Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 105

Perhaps because the restriction is lifted, Ye Zhou spends the entire journey distributing wealth like a walking fortune boy. He donates out of his own pocket generously, but he doesn’t let Chen Hou off the hook.

As the king of a nation, Chen Hou should bear the greatest responsibility for the state of his people.

Ye Zhou even strips the armor off Chen Hou. Fortunately, the armor is still valuable—after all, it’s forged by a master craftsman for a king and is worth over 1.3 million in the system.

It’s the first time Chen Hou ever sees the common people up close. He has never left Linzi since birth.

But the people who live in Linzi aren’t true commoners. They have small family estates, hereditary servants, slaves, private property, and enough money to send their children to school.

Chen Hou has only ever heard about the common people’s lives through officials and confidants.

He knows they’re poor—so poor they can’t eat the food they grow, let alone buy food. So poor they have to sell their children. Many of the slaves in Lu come from Chen. But those dry reports can never compare to the impact of seeing it with his own eyes.

Chen Hou sees an old couple handing their children to slave traders. In return, they receive only a bag of yellow rice and a bag of beans.

The children don’t cry or throw a tantrum. They just keep turning their heads back to look at their parents as they’re led away.

Partings like this—life and death separations—happen every day in the lands of Chen.

On their way to distribute wealth, they’re ambushed more than a dozen times, both large and small. Five or six cities and checkpoints block their path, either because the guards question the marquis’s identity or because they’ve been bribed by Zuotu.

The closer they get to Linzi, the colder Chen Hou feels.

He asks the common people what they think of their monarch.

Most reply that the king is a good man.

They genuinely believe he is. He hasn’t raised taxes in years, never bullies the people, never indulges in luxuries. His frugality is well known—people even know that the marquis’s wife doesn’t have a single decent piece of jewelry.

But Chen Hou can hear what they really mean.

A good man, yes—but not a good monarch.

“I think I said it before,” Ye Zhou remarks in the carriage as they near the gates of Linzi. “When the country is strong and the people are prosperous, even big problems seem small. When the country is weak and the people are suffering, even small problems become big ones. Even if you’re a tyrant or a poor ruler, if the country is strong and the people have food and warmth, you’re still a good monarch.”

Chen Hou gives a bitter smile. “When we return to the palace…”

From A’ru, they’ve already learned that the one now controlling Linzi is Zuotu Zhao Mu.

“Zhao Mu was originally a noble of the State of Zhao. His family was killed by the King of Zhao, and he came to me,” Chen Hou says. His tone shifts; his expression darkens. “He was dragging along the elderly and children. I couldn’t bear to see him wandering across countries, always being driven out. I didn’t expect his appetite to grow so large… I thought he had no one in the State of Chen and would only rely on me. I had to cultivate some of my own confidants anyway.”

Among the royal family, he only trusts Chen Yan. He prefers outsiders over those with the same surname. But he never imagines that the man who depends entirely on him would fake his death when things get tough—and even try to hold the prince hostage and seize control of Chen.

Ye Zhou smiles. “Isn’t that normal? It’s better to have power yourself than leave your life and wealth in someone else’s hands.” But Ye Zhou still has a question: “Won’t the Gong clan stop him?”

The Gong clan are all relatives of Chen Hou. Logically, even if they have ambitions, they should set those aside when an outsider appears and work together to expel him. Yet they’ve done nothing so far.

If the Gong clan had taken action, they wouldn’t have been blocked in so many cities.

Chen Hou smiles bitterly. “Maybe to them, I’m the real obstacle. If the crown prince takes the throne, they can gain more. Zhao Mu must have already struck a deal with them—to divide the State of Chen between himself and the royal clan.”

Just as he finishes speaking, the carriage stops at the city gate.

It tilts slightly before coming to a halt. Chen Yan instructs the soldiers to stay back and approaches the gate guards with the royal token in hand. He assumes that once they reach Linzi, no one will dare stop them, so he raises the token eagerly. “The monarch has returned—let us pass at once!”

The soldier guarding the gate looks at the token, then at Chen Yan, and whispers, “General, without an order from Zuotu, I don’t dare let you in.”

Chen Yan’s eyes widen in fury. “What is the meaning of this? Treason?! His Majesty has returned! Even if the entire court does not come to greet him, you should not bar him at the gates! Do you know what crime this is?!”

The soldier lowers his head. He knows Chen Yan. He knows Chen Yan is a general of Chen, and the king’s only protector.

But he doesn’t move.

“General,” he says softly, “Linzi is under Zuotu’s control now. The king’s wife is imprisoned in the palace. The old doctor went over to Zuotu after hearing the emperor had died. Any officials who didn’t submit to Zuotu are either dead or banished to their fiefs. Linzi belongs to Zuotu now. If I let you in, I’ll be killing them. Inside the gate are the elite soldiers Zuotu summoned. If I open the gate, they might—”

He isn’t stopping them out of hostility—he simply doesn’t want to see them die.

Chen Yan is furious, his face red. “Zuotu! I will face him myself and see if their necks are tougher than the sword in my hand!” He roars, “Open the gate!”

The soldiers see the determination on his face. They can’t dissuade him, so they clasp their fists. “Take care, General.”

Then comes the shout: “Open the city gate—!”

A dozen soldiers gather to push it open.

At that moment, hundreds of archers appear on the city walls.

Arrows rain down.

Ye Zhou sits calmly in the carriage. Though it looks antique, the materials are top-grade. It’s not only arrowproof but also bulletproof.

He says to Chen Hou, “Don’t worry, they’ll handle it.”

Zou Ming stands beside the carriage, looking at Chen Shu nearby—Chen Shu has already set up her gun.

Sarah licks her lips beside Zou Ming and whispers, “Wanna race?”

Zou Ming raises an eyebrow. “Race for what?”

Sarah grins. “See who gets up there first.”

Zou Ming sneers. “Childish.”

But Sarah doesn’t care. She springs into action. Compared to Zou Ming, a human, she scales the city wall with ease.

No hesitation this time.

She says nothing after leaping onto the wall. Killing is what she does best.

This isn’t war. It isn’t a contest. It’s pure slaughter. Blood spatters across her face and soaks her clothes. Every now and then, she licks the blood from her fingers.

Gunfire grows louder. She pauses and glances back.

Zou Ming is already on the wall, a shotgun in his hands.

Shotguns are deadly at close range. Anyone hit at that distance stands no chance.

Compared to the blood-frenzied Sarah, the silent Zou Ming looks more like a god of death.

The archers are wiped out before they can even react.

Zou Ming stows his gun.

Reinforcements charge out of the gate toward Chen Hou’s group.

Chen Yan moves to fight—but a man blocks his path.

Wu Yan smiles politely. “General Chen, how about letting us handle this?”

Chen Yan is puzzled. “You guys?”

It’s not that he looks down on them—it’s just that Wu Yan’s group, full of women, old men, and ordinary-looking people, doesn’t seem like fighters.

True, they’ve fended off assassins before, but only with the help of the immortal.

Would the immortal help again?

Chen Yan immediately offers, “Then we’ll attack from both sides!”

Wu Yan shakes his head. “General, please take everyone back.”

This is a rare training opportunity, and the supermarket employees don’t want to miss it. They’ve been training with Chen Shu every day—shooting, weighted runs, strength exercises—but they haven’t had real combat experience until now.

This is the perfect chance. They’re returning the king to his throne. A righteous army. No guilt, no hesitation.

Chen Yan hesitates, but the supermarket women have already loaded their guns.

“In Linzi, there aren’t many soldiers,” Chen Hou says. “Kings don’t keep large armies, and I don’t either.”

Ye Zhou raises an eyebrow. “No soldiers? Then who are the ones following you?”

Chen Hou replies, “They’re private troops of noble and royal families who raise them in my name.”

Ye Zhou is speechless.

So these are just the private armies of nobles?

It’s a miracle they haven’t rebelled already.

Ye Zhou sighs. “Trying to be the second Zhou emperor, are you?”

The Zhou emperor has no real army either. Theoretically, all state armies belong to him—but if they don’t listen, what good are they?

Only the soldiers who obey you are yours. The rest are enemies.

Chen Hou opens the window of the carriage and looks outside.

Cao’er happens to walk past, carrying an AK-47. She flashes a cheerful smile at him. “Hello, Marquis Chen!”

Chen Hou is stunned for a moment, then awkwardly nods. “Hello.”

Cao Er grins. “Then I’ll head over now.”

Chen Hou gives an awkward “Mm.”

She joins Wu Yan. Her aim isn’t great, but she trains hard, and Chen Shu has praised her more than once.

She’s developed calluses on her knuckles from practice. They’re thick and hard.

As the enemy soldiers charge with spears, Cao Er raises her gun and fires.

Her face is numb. Her eyes blank. But she doesn’t hesitate.

Chen Shu’s teachings echo in her mind: Never hesitate on the battlefield. Never see your enemy as human. Or you won’t be able to shoot, won’t be able to kill. And what awaits you then is death—or worse. You have to see them as monsters—monsters in human skin.