Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 626: Chapter 626. Total Surrender

The stomachs of those on the city wall growled as they watched the feast. Their mouths watered. Their hunger gnawed, sharp and unrelenting.

Making matters worse, some of Echos’ soldiers used talismans that conjured strong winds. Directed toward Steam Water City, the winds carried the aroma of the food.

Khode’s citizens couldn’t see the food clearly from so far away, but they could identify every dish by smell. Roasted mutton, grilled steaks, barbecue ribs, smoked bacon, freshly baked bread, toasted marshmallows, and more. Each aroma drove those on the wall to the brink of madness.

As the smell blew through the city, more people came running to the wall to see where the smell came from.

The more they saw, the angrier they got. Echos’ soldiers ate without restraint. On many instances, they even threw away half-eaten food in exaggerated fashion. This drew curses from Khode’s citizens. Here they were, dying to get a bite of those delicious foods. Yet, Echos’ soldiers just tossed them away like rubbish.

”I can’t take it anymore! Let me at them...!!!” One person shouted.

The shout was followed by others, who exclaimed a similar intention. Before long, the whole city rallied. They rushed to the gates.

”No, stop! Control yourselves!” Shi Zhang tried to calm them down, with little success. He decided to put himself on the mob’s path, which was going to the main gate. He was a Peak Mystic Stage cultivator, which made his constitution superior to that of most civilians. ”This is the enemy’s ploy. They want to rile you up! It is as plain as day. Can’t you realize this?!”

He continued to shout, but his warning fell on deaf ears. While he was averagely stronger, getting swarmed by hundreds of people was still overwhelming. He did not want to hurt these people, so his effort produced little result. He couldn’t stop the tide.

In defeat, he flew out of the mob as they bumped into the gate. He was at a loss as to what to do. Some people from the mob started attacking the nearby buildings to vent their frustration. Some even displayed threatening advances on the soldiers, who also had no success in quelling them down.

”Open the gates...!!”

Zee Min’s voice was heard. She decided to act since Shi Zhang was silent. If she didn’t do something, this commotion would end in a destructive riot that was impossible to contain.

All the city gates opened, and the mob rushed out. Once they did, Echos’ riflemen and Yuanxu Cannons opened fire. Echos’ soldiers, who were partying a minute ago, suddenly went into formation. Each took a rifle that had been prepared nearby. They joined the original riflemen to perform alternate firing, increasing the fire rate. Some were Martial Realm soldiers. These soldiers were also equipped with rifles. They floated above the ground-based riflemen and fired.

As seen by Shi Zhang and Zee Min when they visited Echos’ camp, the number of Yuanxu Cannons was also more than when the militias from Steam Water City charged out the first time. This put Khode’s charging mob under heavier bombardment.

Even when the mob that charged out from Steam Water City was more numerous and more eager than the first time, they still failed to reach the enemy because the number of bullets and elemental balls battering them was more than before.

Thousands in the mob died by the second.

Zee Min and the others on the wall who could still think clearly had expected this to happen when the gates were opened, but the sight was still shocking. The most disheartening part was that they couldn’t do anything to prevent or stop it. All they could do was watch as the carnage went down before their eyes.

The sounds of gunshot and cannon fire were unceasing, as were the intoxicating screams of the mob who continued to charge out. Everyone in the mob had lost their minds. They continued to advance even when the people before them kept dying. They couldn’t think properly. They were driven only by their basest desires, their hunger and rage.

No one knew how long it lasted. Those who spectated were like in a trance. They were like watching a moving picture that had nothing to do with them. They were numbed by the stench of death and the visage of destruction.

Eventually, the crowd that charged out of the gate thinned. This allowed them to see more clearly. What they saw shocked them. Mounds of corpses and mutilated body parts were strewn all over. One person stopped running. Those who saw this person also stopped. Soon, everyone stopped charging out.

The sounds of gunfire and cannon fire also stopped. Silence returned, and the contrast was deafening. Everyone was still. No one uttered a sound.

After what seemed like eternity, Zee Min broke the silence. ”Close the gates...,” she ordered.

The gates slowly closed again, leaving the newly added deaths outside the city to rot.

*

No one talked about the incident. Everyone inside Steam Water City was quiet as hell. The usual murmurs filled with complaints were absent from the streets. For a short period, most people even forgot that they were hungry.

Shi Zhang returned to the city hall without a word. No one tried to console him. Everyone was in shock.

The eerie silence of the city was only dispelled by the sound of a screaming before sunset. The one who screamed was An Mei, Shi Zhang’s wife. After calming herself down, she finally decided to return to the city hall to talk with her husband.

When she entered his office, she found him hanging from the ceiling, already lifeless. In his despair, the kind mayor of Steam Water City decided to take his own life.

The next day, Zee Min sent Lang Gu to fetch An Mei. Now that the mayor was gone, his wife, who served as his second-in-command, was the acting mayor. However, Lang Gu found An Mei dead on her bed. Her bed sheet was stained with her blood. She had cut her own wrist, following in her husband’s footsteps.

Even though the news of the mayor and his wife’s death was not broadcast, it still spread. Zee Min made no attempt to contain the information. She herself felt defeated.

Most of the original citizens of Steam Water City wept over their mayor’s death. All their current sufferings had made them forget how kind the mayor had been to them. Now that he was gone, they remembered again, but it was too late to do anything.

Several more days passed.

One day, white cloths were hung all over the city wall. All the gates were opened. Khode’s soldiers and staff wearing government uniforms walked out. They all had their hands up, holding white cloths. Zee Min and Lang Gu walked at the front. Xuang Chao was also with them, but he was bound with engraved chains. He was the only one who struggled and made noises among the procession.

Xin Wuming saw the scene and told Echos’ soldiers to hold their fire. He also had someone fetch Amon.

Zee Min and the others stopped a short distance from the riflemen, who had their rifles aimed at them. Amon was present by the time. He flew forward and stood before Zee Min. Xin Wuming was beside him, and a garrison of soldiers was following closely.

Amon folded his arms and said nothing. He waited for Zee Min to talk.

No one talked except for Xuang Chao, who continued to curse nonstop. ”You, filthy bastard! I will never surrender. I will not surrender to an invader! I will have my revenge on my uncle one day. You mark my words!!”

”No, you will not,” Amon finally spoke. His hand moved in a blur, and a flying knife shot forward.

Zee Min almost moved to stop the flying knife, but restrained herself at the final moment. The knife pierced Xuang Chao’s forehead, killing him instantly.

Amon folded his arms again and returned to silence. His gaze was firmly on Zee Min.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Zee Min finally sighed. She said, ”We accept your demand for our total surrender...”

”Good,” Amon uttered. He turned to Xin Wuming and said, ”Apprehend them all.”

Xin Wuming gestured to the soldiers behind them. These soldiers had engraved ropes in their hands. They approached Khode’s people and started tying them up. As for Zee Min and Lang Gu, they were bound using engraved chains.

After pacifying Khode’s soldiers and its governing staff, Amon sent a battalion into the city to issue a broadcast. Outside, the riflemen and cannons remained alert, in case the citizens tried something.

The battalion told everyone in the city to remain calm and follow their instructions. If they were obedient, food would be distributed for them. They also broadcast that refugees who were not originally citizens of Steam Water City were now allowed to leave for other settlements. They would not be harmed, and supplies would be provided for their travels.

A good portion of the refugees took up the offer. With the massacre several days ago, combined with these refugees leaving, the population inside Steam Water City dropped to a tolerable level. Only after that did Amon send his army to enter the city and occupy it.