charged into the Desolate Land of Death.

[Private Chat]

[Soaring Eagle]: Are you okay?

[Don't Want to Get a Driver's License]: It's a good thing you warned me in time. Otherwise, I would've charged right in.

'That was the truth. Li Ziyu had genuinely planned to charge in and fight the Dragon Lizard Lord to the death. He might be at a disadvantage in fortress-to-fortress combat, but he was confident in a direct engagement. If it hadn't been for Batubohe's warning, who knew how things would have turned out.'

'Letting the Dragon Lizard Lord go was also a calculated move to minimize his own losses.'

[Soaring Eagle]: So close. If I'd been a little faster, that punk wouldn't have gotten away.

[Don't Want to Get a Driver's License]: No worries. We can just figure something else out.

[Soaring Eagle]: That Dragon Lizard Lord is a real piece of work. Since we didn't finish him off this time, he'll definitely be plotting revenge. And that guy's good at riling people up.

[Don't Want to Get a Driver's License]: In that case, I'll definitely need to come up with a plan. Do you have any more intel on the Dragon Lizard Lord? Please share it with me.

[Soaring Eagle]: Sure, I'll tell you what I know. I've met the Dragon Lizard Lord. His name is He Zhiping. He's a young man in his early twenties, about 185 centimeters tall, fair-skinned and clean-cut, a handsome fellow. When you first meet him, the guy is all sunshine, calls everyone 'Big Bro,' and is just incredibly chummy...

'Honestly, after hearing Batubohe's story, Li Ziyu was struck by the old saying: you can know a person's face, but not their heart. He had to admit, the Dragon Lizard Lord, He Zhiping, had a face that fit the popular standard of beauty. He wasn't one of those effeminate "pretty boys," but the type you'd look at and immediately think, "That's a good kid." On top of that, he was a sweet-talker who knew how to win people over. Who wouldn't like a young man like that?'

It was for this very reason that He Zhiping quickly blended in with the Transmigrator Lords of the Central Zone. He played the part of a doted-on younger brother. On the surface, he was incredibly deferential to his "big brothers and sisters," but behind their backs, he was constantly stirring up trouble. And whenever he did, he would go around apologizing to everyone with a pitiful, aggrieved expression on his face.

He had already apologized, so what could they do? 'He's the baby brother, just a kid. He doesn't know any better, can't read the situation, and doesn't understand the consequences. That's normal, right?' Sometimes he would infuriate everyone, but every time they saw that pitiful, aggrieved look on his face—plus the way some of the female Lords would defend him—it was hard for anyone to stay mad.

He caused trouble again and again, angered people again and again, and always left others to clean up his messes. Finally, someone couldn't stand it any longer and decided to teach him a lesson.

But the outcome was ironic. They had wanted to teach him a lesson, but they never expected that while He Zhiping was stirring up all that chaos, he had been quietly scooping up all the benefits for himself. He had greatly enhanced his own power, even surpassing many of the veteran Lords. Not only could they not defeat him, they were the ones who got beaten. Yet, even after winning, He Zhiping didn't publicly turn on the Lords who had tried to punish him.

Instead, he went around forming cliques and playing the victim, badmouthing those Lords behind their backs. He was especially manipulative with the female Lords, using them as his shield. In the end, the Lords who had tried to teach him a lesson were targeted. One by one, their fortresses were destroyed, and they met miserable ends.

And what about He Zhiping? Not only did he emerge completely unscathed, but he once again managed to rake in a ton of benefits.

But even after all that, a large number of Lords still failed to see his true colors and continued to have a favorable impression of him. Unfortunately, Batubohe was one of them.

Batubohe was a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy—extremely loyal and a firm believer in rules. He applied these principles not just to other Lords, but to the Natives as well. Back then, the relationship between the Lords and the Natives was still pretty good. They coexisted peacefully and developed together. Of course, there was friction, but it was nothing that couldn't be smoothed over with a little mediation.

A person with his character was a natural-born leader, a "big brother" figure. Among the Lords, Batubohe was extremely popular. When he spoke, people listened. Under his protection, everyone lived freely and comfortably, without needing to worry too much.

Batubohe's attitude towards He Zhiping was just as good; he really looked out for him. Whenever He Zhiping ran into trouble and came to him, Batubohe would always lend a hand. He never imagined that He Zhiping would take things further and further overboard.

Batubohe had told He Zhiping not to go too far in offending the Natives and to try and coexist peacefully for the sake of long-term development. On the surface, He Zhiping would agree, all "yes, yes, yes." His attitude was perfect, utterly deferential, and his agreements were swift and decisive. But the moment he turned his back, he'd toss Batubohe's words to the wind. He robbed when he wanted to rob and killed when he wanted to kill, showing no restraint whatsoever.

He was the type of person who believed, 'What's mine is mine, and what's yours is also mine. If you don't give it to me, I'll just take it by force. Being robbed by me should be your honor.'

Again and again, he defied Batubohe's advice. He formed factions among the Lords, plotted and schemed, and acted one way to people's faces and another behind their backs. He suppressed the upright Lords, colluded with the cunning ones, and charmed the female Lords to form his own "faction." He turned the atmosphere among the Central Zone's Transmigrator Lords toxic, and the peace they once enjoyed was pushed to the brink of collapse.