The great battle came to an end.
Lin Ye did not join the Iron Dragon Army soldiers in pursuing the retreating beast horde. Instead, he went to the monsters he had killed.
When it came to dissecting monsters and collecting materials,
he had always been proactive and spared no effort.
When Lin Ye faced that Beast General Giant Wolf, he was especially delighted.
After all, higher-level monsters usually meant higher prices.
Besides, this was the first Beast General he had killed himself.
He dissected it with utmost care, separating and collecting each important part.
At that moment, a Captain wearing an "Intermediate Warrior" martial artist badge on his shoulder staggered over to Lin Ye despite his severe injuries.
Staring at the young War General engrossed in his dissection, the Captain finally said weakly, "Thank you!"
"You're welcome. It was my duty."
Lin Ye glanced at the blood-covered soldier and said, "Go get treated already. Don't stay here!"
"Want a cigarette?"
"Thanks, no."
With that, he resumed his work without looking back.
The Captain reached into his pocket for cigarettes and pulled out a crumpled, bloodstained pack.
Tilting his head, he struggled to pull one out.
His hands were covered in blood, so the cigarette became smeared with blood as he put it into his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough!!!" He struck a lighter to light it, but a sudden coughing fit overtook him. Blood sprayed from his mouth, carrying the cigarette down to the ground.
"Here." Lin Ye picked up the cigarette, lit it, and handed it to him.
"Thank... thank you!!"
The Captain accepted the cigarette, nodded in acknowledgment, and held it between his lips. Looking at the pale dawn spreading across the horizon, gratitude flickered in his eyes. "I thought I wouldn't live to see today's sun. I didn't expect you to come!"
"..." Lin Ye's brows drew together slightly. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What's your name?"
"My name is... cough, cough... Lu Gang!!" After introducing himself, the Captain smiled, his teeth stained with blood.
"Lu Gang, will of steel!" Lin Ye said with a smile.
"You really live up to your name. You're stubborn as steel. You're this badly hurt, yet instead of getting treatment, you came here to keep me company."
Hearing that, Lu Gang scratched his head sheepishly.
Then, trembling, he turned around and pointed into the distance.
There was a pile of bodies covered in white sheets. Raising his hand, he weakly poked at his chest. "If I didn't come talk to you for those brothers... this place wouldn't feel right."
"You don't know how happy they were, before they died, when they saw you kill so many High-level Beast Soldiers. It's just a pity they couldn't thank you in person... cough, cough, cough!!"
"Cough... cough, cough, cough!!" As he spoke, the Captain broke into another violent fit of coughing.
Thick blood flowed from his mouth, dripping onto his clothes and the ground.
Watching the crimson blood fall, Lin Ye sank into silence again.
He looked once more at the stretch of white sheets in the distance and ultimately did not continue trying to persuade him.
"Lend me a cigarette," Lin Ye suddenly said.
"Hm?" The Captain froze for a moment.
Then, trembling, he pulled out the crumpled cigarette pack and took out one for Lin Ye.
Lin Ye took it, lit it, and handed it to Captain Lu Gang.
Looking at the field of white sheets, he said solemnly, "Captain Lu Gang, please pass on a message from me, Lin Ye."
"They were all good men. They did not betray the honor of Great Xia soldiers who defended their land against enemies."
"Even if their souls have returned to the earth, they are still worthy of our respect and emulation!"
After saying that, Lin Ye pulled a fang from the Beast General Giant Wolf's mouth. "Not only the fallen soldiers—you're a good man too!"
"This wolf fang is for you. I hope that the next time I see you, you won't still be wearing a martial artist badge of this rank!"
"Go get treated first!"
Lin Ye's gaze swept quietly over Lu Gang's arm as he spoke bluntly.
"Mm!"
Hearing his words, Lu Gang nodded heavily. Then he gave Lin Ye a solemn military salute before turning and leaving.
"With soldiers like him, the people of Great Xia are truly fortunate!"
Watching Lu Gang limp away, Lin Ye could not help sighing. "With this spirit of Kindling passed down through the generations, no matter how great or terrifying the Beast Tide becomes, it will never destroy our nation or wipe out our people..."
"May the Kindling endure forever and never be extinguished!"
Drawing back his gaze, Lin Ye blinked away the mist in his eyes and continued dissecting the remaining parts of the Beast General.
By the time Lin Ye finished collecting the monster materials, another figure had appeared beside him.
It was the middle-aged officer who had commanded the entire battle—the Regiment Commander of the War Dragon Regiment, Li Yunfei.
"I'm Li Yunfei, Regiment Commander of this defensive force. Thank you for joining us. Otherwise, our losses would have been severe!"
"Hello, Regiment Commander Li. I'm Lin Ye," Lin Ye said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"No need to thank me too much. The military will record every monster I killed this time and award the appropriate bounties!"
"Our War Dragon Regiment is still short of a deputy regiment commander. Do you have any interest?"
Trying to recruit me? Lin Ye was slightly stunned. And offering the position of deputy regiment commander—he really is willing to pay a high price!
"But for now, I'm afraid that won't work." Lin Ye shrugged helplessly and politely declined Li Yunfei's offer.
Joining the military would most likely limit his performance and growth...
As things stood, becoming a free mercenary was the best choice for him.
As for the future, Lin Ye did not think too much about it.
Right now, he only wanted to kill monsters, grow stronger, and use the money exchanged for monster materials to support his sister until she recovered.
Before then, he would not consider joining any faction.
After his thoughts raced, Lin Ye quickly firmed up his decision.
At that moment, his eyes fell on a button in front of him, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"..." Li Yunfei's lips twitched slightly. "So it's a Hunting Detector specially prepared by the military for martial artists."
After he finished speaking, Lin Ye slowly shook his head. "Thank you for your kind offer, Regiment Commander. I am currently employed by the South Bank Military Region and have no plans to join the military for the time being."
Li Yunfei: "..."
Lin Ye keenly caught the change in the Regiment Commander's expression. Looking at Li Yunfei, he slowly said,
"If I ever decide to join, I hope you won't find me unsuitable, Regiment Commander."
"Of course not. Who would turn away a powerful martial artist with limitless potential like you?"
Li Yunfei smiled and responded to the young man's reassurance.
"But there's something we should agree on first," Lin Ye added.
Li Yunfei said, "Please go ahead, Mr. Lin Ye."
"If your unit has any major operations in the future, I'd be willing to help—for a fee!"
"No problem!" The middle-aged officer nodded, quite pleased at having formed a connection with a martial artist like him.
The War Dragon Regiment did indeed have several hard battles ahead.
Naturally, the more—and stronger—martial artists they had, the better.
After that, the two exchanged contact information for future communication.
Soon, Lin Ye wrapped all the valuable materials dissected from the Beast General Giant Wolf in a huge wolf hide.
Dragging the wolf-hide bundle, the young War General headed toward his off-road vehicle in great satisfaction...
Watching him leave, Li Yunfei's eyes burned with fervor.
This was the confidence of an elite martial artist!
Strength, boldness, and an indomitable confidence that only grew stronger with every battle!
His future was bound to be limitless!
Only after Lin Ye had become a tiny black dot in the distance did Li Yunfei slowly withdraw his gaze.
Then he summoned a messenger and began issuing orders.
"Hurry and finish clearing the battlefield. Rebuild the defensive fortifications and replenish the ammunition supplies..."
"Received!"
PS:
The attribute Point Allocation has been corrected. Thanks to Golden Horned Beast, Maple Emperor Demon Child, and the others for their suggestions. My sincere gratitude!
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