Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

Late at night, Viscount Linna paced back and forth in his room, unable to fall asleep.

He knew very well that Jiangcheng was in dire straits. Although the traitor alliance was still sending them supplies from the rear, members of the Ye family had already infiltrated the city, and ten soldiers were dying in their sleep every day.

This is far more terrifying than dying in battle.

Facing a direct confrontation, at least there is a chance to fight back, but this kind of death is one that is completely inexplicable.

More importantly, no one knows if they will become the next target! These past few days, almost everyone in the city has been living in fear. Some soldiers are even afraid to go to the toilet alone and need someone to accompany them when they need to defecate.

The unknown and things hidden in the shadows are always more frightening.

"If Wang En doesn't step in soon, Jiangcheng is finished..."

"But Wang En certainly knows that the Ye family wants to lure him out now, so why would they possibly show themselves now?"

"That old man threatened us to rebel together; now we're just pawns in his game..."

"Damn it...it seems that if I want to survive, I'll have to rely on myself!"

Linna paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

He gritted his teeth, then suddenly, as if he had made a decision, raised his wrist.

I entered the number of that private channel.

[Linna: Hello? Are you there? It's me, Viscount Linna. Um... Mr. Night Owl, you said before that we could contact you... I'd like to speak with you now.]

After sending the message, Linna gave a bitter smile. He never imagined that he, as a nobleman of the empire, would one day bow down and surrender to a demonized family.

A short while later, a reply came.

[Night Owl: Oh, here.]

[Night Owl: Come in and chat.]

[Night Owl: [Invitation Link: Private Chat Room]]

Linna clicked to accept the invitation.

Soon, his holographic projection appeared in a digital virtual room.

Night Owl was sitting at a coffee table drinking tea when he pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "You're here. Have a seat."

"Okay, okay." Linna sat down with an awkward smile.

But after he sat down, he didn't know what to say to Night Owl. He had never dealt with Night Owl before, and this was his first time surrendering. He was quite inexperienced, so he could only keep rubbing his hands together and then grinning foolishly.

Night Owl rolled his eyes at him: "What are you grinning about? Is your face twitching?"

Linna: "...It's nothing."

"So, you've figured it out now?" Night Owl said casually as he brewed tea.

Linna smiled bitterly upon hearing this: "Yes... actually, we never had the guts to rebel. It was Duke Wang En who threatened us with his weakness..."

Night Owl: "Oh? How did he threaten you? Did he hold a knife to your throat and force you to make a deal with the dark race? And then you were forced to accept a large sum of money? Forced to enslave humans and give them to the dark race?"

Lin Na was speechless.

"He was just tempted by the profits, don't make it sound so nice," said Night Owl.

"Yes, yes, yes," Linna quickly admitted, "I was ignorant and confused back then..."

Night Owl brewed the tea, placed two cups, and poured in the steaming hot tea.

Linna instinctively reached for one of the cups. Although it was a digital world, the drinks weren't physical, but you could still taste them. It was somewhat like a community-based holographic game world. The furniture and decorations in this chat room were the same concept—products from the virtual game world.

"Smack!" Night Owl tapped the back of his hand with his tongs, and Linna cried out in pain, pulling his hand back.

Night Owl said coldly, "Did I say I was going to give you a drink?"

Linna: "......"

"Then, why are you putting two cups here...?" Linna asked, puzzled.

Night Owl: "Oh, can't I have two cups by myself? I bought this tea with 20 virtual coins. Who do you think you are to drink the same tea as me?"

Linna: "......"

Night Owl: "You surrendered without any sense of being a prisoner. Sit properly and stop grinning at me."

Linna: "......"

After slowly finishing his two cups of tea, Night Owl stood up and said, "Just wait here obediently until everyone is here." With that, he snapped his fingers and left the virtual chat room.

Linna looked bewildered: "We'll talk once everyone's here? Who else is there...?"

Five minutes later.

Baron Chenbing also entered the chat room.

Linna turned her head and met his eyes.

Chen Bing: "..."

Linna: "......"

Chen Bing: "..."

Linna: "......"

Chen Bing opened her mouth: "Viscount Linna? What are you doing here?"

“…I was about to ask you that too.” Linna snorted and said sarcastically, “Didn’t you say yesterday that only a grandson would surrender? I thought you were all determined to hold out to the death.”

"I call this 'discretion is the better part of valor.'" Chen Bing retorted, "Didn't you also disagree with surrendering yesterday? How come you're sitting here now?"

Linna blushed: "People...people always have to grow up. Can your thoughts at twenty be the same as your thoughts at ten? Huh?"

"..."

The two bickered and exchanged sarcastic remarks for quite a while.

At this moment, Viscount Robin also entered the chat room and saw Linna and Chenbing hurling insults at each other.

Linna: "......"

Chen Bing: "..."

Robin: "......"

"Damn it!" Linna exclaimed indignantly, "Robin, weren't you shouting yesterday that you wanted to fight the Ye family to the death the fiercest? How dare you come here and surrender?!"

“Yeah, right.” Chen Bing frowned. “You said we chickened out, but I didn’t expect you, you big-eyed bastard, to secretly come here and surrender behind our backs? That’s so damn disloyal!”

"Bang!" Robin's face flushed red, and he slammed his fist on the table. "Who said I surrendered?!"

"?" Lin Na and Chen Bing asked in confusion, "Then how did you end up here?"

"I have already unilaterally acknowledged Lord Night Owl as my adoptive father!" Robin scoffed. "So I've simply returned to acknowledge my roots; how can this be considered surrender?"

Lin Na and Chen Bing: "...Then you're awesome."

one hour later.

Night Owl returned to the chat room.

At this moment, four people were already seated at the tea table in the chat room: Viscount Robin, Viscount Linna, Baron Chenbing, and Baron Wang Hao.

Night Owl stroked his chin.

Just as Xiaoyege had guessed, only Viscount Kant and Baron Luwei did not choose to surrender.

How could this kid guess so accurately? Did he use a cheat code?