335: balance

When Jiang Chen saw Tian Ming's reply, the smile on his face became manic, and there was even a hint of mockery in his eyes as he looked at Tian Ming.

"My subjects, line up, and go to your deaths one by one!" Jiang Chen laughed, and the Corpse Kings under him stood up and walked uniformly towards Tian Ming.

These Corpse Kings offered no resistance, allowing Tian Ming to slaughter them.

At this moment, Tian Ming stopped, looked at Jiang Chen, and slowly said, "What do you mean? As their emperor, you don't protect them?"

"Kill them, why not kill them? They regard me as their emperor, so they must die for me. Even if I am an ignorant and incompetent emperor. Lu Tianming, I tell you, when the corpse race declines and disappears, you too will fall from your pedestal. Do you think those people respect you so much because they want to use you? The teeming masses do not include the pigs, cattle, and sheep they eat. While I exist, you are a god; when I perish, you are a devil."

Jiang Chen's words plunged Tian Ming into deep thought, and he hesitated to act.

Jiang Chen continued, "I am humanity's Patient Zero, and the first human on this planet to transform into a corpse race. When I gained sentience, I could feel cold surgical knives cutting through my skin, one after another. I understand human nature better than you, and I understand the meaning of the corpse race's existence even more clearly. Don't you want Red Crystal Cores? Kill them, kill as many as you want. Once you've killed all of us, you'll be useless, and humanity will no longer need you; they might even treat you as a demon."

Tian Ming looked at Jiang Chen, not speaking, but his eyes flickered incessantly. He seemed to be pondering Jiang Chen's words, or perhaps weighing something.

"Red Crystal Cores of ordinary attributes no longer appeal to me," Tian Ming said indifferently.

Jiang Chen looked at Tian Ming, and seeing that Tian Ming was no longer making a move, he continued to strike while the iron was hot, saying, "Lu Tianming, do you dare to make a bet with me? Give me one year. After one year, if the over eight million people under my control are unwilling to be kept in captivity, I can return all of them to you. You and I will not directly participate in the war between humans and the corpse race. As long as humans can defeat us with the power of technology, we will voluntarily retreat to the polar regions and never again set foot in human activity areas."

Tian Ming frowned slightly and said, "One year? Who knows what kind of monsters you'll evolve?"

"You can also use your abilities to help humanity develop technology. This is a competition between two species. Who is superior and who is inferior should be proven by humanity itself, not by relying on a god-like existence like you."

Tian Ming smiled faintly and asked, "Jiang Chen, why do you think I would agree to you?"

Jiang Chen waved his hand, and a silver-bodied Corpse King walked over, carrying an iron block weighing several hundred jin.

Crack, crack, that iron block was gnawed like taffy. A moment later, the Corpse King's body swelled by nearly two times, and right before Tian Ming's eyes, it began to split, producing two identical zombies.

The entire process took only five minutes. Tian Ming was so shocked he couldn't speak. These zombies didn't need mates; they could reproduce on their own.

Jiang Chen looked at Tian Ming and said, "Among us, the corpse race, high-intelligence kings are hard to find, but fearless warriors can be had in any number. You should know what exponential growth means. Without the Corpse King's command, the corpse race population will grow uncontrollably. By then, I guarantee that the number of the corpse race will be hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times greater than you humans."

Tian Ming pondered. If the corpse race's numbers spiraled out of control, humanity would essentially never have peace. Tian Ming glanced at Jiang Chen and said, "One year as the limit. We go to war after one year. I won't directly participate in the war, and you mustn't directly participate either. So, to what extent should we fight to determine win or loss?"

A hint of confidence appeared on Jiang Chen's face as he said, "If over seventy percent of my first-grade Corpse Kings are killed in action, I lose, and I will lead the corpse race to relocate to the polar regions. If the East Sea City Base is breached by my corpse horde, or if you directly intervene in the war, then you lose. All humans will become our corpse race's spoils of war. How about it?"

Tian Ming waved his hand, and Lin Yao's 3D projection was directly transmitted by Number Three. Seeing such advanced technology, Jiang Chen's heart sank a little; he hadn't expected humanity to possess such technology.

Tian Ming looked at Lin Yao and asked, "Elder Lin, did you hear what Jiang Chen said?"

At this moment, Lin Yao was in the East Sea City Base's combat command center. Beside him were several high-ranking Commanders. Tian Ming's entire solo infiltration of Beidu Base was live-streamed from his first-person perspective back to the base via Number Three.

Lin Yao said with a solemn expression, "Tian Ming, do you really want to agree to him?"

"If I don't directly participate in the war, and you have confidence, then I will agree."

At this point, Lin Yao was in a difficult position, and Bai Yan beside him said, "Elder Lin, agree to Jiang Chen. With a year of preparation, even if Commander Lu doesn't directly participate, with his powerful logistical support, we can't lose."

Bai Yan was right. If they didn't agree, Jiang Chen only needed to let the zombies with the ability to split endlessly multiply, and then humanity would never have peace. In that case, there would never be a winner unless they directly migrated to other planets. But with humanity's current productivity, they probably couldn't even escape their own solar system.

Lin Yao said, "Alright, Jiang Chen, I agree. But if you lose and don't keep your promise, then what?"

Jiang Chen smiled faintly: "If you can truly defeat our corpse race, then you will naturally have the means to stop me from breaking the agreement. Besides, God is on your side, not on mine."

Jiang Chen's action was also quite helpless; making such a compromise was only because Jiang Chen truly had no way to deal with Tian Ming. He could only use this method to secure a future for the corpse race.

At this time, both sides needed time to develop. The corpse race needed to evolve to be stronger, and humanity also needed time to accumulate its strength. The balance point in the middle was Tian Ming; without Tian Ming, the East Sea City Base would have fallen a month ago.

Lin Yao took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I agree. Once the time limit is up, you must release the population unwilling to be kept in captivity by you."

Jiang Chen nodded slightly and said, "Alright, as long as they are willing to leave, I guarantee to release all of them, but I cannot guarantee their safety on the journey."

"Are you playing word games with me?" Lin Yao said unhappily.

"Old man, think clearly. I currently have over eight million people in my hands. Do we go to war in a year, or do we go to war now? If you endure for a year, you still have a chance to win. If you don't, I can guarantee a double loss, no winner. Even if Lu Tianming helps you, I have ways to drag you all down with us."