Chapter 41: Truth Revealed
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The group entered a muddy, war-torn camp filled with displaced refugees. The atmosphere was grim—people huddled around small fires, children cried from hunger, and wounded soldiers lay on makeshift cots.
Lin Chen's improved mental awareness allowed him to sense the hidden despair in every heart. He could also detect the mechanical movements of distant German patrols before anyone else noticed them.
A Native American man approached from the shadows. This was Chief Napi, the smuggler Steve had mentioned.
Chief looked at Steve and nodded, but his eyes fixed suspiciously on Lin Chen. "You brought a lot of noise with you, Steve. And who is this man? He walks like he doesn't feel the weight of war."
Lin Chen scanned the camp carefully. "Nice to meet you, Napi."
Chief raised an eyebrow at the use of his name, but said nothing more.
As they sat by the fire, Chief explained how the war had destroyed the land and displaced his people. Diana, seeing the suffering all around her, became more convinced that killing Ludendorff would end all of this.
"The people are dying because the God of War has poisoned their hearts," Diana said firmly. "We must find the front lines immediately."
Steve shook his head. "Diana, it's not that simple. There's No Man's Land between the trenches. It's a complete stalemate. No one has crossed it in over a year."
Lin Chen stood up, his presence commanding attention. "It's only a stalemate because they haven't seen what real warriors can do. Steve, you worry about the maps. Diana and I will be the hammer that breaks the line."
Diana looked at Lin Chen, her warrior spirit responding to his confidence. "You talk as if the bullets cannot touch you."
"The bullets won't be hitting me, Diana," Lin Chen replied with a slight grin. "I'll be hitting them. We move at dawn."
Chief spoke quietly to Diana. "My people are gone. The white man took everything. There is no 'good' side in this war. Only different kinds of evil."
Lin Chen placed a hand on Chief's shoulder. "The land remembers, Chief. We're going to give the land a reason to breathe again." He turned to Diana. "Don't let the complexity of their sins distract you. Stay pure in your purpose."
Diana grasped Lin Chen's arm. "You see the world so clearly, Lin Chen. Even my mother did not see the layers of this conflict as you do."
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The group headed toward the village of Veld, which meant crossing the infamous No Man's Land—a stretch of muddy, cratered wasteland between the British and German trenches.
Lin Chen and Diana stood at the edge of the British trenches. The air was thick with mud, smoke, and the deafening sound of machine gun fire. Even with his enhanced speed, Lin Chen knew he couldn't dodge every bullet in such a concentrated zone of fire. His physique wasn't bulletproof like Superman, and he didn't have Diana magical bracelets—he needed a strategy.
The British soldiers watched in horror as Diana began climbing the ladder out of the trench.
Steve said. "It's a stalemate! You can't cross that—it's suicide!"
Lin Chen's eyes were sharp and focused. "The stalemate ends today. Diana, go. I'll be your cover."
Diana leaped onto the field, immediately drawing fire. Her bracelets hummed as she deflected the initial rounds, but the volume of fire increased dramatically. Dozens of German machine guns opened up simultaneously.
Lin Chen spotted a German tank—a massive steel beast—bogged down in a crater nearby. Its engine was dead, but its armor was still intact.
Lin Chen grinned. "I need a shield first."
With a burst of speed, he reached the tank in seconds. He plunged his fingers into the thick steel of the front armor plate. With a roar of effort, he used his 28-ton strength to tear the front armor plating completely off the chassis as if it were cardboard.
He gripped the edges of the massive steel plate and, with tremendous force, folded it over his arm to create a makeshift tower shield that weighed several tons.
Lin Chen slammed the massive steel plate into the mud directly in front of Diana just as a heavy machine gun nest opened fire. Hundreds of bullets thudded harmlessly into the thick tank armor.
Diana looked back in awe. "Lin Chen! How do you have so much strength? I have never seen a man with this much power!"
"Don't ask now, Diana!" Lin Chen shouted over the gunfire. "Just keep moving!"
They moved forward in a deadly, synchronized dance. Lin Chen acted as the "Unstoppable Wall," using the tank plate to absorb hundreds of rounds while Diana followed behind, deflecting any shots that came from the sides.
They moved closer and closer to the German trenches.
"Now! Diana!" Lin Chen shouted.
He tilted the heavy plate at an angle. Diana leaped from behind him, using her superhuman agility to vault over the shield. Her sword cleaved through a barbed-wire entanglement as if it were string.
[STRENGTH +3.3 TONS]
[SPEED +1.2 m/s]
[PHYSIQUE +5]
They reached the German frontline. Lin Chen didn't drop the shield—he weaponized it. He slammed the folded tank plate directly into a machine gun nest, crushing the entire emplacement instantly, along with the soldiers manning it.
He then drew his sword. His speed made his blade a silver blur in the cramped trenches as he cut through enemy positions with surgical precision.
[PHYSIQUE +4.5]
Diana was equally devastating, cutting through groups of soldiers with her sword and shield. "I never thought there would be a man who could keep pace with me!"
[SPEED +0.7 m/s]
Lin Chen sheathed his sword after dispatching another group with a flurry of strikes. "I told you, Diana—I'm not 'any man.' I'm the one who helps good people."
Diana sheathed her own sword and looked at him, breathless and exhilarated. "Steve said this was 'No Man's Land.' He was right. This is land for warriors like us."
With the machine guns silenced, British troops flooded into No Man's Land and pushed toward the village. Lin Chen, moving at incredible speed, cleared the clock tower of snipers single-handedly.
Diana stood in the village square, watching the grateful villagers emerge from hiding. "We did it."
Lin Chen approached her side. "For now. But keep your guard up. This isn't over yet."
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As night fell, the village held a spontaneous celebration. Music played, people danced, and for a brief moment, the war felt distant.
Sameer approached with his camera. "A photo to remember the heroes of Veld! Come, stand together!"
Lin Chen stood beside Diana for the photograph, his hand resting gently on her shoulder.
Later, as the celebration continued, Lin Chen approached Diana. "They're playing music... it's a dance. Would you like to—"
Diana looked at him curiously. "Is this another 'custom' of man's world?"
"It's how we celebrate being alive," Lin Chen said with a smile. "Just follow my lead."
He took Diana's hand and led her into a slow, rhythmic dance. She moved with grace, though clearly unfamiliar with the custom.
"You fought like a goddess today," Lin Chen said quietly. "Most men would be intimidated, but I... I find it beautiful."
Diana's expression softened. "You are the first to say so. On Themyscira, we are all warriors. Here, I am a 'spectacle.' Except to you."
"That's because I see you for what you really are—the soul of this world's hope," Lin Chen replied.
Diana moved closer, her voice soft. "Is this another battle? One of slow movements and close quarters?"
"In a way," Lin Chen said gently. "It's a battle against the cold. Just move with me."
As they swayed together, Lin Chen felt the slight tension in her shoulders. He pulled her slightly closer, his strength tempered into a gentle, protective hold.
"You've spent your whole life training to be a weapon, Diana. But tonight, you're just a woman. Can you let yourself feel that?"
Diana looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. "With you, I do."
Lin Chen's voice dropped to a whisper. "Diana...! I think I have that fire for you."
The music swelled around them. Diana leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling his warmth against the cold winter air. She pulled back slightly, her gaze dropping to his lips and then back to his eyes.
"My mother said the world of men was heartless. She was wrong. It is only heartless if you have no one to share your heart with."
"I'm not leaving you, Diana," Lin Chen said firmly. "Not ever."
Diana reached up, her fingers tracing his jawline. She closed the distance between them, and they kissed—a deep, lingering connection that felt like the collision of two worlds finding perfect harmony.
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They retreated from the cold to a small, candlelit room in the village inn. The roar of the distant front lines was muffled by thick stone walls.
Diana untied the cloak of her armor. "Clio wrote that men were unnecessary for pleasure. I think... I would like to prove her wrong tonight. With you."
Lin Chen set aside his sword. "Then let's forget about everyone else. Tonight, there is only us."
They spent the night together, forging a bond not just through blood on the battlefield, but through the intimacy of two warriors finding peace in each other.
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The next morning, Lin Chen and Diana dressed and rejoined the group. Steve had gathered intelligence about a gala being held by General Ludendorff at a nearby manor.
"Ludendorff will be there," Steve explained. "It's our chance to get close to him."
Diana gripped her sword tightly, her eyes burning with determination.
Lin Chen spoke up. "Listen to me carefully. The gala is a distraction. Ludendorff doesn't just want to celebrate—he wants to test his new gas on Veld. He's going to order a strike on the village while we're inside at the party."
Steve looked skeptical. "How could you possibly know that?"
"That's not important, Steve," Lin Chen said firmly. "What matters is I'm certain. The gala is a trap to keep us busy while the village burns. We're not going to the party, Diana. We're going straight to the source—the artillery battery."
Diana's hand moved to the hilt of her sword. "Lead the way."
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Lin Chen and Diana moved through the forest at a pace no ordinary human could follow. Lin Chen led the way, his feet barely touching the muddy ground, while Diana kept pace beside him, her speed nearly matching his.
They arrived at a ridge overlooking a German artillery battery just as Ludendorff's signal flare hissed into the night sky.
Lin Chen pointed. "There. Three heavy mortars. If they fire, Veld is gone. I'll take the left two. You take the center and the commander."
Diana smiled grimly. "With pleasure."
Below them, the German commander dropped his hand. "Feuer!" (Fire!)
Before the firing pins could strike the shells, Lin Chen moved like a hurricane. He arrived at the first mortar in an instant. Using his tremendous strength, he grabbed the entire heavy iron baseplate and ripped it out of the earth. He swung the three-ton weapon like a club, slamming it into the second mortar and crushing both machines into mangled heaps of steel before they could launch a single shell.
On the other side, Diana was a blur of motion. She slid under the third mortar's barrel, using her shield to deflect panicked machine gun fire. In one fluid motion, she stood and cleaved the artillery barrel cleanly in two with her sword.
General Ludendorff, who had come personally to witness the "triumph" of his gas weapon, stared in horror from his armored car. He scrambled for a gas grenade, but Lin Chen was suddenly standing right beside him.
"You're late for your own execution, General," Lin Chen said, his voice low and dangerous.
Lin Chen reached out and crushed Ludendorff's pistol while it was still in the General's hand, the metal folding like tin foil. He then grabbed Ludendorff and tossed him toward Diana.
Diana pointed her sword at Ludendorff's throat. "You intended to slaughter innocents as a test? You truly are the God of War."
Ludendorff's eyes widened with genuine confusion. "I am just a soldier! I serve Germany!"
Diana, convinced he was lying, drove her sword through his chest. Ludendorff gasped and died.
With the gas shells neutralized and the battery destroyed, the village of Veld remained peaceful in the distance.
But Diana heard continued sounds of war—distant explosions, gunfire, screams.
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Diana stood over Ludendorff's body, confusion and despair spreading across her face. "I killed him. I killed Ares... but why do they still fight? Why hasn't the darkness left their hearts?"
Lin Chen walked toward her slowly. "Because you didn't kill a god, Diana. You killed a puppet. Ludendorff was just a man fueled by pride and a little bit of chemistry."
"No..." Diana's voice trembled. "My mother said... the God of War would be the one behind the slaughter and bloodshed."
Lin Chen took her hand gently. "He is behind it. But Ares isn't a brawling general in a muddy uniform. He's the man who whispers 'peace' while ensuring the fires of war never go out. He's the one who convinced the world that negotiation is better than action—that the armistice should be delayed, that one more battle won't matter."
Diana's eyes widened with sudden realization. "Sir Patrick..."
"Exactly," Lin Chen confirmed. "Sir Patrick Morgan. The man who 'funded' our mission. He didn't do it to help us win—he did it to watch the struggle. He wanted to see if the 'God-Killer' was actually a threat to him. He's been watching us this whole time."
Diana gripped her sword, her voice trembling with betrayal and fury. "He sat in that room... he spoke of armistice while men died. He is the snake in the garden."
"He's at the airfield right now, Diana," Lin Chen said. "He's preparing to let the final gas shipment leave so the war continues forever."
Diana looked at Lin Chen with intense focus. "You knew this. You've known since London."
"I needed you to see that humans can choose this path of war themselves, even without a god's push," Lin Chen explained. "But now that you know the truth, we don't just stop a gas plane. We end the God of War."
Diana stood tall, her entire body radiating determination. "Then If he is a god, then he will meet the beings he failed to calculate."
Lin Chen checked his current stats mentally. "I'll clear the path to the airfield. You save your strength for the 'brother' you're about to execute."
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They arrived at the military airfield as dawn began to break. German soldiers were loading gas canisters onto a massive bomber plane.
Diana's sharp eyes spotted Sir Patrick Morgan standing calmly on an observation platform, watching the preparations.
Their eyes met across the distance. Patrick saw the anger and determination burning in Diana's gaze.
He smiled sadly, walking toward them without fear.
"Diana," Patrick said gently. "You've finally understood."
Diana's voice was cold. "You are Ares. The God of War. The destroyer of peace."
Ares still remained his elderly human appearance.
"Yes! I am Ares," he confirmed. "But I am not the destroyer of peace, Diana. I am merely the one who shows humanity what they truly are—violent, hateful, destructive creatures who need only the slightest push to slaughter each other."
He gestured toward the battlefield in the distance. "Look at them. I gave them the idea for gas, yes. But they perfected it with enthusiasm. They built the weapons, trained the soldiers, declared the wars. I didn't force them. I simply... inspired them."
Ares extended his hand toward Diana. "Join me, together we can wipe this corrupt species from existence and create a true paradise. A world of gods, not men."
Diana's eyes blazed with righteous fury. "I will never help you kill billions of innocents! Humanity deserves a chance to be better!"
"Then you choose to protect those who will inevitably destroy themselves," Ares said coldly. "So be it."
Diana raised her shield and drew her sword.
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