World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

The blockade of Yutang Pass created two separate worlds inside and outside the pass.

The commander of Langping Pass, Gou Heyu, was unaware of what had transpired within the pass. The prime minister had kept Huangfu Yue's defection plan under wraps.

In Gou Heyu's eyes, Huangfu Yue, who had seized Yutang Pass, was the greatest threat to Chongming Kingdom and had to be eliminated.

Yutang Pass was a crucial transportation hub, essential for the supply of provisions to Langping Pass and Dongling Pass, and also served as their fallback route.

No one could rest easy with a group of rebels occupying their rear.

Thus, upon receiving Gao Yanping's plea for help, Gou Heyu did not hesitate for a moment and led his troops to attack Yutang Pass, only to find Huangfu Xing and Gao Yanping on the city walls.

Naturally, he assumed he was late and that Huangfu Xing had already taken Yutang Pass.

No one believed that two seasoned generals could be defeated by Huangfu Yue, who had never fought a battle.

Nor did they expect the Fourth Princess Luo Shuang, who had no soldiers or generals, to persuade two great generals to surrender and occupy a critical pass.

Seeing Gou Heyu's reinforcements, Gao Yanping personally invited him into the pass for a drink and a chat, successfully luring him into the city and making him a prisoner of the Fourth Princess.

Not everyone was as spineless as Huangfu Xing; Gou Heyu was equally loyal to the Chongming Kingdom's royal family.

Moreover, he was even more stubborn than Huangfu Xing, refusing to yield under any circumstances, preferring death over surrender.

Unable to persuade him, Du Ge simply gave up on him, using a fake corpse dressed in his armor to create the illusion that he had died under torture, thus successfully persuading Gou Heyu's deputy to surrender and issuing false orders to take control of his army.

Subsequently, Huangfu Xing infiltrated Gou Heyu's army with his troops, and with coordinated efforts from inside and outside, they captured Langping Pass. Du Ge's forces swelled to twenty-five thousand soldiers...

At this point.

Between Chongming Kingdom and Qingwu Kingdom, only the isolated Dongling Pass remained, guarded by the veteran General Wei Tingjiang.

Dongling Pass was on the border and had to defend against Qingwu Kingdom.

Therefore, Dongling Pass had a garrison of eighty thousand soldiers, with many fierce generals under Wei Tingjiang's command.

With such a formidable force, Du Ge naturally did not want to provoke them at this time, so he created the illusion that everything within the pass was normal for the old general.

He tried to buy as much time as possible, even avoiding disturbing the residents between the two passes. Every day he delayed, his strength grew a little more.

While Huangfu Xing and Gao Yanping were plotting to capture Langping Pass, Huangfu Yue continued to advance inland with her troops, capturing two more counties in two days and stopping outside Linyang City.

Linyang City was a large city with a permanent population of over a hundred thousand and only a small city guard.

However, the prefect of Linyang City, Shi Ruxing, was a capable man.

Upon learning about the changes at Yutang Pass from the refugees fleeing the three counties Du Ge had captured, he immediately sent the news to the court.

Then, he closed the city gates, cut off communication with the outside world, organized the city guard for a strict defense, and mobilized the wealthy households to send their private guards to help defend the city walls.

The city guard of Linyang City should have been three thousand strong, but due to long periods of peace and severe corruption, the actual number was less than eight hundred. Including the temporarily conscripted militia, the total was just over a thousand.

But even with a thousand defenders, Huangfu Yue's three thousand troops could not breach the city.

Both sides were temporarily at a stalemate.

...

When the news reached the capital.

The emperor of Chongming Kingdom was stunned for half a day. He was aware of the plan devised by the prime minister and the Fourth Prince.

But what was happening now?

How had the Huangfu family members all defected?

Even Yutang Pass was lost. How did the Fourth Princess manage it?

If she was so capable, why had she been chased like a stray dog from Qingwu Kingdom all the way to Chongming Kingdom...

Was the Demon Star really that powerful?

...

"Old Si, Shi Pingchuan, I need an explanation." Gu Shichun threw the report from Linyang City at Shi Pingchuan's face, his expression as dark as the bottom of a pot, slamming the table heavily. "Over ten thousand elite soldiers set a trap for a weak woman, yet she turned the tables on you, and you even lost Yutang Pass. What kind of brilliant plan did you come up with?"

Not just Yutang Pass, even Langping Pass was lost...

Gu Shiming muttered in his heart, his information arriving a step ahead of Gu Shichun's.

He was astonished at He Xu's speed in causing trouble, secretly pleased yet outwardly fearful, dropping to his knees with a thud. "Calm your anger, brother. It is my fault. Upon learning the news from the front lines, I immediately went to arrest Huangfu Xing's family, but they had already fled, showing that the Huangfu family had long harbored disloyalty. It is my fault for using the wrong people. Please punish me, brother..."

"Your Majesty, Yutang Pass has nothing to do with the prince." Shi Pingchuan, who had his own intelligence network, had received the news from Yutang Pass first. He not only had information from the front lines but also from the three counties. He knelt down as well. "Your Majesty, I believe the reason the Fourth Princess was able to take Yutang Pass so smoothly is definitely because of the Heavenly Demon behind her."

"The Heavenly Demon again?" Gu Shichun frowned.

"The Demon Star mentioned by the imperial teacher must be the Heavenly Demon," Shi Pingchuan said. "Wherever the Fourth Princess goes, she promotes gender equality. The Heavenly Demon supporting her might have attributes related to balance, public opinion, equality, or even human rights or women's rights..."

"Shi Pingchuan, is there any point in telling me this now?" Gu Shichun roared. "I need a solution."

"My point is, there might be more than one Heavenly Demon behind the Fourth Princess," Shi Pingchuan said. "Currently, the Fourth Princess has just over ten thousand elite soldiers, not enough to be a threat. I believe we only need to send a grandmaster-level expert to Yutang Pass to kill the Heavenly Demon behind the Fourth Princess, and everything will be resolved."

Just then.

"Report!"

An urgent message came from outside.

A eunuch holding an urgent military report rushed into the imperial study and handed it to Gu Shiming.

Gu Shichun opened it and stood up abruptly. "Assassination, assassination, Shi Pingchuan, is all you know how to do is play these little tricks? Linyang City has fallen, and Langping Pass has been taken by Luo Shuang."

"..."

Shi Pingchuan's eyes widened in disbelief. What was happening?

Who was behind the Fourth Princess? This efficiency was too high!

"Brother, Linyang City has fallen?" Gu Shiming's eyes widened in shock.

His supplies had only been sent a few days ago, and such a large city had already been taken?

He Xu's speed was astonishing.

At this moment, he didn't know whether to be excited or terrified.

At He Xu's current pace, it wouldn't be long before Chongming Kingdom was completely conquered. By then, it wouldn't just be a matter of chaos.

It would be a matter of whether his head was still attached!

Even a fool would know that once the Fourth Princess had soldiers, generals, and territory, she wouldn't care about any agreements with him...

Was he digging his own grave?

No, he couldn't let Luo Shuang expand unchecked. He had to create some difficulties for her.

"Yes, it has fallen!" Gu Shichun threw the report at Gu Shiming, shouting, "What are you waiting for? To court!"

Shi Pingchuan's face was also grim. He stared intently at his flashing personal interface, not speaking for a long time.

Just now.

When Gu Shiming received the report, his personal interface flashed.

He instinctively opened it and saw the announcement of the top ten rankings.

...

First: Leng Shi; Imperial Teacher of Qingwu Kingdom;

Second: Shi Pingchuan; Prime Minister of Chongming Kingdom;

Third: Pei Ma'er; Advisor to the Fourth Prince of Chongming Kingdom;

Fourth: Ma Shichun; Magistrate of Beihai Kingdom;

Fifth: Qu Liandong; Elder of the Beggar's Sect in Qingwu Kingdom;

Sixth: Wu Tong; Princess Consort of Kingdom Chu;

Seventh: Miao Buqi; Wanderer;

Eighth: Huli Xian; Chieftain of Western Tribes;

Ninth: Wei Jiuchou; Lieutenant General of Qingwu Kingdom;

Tenth: Yunyao; Disciple of Qinglan Sword Sect;

...

Second?

He had caused such a commotion, eliminating over a thousand Alien Star warriors, making himself a target.

Yet when the rankings were announced, he had dropped to second?

This was like having his home robbed at the peak of his glory...

So frustrating!

He had modeled himself after Du Ge.

And Du Ge's first-place advantage always lasted until the end.

Leading from the start, maintaining the lead all the way, and finally leaving everyone far behind, securing victory with an overwhelming advantage...

But his first place had only lasted a month, and it was a month only he knew about. When it was time to shine publicly—gone!

This was definitely not a good omen!

Shi Pingchuan felt a deep sense of crisis.

His temples throbbed uncontrollably, his hand hidden in his sleeve clenched into a fist, and his eyes burned with fierce determination. Leng Shi, it's either you or me on this Alien Star Battlefield...