"Never seen a man so eager to haul the dead," one of the Sweepers digging burial pits remarked, watching Li Chen’s retreating figure. Li Chen was, in fact, remarkably motivated for the grisly task. He returned to the battlefield. His comrades from the Junxu Camp couldn't resist a few jabs, teasing that he was a natural-born corpse-hauler. Li Chen just smiled and said nothing. Let them laugh, he thought. They had no idea he was growing stronger with every body he touched. He could endure their mockery in silence. Even in the logistics camp, far from the front lines of the Li Army's assaults, danger was ever-present. An enemy soldier playing dead, a sudden ambush—a single mistake could be fatal. Now that he had this unbelievable opportunity to gain power, Li Chen was determined to seize it. It reminded him of a saying from the military of his past life: the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle. With that principle in mind, Li Chen focused on enhancing all his attributes. This was the capital he needed to survive. He wasn't thinking about promotions or titles; his only goal was to live through his two years of service and return home. What good was being a reincarnator who knew history? He wasn't some prince or nobleman, nor did he come from a powerful clan. What grand ambitions could a man like him possibly have? And while the Li's system of military merit was said to be fair, you still had to put your life on the line to earn it. ’Touched Wu Junxu, gained 5 Strength, 5 Speed, 5 Constitution, 5 Spirit, and 5 Lifespan.’ ’First time collecting from the rank of Junxu, which carries National Destiny. Received one First Order Treasure Chest.’ A prompt appeared on the Scroll. Li Chen’s face lit up. He hadn't expected to gain better attributes from an officer, let alone a Treasure Chest. Was this the jackpot? "Open the Treasure Box," Li Chen commanded under his breath. ’Opened First Order Treasure Chest, obtained one [Inner Armor of Protection].’ A life-saving artifact, Li Chen thought, his heart pounding. I'm putting this on the second I get back. The haul from the Wu Junxu, attributes and armor both, spurred Li Chen on. His eyes scanned the field, now actively searching for the bodies of Wu officers. He hoped to find more of them; their attributes were worth several common Sweepers combined. As he carried another corpse toward the ox cart, his gaze swept his surroundings. Nearby, the commander of Li Chen’s company, Guo Shan, was directing a few men as they cleared another section. They approached a heap of bodies, but as they bent to their task, a pair of eyes within the pile snapped open. The man saw the Li Sweepers closing in, and his hand tightened silently around the hilt of his sword. As the small group of Li Sweepers drew near, the Wu soldier exploded from the pile, his sword thrusting forward. The blade punched clean through an unarmored logistics soldier, who let out a choked scream. With a brutal kick, the Wu soldier sent the man tumbling away, freeing his bloody sword. He then spun and charged the other stunned logistics Sweepers. The sudden violence sent a shockwave through the Sweepers clearing the battlefield. But their commander, Guo Shan, recovered instantly. "Enemy!" he roared, his own sword flashing from its sheath. "Draw your blades! Kill him!" The logistics Sweepers around him rallied, drawing their swords with fire in their eyes. Though they were logistics troops, killing an enemy still earned them merit. Clearing the dead was safer than frontline combat, but it had its own risks, like enemies feigning death. It was a danger, but also a chance for glory. "Kill him!" Guo Shan bellowed again. A dozen Li Sweepers immediately surged toward the lone Wu soldier. Not far away, Li Chen saw the chaos unfold. To play dead for three days, surviving three sweeps of the battlefield… this Wu soldier had incredible patience. After a major battle, the armored Tieshi were the first to clear the field, which meant delivering a final, fatal blow to every fallen enemy to ensure none were faking. After them, the logistics Sweepers performed two more sweeps. For this man to have survived until now was almost unheard of. Li Chen watched as a dozen of his Pao Ze swarmed the man, each one eager to land the killing blow and claim the military merit. He approached slowly, not intending to join the scramble. The Wu soldier’s death seemed a certainty. But Li Chen, and every other Li soldier, had gravely underestimated him. The man’s gaze swept over his attackers, instantly locking onto the commander, Guo Shan, who was directing the fight from the rear. He burst forward. With a single, vicious slash, he cut down the Li soldier in his path, followed with a kick, and charged straight for the commander. This was no ordinary soldier. He knew to kill the officer first. Guo Shan stood his ground, raising his sword to meet the attack. But as their blades met, the Wu soldier moved with stunning speed. He deflected the parry with a sharp jolt of his wrist and lashed out with a kick. Guo Shan cried out as the blow sent him staggering back and crashing to the ground. The Wu soldier’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent. Gripping his sword with both hands, he raised it high and plunged it down toward the fallen Guo Shan. The surrounding Sweepers rushed to intercept, but they were too late. This was bad. An ordinary Wu soldier couldn't move like that. Li Chen knew something was terribly wrong. If he didn't act, the commander who had looked out for him was about to die. He glanced at the sword in his own hand, shifted into a thrower’s stance, and hurled it with all his strength. The blade hissed through the air, flying true. Just as the Wu soldier’s sword was about to fall on Guo Shan… The man’s body shuddered. Pain and disbelief flooded his eyes. He looked down at his chest, where the hilt of a sword now protruded, its blade buried deep within him. The weapon in his hands slipped from his grasp, and he finally staggered and collapsed. In front of him, Guo Shan stared up, saved from the very brink of death. ’Killed Wu Wanjiang, gained 20 Strength, 20 Speed, 20 Constitution, 20 Spirit, and 20 Lifespan.’ ’All attributes have surpassed 200. Received one First Order Treasure Chest.’ Li Chen stared, astonished. A Wu Wanjiang. No wonder he was so fierce. And killing enemies gives attributes too, not just touching corpses. Incredible. All my attributes are over 200 now. At that moment, Guo Shan scrambled back to his feet, still reeling from his brush with death. He knelt to examine the man who had nearly killed him, fumbling at the corpse’s waist until he pulled free a military tag. "Zhang, are you alright?" "That Wu was too ferocious." "He killed two of our brothers," a logistics soldier said, kicking the dead man’s body in anger. "He was no ordinary soldier," Guo Shan said, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the tag in his hand. He looked up at the Sweepers gathered around him and called out, his voice ringing with authority, "Who threw that sword?"

Chapter 2: He Harvested The Fallen