Only I Walk Alone

Wu Ge inquired, “You’ve already gathered enough warrior souls to ensure the stability of the barrier. What do you still wish to discuss with me? If it’s about these women and children, then there’s no need to talk, unless they wish to stay. In that case, I’ll respect their wishes.”

The old goat replied, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness. However, the Great Elder wishes to discuss something other than this. He wants to talk about forming an alliance with you!”

“An alliance?” The tiger general was shocked, asking, “Do you understand what an alliance entails?”

The old goat had just communicated telepathically with the elders, so even the tiger general was unaware of their conversation until now. It turned out the Great Elder intended to form an alliance with the human race.

This revelation surprised the tiger general. He understood all too well that a weaker nation has no real diplomacy. By allying with the powerful human race, they would essentially become subordinates, where the alliance might seem mutual, but the dominion would not be in their hands.

Wu Ge also understood this and calmly asked, “Do you realize what aligning with our Earth Civilization means? It means you’ll be under our governance.”

“Earth Civilization?” The tiger general caught onto the key term.

The old goat explained, “Your Majesty, I am merely conveying the Great Elder’s intentions. The Great Elder said that if we form an alliance, the Human Emperor must allocate a land for us to recuperate and thrive.”

Wu Ge thought for a moment, then guessed the reason behind the Great Elder’s proposal. He was certain that their desire to form an alliance was due to their kingdom’s artifact no longer being able to support the barrier. No artifact could last forever without degrading, especially one supporting such a vast barrier.

Wu Ge responded, “In our Earth Civilization, we have the werewolve race, mechanical worm race, and adding one more demon race wouldn’t make a difference. An alliance is acceptable, but you must come under my rule. If your Great Elder agrees, then not just a piece of land, even a planet wouldn’t be difficult.”

The tiger general and the old goat exchanged glances, clearly not understanding what a planet was.

Wu Ge continued, “The universe is much larger than you think. Leave this barrier. I will send people to teach you.”

Wu Ge agreed to the alliance with the Great Elder, and after meeting with him, the tiger general also understood the Great Elder’s far-sightedness.

The Great Elder, an old monkey, said, “Did you see the human army? One force is soulless steel skeletons, another carries the aura of the worm race, and then there’s the Human Emperor and the Nine-Tailed Fox. The outside world is not the human-dominated world we imagined. Various races seem to have come together. If we fall behind, we will be eliminated. Moreover, the artifact can no longer hold up. Leaving here and joining them is the best choice.”

The tiger general was convinced by the Great Elder’s wisdom, saying, “The Great Elder is far-sighted. I understand now.”

The Great Elder said, “The sooner we join, the better. Do you understand? In a multi-racial alliance, races that join earlier can grasp power more quickly. Those who join later will only be trampled underfoot. This is the same as countless years ago when our various demon races combined to form this Demon Empire. If my monkey race hadn’t taken a step ahead, could we have occupied the position of the Great Elder generation after generation?”

The tiger general remained silent. Although the Demon Empire was unified, the types of demons within it were diverse. Despite their differences, they eventually merged into one. This could also happen within Earth’s civilization, where despite differences, all could eventually unite.

The Great Elder continued, “I am about to die, and when that time comes, only you will be able to support our demon race. I’ve observed that the so-called Earth Civilization is rapidly developing its military power. With your military talent, you will certainly be put to good use. General, no, Hukong, do not stop your advancement, even if everyone around you leaves, even if you’re alone, you must continue to move forward!”

Not long after their conversation, the Great Elder passed away, and following his death, the council of elders disbanded, leaving the Demon Empire in Hukong’s hands.

Some said the Great Elder committed suicide to completely destroy the powerful council of elders, making it easier for humans to accept them.

Others claimed the Great Elder was killed by Hukong, believing Hukong had long colluded with the humans. By enduring in silence, he first got rid of his brother, then killed the former tyrant, and without any rivals left, he killed the Great Elder, thus taking control of the entire Demon Empire.

The truth was known only to Hukong.

Following the Great Elder’s wishes, Hukong chose to ally with Wu Ge. However, it was more of a submission to the human race than an alliance.

Wu Ge treated them well, not only allocating land to them but also sending werewolves to teach them modern knowledge.

When Hukong learned that Earth was just a tiny speck in the vast solar system, which in turn was just a dust particle in the universe, he finally realized how narrow his perspective had been.

Having understood this, he finally grasped what Wu Ge’s promise of a planet meant.

“I am Hukong, the commander of the demon race under Earth’s civilization. I will lead the demon race to keep moving forward, continuously forward!” Hukong often said this to his subordinates.

The Fox Immortal was primarily responsible for the demon race’s affairs. Now, the four of them each had their own duties, each with their palaces. Wu Ge’s resembled an office building, Xiao Luo’s a research building, Sister Mei’s a temple, and the Fox Immortal’s a demon palace.

However, the Fox Immortal preferred to stay uninvolved, leaving matters to Hukong.

Wu Ge also didn’t have much time to manage the mechanical worm race, so he delegated their affairs to Chong Feng, the leader of the mechanical worms.

Xiao Luo focused solely on scientific projects, indifferent to the politics of the werewolf race.

Similarly, Sister Mei’s goal was to become stronger.

Under Xiao Chao’s deliberate arrangement, the three races began to converge, no longer separated but intermingling in their respective job positions.

Two hundred years after humanity’s disappearance, Earth’s civilization successfully explored all oceans and colonized the moon. The three major races were collectively known as Earth’s race.

On a battleship, werewolves were responsible for maintenance, mechanical worms for off-ship combat, and demons for operating the ship’s weaponry, significantly enhancing the battleship’s combat effectiveness.

Despite this, Earth’s race was always under the control of Wu Ge and his companions, as their immortality over time garnered more prestige.

Xiao Chao had moved to logistics, still involved in combat but focusing more on construction and production. Scientific research was almost entirely handed over to the werewolf race.

However, from the 200th year onwards, the scientific development of Earth’s civilization almost stagnated. Two hundred years had passed, but the second hundred-year plan was still incomplete, and the third hundred-year plan seemed even more distant. The plan to break out of the solar system within five hundred years appeared increasingly unattainable.