55: Chapter 55: The two basic skills training shocked the entire audience; this is the ultimate troop production!

Spark Legion Supreme Command.

Inside the circular conference room, the atmosphere had dropped to freezing point.

Twelve high-ranking deities clad in general's uniforms sat around a holographic projection table.

This was a closed-door meeting regarding resource allocation for the "Dark Night Sequence."

"Bang!"

Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai, the military Chief of Staff representing the interests of the provincial capital's great families, slammed his palm onto the alloy tabletop.

"Commander Xiao, I didn't stop you when you gave that commoner high schooler named Lin Yuan an S-rank special approval."

"But he's just a student who hasn't even graduated yet, and now you want to forcibly allocate another three hundred million faith points to him from the frontline military budget?"

Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai's face was ashen as he stared at Commander Xiao Lie in the head seat. "He just crushed a few newbies in a war chess sandbox; he doesn't deserve this kind of strategic-level investment!"

"He doesn't deserve it?"

Xiao Lie sat at the head of the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface.

He didn't get angry; he simply gave a cold laugh and casually flicked a data file onto the central holographic screen.

"See for yourself."

The screen lit up.

It was playing the recording of Lin Yuan's final match in starry sky war chess.

Under the vast starry sky, ten Platinum-peak warriors formed a battle formation.

Transcendent-grade lightsabers swept across the stars, and two thousand Tyrant Demons were instantly reduced to ashes.

Seeing this, Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai snorted coldly. "Completely powerless to fight back. This is the strategic-level you mentioned..."

Before he could finish, his voice caught in his throat.

On the screen, that Tyrant burning with dark-gold divine fire withstood the Transcendent sword qi and soared into the sky.

It vanished into the shadows, forcibly closed the distance, and with one punch, knocked back the fully armed Platinum-peak deity.

In the conference room, several high-ranking deities who had been resting with their eyes closed opened them simultaneously.

"Such defensive power, such recovery... and that stealth ability that ignores light and shadow."

An old man with lieutenant general insignia on his shoulders leaned forward slightly, his gaze narrowing. "This is definitely no goblin variant."

The old man looked at Xiao Lie. "Madman Xiao, did you give him those two blueprints?"

"That's right." Xiao Lie nodded frankly, his eyes scanning the room. "The genetic maps for the [Behemoth Titan] and the [Void Shadow Lurker]."

A collective gasp echoed through the room.

"His F-rank Wasteland Divine Domain can actually carry a dual genetic chain without collapsing from assimilation?" Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"The facts are right before your eyes. Not only did he carry it, but he also perfectly fused them into a freakish unit with a dual-line evolution."

Xiao Lie stood up, his hands pressing down on the table, his oppressive aura bearing down on Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai.

"Look closely. These monsters don't need fine equipment, and they don't need high-level potions."

"They eat metallic wreckage and drink acidic toxic water! As long as there are corpses on the battlefield, they have infinite endurance."

"With this kind of ultimate troop surge and low-consumption, high-yield war potential, which of the pampered children of the great families under your command—raised on high-level resources every day—could achieve this?"

Xiao Lie's voice rose, echoing in the conference room like a great bronze bell.

"When the day of the full-scale Abyss invasion truly arrives, do you expect those young masters in their shiny, glamorous armor to throw away their lives?"

"No! The ones who can stand at the very front are these mad dogs who can bite the enemy to death as long as they have a mouthful of shit to eat!"

The conference room fell into a dead silence.

The words were crude but the logic was sound; the military always valued efficiency above all else.

"So, I'm not just going to approve those three hundred million for him." Xiao Lie waved his hand grandly. "In addition, I'm going to allocate that thing captured from the Sector Six frontline to him!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the room erupted in an uproar.

"Absolutely not!" Chief of Staff Zhao Donghai cried out in shock. "That [Mother Tree Residual Root] is an extremely dangerous source of pollution! Giving it to a high school student—do you want to destroy his Divine Domain?"

"His Divine Domain is already rotten to the core; what's he afraid of pollution for?" Xiao Lie snorted. "I've made the decision. Who's in favor, and who's against?"

The twelve generals looked at each other.

Faced with the forceful Xiao Lie and Lin Yuan's impeccable combat data...

In the end, no one raised their hand.

The resource allocation proposal passed unanimously.

...

On the other side, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on the sofa, a virtual screen floating before him.

He was currently haggling with a buyer in the anonymous trading area of the Star Net.

[Tianhai No.1 Deep Affection]: Brother, listing this [Gold-grade Environment Card: Bountiful Lush Grassland] for twenty million is way too greedy, isn't it?

The market isn't great right now. Let's make it ten million and call it a friendship price.

Setting facts aside, this card just has a nice name; its actual combat bonuses are mediocre.

[Yuan]: If we aren't talking facts, what are we talking about? Your mother's love life? Twenty million, not a penny less, or just get lost.

I can hear your calculator clicking all the way from Jiang City.

[Tianhai No.1 Deep Affection]: ...Hey, no need for insults! I really want it.

But you noted that you want to trade for Abyss Ore and high-level mechanical wreckage; that stuff is extremely niche.

How about this: I'll trade you an equivalent top-tier Water-type environment card.

[Yuan]: What do I want a Water card for? To take a bath? Nineteen million worth of metal is my final bottom line. If you won't trade, I'm putting it on the auction house.

The other side was silent for a full five minutes.

[Tianhai No.1 Deep Affection]: Deal! You're ruthless. I'll send the items through military encrypted logistics.

"Ding."

The system notification sounded; the transaction was complete.

Lin Yuan looked at the mountain-like pile of [Silver-grade Abyss Wolfram Ore] that had appeared in his personal warehouse...

...and the thousands of units of [Scrapped Heavy Armored Self-Propelled Artillery Wreckage], then cut the connection.

Now, the rations for the living casting mother nest were secured.

Just as he was about to sink his consciousness to transport these materials into his Divine Domain...

"Beep—Spark Legion Supreme Authority access established."

The terminal emitted a notification sound, and a massive sum of funds was deposited into his account.

[System Notification: Three hundred million faith points in military special support funds have been credited.]

[System Notification: Spark Logistics (SSS-rank encryption) has delivered a specially packaged card to your villa's receiving bay.]

Lin Yuan paused.

Five hundred million?

As he was wondering, light and shadow intertwined above the terminal, and Xiao Lie's virtual image was projected.

The iron-blooded commander looked at Lin Yuan and smiled with satisfaction.

"Good job, kid." Xiao Lie got straight to the point. "I saw your recording in the war chess. That Gold-rank Tyrant had a bit of my style from back in the day."

"That performance shut the mouths of those old fogies at headquarters."

"Three hundred million?" Lin Yuan went straight to the core.

"That's your sprint funding for the Great Exam."

"No matter how well you play starry sky war chess, that's just virtual data."

"The Streaming Exam in half a month will be a real fight with live ammunition, broadcasted across the entire province."

"This money is enough for you to double the number of monsters under your command." Xiao Lie paused. "However, this money is just a bonus."

A bonus?

Three hundred million faith points were called a bonus?

Lin Yuan's brow twitched slightly as he walked to the villa's metal receiving bay.

The bay door opened.

Inside lay a lead box covered in golden sealing runes.

Even through the seal, Lin Yuan could still feel a heart-palpitating aura of madness surging inside the lead box.

"This is the true ecological core the military is giving you." Xiao Lie's expression became serious.