Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish

"Either way, I'm not planning to become a War Soldier."

Gu Han tossed out an excuse without a second thought,

"Those Blood Tempering Pills are no use to me. I might as well trade for a Demonic Beast core and use it as a toy."

"Even if I don't want it anymore later, I can always trade it for something else."

A toy?

Li Qiang was instantly floored. A full five thousand Logistics Points, and you're telling me you're trading them for a toy?

Do you have so many Logistics Points you don't know what to do with them?

Oh, you really do have more Logistics Points than any other Logistics Soldier. Well, never mind, then...

"This is the only Demonic Beast core in the Logistics Department. Once you get your hands on it, make sure nobody else finds out."

Li Qiang handed Gu Han a fiery red orb and cautioned him,

"If it gets out to someone with ill intentions, they might set their sights on your Demonic Beast core."

"It's better to fear a thief's eye than a thief's hand. Better safe than sorry."

Gu Han nodded,

"Understood."

Anyway, he'd have Little Wolf eat it as soon as he got back. If a thief could steal his Demonic Beast core, he'd take the thief's surname!

"But, Old Li, do we really have so few Demonic Beast cores in the Logistics Department?"

The dignified Logistics Department, with over a thousand people under its charge, had only one Demonic Beast core. Weren't they worried it'd be embarrassing if word got out?

Li Qiang rolled his eyes,

"Most people have no use for a Demonic Beast core. We keep it here just to make the exchange list look more varied. We never expected anyone to trade for one."

At the Logistics Department, one hundred Logistics Points could be exchanged for a Blood Tempering Pill.

Going by the exchange rate, this Demonic Beast core was worth only fifty Blood Tempering Pills.

But in reality, whoever had drawn up the exchange list had never expected anyone to choose something as flashy and useless as a Demonic Beast core!

That was why they hadn't assigned it an astronomical price!

"I see. Then, Old Li, you can apply to the higher-ups for some more Demonic Beast cores."

Gu Han smiled as if he'd suddenly understood,

"I think these Demonic Beast cores look pretty nice. Maybe I'll come back and trade for a few more."

In the short term, Gu Han couldn't kill a Demonic Beast with the strength of a Martial Artist by relying on his own abilities.

If he wanted Little Wolf's bloodline to evolve, exchanging for cores at the Logistics Department was his only option.

"Gu Han, are you really just getting this thing to play with?"

Because they'd gotten to know each other over the past few days, Li Qiang patiently tried to talk him out of it,

"With that many Logistics Points, couldn't you trade for something else? There's no point in getting a Demonic Beast core."

If the other Logistics Soldiers or War Soldiers found out Gu Han had spent so many Logistics Points on a Demonic Beast core, they'd probably want to kill him.

Even a spendthrift shouldn't be this wasteful!

"Old Li, you don't need to worry about that."

Gu Han waved a hand, tucked the Demonic Beast core into his pocket, then left the Logistics Department and jogged toward the camp's exit.

"Looks like I'll have to find another way to get Demonic Beast cores from now on."

Gu Han felt a headache coming on,

"Although there aren't many known uses for Demonic Beast cores yet, if people realize I'm constantly trading for them, it could cause quite a bit of trouble."

In this Military Camp, he really was hemmed in at every turn.

Just as Gu Han left, Guan Shan happened to be approaching from the distance.

To avoid drawing attention, Gu Han ran toward the camp's exit at only the speed of a Second-tier Martial Apprentice.

But his nimble, almost weightless movements still caught Guan Shan's attention.

"That's a Logistics Soldier?"

Guan Shan furrowed his brows.

If nobody had told him, he would've assumed Gu Han was a War Soldier.

But there was no mistaking the Logistics Soldier uniform he wore.

A Logistics Soldier could indeed burst into a speed comparable to that of a Second-tier Martial Apprentice.

But maintaining it for so long without even breathing hard was no simple feat.

At that thought, Guan Shan's gaze turned cold,

"Could he be a spy sent by an enemy nation?"

Not long ago, he'd received a notice warning that enemy spies might have infiltrated the border of the Running Wolf Nation.

And the so-called theory that those old soldiers had died in the wilderness with no clues, pointing to the new recruits, was utterly baseless.

If a spy had done it, everything would make much more sense.

It would explain everything!

With that thought, Guan Shan prepared to seize Gu Han on the spot and torture him for answers.

But the next instant, he stopped.

"Acting now would only catch a little fish. It might even scare off the bigger one."

A calculating smile curled Guan Shan's lips,

"I'll cast a long line to catch a big fish. Let's see what kind of big fish would dare sneak into the Military Camp in person."

After looking away, Guan Shan walked into the Logistics Department.

Li Qiang had just settled back into his recliner and was about to close his eyes when the light suddenly dimmed. He immediately snapped,

"If you're hungry, grab a bun yourself. Don't keep me from resting."

Guan Shan's face darkened, and he said sternly,

"Li Qiang, did we keep you in the Logistics Department so you could retire here?"

Hearing that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar voice, Li Qiang's heart gave a thump.

He instinctively opened his eyes. The moment he saw Guan Shan's stern, square face, he panicked.

He scrambled out of the recliner, nearly falling over in the process.

"G-greetings, G-General."

He was so terrified that he could barely get the words out.

Guan Shan was both the Head Instructor of the New Recruit Camp and a deputy general of Mushan City.

Guan Shan might only be a deputy general.

But in reality, to most soldiers, generals were lofty, elusive figures who appeared as rarely as dragons.

A deputy general was already the highest-ranking person they could come into contact with.

"Stop putting on an act for me."

Guan Shan snorted,

"What was that person doing here just now?"

Li Qiang's slacking off wasn't enough to make Guan Shan angry.

The thing he cared about most right now was what the man who might be a spy had been doing.

"That person just now?"

Li Qiang was taken aback. He didn't understand why the general would ask about something so trivial.

"General, do you mean Gu Han? He just came to the Logistics Department to exchange for a Demonic Beast core."

"Hmm? That person just now was Gu Han?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Guan Shan's eyes.

As the starting point for the whole series of events surrounding the old soldiers' deaths, Gu Han's name had been coming up a lot lately.

But as far as Guan Shan knew, Gu Han was from the Gu Family in Wushan City.

Though it wasn't considered a major family in the Running Wolf Nation, it had nothing to do with espionage.

"You said he came here to exchange for a Demonic Beast core?"

Guan Shan recalled what Li Qiang had just said and asked,

"Did he have that many Logistics Points? Enough to afford a Demonic Beast core?"

Even if Guan Shan couldn't remember the price of a Demonic Beast core, he knew it wasn't cheap.

A veteran Logistics Soldier could save up Logistics Points for years and still not have enough for one.

How had Gu Han accumulated so many Logistics Points in the short time he'd been here?

Li Qiang nodded,

"That's right. After exchanging for the Demonic Beast core, he still had over three thousand Logistics Points left."

Even Guan Shan couldn't help being taken aback by that many Logistics Points.

That had to be unprecedented in the history of the Logistics Camp, right?

But it only deepened Guan Shan's suspicions.

It wasn't that he looked down on Logistics Soldiers, but there was no way one could achieve that much through his own strength!