253: A good show

“You scoundrel.”

Qin Yang’s lips curved into a smile.

Actually, he knew what Zhang Lingxiao’s plan was.

He had just thought of it himself.

That was to let Ice Heart Queen possess his Physical Body and then put on another show for the people of the Free Federation.

【The body of Dao Heavenly Emperor Zhang Lingxiao has been possessed by an unknown evil and escaped. The Jiuzhou Federation is on high alert.】

Qin Yang nodded at Zhang Lingxiao and said, “You go discuss the script with Ice Heart Queen. Make sure to perform this show well and make it realistic.”

Zhang Lingxiao cupped his hands and showed his signature mischievous smile: “Your Majesty, rest assured. This humble Daoist is an experienced actor.”

After Zhang Lingxiao withdrew,

Qin Yang rested briefly, then went to the Dragon Pavilion Guild again.

Through a dedicated passage, he descended into the vast underground chamber, which was like an underground palace.

In the dim room, only a few lamps provided illumination.

Amidst the flickering lights, ten figures stood.

Qin Yang, Gu Yu.

And the Twelve Zodiacs who had been granted “official positions.”

However, at this moment, there were only eight of the Twelve Zodiacs.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry…”

Gu Yu faced Qin Yang, too ashamed to raise her head.

After Qin Yang went to Holy City, the Twelve Zodiacs, under Gu Yu’s management, had been leveling up in the Asura Training Ground in the basement.

As the manager, Gu Yu provided the Twelve Zodiacs with equipment, items, skills, and potions.

With this full armament,

The Twelve Zodiacs were fully equipped.

Their start was better than most Professionals.

But even so, something still happened.

“Brute Ox” among the Twelve Zodiacs was ambushed by Asura soldiers from two sides during a leveling session and was dismembered with one blow.

In addition, Chicken, Monkey, and Pig also suffered severe injuries and lost their combat capability.

The Twelve Zodiacs lost four people at once.

Gu Yu was extremely remorseful about this.

She was already prepared to be punished by Qin Yang.

Yin Keke, the captain of the Twelve Zodiacs, had the same thoughts.

As the combat commander, she had an undeniable responsibility for Brute Ox’s death.

At this moment, both of them had red eyes and didn't even have the courage to look at Qin Yang.

Everyone knew Qin Yang’s temper; he was fair in rewards and punishments.

When something like this happened, those responsible would not escape.

“Your Majesty, all the responsibility lies with me. Please punish me.”

Seeing Qin Yang silent, Gu Yu glanced at Yin Keke, then bravely said.

She was the chief blacksmith of the Dragon Pavilion Guild, and managing the Twelve Zodiacs was just a side job.

If Qin Yang were to punish her, at most, it would be to remove her from her position and reclaim everything he had given her.

But Yin Keke was different.

Qin Yang had bestowed upon her the power of a Professional.

Once taken back, Yin Keke would revert to being an ordinary person.

To be honest, that would be worse than killing her.

Qin Yang glanced at Gu Yu and asked, “Were there any oversights in your provision of resources?”

Gu Yu remained silent.

To be honest, the supplies for the Twelve Zodiacs were very good.

The equipment, items, and potions they used were better than those of the Professionals in the Dragon Pavilion Guild.

In this regard, Gu Yu couldn't even self-deprecate, so she could only lower her head in silence.

“Since there were no oversights, what does Brute Ox’s death have to do with you?”

Qin Yang snorted coldly.

He could tell at a glance that Gu Yu wanted to take the blame for Yin Keke.

Gu Yu and Qin Yang graduated from the same professional academy, and Yin Keke was Qin Yang’s classmate.

They were alumni and had probably become friends in private.

However, Gu Yu trying to take the blame for her friend would only make Qin Yang angrier.

All favoritism starts with so-called “care.”

If this path wasn’t blocked, it would be hard to guarantee that factionalism wouldn't arise, and Qin Yang would never allow such things to happen around him.

Qin Yang coldly said to Gu Yu, “If I want to punish someone, no one can take their place. I’ll fine you one year’s salary.”

Gu Yu’s thoughts were exposed by Qin Yang, and she trembled slightly in shock.

Speechless, she could only say awkwardly, “Your Majesty, I… I know I was wrong.”

Qin Yang ignored Gu Yu and looked at Yin Keke.

Seeing this, Yin Keke also knew that no amount of pleading would work.

She also knelt down solemnly and said to Qin Yang, “Your Majesty, Brute Ox’s death, and the severe injuries suffered by the others, are all due to my command error. I am willing to pay with my life.”

“Don’t think your life is worth much.”

Qin Yang shook his head and asked, “You said you made a command error. Where was the error?”

Yin Keke was slightly stunned. She hadn’t expected Qin Yang to ask that, but she still answered seriously:

“Compared to defense, I tend to favor offense, always exposing the weaknesses of the backline. I should have arranged for a Qin Elite Warrior to guard the rear at all times.”

“In judging the Asura soldiers, I also made the most basic mistake, always thinking that monsters only had three moves, but in reality, they also change their tactics…”

Yin Keke knelt on the ground, recounting all the results of her mental review, and the remaining Twelve Zodiacs nodded repeatedly as they listened.

Qin Yang looked at the others and asked, “What do you all think?”

The others exchanged glances, and Zhou Hu among them said, “Actually, Mo Jiao isn’t entirely right. In many battles, Professionals need to make their own judgments.”

After Zhou Hu spoke, the others also echoed:

“That’s right, command is one aspect, but whether we can cooperate is another. As a Tiger Leopard Cavalry, I could have used my mobility to protect the backline, but I was too focused on offense.”

“Also, in choosing equipment affixes, we all focused on offensive ones, which felt very unstable. I think we need to combine them.”

For a moment, the Twelve Zodiacs brainstormed, completely forgetting that Qin Yang was pursuing responsibility for Brute Ox’s death.

However, Qin Yang’s expression was much better now.

This was the effect he wanted.

It validated what he had said before.

Yin Keke’s life was indeed not worth much.

Even if Qin Yang killed her on the spot, it would be useless.

What he valued more was whether these people could learn from their mistakes.

If Yin Keke only knew she was wrong but didn’t know where she went wrong, then Brute Ox would truly have died in vain.

Qin Yang looked at Yin Keke and said, “Get up. You need to quickly transform the experience of failure into combat power.”

Yin Keke was stunned, unable to believe her ears.

She asked with a trembling voice, “Your Majesty, you’re not punishing me anymore?”

Qin Yang shook his head and said, “If you only knew you were wrong but didn’t know where you were wrong, I would certainly strip you of your power. Your life is not worth much, but your experience is useful to me.”

With that, Qin Yang looked at everyone and fell silent.

After Brute Ox’s death, he deeply realized that

The casualty rate for Professionals is actually very high.

Don’t think that those Elite Tier and Grandmaster Tier Professionals are easily defeated before him.

But in reality, they are also those who have been filtered out through great trials.

If Qin Yang wanted to train his own armed forces from scratch, he had to have some methods.

Otherwise, even if the Imperial Guards became gods, these people might not have much combat power.

Qin Yang took a deep breath and thought, “I need to quickly merge the Throne of Bones and the Asura Training Ground. If infinite resurrection is possible, it can solve the casualty problem, but this requires guinea pigs. Where can I find them?”

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