At Guo Shan’s shout, the surrounding Sweepers turned as one, their gazes landing on Li Chen, who stood nearly a hundred feet away. Realizing what had happened, Guo Shan burst into a ragged laugh. "Li Chen, you little bastard, that was one hell of a throw! That dog almost sent me to see Yanluo Li." "It’s good that you’re alive, Senior Captain," Li Chen replied with a chuckle. "I’ll get back to carrying the bodies." He was still reveling in the thrill of his attributes all breaking the two-hundred mark. He had also received a Treasure Box as a reward, and he planned to find a quiet place to open it later. "Mr. Li," Guo Shan called out, his tone sharp with annoyance. "Stand right there. Do you have any idea who you just killed?" "Senior Captain, wasn't it just a particularly vicious Wu soldier? Who else could it be?" The other Sweepers glanced at Guo Shan in confusion. The dead Wu soldier wore ordinary battle armor and had no insignia to distinguish him from the thousands of other corpses. Li Chen stopped and turned back to face Guo Shan. The Scroll already told me he was a Wanjiang of the Wu army, he thought. But from Guo Shan's reaction, could this Wanjiang have some incredible identity? Guo Shan held up a military token, his voice booming with laughter. "This man is Bao Chong, the son of Wu’s Da Jiangjun, Bao Xuan! He once commanded tens of thousands to guard the Wu Border. Our Li army broke through their lines, but we never managed to capture him. To think he’d be playing dead in a pile of corpses." "Li Chen, you've achieved a great merit," he continued, his voice ringing with excitement. "You've killed a general! And not just any general—the son of Wu's Da Jiangjun, Bao Xuan!" Guo Shan then tossed the military token to Li Chen. Li Chen caught it and examined the name etched in Wu characters: Bao Chong. On the battlefield, a military token was the only certain proof of identity. Despite Guo Shan's stunning announcement, Li Chen remained calm. The Sweepers around them, however, were speechless. "The Wu Border commander… killed by Li Chen, just like that?" "This is a monumental achievement!" "A military merit like this will see him rise three ranks, won't it?" "Killing a general… he won't just be promoted, he'll be ennobled, right?" Envious glances fell on Li Chen from all sides. Who among them wouldn’t kill for such an honor? In the Li Army, Sweepers who fought on the front lines were known as Tieshi. Simply for participating in a battle, they were granted a first-rank title of nobility. Rearguard Sweepers, however, were not entitled to nobility and earned only half the annual salary of a Iron Warrior. It was a clear case of risk versus reward; Tieshi put their lives on the line, while the logistics corps faced far less danger. "Aren't you even a little bit happy, you rascal?" Guo Shan asked, walking over to the composed Li Chen with a bewildered look. "Senior Captain," Li Chen said with a small smile, handing the token back. "I just acted on instinct to save you. I wasn't thinking about anything else. You nearly died; you should get some rest. I'm going back to carrying bodies." He then turned and walked back toward his work. I might as well use this time to carry a few more bodies and collect more attributes. As for the rewards for killing a general, Li Chen was genuinely less enthusiastic about them than he was about improving his stats. "You rascal," Guo Shan said with a helpless smile as he watched Li Chen walk away. His eyes, however, were filled with gratitude. If not for Li Chen's perfectly aimed sword, he would truly be meeting Yanluo Li right now. How could Guo Shan not be grateful to the man who had saved his life? "A few of you, over here!" Guo Shan commanded loudly. "Lift Bao Chong’s body. We’re taking this to the Junxu." Several Sweepers hurried to comply, hoisting the corpse onto their shoulders. Guo Shan then led them away to report to their superior. "There might be more survivors!" "Search carefully! Maybe we can find a great merit for ourselves!" Watching Guo Shan depart, the other Sweepers grew restless. They began eagerly combing through the piles of corpses, hoping to stumble upon another prize like Bao Chong. Meanwhile, Li Chen, the man who had actually killed the general, was dutifully carrying corpses while checking his Attribute Scroll. Strength: 316 (The stronger you are, the greater the force you can unleash.) Speed: 206 (The higher the number, the faster you are.) Constitution: 208 (The stronger your constitution, the faster your injury recovery and the more inexhaustible your stamina.) Spirit: 201 (The stronger your spirit, the clearer your mind and thoughts. When it reaches a certain level, you can sense nature’s spiritual energy.) Lifespan: 86 years and 68 days Portable Space: 2 cubic meters A single punch from me now has over three hundred pounds of force. I could kill a man with one blow. My speed is at two hundred and six, twice that of a normal person. And this Constitution… does it affect things like kidney function? If it gets to a thousand, would I have the legendary Golden Kidneys?! And Spirit… it says I can sense nature’s spiritual energy. In my past life, I read countless novels where cultivation required spiritual energy. Does this mean I’ll be able to cultivate in the future? The Corpse-Carrying Soldier… what a fantastic job! Looking at his current attributes, Li Chen was filled with pure delight. This was all the motivation he needed to keep carrying corpses. In the Da Jiangjun’s main camp, the war effort was in full swing. For the current campaign to annihilate Wu, Yanluo Li Wuji of Li had issued an imperial edict ordering the entire Feiyun Camp to march. The main general, Li Tengfei, led an army of a hundred thousand on the attack, while Da Jiangjun Li He personally oversaw the war from the Yan-Chu Border. "Father," Li Ben, one of Feiyun Camp’s leading generals, reported excitedly as he stood before a map of Wu. "The war is progressing swiftly. General Li Tengfei has already reached Yangcheng. Within three months, Wu will be no more." "Wu has a small territory and an army of merely one hundred thousand. Do you know why the Great King mobilized the entire Feiyun Camp?" Li He asked with a faint smile. "The Great King’s strategy has long been aimed at unifying the world," Li Ben replied instantly. "Annihilating Wu requires only the strength of one of our main divisions, but defending against Li and Guo requires the full might of the Feiyun Camp." "It is good that you understand," Li He said, his expression turning grave. "Li could have wiped out Wu years ago. We waited until now to strike when they least expected it." Just then, a voice called out from beyond the tent flaps. "Report!" A trusted aide rushed into the tent. "Reporting to the Da Jiangjun, the Rearguard Army has just sent good news." "Speak," Li He gestured. "The Rearguard Army found Bao Chong," the aide reported respectfully. "The body is just outside." "Four days… we’ve finally found him," Li He said, rising to his feet at once. "Let’s go take a look." Li Ben followed close behind him. Outside the tent, Bao Chong’s body was laid on a stretcher, a blood-stained sword still embedded in his chest. Upon seeing the corpse, Li He’s sharp eyes immediately noticed that the bloodstains were not yet dry. This was not a man who had been dead for days. "Da Jiangjun, this is a Junxu from the Rearguard Army," an aide said, gesturing to the man who had delivered the body. "It was his Junxu Camp that discovered Bao Chong." "Who killed Bao Chong?" Li He asked the Junxu directly. "Reporting to the Da Jiangjun," the Junxu replied without hesitation. "It was a logistics soldier from my Junxu Camp."

Chapter 3: A Fateful, Unknowing Throw