Chapter 105: Assassinating the Underworld King

"Revenge! Revenge!"

A soldier spoke the sentiment of everyone present, instantly igniting the fire in their hearts. Hearing this, tears welled up in Chu Xiao's eyes—he was filled with both sorrow and fury.

Deep within, the Hades was using his will to control a puppet Hades, transmitting a blueprint to him. It was a design for a new type of robot, and he commanded the puppet to construct it within two hours.

"Soldiers! Today, we may all be wiped out. But even if we die, we must take the Hades down with us! Are you afraid?"

"No! We are not afraid!"

The collective shout rang out, shaking the very heavens. Chu Xiao then commanded, "Move out!" A force of a thousand men marched majestically toward the city gates.

The townspeople had already lined the streets, waiting for them. As the troops approached, they broke into applause, cheering them on in unison: "Welcome our heroes home! Welcome our heroes home!..."

Everyone was waiting for news of victory, but Chu Xiao’s mind was in turmoil; he did not have much confidence that he could truly kill the Hades.

As he scanned the crowd, his eyes locked onto a young woman—Wang Lulu. Chu Xiao walked over and stopped before her. Noticing her eyes were already moist, he gently wiped away her tears.

"Why must you go yourself?"

"Because I don't want to lose you, or my family, ever again."

Chu Xiao felt an agonizing reluctance to leave Wang Lulu, but he had no choice. He understood his mission; since fate had granted him a second life, his purpose was to destroy the Hades.

"I am leaving. If I do not return, please look after my parents."

With those words, Chu Xiao held her in a tight embrace, kissed her softly, and turned to leave. The moment he turned away, he could no longer hold back; tears surged forth like a fountain.

"You must come back alive! I will be waiting for you. We will take care of your parents together!"

Hearing her words, Chu Xiao dared not look back. He simply nodded slightly and said, "I will return alive to see you!"

He feared she would see him crying; he wanted his final impression on her to be that of a strong, towering figure.

The other three nations had also arrived at the designated assembly point. Each country had selected one thousand elites, all with the singular goal of annihilating the Hades and saving humanity.

The force of four thousand men marched in two orderly columns, stretching for ten kilometers. The weather had been dry, and as the army advanced, dust billowed, filling the air with the scent of grit.

"Let us formulate a battle plan. If anyone has any suggestions, please speak up."

Upon reaching the outskirts of the Hades' lair, Chu Xiao prepared to discuss tactics with the generals of the other three nations, aiming to minimize casualties.

The general from the United States said, "My orders are to cooperate fully with Lieutenant General Chu." The generals from the other two nations echoed this, stating they were also under orders to support him unconditionally.

"Very well. Then I will propose my plan: we divide our forces into two prongs, attacking simultaneously from the east and west to create a pincer maneuver. What do you think?"

Chu Xiao’s plan was well-considered. The Hades' lair was an open field to the south and a river to the north, leaving only the eastern and western forests as viable routes for concealment.

"We follow Lieutenant General Chu’s command."

"Good. Synchronize your watches. It is 9:30 PM. We launch our attack at 11:00 sharp."

With that, Chu Xiao led the American soldiers toward the rear of the Hades' position. When they arrived at their designated location, there was still an hour left before the appointed time.

"Rest where you are. Drink some water and eat something," Chu Xiao whispered to his men, urging them to conserve their strength. An hour later, they would launch their assault—it was destined to be a brutal fight.

Meanwhile, the puppet Hades had finished building the new robot, dubbed "Great Serpent." It was twenty meters long and equipped with various weapons. Its scales even concealed miniature nuclear warheads, making it devastatingly lethal. A creature of such magnitude could kill dozens of men with a single flick of its tail, to say nothing of its integrated arsenal.

"Prepare for combat!"

Three minutes remained. Everyone checked their weapons and disengaged their safeties, ready to fight at a moment's notice.

"Two minutes!"
"One minute!"
"Charge!"

At Chu Xiao’s command, the soldiers swarmed down the mountain. They unleashed a torrent of gunfire, turning the mountain base into a sea of flames, as bright as day.

The Hades’ mechanical army, caught between two fronts, faltered and soon began to fall.

"Destroy the Hades! Kill!"

Chu Xiao roared, bolstering the morale of his men. Just as they were about to breach the Hades' inner sanctum, something struck, sending over a dozen soldiers flying dozens of meters to their deaths.

"You think you can kill me? Foolish humans! You are perfect test subjects for my Great Serpent. Hahaha!"

The Hades wore a sinister grin, as if everyone had walked straight into his trap. The Great Serpent lashed its tail again, sending dozens more flying. Watching Chu Xiao suffer, the Hades looked on with smug, twisted delight.

"So that thing is a serpent—and it’s massive!"

The soldiers were terrified; the serpent seemed more formidable than all the Hades' other robots combined.

"Do not fear! It may be large, but there is only one of them. Focus your fire!"

Chu Xiao was shocked by the creature, but he knew they had the numbers. They opened fire on the behemoth. After a while, they realized not a single scale had been chipped. Everyone, including Chu Xiao, was stunned; they had not expected the Hades to develop such a powerful machine so quickly.

"Hahaha! Foolish humans! You think you can destroy my Great Serpent with your scrap metal? How laughable!"

"Retreat! Everyone, fall back!"

Seeing that their current weaponry was useless against the serpent, Chu Xiao ordered an immediate withdrawal. As long as the beast stood, the Hades remained untouchable.

"Trying to run? Not a chance! Taste the true power of the Great Serpent. Kill them all!"

The serpent’s eyes, mouth, and scales erupted with weapons fire. In an instant, the force of four thousand was reduced to fewer than three thousand.

Chu Xiao ordered his troops to scatter. The serpent was powerful, but there was only one; it could not pursue everyone at once. At least a portion of his men would survive to make it back.

Chu Xiao himself did not retreat immediately. Instead, he took several hundred men and lay in wait, hoping to wait for the serpent to move further away so he could make one final attempt to assassinate the Hades.