Only through a horrifying rate of attrition was the Government Army able to hold its ground against the Salvation Army in this warzone. The military and the government simply ignored the staggering death tolls.

North Carolina had no shortage of people.

In the afternoon, the frequency of clashes between the two armies eased slightly, as both sides were growing too exhausted to continue fighting.

After hours of such intense, focused concentration, even Ascenders couldn’t endure such a high frequency of combat, let alone ordinary people.

At 3:16, the two armies officially entered a truce.

The battlefield was unrecognizable. Several mountains that once stood here had been blasted into two low hills. The land had become a field of black, scorched earth covered by thousands of corpses, the char mixed with an indelible, deep crimson.

Parts of the battlefield had been transformed by Extraordinary Power. Some areas burned with an inextinguishable Fiery Fire, while others were frozen over with bone-chilling frost, creating a pale, snow-white landscape. Some places had turned into toxic swamps, and others were wreathed in the black miasma of Curses, where the wails of vicious ghosts and Resentful Souls rose and fell...

The cruelty of war was on full display.

In a camp tent.

A pale-faced Plague Doctor found Zhou Chen and summoned him to the front’s main command post.

The Plague Doctor had also fought in many battles and killed several enemy Ascenders, but he had been injured himself. His aura was unstable, and he had coughed up blood multiple times.

When they arrived at the command post, a Legion Commander was standing there, while several other commanders and military officials were seated on either side.

"The Government Army has started forced conscription in the rear. Their reinforcements are arriving in an endless stream. In other words, no matter how many enemy troops we annihilate, the Government Army can quickly fill the gaps. Even if the quality of their soldiers is inferior to ours, this war of attrition will still cause us considerable losses," said Commander Ma Jiesi.

"I suggest a tactical retreat. We should fall back to defend City No. 19."

"No. Once we retreat into City No. 19, the Government Army will inevitably launch a large-scale bombing campaign. We’ll be wiped out in one fell swoop. At this point, even if City No. 19 is a first-tier city, the Government Army will bomb it without hesitation." Ma Jiesi shook his head.

"What about sending troops to intercept their reinforcements?" one of the commanders suggested.

"A good idea. We’ll discuss the details later." Ma Jiesi then looked at Zhou Chen. "Comrade Siegfried, thanks to you, the number of casualties among our Ascenders has been kept to a minimum."

Ascenders were the most important strategic resource on the battlefield. Every time Zhou Chen joined the fight, he would perform large-scale brainwashing, turning enemies into allies. This greatly reduced the Salvation Army’s casualties and preserved their vital forces.

"I’m just doing my part."

"It’s a waste of your Abilities to have you on the battlefield. The organization has an important mission for you," Ma Jiesi said bluntly.

"What mission?"

"Infiltrate the cities under government control, show everyone what the government has been up to, and incite public resentment against them. You’re the perfect person for this mission," Ma Jiesi said.

With his brainwashing Ability, "Siegfried" could easily infiltrate cities. Controlling the nation’s major news outlets and prominent figures would be even simpler.

Under the government’s information blockade, many people were still in the dark about the government’s cruelty. Someone needed to expose this bloody reality and show the public the truth.

’Expose the crimes of the North Carolina Government...’

In an instant, an idea sparked in Zhou Chen’s mind. It seemed he really wasn’t suited for the battlefield after all.

"Alright, leave it to me," he agreed.

Zhou Chen would carry out this mission alone, giving him plenty of room to operate.

He took the Tier Three Special Agent from the Counter-Terrorism Department whom he had previously brainwashed. With this Earth Type Ascender accompanying him, their travel time was drastically reduced. The two bypassed the Government Army units they encountered along the way and secretly arrived at a Poverty City in the heartland of North Carolina’s northern front. Once they arrived, Zhou Chen ordered the Tier Three Special Agent to return to the battlefield.

The city was called Yellow Goose City. Due to its proximity to several first-tier cities, its economy wasn’t too bad, and the residents’ quality of life was passable. However, the upper class’s oppression of the lower class hadn’t lessened in the slightest. In fact, it had intensified, with exploitation growing more severe. This left the common people simmering with resentment, yet utterly helpless.

This was especially true after the war began. The government started going door-to-door, forcibly conscripting people for the army. The young and able-bodied men from a third of the city’s families were taken away, deepening the common people’s resentment toward the government even further.

Zhou Chen chose this city as his first stop because there was a news agency in the city center, and he needed to use it to get his message out.

On the street, an old man selling roasted flatbreads stared blankly at his small pushcart, lost in a daze.

Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated. He took it out, unlocked the screen, and a news alert popped up. Since he wasn’t very literate and could only recognize a few words, the old man selected the voice playback option.

[North Carolina Forcibly Conscripts 18-Year-Old Woman; Killed in Action After Just Half an Hour. Salvation Army Soldiers Lay Flowers in Mourning. Tragic! The children of the lower class are sent to the battlefield as cannon fodder, while the children of the upper class live carefree lives of luxury in the city!]

The old man was stunned. He saw the young woman’s face in the picture. She should have been in the prime of her youth, but she had been forcibly conscripted by the government and died on the battlefield. It made him think of his own son and grandson who had just been taken away, and his heart clenched with worry for their safety.

Reading on, he saw the article mentioned some of the Government Army’s practices, such as providing wrong-sized equipment, Weapon shortages, food shortages, and sending soldiers to the front lines without any training... Between the lines, the North Carolina Government’s attitude was clear: they were treating the children of the poor as nothing more than cannon fodder, with no regard for their lives.

Scrolling down further, he saw a picture of several fashionably dressed young women taking selfies and dining in a luxurious restaurant, laughing happily. They were the children of the upper class. Though they were the same age, some were reduced to cannon fodder and died tragically, while others spent their days eating, drinking, and playing, enjoying lives of wealth and privilege.

The news report also mentioned that most of North Carolina’s upper class had gotten rich by exploiting the poor. This wealth, clearly created through the labor of the common people, had been seized by the greedy upper class with an air of entitlement, leaving only a minuscule portion for the workers, as if it were a handout.

This made many of the common people who saw the news furious, and discussions erupted wherever people gathered.

But soon, someone in the crowd began to voice a dissenting opinion.

In a factory, an effeminate man was speaking with great confidence.

"You can’t make money because you don’t work hard enough!"

"Why did those people get rich? Because they worked from dawn till dusk doing business, unlike some people who just blame everyone but themselves when they can’t make money! You don’t look for the fault in yourselves. The bosses gave you such a good job, but you complain it’s too tiring and you can’t handle the hardship. I say you deserve to be poor."

"I’m a perfect example of success through hard work! I get up at seven every morning to work. In one year, I was promoted to Workshop Chief and bought a car in cash. Now my monthly income is three thousand. While you’re all here complaining about this and that, I’m working hard. That is the difference between us."

"Bullshit! If your dad wasn’t the police chief, you think you’d be where you are now?" a hot-tempered worker cursed.

The effeminate man’s expression changed instantly. "Are you trying to rebel? I’m doubling your quota for today. Don’t even think about leaving until you’re done! You should be grateful just to have a job that feeds you in wartime. This is outrageous! Apologize to me right now!"

The worker’s eyes widened in fury. The effeminate man flinched, but then said defiantly, "What? You got a problem with that? You want me to fire you?"

The worker could only lower his head, his face dark. "I’m sorry. I was wrong."

He had to endure it. He needed the money to support his family.

But the Anger and dissatisfaction had long ago been sown like seeds in his heart, where they were slowly taking root and beginning to sprout.