c21: An Angry Li Xin, Taking Action Directly
"Someone's coming? Looks like they're all humans."
"The one in the lead looks somewhat familiar... Li Xin?" Karl felt slightly surprised.
As someone who had fought across multiple worlds including encounters involving beings on the level of Superman and even tactical clashes influenced by figures like Nick Fury—Karl's perception was far sharper than ordinary soldiers. He could already sense the disciplined aura of the approaching cavalry long before they came into view.
So Li Xin is here too. He didn't know much about the plot of the Kings World. After all, he spent most of his time fighting. He had no time to study it in detail, much like how heroes in both Marvel Universe and DC Universe were often thrown into conflicts without knowing the full picture.
...
At this moment, Li Xin was leading a squad of the Great Wall Guard Army, rushing toward Guan City.
Because earlier, they had met Su Lie's deputy on the road, who had personally confirmed the monster invasion. So at this point, no one held any doubts about Li Xin anymore. In fact, his decisiveness reminded some of the commanding style of Captain America on the battlefield firm, resolute, and quick to act.
Although Li Xin's original excuse had been concern about the Yu City army, regardless, it had served its purpose. Everyone looked at Li Xin with even more admiration.
The group spurred their horses on, charging straight toward Guan City. They were all members of the Great Wall Guard Army and knew that Guan City currently had no defensive forces. Su Lie and many civilians were inside. Facing a large swarm of monsters, their chances of survival were likely slim—similar to how ordinary civilians would fare during a Parademon invasion in Apokolips-led assaults.
Li Xin looked at the approaching Guan City, his heart stirring with slight excitement. If he succeeded this time, his position within the Great Wall would be elevated. He believed that before long, he would be able to take control of the Great Wall.
At that time, according to the Peony Daoist, he would be able to obtain Chang'an City! After all, it was something that should have belonged to him in the first place. Thinking of this, even someone as composed as Li Xin felt a surge of excitement not unlike the calculated ambition often seen in figures such as Lex Luthor.
...
Soon, the group approached Guan City. But what they saw left everyone stunned.
They saw that the Guan City before them showed no traces of any monsters. No one was injured, and no stalls had been destroyed. Instead, the people were happily gathered together, surrounding Su Lie and a strange man.
In particular, Su Lie's deputy and Li Xin were stunned. Su Lie's deputy had seen the large swarm of monsters attacking with his own eyes, and Li Xin had even received news from the Peony Daoist, preparing for it dozens of days in advance.
Now that they had arrived at Guan City, they found no monsters. What was going on?
...
At this time, Su Lie also saw Li Xin and the others at the entrance of Guan City. He was slightly surprised. How did the support from the Great Wall Guard Army arrive so quickly? How long had it been since his deputy left?
Li Xin and the others dismounted and came before Su Lie. After the deputy exchanged greetings, he couldn't help but ask, "General Su... where are those monsters?"
He had seen the monsters attacking with his own eyes. It was only because Su Lie held them back and he had taken a detour that he managed to leave. How could the monsters be gone now?
Su Lie laughed heartily and said, "Don't worry, the monsters have already been wiped out."
"What!" The deputy was shocked to hear this.
He had seen those monsters with his own eyes and knew their numbers were massive. There were hundreds of them. As Su Lie's deputy, he naturally knew that Su Lie was battle-hardened and possessed exceptional martial arts skills.
But to say that Su Lie could wipe out hundreds of monsters was unthinkable. Because monsters had beast bodies, their physical forms were extremely powerful comparable to enhanced creatures like the Chitauri or even some lower-tier Parademons. A normal person could hardly withstand a single monster. Even if Su Lie was strong, it was impossible for him to fend off hundreds of monsters.
But now, Su Lie was saying that all the monsters had been wiped out? Nearby, Li Xin and the Great Wall Guard Army who had arrived were also extremely shocked.
"Hahaha." Seeing the look on everyone's faces, Su Lie already knew what they were thinking. He laughed and said, "The one who wiped out the monsters wasn't me, but this person here."
He gestured to Karl beside him and said, "This is an old friend of mine who recently came to the Great Wall. I didn't expect him to run into such a thing."
"I was struggling alone against three monsters, and it was Karl who defeated all of them."
"By the way, Karl is his name, and you can also call him the God of the Human Realm."
"What!" The crowd was startled, looking at Karl in disbelief.
A single person had actually wiped out hundreds of monsters. The Great Wall Guard Army frequently fought against monsters. These people naturally knew what kind of power the monsters possessed.
Even if those monsters varied in strength, with hundreds of them, there would always be a few powerful leaders comparable to elite combatants like Black Panther or Batman in terms of tactical threat, if not raw strength. Besides, with hundreds of them, that quantity alone could overwhelm anyone! Who exactly was this God of the Human Realm?
For a moment, the members of the Great Wall Guard Army were filled with reverence for Karl. Only one person was the exception: Li Xin. He looked at Karl with a gloomy expression, his eyes filled with calculation and hostility, as if measuring a potential rival rather than an ally.
Because this person who had suddenly appeared had caused his plan to change. All the monsters had been wiped out, and Guan City hadn't suffered the slightest loss. The monsters hadn't even entered Guan City. Thus, Su Lie had no faults, or at least no major ones.
And he, Li Xin, had not saved Guan City from crisis. Naturally, he had no merit and could not be promoted! Thinking of this, Li Xin felt an overwhelming hatred toward Karl. Why? Why did it have to be like this!
According to what the Peony Daoist had said, there were further preparations. Su Lie was supposed to be stripped of his official position because of this incident and reduced to an ordinary soldier in the Great Wall Guard Army very much like how political manipulation in organizations such as S.H.I.E.L.D. or Checkmate could ruin even the most decorated operatives overnight. And he, Li Xin, was supposed to establish merit and be promoted. Little by little, he would gradually take control of the Great Wall and eventually exchange it for Chang'an City. Why!
Li Xin was furious inside, but he forced himself to endure his anger and didn't show it. Much like calculating figures such as Doctor Doom or Ra's al Ghul, he understood that revealing emotions at the wrong moment would only ruin everything.
"You're holding that in with great difficulty, aren't you?" Just then, a voice filled with amusement came from nearby.
"Wha..." Before Li Xin could react, he felt his neck being gripped as if by steel. His feet left the ground, and he couldn't breathe at all.
In front of him was a young man with black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a handsome, form-fitting battle suit with a wide cape, its design resembling a fusion of Kryptonian combat armor and advanced tactical suits like those worn by Superman and Black Panther. It was Karl. He held Li Xin with one hand, lifting him up effortlessly, a display of raw physical dominance comparable to enhanced beings who had undergone the Super Soldier Serum process or beyond.
Li Xin instinctively reached out his hands, desperately pounding on Karl's palm, attempting to make Karl let him go. However, it had absolutely no effect. His fists striking Karl's hand felt like hitting reinforced vibranium or nth metal. It was he himself who felt the pain!
Everyone present was immediately shocked by this scene. The Great Wall Guard Army drew their weapons from their waists, facing Karl in battle formation. "Let Li Xin go!"
Even if they had admired Karl's power before, Li Xin was ultimately a member of the Great Wall Guard Army and their comrade. In such a situation, the Great Wall Guard Army naturally had to defend Li Xin, just as teams like the Avengers or the Justice League would never abandon one of their own in the face of an unknown threat.
Nearby, seeing this situation, Su Lie hurriedly stepped between the two sides. He said to the Great Wall Guard Army in a low voice, "What are you doing? Put down your weapons!"
"But..."
"Put them down!"
Seeing this, the group had no choice but to put away their weapons. Su Lie secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the power of Karl. On the surface, it looked like Su Lie was defending Karl, but in reality, he was protecting the Great Wall Guard Army.
The fate of the hundreds of monsters earlier was still fresh in his memory. Creatures with strength comparable to alien war-beasts like the Parademons or invasion forces such as the Chitauri had been annihilated effortlessly. If these people angered Karl, their fate would be no better than those monsters. Su Lie didn't believe for a second that Karl wouldn't kill.
Seeing the Great Wall Guard Army put down their weapons, he smiled. "Karl, is there some misunderstanding?" "How about you put Li Xin down first?"
Hearing this, Karl looked at Li Xin, then glanced at Su Lie. Then, he threw Li Xin directly onto the ground without the slightest concern, like discarding a defeated opponent in a battlefield encounter. Li Xin collapsed to his knees, gasping for fresh air.
Before he could recover, he heard a voice filled with amusement ring out.
"There is no misunderstanding."
"This person is a traitor to the Great Wall Guard Army."
...