My wife is an immortal black snake.

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"grown ups."

The two researchers paused for a moment, then bowed their heads and greeted Duke Yang Hao. Duke Yang Hao glanced at them and then gestured for them to relax.

"Are you here to test experimental subjects? I heard it from Kosichek."

He said, pointing to the test subject being carried on Mr. Grovazel's back.

"Yes."

"Phew... then be careful. The situation on the front lines is not optimistic—don't go to dangerous places."

"Yes."

They nodded, and after Duke Yang Hao and his guards left, Mr. Grovazel watched their departing figures and muttered to himself:

"I sense that Lord Yang Hao looks very tired... Indeed, the recent war has taken a heavy toll on the mental state of both of you."

“...After all, this is a long war.” Kal'tsit shook her head. “So while I understand—let’s get back to our work.”

"Yes."

The two researchers carried the experimental samples to the front lines, preparing to select a suitable location for testing.

Meanwhile, Yang Hao, who was rushing back, told Sonia's mother with great concern that the Duchy of Koschche might be facing an even more dangerous enemy next.

“You mean the [half-ascended beings] Hela mentioned?” Sonia frowned, muttering to herself. “If it’s the kind of thing Lavi and I dealt with before… that’s indeed troublesome. At most, we can physically restrict their movements, but to truly kill them, we still need Ms. Monica…”

“Yes, the only one on our side who can inflict fatal damage on those half-ascended and ascended individuals is Monica. Hela can't either, she's not an ascended individual... And more importantly, Duke Nikolai's side might have quite a few half-ascended individuals. I don't know if, while you're leading the younger generation and working hard with Monica, other half-ascended individuals might try to bypass our defenses…”

"So this is a long-term task... Mr. Yang Hao, I personally suggest that someone must ensure your safety. Even if a few districts are breached, it is still necessary."

As they walked, Sonia ruffled Yang Hao's hair. She didn't really feel a strong sense of belonging to the Duchy of Koschei, so after thinking it over, if something like this really happened and she had to choose between protecting the Duchy of Koschei and protecting Yang Hao, she would choose to protect Yang Hao.

But Yang Hao didn't think that way... He hoped that while ensuring his own safety, he could also protect his city as much as possible—in other words, "I want it all."

"What if I asked you to sacrifice my safety to go with Monica to deal with those half-ascended beings?"

Sonia's mother paused for a moment, then...

"...Then I will take you with me when we escape."

She smiled and answered in an undeniable tone.

..... .....

By the time Yang Hao returned to the Duke's mansion, it was already very late at night.

The war on the front lines continued, while the industrial and residential areas in the rear, under curfew, worked diligently to produce the equipment needed by the Duchy of Kosiché. Even so, the refugees taken in by Yang Hao still caused them considerable trouble.

On the one hand, the refugees' unrest is itself a destabilizing factor. On the other hand, under the influence of the imminent crisis, not everyone has the firm will to sacrifice themselves for their country—the vast majority are ordinary people who just want to survive, even if it means harming their compatriots and the kind people who have always cared for them; they just want to live.

This was especially true during the curfew. In just these few nights, the police of the Duchy of Kosiché arrested numerous criminals. Those who had robbed resources to escape the city in order to survive were reportedly granted their wish and thrown out of the city.

And then? They all seem to be dead. There are many uncontrolled alien soldiers roaming freely in the wasteland outside the city, plus the fungal carpet that spreads across the wasteland every night—although these things are baked away by the scorching sun in the morning, the danger at night is enough to kill the exiled prisoners.

"I really don't understand..."

"Honey, you know what? People are selfish."

"...Ugh."

When Yang Hao asked about it, Koschche simply shut him down with a single, curt reply. He understood that humans are inherently irrational and selfish, but honestly, he didn't understand why it had come to this...

You're going to die anyway if you go outside, and you're going to die if you can't hold your ground inside—but you're certain to die if you go outside, so why don't you just stay in the city instead of robbing and planning to leave on your own?

This is really...

"After all, there are always some people who think they can do better than the government—but they don't realize that their idea is just wishful thinking. They would rather believe their own wishful thinking than believe the government's adjustments... If we don't get rid of these people, they will only bring us more trouble."

"Right."

He stroked his wife's hair, sighed, and then explained to her the troubles that were about to come—the troubles that a half-step ascendant might bring.

"Is it the time your puppet stage pops up?"

Faced with Yang Hao's explanation, Kosiché frowned and asked.

“Yes. And Hela sensed it too—in Duke Nikolai’s living city, there are a large number of soul aggregates that are like knotted ropes with their souls intertwined. If there are no surprises, those are half-ascended beings. Similar to the one we encountered before.”

"They have intelligence, special abilities, and are numerous...?"

"Ah."

She nodded, and after thinking for a while while stroking her chin, she offered a suggestion:

"Then, please don't leave the Duke's mansion recently, okay? We need Monica and Sonia to deal with those half-ascended beings—if you're also involved, it will distract them."

"Row."

He nodded, rubbed his wife's cat ears for a while, and then gave his answer.

Chapter Ninety-Two, August 8.20.9

The time came on September 8th.

Lady Kal'tsit's experiment was very effective. It stopped the spread of creep within its affected area and, to some extent, weakened the strength of the attacking Duke Nikolai's alien soldiers through [Disinfection], making the soldiers' defenses somewhat easier.

Upon learning that it indeed possessed the desired effect, Kosicheal ordered Lady Kal'tsit to immediately ramp up production of it. However, while these experimental products, known as the "Yellow Things," provided some assistance to the front lines, they clearly had little impact on the higher-level units—the flesh golems remained strong, and the humanoid aliens assimilated with their armor remained vibrant. Although their numbers were not as large as the most basic aliens, their threat was far greater.

On the 19th, when Duke Nikolai's living city once again unleashed its claws, the concentrated naval guns of the Kosichean duchy tentatively fired a salvo at the claws that were extending out to create a third battlefield while simultaneously destroying the salient city.

The claws were indeed one of the living city's weaknesses. They were not as sturdy as one might imagine; after being hit and penetrated by cannonballs, countless penetrating wounds appeared from the middle of the claws.

But it’s not all good news.

The foul-smelling blood gushed from the wounds, splashing onto the surface of the salient city, and some even directly onto the barricades. In that instant, a nauseating red and green fungal carpet began to spread, and the aliens drenched in the bodily fluids began to radiate new vitality. Even the dying aliens and flesh golems instantly regained their activity, catching the soldiers of the Duke of Koschie off guard and even breaking through a layer of defenses.

Moreover, the bodily fluids seemed to have the effect of infecting humans. Without exception, those who were splashed with the bodily fluids in open areas mutated under the watchful eyes of their lucky yet unlucky companions, becoming new aliens, and then lunging at the backs of their former comrades.

Left with no other choice, the generals had to abandon the approximately 3000 regular troops and 2000 auxiliary militiamen who were still fighting on the front lines. With their remaining forces, they consolidated their defenses and re-established a foothold at the last and most fortified line of defense.

They learned their lesson, and as the wounded claw retracted with a mournful wailing like an air raid siren, the soldiers erected layer upon layer of tarpaulins in front of their last line of defense. While these tarpaulins might also be corroded by the fungal carpet, at the very least, they would prevent the claw's fluids from activating the monsters on the ground.

"Bodily fluids alone can cause us such enormous losses... and the only thing we gained was that the claw temporarily abandoned its attack?"

"...Fortunately, we still have a last line of defense, and the slope that the Sarkaz mercenaries are holding is relatively stable—Ms. Therese's reinforcements have arrived by now?"

"Yes, they are waiting about two kilometers away from here. I plan to have them join up with the other noble private armies that have come to support us, and then concentrate our forces to launch a surprise attack on Duke Nikolai the moment we finish that ceremony—His Majesty the Emperor's army will be here soon too."

"how much longer?"

"About ten days."

"That's almost it."

Having not slept for two days, the Duke and Duchess of Kosiché had been busy with their work, causing their head maid and Sonia to become worried about their condition.

However, they truly couldn't rest. On one hand, Yang Hao needed to use his [Puppet Stage] to constantly monitor the situation at the front lines; on the other hand, Koschl also needed to use his abilities and the Originium Arts of this body to stay informed about the reinforcements' situation. This combination meant they had to work together to achieve maximum efficiency.

Koschke was indifferent, but she was worried about Yang Hao's condition. After all, Yang Hao was really exhausted.

He stared at the intelligence report in his hand with bloodshot eyes. His lips trembled as he muttered, "What are we going to do now that we've lost 5 soldiers?" His brow furrowed intermittently, then relaxed. Sometimes he could come up with a good solution to the current predicament, but other times, his solutions were overturned by unexpected realities, leaving him no choice but to continue thinking.

Yang Hao didn't rely entirely on the events popped up by the [Puppet Stage]. Sometimes, the events popped up too late—he had to work as hard as possible while things were still under control!

But even so...

"Kosich, how many soldiers in our territory are not wounded and are still able to fight?"

He blinked his dry eyes and turned to Kosiché beside him to ask.

“…It’s bad. Our regular army has been reduced to only about 15,000 men due to various losses. Although our militia is growing in number, they…you know.” Kosiché sighed. “The reinforcements I’ve contacted, including Ms. Therese’s support, number about 20,000 gathered outside—but they’re not capable of attacking the rear of Duke Nikolai’s living city, and I don’t want our front lines to be bolstered with 20,000 elite alien soldiers so soon…”

“Our passive defense should be able to hold out until Hela completes the ritual, but that’s only if those half-ascended beings don’t appear—Koschei, we can’t continue like this. We need to take the initiative.”

"But the problem is that launching a preemptive strike will only result in greater casualties. And my dear, tell me, where can we attack now?"

"...here."

He pointed to a corner of the map. Kosichello looked over and saw that it was actually the barricade that had been occupied by the alien monsters.

"There..."

“I’ve observed the entire situation. It’s not safe if we only have one last narrow line of defense left. We need to push the front line forward—that way, even if our current line is breached, we’ll still have one last line to defend. I’m really worried about having only one line left…”

"...I see."

This was a bold plan. And Kosichä thought her husband was right—with only a thin line of defense left to rely on, if the enemy broke through this last line and the aliens poured into the city outside the salient, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But even if they agree, how can they successfully achieve this operational plan while minimizing casualties?

She frowned, only to find her husband looking up in a certain direction.

She looked in the direction he was looking and found that he was looking at Ms. Sonia.

Chapter Ninety-Three, August 21, 8

On the morning of August 21, led by Lady Sonia and her juniors, the warriors of the Duke of Kosiché left the last barricade and prepared to launch a fierce attack on the deformed soldiers of the Duke of Nikolai. They were determined to seize the original barricade defense line in order to advance the front line and gain room for error.

In order to advance while clearing away the fungal carpet on the ground, they had to load the [Yellow Things] that Ms. Kal'tsit was researching onto a vehicle and drive it slowly forward. Fortunately, the terrain of the salient city was already very narrow, and with the damage caused by the previous battle, two trucks loaded with the [Yellow Things] were enough to cover the entire passage.

The problem of the fungal carpet was thus solved. The remaining major issue was the advance of the troops. But that wasn't really a problem—the most obvious one was that Sonia and her team were deep-sea hunters.

With five deep-sea hunters launching an attack, even flesh-and-blood puppets that would be incredibly difficult and powerful for regular soldiers could be easily knocked away and annihilated by them.

With the progress rate guaranteed, the remaining minor issues are no longer a problem.

"..."

But for some reason, Sonia still felt uneasy.

She frequently turned back to look in the direction she had come from, gazing at the towering city control tower in the distance and the direction of the Duke's mansion. Her prophetic abilities were sending her a "warning," but this vague warning didn't tell her what would happen next.

She only vaguely realized that this was related to her... but definitely not to herself, nor to her juniors—in fact, to put it bluntly, this warning had almost nothing to do with the city... because Sonia didn't care about the lives of anyone in the city except her children.

But what exactly happened? Mr. Yang Hao...? No, he's in the safest place...

Sonia frowned. If she could, she would like to go back and keep watch right now, but this was an important task entrusted to her by Mr. Yang Hao... She couldn't leave her post without permission, otherwise... it might cause Mr. Yang Hao even more serious trouble.

"Clan matriarch, it's time."

Just as Ms. Sonia had managed to temporarily shift her unease away from Mr. Yang Hao, a junior colleague quietly approached and whispered a reminder to her. She was startled at first, then glanced down at the watch on her right wrist and realized it was already 6:20 a.m.

This is the least active time for those deformed monsters—their most active night has just ended, and the weary day has just begun. At this most languid moment, the weakened monsters can even be killed by an ordinary militiaman—but this state lasts for less than half an hour at most. Therefore, Sonia needs to make good use of this half hour to advance the battle line to the designated target location as much as possible.

With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath, took the meat saw off her back, and nodded to the officer and his soldiers who were already preparing to attack not far away.

...... ......

6:45 am.

After a nap of more than four hours, Yang Hao woke up when Sonia led the attack. He was now sitting on the throne in the audience hall, having breakfast with Kosiché, who had also woken up from his nap, to replenish their energy, while watching the upcoming battle using the [Puppet Stage].

Sonia's mother truly lived up to her reputation as a deep-sea hunter; their speed in breaking through the blockade of deformed soldiers was even faster than a hot butter knife cutting through butter—if it weren't for covering the advance of the regular army behind them, they could probably have already reached the very first barricade line, clearing out the surrounding deformed soldiers while also taking a nap there.

While that might be a bit of an exaggeration, the deep-sea hunters are truly powerful. Yang Hao was even wondering if Duke Nicolai could have really stirred up any trouble if he had simply moved all the deep-sea hunters from Kos Village into the Kosichè Duchy from the start.

Thinking of this, Yang Hao shook his head, took a bite of the toast that Monica, the head maid, handed him, and then, rubbing his already throbbing head, said to Koschche beside him:

"At this rate of progress, we should be able to capture the defensive line we abandoned before 10 a.m. ... Including the work of repairing the defensive line and laying tarpaulins in all open areas, we may not be able to completely take back the lost territory until 11 a.m.

"It's good news. We've gained some room for error, but in return, our soldiers will have to defend against the alien attacks at an awkward time and on an already imperfect defensive line."

"Hmm. But it was worth it... But then again, why haven't those half-ascended beings attacked us yet?"

"I don't know."

Yang Hao has had a bad feeling lately.

That concerns Duke Nikolai's half-ascended status.

They haven't made a move for a very long time—a very long time indeed—even though those insects are a bunch of despicable people who like to openly mate and eat people, almost 12 days have passed since the day the war officially started, and they still haven't made a single move.

Yang Hao didn't believe that Duke Nikolai lacked the ability to command those half-step ascendants; he felt they should have taken action—but the current state of complete silence made him feel like an American soldier advancing through the impenetrable jungles of Vietnam.

Looking around, all he could see were trees and bushes, and there might be Viet Cong lurking in every tree and bush—if they opened fire, he could actually breathe a sigh of relief, because it would prove that the Viet Cong were indeed there, and he could relax and call for artillery support to blast them all into the air.

But no, they made no sound... The unknown is always frightening, whether it's parents who might check on you at any time to see if you're asleep, or these vanished half-ascended beings...

He was very irritable.

Just as he opened his mouth to say something more, wanting to ask Monica if there had been any "special" news recently, an unexpected event occurred.

At first, only increasingly loud screams came from outside the palace. Head Maid Monica frowned, responded softly, and went out to see what was going on.