47: Chapter 47 The Correct Way to Use In-Game Credits

Battalion Commander Zhao Meng took a full three minutes to recover from his petrified state.

He looked at the soldiers rolling on the ground, then back at the calm and collected Li Zhengyang, feeling as if his worldview had been pinned to the ground and rubbed against it repeatedly.

One person, one hand, ten minutes—he had taken down the entire battalion of troublemakers he was so proud of.

Is this something a human is even capable of?

This wasn't just a matter of a gap in strength; this was species isolation.

"What are you still standing there for! Get up, all of you!" Battalion Commander Zhao Meng snapped back to reality and roared at the people on the ground.

Wang Hu was the first to struggle to his feet. Clutching his numb neck, he walked up to Li Zhengyang, clicked his heels together, and bowed his head sharply.

"Deputy Battalion Commander! I, Wang Hu, am convinced! From now on, if you say go east, I will never go west!"

There was no longer a shred of defiance in his voice, only pure awe.

"We're all convinced!"

"Deputy Battalion Commander is awesome!"

The others also crawled up one after another, their gazes toward Li Zhengyang having completely changed.

In the military camp, might makes right.

Li Zhengyang had won the respect of this group of arrogant and fierce soldiers in the most direct way possible.

"Did you all hear that?" Li Zhengyang looked at them.

"We heard you!" Hundreds of people roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

"From now on, when we go on missions, you get forty percent of the spoils!" Wang Hu shouted, taking the lead.

"No, you can take it all!"

"That's right! We'll work for you!"

Li Zhengyang waved his hand, signaling them to be quiet.

"Rules are rules. Forty percent. Not a penny more, not a penny less."

He paused and added, "Of course, if any of you make any particularly valuable private discoveries, you can sell them to me separately. The price will be fair."

Everyone: "……"

Is this Deputy Battalion Commander a bit too obsessed with money?

"Battalion Commander Zhao." Li Zhengyang turned to Battalion Commander Zhao Meng.

"Here! What are your orders, Deputy Battalion Commander?" Battalion Commander Zhao Meng jumped, standing at attention.

"Arrange a place for me to stay. It needs to be quiet, the largest one you have."

"Understood! I'll vacate my own battalion commander's quarters for you immediately!" Battalion Commander Zhao Meng promised, patting his chest.

"No need." Li Zhengyang shook his head. "I'll just stay next door to you. Also, send me a list of A-rank and S-rank missions for Fortress No. 7. I want the latest ones."

"S-rank?" Battalion Commander Zhao Meng gasped.

A-rank missions were already high-risk tasks that required an entire squad to risk life and limb to complete.

S-rank missions were basically suicide missions.

The entire Fortress No. 7 might not even issue one in a year. Behind every S-rank mission lay a massive crisis capable of threatening the safety of the fortress.

This guy, on his very first day here, wants to challenge an S-rank mission?

"Any problems?"

"No problems! I'll get it done right away!" Battalion Commander Zhao Meng turned and ran, afraid of being even a second too slow.

That evening.

Li Zhengyang moved into the largest independent dormitory in the camp.

He sat cross-legged on the bed with his personal communication terminal on the table in front of him. On the screen was the mission list that Battalion Commander Zhao Meng had just sent.

There were over a dozen A-rank missions, most of which involved hunting groups of Level 5 Demonic Beasts or conducting reconnaissance deep into a dangerous area of the Northern Wilderness.

As for S-rank missions, there was only one.

[ S001: Investigate the Abnormal Energy Fluctuations at Black Wind Pass ]

[ Mission Description: Recently, high-intensity, unstable spatial energy fluctuations have appeared in the Black Wind Pass region, 120 kilometers away from the fortress. According to the preliminary assessment by the Military Region Academy of Sciences, it is possible that a new spatial rift is forming, or that a high-level demonic beast is conducting some unknown ritual. ]

[ Mission Requirements: Penetrate into the central area of Black Wind Pass, identify the source of the energy fluctuations, and bring back relevant data or samples. ]

[ Mission Rating: Extremely Dangerous. There may be creatures above Level 6 in the area. ]

[ Mission Reward: Base reward of 3 million. No upper limit depending on the value of the intelligence brought back. Additional reward: 100,000 Military Merit Points. ]

A base reward of 3 million.

Li Zhengyang's eyes lit up.

As for the danger?

He was currently a Level 1 Martial King; as long as he didn't run into a demonic beast above Level 7, he had more than enough strength to protect himself.

What's more, he had the system.

As long as he had money, he could become infinitely stronger.

He glanced at his account balance.

[ Account Balance: 0 Yuan ]

He was broke.

He hesitated for a moment.

He had to raise his strength to the maximum before setting off.

But where would the money come from?

Li Zhengyang's gaze fell on the three items he had picked from the Military Region's resource repository.

He had already learned the "Indestructible Golden Body" cultivation technique. A piece of Level 5 Earth Dragon Essence. A bottle of Martial Master-level Condensation Pills. The market value of these two items combined was about 1.6 million.

Sell them?

To whom? Selling such high-end goods openly in the fortress would attract too much attention.

Li Zhengyang tapped his fingers on the table, his mind racing. Suddenly, he thought of someone. Commander Xiao Ding.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Border Military Region. That old fox who had given him a 5 million bonus and let him pick whatever he wanted from the resource repository.

Li Zhengyang picked up the encrypted communicator and dialed Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan's number directly.

"Hello? Li Zhengyang? What is it this late?" Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan's voice sounded a bit weary.

"Chief of Staff Zhang, I want to make a deal with Commander Xiao Ding."

Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan was stunned. "What kind of deal?"

"I have two items in my possession: the Earth Dragon Essence and the Condensation Pills. I want to sell them to the Military Region." Li Zhengyang stated directly.

Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan fell silent on the other end. The Earth Dragon Essence and the Condensation Pills—weren't those the items the Military Region had just "rewarded" him with? This kid was turning around and selling them back to the Military Region? What kind of move was this?

"These two items were awarded to you by the Military Region and are your private property. If you want to sell them, we have no right to interfere. But… are you sure you want to sell? These are good items that are priceless and hard to find; they are very useful for consolidating your cultivation realm."

"I need money." Li Zhengyang's reason was simple and blunt.

Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan was choked up for a moment; he felt his train of thought couldn't quite keep up with this young man.

"How much do you want to sell them for?"

"At market price, 1.6 million."

"Wait a moment, I need to report to the Commander." Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan hung up the communication.

In less than five minutes, the communicator rang again.

"The Commander has agreed." Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan's voice sounded very strange. "The money will be transferred to your account immediately. As for the items… the Commander said you should keep them for now, as if the Military Region is temporarily storing them with you."

Li Zhengyang was stunned. The money is paid, and he doesn't even have to hand over the items? What does this mean?

"Commander Xiao Ding's exact words were," Chief of Staff Zhang Yuan cleared his throat and imitated Commander Xiao Ding's tone, "'Tell that kid, the Military Region doesn't take advantage of the younger generation. This money is considered a loan from the Military Region; whenever he strikes it rich, he can just return the items. By the way, tell him that Black Wind Pass is a wicked place, so he shouldn't lose his life there.'"

Li Zhengyang held the communicator and fell silent. He suddenly understood.

Commander Xiao Ding, this four-star general, had known from the very beginning that he was short on money. From the bonus for the selection tournament to the treasures in the resource repository, and now this "loan." This big shot was investing in him in a way he couldn't refuse.

[ Received: 1,600,000 Yuan ]

The phone screen lit up. Looking at the 1.6 million balance in his account, Li Zhengyang took a deep breath.

"System, top up."