Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1487 - 1480: The Edge of War

Chapter 1487: Chapter 1480: The Edge of War

"But if we don’t do this, more of the Ghost Race will die," replied an elder of the Ghost Race.

"Do you still feel pity for those Kyushu soldiers who have passed?" asked Cheng Ziang.

"If they are innocent, we certainly lament their loss," replied the Ghost Race elder.

"I really wonder what kind of expression you have on your face when you say those words..." Cheng Ziang didn’t continue the conversation, but instead murmured to himself in Chinese.

After having a meal with the Ghost Race elder, Cheng Ziang was escorted back to his residence by the Ghost Race warriors. At this time, Zisu still hadn’t returned, and the room was occupied only by Baiyue and Feng.

Baiyue was taking advantage of the light shining through the doorway to jot down notes in her notebook, while Feng, as usual, clung to her like a little sister.

Seeing Cheng Ziang returning, Baiyue appeared very excited. She quickly set aside her work and went up to him with concern, asking, "Did the Ghost Race elder give you a hard time?"

"Why would you ask that?" Cheng Ziang was amused by her question.

"It just doesn’t feel right," Baiyue said with a serious expression.

"Even your instincts can be wrong. They just invited me over for a meal," Cheng Ziang shrugged and said.

"It might be a trap," Baiyue continued, affirming her suspicion.

"Don’t say that about them," Cheng Ziang sighed and then, while walking into the house, said, "Actually, the elder invited me over mainly to ask for my assistance with some matters."

"What matters?" Baiyue turned to ask.

"Do you remember our investigation yesterday into the war between the Kyushu Empire and the Ghost Race on the streets?" Instead of answering her question, Cheng Ziang suddenly asked another.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" Baiyue was momentarily puzzled.

"My intuition is correct," Cheng Ziang turned around and said with a serious face, "The Kyushu Empire’s army was defeated by the gene weapons of the Ghost Race."

"Is that what the Ghost Race elder told you?" Baiyue’s expression sobered upon hearing this.

"Yes," Cheng Ziang nodded, "Not only that, but this kind of disaster will continue to occur."

"What do you mean?" Baiyue asked, squinting her eyes.

"The reason Zisu came to Aximiya Island is to seek gene weapons from the Ghost Race to use against the three major aristocratic families. Once such weapons are deployed carelessly, the entire population of Kyushu in the West Outer Heaven will be in big trouble," Cheng Ziang said with a cold voice.

Cheng Ziang’s words sent a chill through Baiyue’s heart. Instinctively, she reached out to pull Feng closer to her and then held her tightly. If the situation was as Cheng Ziang described, wouldn’t Feng suffer the same fate, considering she was thoroughly a Kyushu native?

"So the Ghost Race Elders sought me out because they hope that I can persuade Zisu not to employ genetic weapons, which could involve innocent bystanders," Cheng Ziang continued.

"Knowing how terrifying genetic weapons are, why are the people of the Ghost Race willing to hand such a weapon over to Zisu? Can’t they refuse?" Baiyue asked with furrowed brows, raising her voice.

"Well, the Ghost Race people also have many concerns. How to describe these people... it’s complicated, you know. On one hand, they hope the conflict in West Outer Heaven ends soon, so they can resume normal trade with them. But on the other hand, they don’t want to cause massive casualties of innocents because of their own actions," Cheng Ziang said with a shrug.

"That’s hard to understand," Baiyue shook her head and said.

"I find it hard to understand too," Cheng Ziang said, spreading his hands, "Perhaps for them, causing death and injury to innocents would only make them feel guilty. But for us, using genetic weapons is in itself an unforgivable crime, after all, we have all experienced..."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly shut his mouth and fell silent. Baiyue also tacitly stopped speaking and bowed her head, plunging into a long silence.

"So," Baiyue said slowly, lifting her head after a good while, "when Zisu returns, we’ll have to lay our cards on the table with her."

"The Ghost Race doesn’t want us to persuade her on Aximiya Island, fearing it might harm their relationship with the Demon Clan. They hope we can talk to Zisu after we return to the Continent," Cheng Ziang said.

"Are they so unwilling to take responsibility?" Baiyue suddenly became angry.

"Actually..." Cheng Ziang pondered for a moment, then said, "I’ve been wondering if it’s appropriate to define the boundaries of war with morality, given that war is a matter of life and death..."

"What kind of talk is that? Defining the boundaries of war with morality is a standard approach," said Baiyue angrily, "As the saying goes, to initiate a war without a just cause is to fight a losing battle even if you win; troops motivated by righteousness win people’s hearts, gaining more aid for the just cause and less for the unjust. People’s hearts are made of flesh; wars are fought by humans, not machines against machines. Acts against the will of heaven will not be punished by the heavens, but the hearts of the people will turn against them. Our abhorrence of genetic weapons, is it because they have been used on us, or because they act against nature!"

After listening to Baiyue, Cheng Ziang lowered his head and fell silent. One thing she said deeply moved him.

True, war is a human affair, not a clash of machines. That’s why there is the principle that justice will attract more support and injustice will not. Zisu’s use of genetic weapons against the Kyushu people might yield a momentary victory, but in the long run, such ruthless measures will only accumulate more and more hatred between Kyushu and West Outer Heaven.

Moreover, the most important thing is that the Demon Clan is not at the brink of life and death; on the contrary, they have already survived the toughest times, have started to counterattack, and have driven away the main Dongsheng forces.

And in such a stalemate, Zisu’s decision to use such a taboo weapon is something that Cheng Ziang and the others simply cannot accept.

At the same time, they also acutely realize that if such a plan were to be implemented, the Demon Clan would inevitably be harmed, and it would be a heavy blow to their reputation. It’s possible there would be no more room for negotiations between West Outer Heaven and Kyushu, and that’s the most fatal issue.

War is an extension of politics, and the core of international politics is the distribution of interests. If the channel for negotiations is closed, then only the crude and inefficient means of war remains.

"I agree with your point, but I don’t think Zisu will agree with our plan. After all, the Demon Clan’s army and the three aristocratic families have been at a stalemate, with neither side finding a breakthrough. Continuing this deadlock isn’t a solution," Cheng Ziang nodded and said.

"What do you mean it’s not a solution? When we first arrived in West Heaven, how was the Demon Clan’s army, and what about now? Advantages are accumulated over time, not determined by underhanded methods. If war has no boundaries, it will inevitably spread into other forms of conflict. If people have no limits, man-made disasters will only become more terrible," Baiyue said with a serious face.

"Anyway, let’s first return to the Continent to persuade Zisu. If all else fails, we’ll just have to seize the genetic weapons and dispose of them," Cheng Ziang thought for a moment and said.

Baiyue took a deep breath, feeling that her own tone had been too harsh, and so she softened her voice and tried to change the subject: "If we offend Zisu, or even the entire Demon Clan, what should we do?"

"Haha, it’s not like we can’t survive without the Demon Clan," Cheng Ziang laughed and said, "Luo’er is righteous, hence his willingness to help the Demon Clan resist the invasion by the Dongsheng Empire. But these people seem to have forgotten one thing; it wasn’t the Demon Clan that chose us, we chose the Demon Clan. In other words, we have the power to actively choose, and they can only passively accept. If things turn sour with the Demon Clan, we can simply choose another power to align with."

He paused, then continued, "Maybe it will take one or two years, or maybe eight or nine, but headquarters will eventually find us. The powerful aerial fleet will once again shock the entire East Continent. I don’t think any force would dare to offend us. And besides, even disregarding the power behind us, based on our own strength alone, we may not be able to completely eliminate the main forces of the Demon Clan’s army, but we can at least inflict heavy damage on them. Under such circumstances, do you think the Demon Clan would dare to turn against us?"