The Failures' Ambush

Spies.

Upon hearing that word, Li Qi's eyes flashed with understanding.

He looked up at Bolent. After a brief hesitation, he opened the documents Bolent had handed him and began examining the files inside.

The file contained someone's identity records.

His name was Yani Nonatas, a member of the old aristocratic Nonatas Family of the Kingdom of Inglis.

He was the same age as Li Qi, and even looked similar to him.

However, the photograph in the file showed him as a child, so he looked quite different from Li Qi.

Only after seeing the identity records in his hands did Li Qi finally understand why Bolent had sought him out.

It had nothing to do with the Combat Medal, nor with his heroic aptitude. It was simply because Li Qi resembled the person in the file.

Bolent wanted someone to enter Inglis and become his spy, and Li Qi was the person he had chosen.

After realizing this, Li Qi instead felt relieved.

Fortunately, as long as he wasn't being kind to me for no reason, it was fine.

If Bolent's goodwill toward him was because he wanted Li Qi to do something dangerous, then Li Qi could actually feel much more at ease.

At least a clearly priced transaction was easier to accept than kindness without a reason.

After reading the file, Li Qi smiled.

"So, when you said you wanted me to go to Inglis to 'study abroad,' this was what you meant."

Seeing Li Qi's smile, Bolent raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean you're willing to become my spy? I thought you would refuse."

"If this weren't wartime, I would indeed refuse... But compared to going to the front line, being a spy should at least be safer for me."

Li Qi spoke honestly.

There was nothing worth hiding about being afraid of death, and Li Qi had never intended to hide that fact.

Although even if he died, he could probably reincarnate without trouble.

After all, only by exposing his weakness could he make people feel that he was easier to control.

Moreover, only by doing so could Li Qi avoid fighting desperately on the front line as much as possible.

Perhaps this would lower the opinion the higher-ups had of him, but Li Qi did not care about that.

He had only two goals in this world. The first was to live as long as possible, and the second was to study magic.

Other than that, he did not care about anything.

Of course, he still needed to retain some basic moral principles. For example, since Li Qi was from the Duchy of Uno, he would never commit treason.

Bolent said in a deep voice, "Being a spy may be even more dangerous than fighting on the front line."

"I know, but I'm confident in this regard."

Li Qi answered seriously.

For other spies, entering the heartland of an enemy country to gather intelligence was extremely dangerous.

Once discovered, death might even be the best possible outcome.

But for Li Qi, being a spy was not difficult.

He had a superpower that allowed him to sense other people's physical conditions. Through their heartbeat, breathing, body temperature, and blood flow, he could determine whether they were friendly or hostile toward him.

So if anyone truly suspected him, Li Qi would notice immediately and find a way to deal with it.

Even if he was exposed, Li Qi's Strategic Rank of magical power would allow him to break through the encirclement.

On the other hand, if he went to the front line, a Strategic Rank of magical power was not enough to keep him alive amid a hail of bullets.

No matter how powerful someone was, they could not guard against a hidden shot from someone else.

Bolent watched Li Qi. Seeing the confidence in his eyes, he smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I won't say anything more, Second Lieutenant Li Qi... No, Warrant Officer Li Qi, welcome to the Intelligence Department."

He stood up and extended his hand.

Li Qi stared at the hand Bolent held out to him, slightly surprised.

"Sir, I haven't graduated yet..."

"That's no longer necessary. I've seen your transcript and learned about your progress. You've already completed most of the Military Academy's courses. The rest are nothing more than classes such as the Combat Assessment and practical combat drills.

"Besides, while Inglis hasn't invaded yet, I need to send you into Inglis as quickly as possible. Once the war truly begins, it will be very difficult for you to get there."

Inglis had already declared war on Uno.

They were merely still gathering their troops and had not officially attacked yet.

While the war was still brewing, Li Qi could enter the heartland of Inglis through the territory of a neutral country.

But once the three countries truly went to war, it would probably not be so easy for Li Qi to cross the border into Inglis.

Bolent wanted to send Li Qi away before that happened, preferably without arousing anyone's suspicion.

Therefore, even if Li Qi wanted to remain at the academy and continue his studies, it was impossible.

Over the next few days, he had to complete the relevant spy training, then immediately set off for Inglis.

"...I understand."

Seeing how urgent Bolent was, Li Qi said nothing more. He said to Bolent, "Then I'll go back and pack my things."

"Mm. Thanks for the effort, Warrant Officer Li Qi... But speaking of which, is there anything you want?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

Bolent said, "Being a spy is very dangerous. If you're willing, you can ask for more conditions."

In truth, the conditions Bolent had offered were nothing compared to what Li Qi was about to do.

After all, once Li Qi became a spy, he would be able to enter Inglis Academy of Magic to study. Using that condition to make Li Qi pledge himself to Bolent was somewhat shabby.

Therefore, Bolent had already prepared himself for Li Qi to request other conditions.

But Li Qi had not.

So Bolent was curious why Li Qi had not asked for anything else.

"For me, having a stable environment in which to study magic is the best reward."

Li Qi answered calmly.

Bolent looked at him in surprise, with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Your pursuit of magic is truly admirable."

"You flatter me, sir."

"Heh, all right. Go back and rest, then. Once you return from your mission, I'll prepare other rewards for you."

Bolent waved at Li Qi with a hearty smile.

Although Li Qi had made no requests, Bolent still had to show some sincerity in order to win him over.

Li Qi did not reply. He merely saluted Bolent before turning around and leaving.

In truth, the reason he had not asked for more conditions was not as noble as he had claimed. It was not as if he only cared about magic and nothing else.

In reality, Li Qi wanted many things.

For example, he had no fixed place to live. He stayed in a tent on the front line and in a dormitory in the Royal Capital, so he needed a house of his own.

For another example, he had very little money, and there were many things he wanted but could not afford. Thus, he wanted a great deal of money.

And then there were the nobles of the Royal Capital, their techniques for using magic, and the Magic Tomes they had collected...

Li Qi wanted all of those things.

If Li Qi were going to remain in the Royal Capital in the future, he would definitely have asked for these conditions.

But he was about to become a spy. Even if he obtained those things, he would have no way to use them. It was better to turn them all into Bolent's goodwill toward him.

In any case, if Li Qi successfully completed his spy mission and returned safely, he would be a great hero who had rendered outstanding service. He could ask for anything then.

Conversely, if Li Qi died in the enemy country, there would be no use in obtaining those things.

"Although this is my first time being a spy... spies in this world should still be very primitive, so there shouldn't be a problem..."

After leaving Bolent's office, Li Qi thought about this as he walked toward the dormitory.

Compared to the spies of the First and Second World War eras in the world he had lived in before transmigrating, the spies of this world should still be very primitive.

There were not so many complicated and bizarre methods.

Li Qi should be considerably safer as a spy.

That said, Li Qi still did not dare to take this lightly. After all, this concerned his life, and no amount of caution was excessive.

It seemed that he had to study the "spy courses" Bolent had arranged for him over the next few days.

Thinking about this, Li Qi unknowingly arrived at a small path.

This path was one of the several routes that had to be taken to reach the dormitory. Li Qi had chosen it because it was a little closer.

Normally, the scenery here was quite pleasant. Small woods and various green plants surrounded the path, while a faint floral fragrance drifted over from both sides, refreshing the mind and soothing the spirit.

But today... Li Qi detected a trace of Killing Intent within that floral fragrance.

His superpower activated abruptly. In Li Qi's field of vision, several warm human figures appeared.

Li Qi stopped and looked calmly around him.

"Come out."

As soon as his voice fell, several figures emerged from the grass and woods, surrounding Li Qi in the middle.

Seeing what these people looked like, Li Qi was not surprised at all.

They were the same people who had fought with Sean and Ann earlier.

The ones who had failed the assessment... The Failures.