Edited by Aelryinth

------

The Cairo Battlefield was one of the largest battlefields in Africa.

Huge gray clouds were looming over the Cairo Fortress, hanging close to the ground. The dim land looked gloomy and suffocating!

Half of the fortress had been destroyed. The line of defense constantly moved back as the tide of undead kept up the pressure.

The fourth phase of the war had finally arrived. The Mages in the fortress were extremely worn out. The walls and structures were run-down, yet they had no choice but to prepare themselves for the deadly fourth phase.

An uneasy atmosphere lingered under the dim sky above the deafening explosions. The occasional brilliant light of spells pouring down like rain was the only thing cleansing the presence of evil. It was the only thing keeping the people's hopes up!

The first wave of the fourth phase was weaker than anyone had expected. Many analysts and advisors thought the defense would crumble during the first attack. To their surprise, the undead's invasion was like loud thunder, with only tiny drops of rain. It immediately relieved the pressure the front line was feeling!

The army managed to fend off the first wave after fighting for two days and nights straight. Not only did the army hold their ground, they managed to take back some of the crucial forts required to reestablish more defensive magic formations.

"It seems China's undead managed to apply some pressure to the Underworld!" General Haken exclaimed, smiling broadly.

"Humph, do you think I'm going to believe such a ridiculous thing?" General Ethan smirked.

"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, I'm the Supreme Commander now!" General Haken replied.

General Ethan clenched his teeth when he saw the cunning grin on General Haken's face!

The authorities were growing doubtful of General Ethan's capabilities toward the end of the third phase. The situation had turned grim for the army while he was in charge.

As a result, the authorities were unwilling to trust Ethan with so much power. They had asked Haken to remain in charge instead.

General Ethan did not disagree with the proposal, as he knew how serious the situation was. If General Haken took over, he would most likely be blamed if they lost the war. The army had no chance of holding its ground. They would have to retreat to Cairo City.

To Ethan's surprise, the undead had not pushed as hard in the fourth wave. Even though General Haken did come up with a plan to bombard the army of undead with a few waves of spells, it would clearly not make any difference. However, they had somehow fended off the invasion!

Instead, the people of Cairo were now cheering for General Haken. They had completely cast Ethan aside!

General Ethan left, no longer wanting to stay in the meeting room.

"General, where are we going?" Lieutenant Kevin asked him.

"To the city." Ethan had no mood to participate in the war after losing his position as the Supreme Commander. He left after handing his responsibilities over to his second-in-command.

------

A black military jeep entered the city. A bunch of people were gathering at the army's base with banners while yelling loudly.

"What are they saying?" Ethan asked.

"Well..." Kevin was not sure how to answer the question.

Ethan rolled down the window so he could hear the shouts.

"You should have let General Haken take over earlier. We almost lost Cairo when General Ethan was leading the army!"

"All hail General Haken, all hail General Haken!"

"We would have won the war by now if it wasn't for General Ethan..."

The noisy crowd kept yelling outside the window. Ethan was enraged after seeing how the people had gathered to support Haken!

What did they mean by they would have won the war long ago without him?

Cairo would already be in ruins by now if it wasn't for him! They would all be dead, yet they had gathered such a huge crowd here while yelling such nonsense. What a bunch of idiots!

"General, please don't be bothered by it, there are always ignorant people like them," Kevin reassured him.

"What exactly is going on? Did they really open the entrance of the Underworld so China's undead could invade it? Why does Haken even deserve the praise?… damn it, I've been commanding the army throughout the war for half a year. How could they treat me like that!?" Ethan protested angrily.

The people had immediately forgotten all his achievements in the past, just because he had failed once. They regarded him as a prodigy just half a year ago, but now they were scolding the crap out of him!

"Cairo was in a pretty bad spot not long time ago. Many people were thinking of running away from the city, but the person in charge of maintaining the city's order failed to protect your image. He used violence on the people who were resisting, damaging your reputation… General Ethan, you shouldn't let it bother you too much. It's normal to have ups and downs in the military. Besides, Haken is getting old. His conservative approach will never bring peace to Cairo. You will soon show the world who the true prodigy of Cairo is!" Kevin declared firmly.

"Who's in charge of the city?" Ethan demanded.

"It's Saks, sir. Didn't you reassign him to the city after demoting him?" Kevin replied.

"Humph, he still can't do his job right! Ask him to come see me on the Cairo Hotel's rooftop!" Ethan ordered.

------

The Cairo Hotel's rooftop had an indoor swimming pool built with reinforced glass. Ethan had asked his men to seal off the perimeter before going inside the building.

A gorgeous young woman in a white bikini was swimming in the clear water. She had a slim waist and long, slender legs. She looked like an alluring snake woman as she wriggled her hips after diving into the water.

Ethan stood at the side of the pool. He immediately grabbed a towel and waited respectfully when he saw her coming out of the water.

The little beauty ignored him. A white bathrobe some distance away flew at her after she waved her hand, wrapping around her gently.

"There was a slight accident." General Ethan did not feel awkward at all. He placed the towel down and poured the little beauty a glass of juice. He placed it on the table beside her deck chair.

"I know," the little beauty said.

"Is the entrance to the Underworld really open?" General Ethan asked.

"What do you think that red deathlight was!?" the little beauty replied impatiently.

"I was just making sure… the situation is no longer in our favor. I might have a problem becoming the Commander-in-chief. Khafre's invasion wasn't as fierce as I imagined, and Haken has now earned a lot of support. We can't let Haken stay as the Commander any further. Why don't you Summon your people and defeat Haken's army so he will struggle in the fourth phase? Once Haken fails to fend off the scorpions and snakes, I can reclaim the position from him. We'll put on an act again and pretend that my army has won the war!" Ethan suggested.

The little beauty looked at him in disgust.

"Put on an act? In what way? My army will tear your men to pieces, and your soldiers will blast my people to death, too. You've thrown away your only chance of securing full control over Cairo. I won't do anything stupid again with you," the little beauty said.

"I can only help you with your goal once I have full control over Cairo. We should figure out a way to turn the tables around since we are working together now. Another thing... that Mo Fan is nothing but trouble for us. He will soon report my deeds to the International Military Tribunal. If the people found out how I've been winning the battles against the army of scorpions and snakes, my reputation will be damaged once again, even if they don't have any solid evidence to prove I'm guilty. We will be even further away from our goals!" Ethan said.

"That means our cooperation has come to an end," the little beauty said coldly.

"What do you mean!?" Ethan asked in a heavy voice.

The little beauty was about to say something when she felt a strong pulse in her mind. Her expression shifted as she rose to her feet anxiously.

"That annoying prick! Wait here, I'll be back soon," the little beauty said.

Ethan was confused, but he did not ask about it as he watched her leave.

---

The little beauty in the bathrobe took the lift to one of the presidential suites on the top floors.

"Come in," Mo Fan said.

"Here's your drink!" Apas indifferently placed her glass of juice in front of Mo Fan.

"I'm bored with cultivating. Sing me a song," Mo Fan opened his eyes and looked at Apas, who had turned into a different person.

"I don't know how!" Apas answered, clenching his teeth.

"Then you must know how to dance. Why don't you dance slowly, strip off your bathrobe… fine, no dancing, stop acting like you're trying to take me down with you. Why is your hair wet? Oh, did you go swimming? I'm thinking of going for a swim, too. Did you go to the pool on the roof?" Mo Fan stood up and stretched.

He had finally recovered after resting for a few days. He had been completely worn out after signing the Contract with Apas.

"I'm leaving if there's nothing else!" Apas said.

"By the way, you haven't told me what level are you among the Medusae? Why do you look exactly like a human? Why do you have such good-looking legs, instead of the lower body of a snake?" Mo Fan squinted as he stared at Apas' slender legs.

Apas did not answer the question. She stood there silently, raising her chin proudly.