Lin Youyong turned his head to look at Xiang Yu and said, "What if I refuse? I’m the Wolf Fang station chief in the Little Narration area, do you really dare kill me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Youyong couldn’t help but shiver all over, because he could feel the dense killing intent coming from Xiang Yu—an invisible aura that only appears on someone who has killed far too many people.

"You can give it a try." Xiang Yu smiled faintly.

For the first time, Lin Youyong felt the presence of death. Ever since he became mid-level leadership in Wolf Fang, he had never been on the front line, always in the rear, rarely encountering danger. He hadn’t expected to end up this miserable today.

"Fine, I agree." Lin Youyong snorted coldly and said, "Xiang Yu, I can pull back this time, but aren’t you worried I’ll attack you again next time?"

"If I could catch you this time, I can catch you next time too. But if you fall into my hands again, I won’t be this soft. The only reason I’m sparing your life today is entirely for Wang Qian’s sake, and because I’m giving your Wolf King some face. If you dare play this kind of joke on me again, don’t blame me for being rude." Xiang Yu said coldly.

Xiang Yu handed the phone to Lin Youyong.

Lin Youyong thought for a moment, then took the phone and dialed.

"Bring the troops back, we’re not fighting this battle." Lin Youyong said calmly.

"Boss, why are we stopping? We’re about to take down their base at Mount Ma. Give me another two hours and we can definitely take it." a man on the other end said.

"I said we’re not fighting, so we’re not. Get them to pull back, now!" Lin Youyong shouted, then hung up.

At that moment, the battalion commander on the other end was very confused. The war was about to end, and if they gave up now, all previous efforts would be wasted.

But this was an order from above; there was nothing he could do. Wolf Fang had a strict hierarchy and harsh discipline. Orders from above had to be carried out unconditionally.

The battalion commander checked the phone again, confirmed that it was indeed Lin Youyong’s call, then shook his head with a sigh and issued the order to retreat.

Right then, inside the base of Lieyun City, the City Guard Army was under artillery fire. The fifth defense tier was about to be breached when Wolf Fang’s troops suddenly stopped attacking and began retreating in an orderly fashion.

Tie Zhuzi was anxiously watching the map when someone rushed in, face full of excitement, and said, "Reporting, sir, Wolf Fang’s people are retreating. Do we counterattack?"

"Retreating, they’re retreating?" Tie Zhuzi said in surprise.

"They’re retreating." the man said excitedly.

They didn’t know why, but as long as Lieyun City could be held, it was a good thing.

"Don’t counterattack, observe and wait." Tie Zhuzi said.

Just then, Xi’er walked in somewhat excitedly and said, "Are they really retreating? Why would they retreat? Do we have reinforcements arriving?"

Although Xi’er had been following Xiang Yu for quite a long time, she actually didn’t really understand Xiang Yu’s strength or his past, and still thought Xiang Yu had mobilized a large force.

"There’s no backup force, but their retreat definitely has something to do with Brother Yu." Tie Zhuzi said with full confidence. "Come on, let’s go take a look."

After speaking, Tie Zhuzi strode toward the outside. Xi’er hesitated for a moment, then followed him toward the front line.

Once outside, standing on the rooftop of the last defensive line, Tie Zhuzi could clearly see Wolf Fang’s troops retreating.

Seeing this scene, Tie Zhuzi couldn’t help but sigh. Their strength was still far behind Wolf Fang’s. Just then, Tie Zhuzi’s phone rang; it was a call from Xiang Yu.

"Brother Yu, they’re retreating." Tie Zhuzi said excitedly.

Before, when he was just following behind Xiang Yu, Tie Zhuzi feared nothing. He didn’t have to think about anything; all he knew was to fight the enemy to the death. Now that Xiang Yu had entrusted Lieyun City to him, what he worried about most was losing the city.

"If they’ve pulled out, good." Xiang Yu said, then hung up directly.

At that moment, Xiang Yu was still holding Lin Youyong hostage, standing inside Sun City. Sun City was now a complete ruin, with no trace of life.

"See this? This is all your doing." Standing on the rooftop, Xiang Yu sighed.

"It can’t be helped. Where there’s war, there will be sacrifices. It’s unavoidable." Lin Youyong said bluntly.

"You can go. Remember what I said. Otherwise, I won’t be this polite." Xiang Yu stood on the edge of the roof, quietly gazing into the distance.

At this moment, there were only the two of them on the rooftop. Lin Youyong was standing behind Xiang Yu; with just a light push, he could send Xiang Yu to his death.

Lin Youyong hesitated for a moment, but in the end he gave up. He chuckled and said, "You’ve got guts."

With that, Lin Youyong turned and headed downstairs. He had to admit, Xiang Yu was the real deal. He had underestimated him before.

By the time Lin Youyong returned to the base, the main force had already withdrawn.

Xiang Yu hadn’t publicized the fact that he had taken Lin Youyong hostage. That could be considered giving him some face.

Many squad and team leaders came looking for Lin Youyong. They wanted to know why the attack suddenly stopped when they were on the verge of taking the enemy base.

Lin Youyong didn’t explain. He only said that the plan had temporarily changed.

Xiang Yu didn’t return to Lieyun City; he stayed on in Sun City.

The war was finally over. Wolf Fang wouldn’t come looking for trouble in the short term. COM had suffered heavy losses, and with Wolf Fang eyeing them like a tiger, they couldn’t possibly come back here to stir things up.

What remained was the problem of development. Xiang Yu had to seize this window of time to rapidly develop the city. Only by becoming stronger could they have the final say.

As dusk gradually fell, Tie Zhuzi led the City Guard Army into Sun City. They searched every corner of Sun City, and only after confirming there was no danger did they relax.

Tie Zhuzi came to Xiang Yu’s side and stood there quietly without speaking. All their previous efforts here had turned to nothing. It was really hard to say whether this war had been a victory or a defeat.

Facing the east, Xiang Yu let out a sigh. This war had begun for the sake of protecting Huaxia. Now Huaxia had successfully completed the military parade, showcasing its strength.

And Xiang Yu and his people had also received the punishment they deserved. From this moment on, he owed no one anything. At this instant, Xiang Yu felt a kind of release in his heart.

The shackles of family and country that had bound him for so long were completely gone. It was a total freedom. From now on, he would obey no one’s orders and would no longer roam the world for the sake of some mission.

Tie Zhuzi had followed Xiang Yu for so many years. Even though Xiang Yu never said it, he could more or less guess that back when Xiang Yu dove into the underworld, he must have done so under some kind of instruction.

Otherwise, back in Huaxia, as a boss, Xiang Yu wouldn’t have led his brothers down the straight and narrow.

Tie Zhuzi was grateful to Xiang Yu from the bottom of his heart. If it weren’t for Xiang Yu, he would never have reached where he was today—he might have always been just a small-time punk on the streets.

Now, even after losing an arm, he had no regrets.

"Brother Yu, Xiaoxuan called me this morning. He said he’ll be back soon." Tie Zhuzi said in a low voice.

Xiang Yu nodded without speaking. He didn’t dare ask about Long Wu. He was afraid Long Wu would never wake up.

Tie Zhuzi wanted to say something, but in the end he held it back. He didn’t know how to bring it up. Better to let Xiaoxuan tell Xiang Yu himself after he got back...

ps: My name is Tree-Under Tail Fox. I saw some friends in the review section saying they only just realized I’m called Tail Fox. Haha, I never really promoted it before, and I haven’t talked much with everyone. Here I really want to thank you all for your support. Some friends have been following for three years. Now the novel is nearing its end, and I’ve got a lot of feelings about it. When I have time someday, I’ll write a special Chapter as a thank-you letter to everyone, haha...