Loyalty Evil Creatures Appear in the Sea Tribe

"One, two, three, four!"

"One, two, three, four!"

Early the next morning.

A stretch limousine cruised down the streets of Jiang City.

Su Muwan gazed out the window at the crowds of citizens dragging truck tires behind them as they sprinted wildly through the streets.

She blinked. "Have I not gone out in so long that the whole vibe has changed?"

Why was everyone—office workers, schoolchildren—running with tires strapped to their backs?

What was going on?

Beside her, Qin Luo flipped through some documents and explained, "The atmosphere hasn't changed, young lady. You just haven't been paying attention to Jiang City lately."

"Remember? Around the time we took over the Jiang City branch, we implemented a new policy."

Su Muwan turned her head curiously. "Policy?"

"Mm. It’s called the [Universal Martialization] initiative."

"Coinciding with the era of spiritual energy resurgence and our Emperor’s Foundation distributing Blood Qi Pills, it’s no surprise that—at the very least—every citizen in Jiang City can now cultivate."

Huh?

It could be like that?

Su Muwan was stunned.

Was this the benefit of leaving things to a T0-tier like him?

Qin Luo, you’re too much!

If you’re this capable, doesn’t that make me look like a total slacker?

Qin Luo slid a holographic projection from the fold-out table toward Su Muwan, pointing at the data. "Miss Su, look here."

"Our Emperor’s Foundation distributes one Blood Qi Pill per month. There’s even a reward system for breakthroughs in cultivation—all free of charge."

"Of course, the only condition for receiving a pill is joining our faction."

He smirked. "And we guarantee that members receive far more than just this."

So, Miss, you can roll down the window. Every person in Jiang City is now your loyal subordinate.

Hearing this, Su Muwan paused for a second—then immediately lowered the window.

Miss Su!!

It's Miss Su and Master Qin!

"Master Qin, look at me!"

"Master Qin, come scold me!!"

A deafening wave of cheers erupted, nearly blowing the car roof off.

Su Muwan’s long black hair whipped wildly in the wind as she gaped in shock—

The elderly folks sprinting with tires were now hanging upside-down from streetlights, waving at her with one hand while gripping truck tires with the other!

Miss, see that aunt in the floral shirt?

Qin Luo’s fingertip lit up another hologram. "Three months ago, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now, she’s broken through to the Foundation Realm—full of energy."

Swish, swish, swish—

Su Muwan hastily rolled the window back up, pressing a hand to her pounding heart as she slumped into her seat.

Her pupils trembled.

Hey!

What kind of absurd scene is this?!

Even in my past life, I never saw anything this ridiculous!

Qin Luo...

She turned, eyes gleaming as she stared at him.

As expected...

As expected of Qin Luo, the protagonist! He’s just built different!

And—

Su Muwan listened gleefully to the roaring cheers that still seeped through the closed window.

Honestly, in my past life, I never had it this good.

Glad you're enjoying it, Miss.

Qin Luo smiled faintly before shutting off the hologram.

The effect of [Supreme Command] was absolute loyalty.

But what if, on top of that, they provided proper benefits?

Then...

His gaze darkened as he watched the sea of people outside.

They would forge an army of unshakable conviction.

[Loyalty!]

That word would be etched into their very bones.

"Oh, right."

Su Muwan tilted her head. "What’s the plan for today?"

"Good question."

Qin Luo snapped out of his thoughts and grinned. "Right now, due to power inflation—"

"Hey, hey—can you not start with something that makes me want to facepalm?"

"Fine. Simply put, to prepare for stronger enemies in the future, we need to accelerate our takeover of all existing factions."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning..."

Qin Luo took a deep breath, then pointed at Su Muwan.

Miss, brace yourself for days so busy you won't even have time to eat chips.

"?"

Su Muwan’s face stiffened. "W-Wait, it’s not like stronger enemies will just pop up immediately, right...?"

"They might not have. But now that you’ve said it, they definitely will."

"???"

...

...

East Sea Abyss.

30,000 meters deep.

Near a massive underwater trench, a squad of merfolk guards patrolled.

"Hey, heard the news? Sixth Princess went on a trip and brought back five ultra-rare Frostbone Sharks. Just getting close to them freezes you solid!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone used to say Sixth Princess Lan Xi was the least capable of the king’s children. But now? She’s practically the gem of our sea clan!"

A jellyfish-lantern swayed from the wrist of a guard carrying an iron quiver as he bubbled with pride.

The moment Lan Xi’s name came up, his eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, by the way, do you know how the battle in the West Sea is going?"

"Of course! The Great King’s tactics to reclaim the West Sea Dragon Palace this time were nothing short of spectacular!" The mermaid guard grinned. "The West Sea Dragon King overestimated himself—tried to stage a coup, only to be forced by the Great King to write a surrender letter with his own beard. Now he’s hiding in the coral reefs, crying. Hmph, no dragon can compare to our Great King, an ancient titan!"

"With all four seas—East, West, North, and South—now under the Great King’s control, the next step is surely an invasion of the land!"

Just as they spoke, the patrol captain ahead ran his fingers over the blood still wet on his trident, his scales glinting an iron-blue in the abyssal gloom. "Your intel’s outdated," he said.

"This era is called the Age of Spiritual Resurgence. The Ancient Epoch is over, and new factions are emerging on land by the day. The Great King has been listening to the Sixth Princess’s reports from her recent travels ashore. He’s weighing whether to attack or seek peace."

Then his tone shifted.

"Still, the humans know their place. This morning, another envoy delivered a bunch of strange gadgets to the palace—something called a ‘smartphone,’ made by humans. They claim it even works underwater. The Great King’s been studying this new technology."

"With the Second Prince overseeing the East Sea in his stead, we might even get to see one of these ‘smartphones’ ourselves."

No sooner had he spoken—

WOOOOOOSH!!!

A piercing shriek tore through the water.

The twelve luminous pearls hanging from the coral branches shattered simultaneously, their glowing fragments scattering like sparks. The entire patrol watched in horror as their scales began growing in reverse, defying nature.

The mermaid captain’s trident handle seared like hot iron. Every anomaly screamed one truth:

Something terrifying was here.

The air froze.

"Stay alert!" the captain barked. Weapons raised, the patrol scanned the darkness.

Then—

[Kill...]

A voice, ancient and guttural, flooded their minds without warning.

Their eyes glazed over. Against their will, their gazes dragged toward the yawning trench below.

For some reason, an inexplicable pull drew them downward.

Their expressions hollowed. Their bodies drifted toward the abyss.

[Kill...]

As time crawled, the voice in their heads grew heavier.

When they breached the churning black smoke and reached the trench’s heart—

They saw it.

A sight they’d never forget.

A grotesque, pulsating meatball, lodged in the fissure’s core.

And around it...

Three hundred sperm whale carcasses knelt like worshippers, their skeletal spines warped into lotus shapes by the meatball’s aura.

The colossal crimson sphere, hundreds of feet wide, was studded with countless human faces pulsing to its rhythm.

The voices in their heads?

They came from those faces.

Now, the mermaids heard them clearly.

A chorus of nightmarish whispers drilled into their skulls:

[Kill... the Scavenger...]

[So... hungry... so hungry...]

[Take me... out...]

[I need... to feed...]

The patrol stared, dumbstruck, at the abomination.

Every instinct screamed to flee.

Yet...

Not a shred of resistance stirred in their hearts.

With eerie devotion, they whispered back:

"Yes..."