57: Chapter 57 Retreat

Inside an underground fortification where the War Zone Command Headquarters was located.

When Li Chengxi walked into his father's office, he felt a bit nervous.

From childhood to adulthood, nothing good ever came of being summoned by his father; it was either a scolding or a lecture, and he had grown used to it.

But this time was different.

Li Kui was sitting behind his desk, reading a document. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and glanced at his son.

"You're here? Sit."

His tone was unexpectedly calm.

Li Chengxi was stunned for a moment before sitting down on the sofa.

Li Kui put down the document, leaned back in his chair, and looked his son up and down.

"I heard you've been doing well on the front lines?"

Li Chengxi scratched his head. "It's alright, I guess."

"Just alright?"

"Among the patrol areas managed by the Sixth Battalion, your area had relatively few casualties. During the meetings at the Headquarters, several colleagues praised you, saying you did a good job."

Even with Li Chengxi's thick skin, his face suddenly flushed red.

"Dad, don't say that... it's all thanks to the people below me risking their lives..."

"Many people risk their lives, but how many survive?"

"Being able to command so that people survive is where the true skill lies."

"This time, you can consider your mission accomplished."

There was a hint of gratification in Li Kui's voice.

Li Chengxi lowered his head, not knowing what to say.

Since he was a child, his father had rarely praised him.

In that great clan in Yanjing, his cousins were each more outstanding than the last; any one of them could be called a genius.

While he only had a Blue Trait.

That's why his father sent him to the front lines, to start from the grassroots and let his military merits speak for him.

This time, by a stroke of luck, he had actually performed well.

Li Kui looked at his son and suddenly asked:

"Have you spotted any promising prospects?"

Li Chengxi was taken aback.

"You've been on the front lines for so long; are there any particularly outstanding young people under you?" Li Kui explained.

"You're only in the military right now to build your resume. Sooner or later, you'll have to return to Yanjing to compete with your cousins. You can't do it alone; you need your own team."

Li Chengxi understood.

He thought about it, and a certain person's figure appeared in his mind.

"There is one."

"Oh? Who? Tell me about them!"

Li Kui became interested.

Li Chengxi organized his thoughts and said:

"A student from Jiangcheng University named Lin Mo. His files say he has a White Trait, but..."

"A White Trait? Are you sure?"

Li Kui's expression instantly soured, and he glanced at Uncle Zheng beside him.

It was as if he were saying, "My son is naive, but are you as well?"

Li Chengxi panicked and immediately explained:

"He's not an ordinary White Trait Awakener. He... alone, rescued three trapped students from thirty or forty Tier Two Fierce Beasts and two Third-Order Fierce Beasts, and he made it back alive."

Li Kui's eyes narrowed.

"Thirty or forty Tier Twos? Two Tier Threes? By himself?"

"Yes."

"What is his cultivation?"

"He started at Early-stage Tier Two, and later his cultivation approached late-stage tier two. Oh, and Uncle Zheng said his true combat strength is already close to Early-stage Tier Three."

Li Kui was silent for a few seconds.

"Nineteen years old?"

"Yes! Nineteen."

Li Kui stood up and walked to the window, his back to his son.

"A nineteen-year-old Tier Three Awakener—do you know what that means?" Li Kui suddenly asked.

Li Chengxi nodded.

"It means that even in Yanjing, he would be a genius among geniuses."

Li Kui turned around and looked at him:

"This person must be recruited."

Li Chengxi gave a bitter smile. "I know, but he... isn't very easy to talk to."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just..." Li Chengxi scratched his head.

"He doesn't really care about social niceties. I tried to strike up a conversation, but he barely responded."

Li Kui was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

"People with talent always have a temper." He patted his son's shoulder.

"But remember, with this kind of person, if you can't win his heart, you won't win his loyalty. Don't think about using power to pressure him; it won't work."

"If you want him to truly help you, you'll need to put in more effort!"

Li Chengxi nodded.

Li Kui walked back to his desk and took a document out of a drawer.

"The coming period may be very dangerous."

"The Headquarters has received word that those Mimics will be launching a large-scale operation soon. To the south, Wa Country is also restless and might take the opportunity to cause trouble. The current situation is very tense."

He pointed to another section of the document.

"Headquarters has ordered us to incorporate all students into Guerrilla Units and fully open the Military Merit Exchange System. The higher-ups' intention is clear: use this opportunity to cultivate a group of young genius Awakeners."

Li Chengxi's eyes lit up.

"Then I..."

"Stay at the Headquarters for a few days first. Once the situation becomes clearer, you can return to the Sixth Battalion."

Li Chengxi was stunned. "Go back to the Sixth Battalion?"

"Zhou Xiong is getting older. After this campaign, he'll either be promoted or move to the second line."

"You will take over his position and become the Battalion Commander."

Li Chengxi's heart skipped a beat.

Battalion Commander.

Not a vice-commander, not an acting commander, but the official one.

"Dad..."

"Don't get excited too soon," Li Kui interrupted him.

"Sending you to the Sixth Battalion isn't because you're my son, but because your performance this time was indeed good. However, the situation in the Sixth Battalion is more complex than in the Seventh Battalion. The people under Zhou Xiong are not easy to lead. Whether you can hold onto this position will depend on your own ability."

Li Chengxi took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

"I will."

Li Kui looked at him, a trace of a smile finally appearing in his eyes.

"That Lin Mo is in the Seventh Battalion, right?"

"Yes."

"When you take office in the Sixth Battalion, find a way to bring him over." Li Kui patted his shoulder.

"Talent like that is a treasure anywhere. You need to make him feel that following you has a future."

Li Chengxi smiled bitterly.

Make him feel that following him had a future?

Would someone who didn't even give his own Battalion Commander face think that way?

He didn't know.

But he had to try.

...

On the other side.

By this time, Lin Mo had already retreated to the Second Defense Line with his team.

Calling it a "defense line" was an understatement; it was more like a massive military fortress.

The reinforced concrete walls were ten meters high, with a pillbox every fifty meters.

Outside the walls, three rows of barbed wire stretched out for hundreds of meters, with searchlights sweeping back and forth at intervals.

Further away were rolling mountain forests.

That was where they would be heading next.

Lin Mo jumped off the vehicle, his brow furrowed.

Over the past two days, he had been constantly looking for opportunities to kill fierce beasts.

But the harvest was meager.

On the first day, he killed 17 unranked small fry and 3 Tier One Fierce Beasts, totaling 53 slaughter value points.

His luck was a bit better on the second day; he killed 9 Tier One Fierce Beasts and 21 unranked ones, totaling 96 slaughter value points.

Adding them together, it was 149 points for the two days.

Combined with the 340 points he had left before, he now had 489 points.

He was still 511 points away from advancing his new trait, Thunder Armor.

[Current Host Realm: Tier Two, Sixth Level. It is recommended to kill Tier Two and above Fierce Beasts to obtain full slaughter value. Killing Tier One or lower Fierce Beasts will result in an 80% reduction in slaughter value.]

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