Rise of The Demon General

Chapter 642: Chapter 642. Controlling the Royal Puppet Army

”If we don’t find that control code, a lot of people are going to die,” Amon said. ”The Royal Puppet Army doesn’t get tired. Our army and the rioters below do.”

”Do you think I don’t know that?” Zhong Yuan returned. ”I tell you. It is not here! I would have found it by now if it were.”

”Try checking this then,” Amon said. He pulled out the Supreme Puppet from his black space ring and put it on the floor.

”This...” It took Zhong Yuan a few seconds before he registered that the thing before him was Zee Whang’s Supreme Puppet.

”I saw Zee Whang call his other battle puppets using a control panel inside this puppet. He must have the control code installed inside,” Amon said.

”This is his primary puppet. I heard he never travelled far from this thing after he became the Supreme Councilor. You are right. He must have the control code inside here.”

Zhong Yuan proceeded to enter the ruined cockpit and started tinkering with the controls inside.

”How long do you need?” Amon asked.

”Thankfully, the control panel is not damaged. Using this control panel makes it easier to access the system. All I need now is to figure out how to bypass the security... Oh, I’m in...”

”Really?” Amon asked.

”There is no security code blocking my entry. I guess that prick is so arrogant that he never believes anyone will touch this puppet other than him.”

”So, can you find the control code for his army?” Amon asked.

”Wait... I’m shifting through the data... I think this is it... Wait for it... And done!”

Amon went out of the workshop and into the Council Room above. Using the Eagle Eye, he looked out from the wall-less façade. The Royal Puppet Army had stopped moving. The rioters below also stopped fighting after the battle puppets ceased to be hostile.

”Does it work?” Zhong Yuan also came out to check.

”It does,” Amon replied. He then added, ”You know what to do.”

*

Zhong Yuan used the control code and commanded the Royal Puppet Army to gather outside the capital. With Zee Whang and his battle puppets gone, the rioters assumed control over the capital. True to his promise, Amon didn’t compete for this control. He returned to the First Demon Army and assessed their loss. Xin Wuming and the others returned with him.

The First Demon Army suffered a heavy beating from the Royal Puppet Army during the battle. The human puppets were completely decimated. These human puppets were sacrificed to halt the Royal Puppet Army and give the soldiers time. But even with this sacrifice, more than half of the thirty thousand soldiers died in the battle, with many of the rest wounded. Only nine Yuanxu Cannons and two Greater Yuanxu Cannons remained on their side.

As for Amon’s battle puppets, out of the thirty thousand he used to block the Royal Puppet Army from re-entering the capital, only around five thousand remained.

The Royal Puppet Army itself suffered heavy casualties. The land outside Dabao City was filled with the wreckage of battle puppets from both sides.

Zhong Yuan spent one day tallying the Royal Puppet Army after gaining control. The original two-hundred-thousand-strong army was cut in half. Around one hundred thousand were still operational or required light repairs. The First Demon Army’s defensive stance, aided by the Yuanxu Cannons’ bombardment, proved to be devastating against this massive mechanical army.

Amon had Zhong Yuan transfer the control of the Royal Puppet Army to him. In this way, the First Demon Army had instead grown in number despite their losses during the battle.

Many of the special battle puppets, like the giant centipede puppet, were still operational. The flaw of these giant puppets was that they couldn’t operate for a long period. They needed to recharge after the battle. Hence, they were not suitable for a marching army.

Amon had a solution for that, though. He simply stored them inside his black space ring when the army was marching. They would only be released when a battle occurred.

Amon spent one week working with Zhong Yuan to reintegrate the Royal Puppet Army into the First Demon Army. He also had his troops salvage battle puppet parts from the battlefield.

After that one week, Amon finally entered the capital. He brought a legion of soldiers with him. With such a procession, no one dared to stop him. No one did. Instead, he was hailed as a hero.

He didn’t completely ignore the situation inside Dabao City, even when he seemed not to be involved on the surface. Underneath that façade, his agents had been working for him, spreading tales and rumors that favored him.

Instead of a foreign invader, he was depicted as a savior who liberated them from a ruthless tyrant. The fact that this tyrant had dealings with a demon further benefited his narration. A demon was the enemy of the entire world. Country boundaries didn’t mean a thing when it came to the crusade to exterminate a demon. Amon told his agents to lie that he had known about Zee Whang’s unholy dealings since the start. That’s why Amon invaded Khode. This was all for the sake of the world.

Amon’s action of not occupying Dabao City after defeating Zee Whang further reinforced public opinion of him, that he was indeed not here to conquer them. Hence, the citizens welcomed him merrily when he marched through the streets.

Amon left his legion outside the Council Pylon and entered with a platoon. Zhong Yuan and Lin Xiaolong were among the platoon. The guards stationed outside the building didn’t stop them. They only sent a message to the top floor to inform those above about his visit.

Amon could take the elevator, but the elevator could only fit a few people. He and his platoon, all Martial Realm soldiers, flew through the central shaft to get to the top floor. The stairs were still broken, and so was the entrance to the Council Hall. No repair was ongoing. No one considered the renovation of this building a priority.

Before Amon even entered, he could hear the discourse from the Council Hall. It sounded heated.

”... the Vagrant Sect should have more seats! We are the reason this revolution is a success!”

”Are you treating the Charger Guild as empty air? We contribute even more than your sect!”

”The prominent clans of Dabao City should be provided with some seats!”

”Gentlemen! Ladies! Please keep this civilized. We don’t win a revolution only to fight among ourselves!”

Even after Amon entered the Council Hall, the heated debate was ongoing. Plenty of people were in the room, but their numbers didn’t exceed twenty. His platoon outnumbered them three to one. While the others were still arguing among themselves, Amon had his people spread out around the hall.

The twenty people inside the room were divided into two groups. One group congregated around a table that had been placed at the center of the room, replacing Zee Whang’s throne. The other group was situated slightly away. One could easily surmise that the group around the table was the leaders, while the other group was their followers.

Amon spotted Hong Zi, Ha Velet, and Zee Min inside the hall. The first two were among the second group, while Zee Min was debating the people around the table. Zee Min finally noticed Amon when he approached with Zhong Yuan and Lin Xiaolong.

”General Amon! You finally grace us with your presence,” Zee Min greeted. ”But as you can see, we are in the middle of something.”

”Let me guess, you are deciding who will sit on the High Council,” Amon said.

”You are correct,” Zee Min replied. ”The original High Council possessed five seats. Prominent clans had the right to propose one of their members as a candidate. The public then elected five councilors among these candidates.

”That is the general understanding, but we all know the election was rigged,” one of the people around the table uttered. He was an elder of the Vagrant Sect, the second in command after Hong Dao, who had fallen during the revolt. His name was Ji Gai.

”It was rigged, but the system itself is good,” Zee Min argued. ”We should return to this system, but do it properly this time. We have a second chance to make this right.”

”Don’t be ridiculous. The system is just for show. In the end, power is what matters. I say we divide the four seats of the high council among our two organizations. Zee Min can have the last seat,” proposed an elder of the Charger Guild, Gui Dou.

”That is a monopoly. We need to involve more people from the general public,” Zee Min said.

”Why don’t we just increase the number of seats and give some out?” Someone suggested.

Amon walked to the table when everyone was arguing. He placed a hand on the table. Suddenly, the table shattered with a bang. Everyone was so startled that they turned silent.

”You all seem to forget one thing,” Amon uttered. ”I defeated the Supreme Councilor and his Royal Puppet Army. My army is surrounding this city. I can wipe you all out if I want to. Neither of you has a say in who rules this nation. I do!”