Slaughter!

"Get up there! Fight it! Kill it!"

Peng Yong, who was guarding William and the other man, was at a loss after being egged on by the others. Just as he was struggling with himself, Xiao Hen walked over.

"Brother Xiao Hen!" Peng Yong cried happily.

"Mm." Xiao Hen nodded at Peng Yong, but his gaze was drawn to a Taotie that had charged onto The Great Wall. The beast was viciously attacking the Bear Army soldiers atop the wall, its ferocity unmatched.

"Release those two," Xiao Hen ordered softly, raising his spear to point at the savage Taotie slowly climbing in the distance.

"B-but they're prisoners..." Peng Yong said hesitantly.

"Go. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility!" Xiao Hen barked, then charged forward.

He was far faster than anyone in the Shadowless Army. After undergoing G-Virus Enhancement, Xiao Hen possessed an extraordinary twenty points of Combat Power. Even the strongest member of the Shadowless Imperial Army only had ten points of Combat Power. Even if William unleashed his full strength, he would only exceed ten points by a little.

With twenty points of Combat Power, Xiao Hen could crush opponents of the same level in this world by dozens of times.

The gap between them was already obvious now.

As he rushed close to the Taotie, everything seemed to slow down. Xiao Hen's expression remained cold. He shifted aside as the Taotie lunged past him, then thrust his spear into the eye beneath its armpit. With a wet squelch and a roar, green fluid sprayed out. The Taotie's corpse crashed to the ground. A fierce and powerful Taotie had died just like that at his hands.

Its strength isn't bad. It's much stronger than an ordinary zombie, especially in terms of speed. But compared with a Licker, it's still a level below. Xiao Hen silently assessed it, then abruptly turned toward another spot. There, another Taotie had climbed onto The Great Wall and begun its rampage.

Xiao Hen flashed forward. Across The Great Wall, not a single Taotie could withstand even one or two moves from him. Most were killed in a single strike. One Taotie after another died at his hands, until gradually, none dared approach him anymore.

"Hmm?"

On the distant tower, Lin Mei, slightly out of breath atop the Flying Rope Platform, suddenly turned to look at The Great Wall. The figure of a valiant warrior entered her sight. It's him? I didn't expect him to be so powerful.

Roar...

A Taotie pounced toward her. Lin Mei's face turned cold. She snorted, gripped her spears with both hands, and leaped down. Taotie after Taotie died by her hand. She was every bit as formidable as any man.

Xiao Hen slaughtered Taotie without restraint. Every Taotie that climbed onto the wall was killed by him. It was the same principle as killing zombies: once he knew their weak points, killing these agile monsters with fatal weaknesses was effortless for Xiao Hen.

Roar!!!

A beastly howl rang out from afar.

Xiao Hen's heart stirred as he recalled the Plot from the movie. He flicked the green blood from his spear and strode to the edge of The Great Wall. Sure enough, the Taotie were retreating in force.

"So... the first feint attack is finally over?" Xiao Hen pressed his lips together. "What a pity. I'm the only one who knows it was a feint."

Xiao Hen knew that if he told Marshal Shao now that this attack was merely a feint, and even the next attack would also be a feint, intended to tunnel through The Great Wall and head straight for Bianliang, Marshal Shao would not believe him. Thinking from the other man's perspective, he himself would not believe such nonsense either.

Xiao Hen shook his head and turned to leave.

"Xiao Hen! Xiao Hen!" At that moment, a soldier ran over from afar and shouted, "Xiao Hen, Marshal Shao requests your presence!"

"Oh?" Xiao Hen paused. In truth, when he had made his move, he had already been prepared for this. Marshal Shao—or any general, for that matter—would not be blind enough to ignore a powerful warrior like him who had suddenly emerged. This time, William would not be the only one in the spotlight.

"Understood." Xiao Hen nodded.

The soldier beside him looked at him in delight. "I really never expected you to be this amazing! Hahaha, I've been comrades with someone this formidable for so long! Hehe."

Ignoring the soldier, who had become absurdly proud of himself, Xiao Hen followed the messenger toward the tower.

Inside the tower, soldiers from every unit had gathered. Xiao Hen saw William standing in the middle of the hall, as well as a place for himself.

Xiao Hen walked into the center and stood beside William.

Clap, clap, clap...

Marshal Shao took the lead in applauding, and the applause continued without pause.

"Good, good! I never expected our Shadowless Imperial Army to have such brave warriors!"

Xiao Hen raised an eyebrow. Clearly, Marshal Shao was talking about him. Of course, one was their own man while the other was a foreigner. Though both had rendered equally great service, Marshal Shao instinctively praised his own soldier first. Xiao Hen glanced at William. William only frowned slightly before returning to his expressionless stance, without any resentment at having his credit stolen.

"Xiao Hen, you have been in my Imperial Army for barely over a month, yet you have already rendered such great service. Tell me, how should I reward you?" Marshal Shao asked with a smile, clearly in high spirits.

"This subordinate believes that the Taotie calamity is everyone's responsibility. Slaying Taotie is simply this subordinate's duty. Therefore, how I am rewarded is entirely up to you, Marshal," Xiao Hen said calmly with cupped hands.

"Hahaha, good, good!" Marshal Shao clapped his hands and laughed. "General Chen, you've taken in a fine soldier! Hahaha!"

"This is a blessing for our Shadowless Army." General Chen smiled and cupped his hands.

"Xiao Hen, I hereby appoint you Commander of a Thousand Households. You will command a thousand soldiers and guard a tower. Do you accept?" Marshal Shao suddenly asked in a loud voice.

"This subordinate shall obey the Marshal's orders!" Xiao Hen answered solemnly, dropping to one knee.

Yet he was secretly pleased. At last, at last he had gained the trust of the Shadowless Imperial Army and obtained a portion of its authority.

"As for you, foreigner, your strength is impressive. I have heard of your battle on the wall, and it was excellent. Your archery in particular is truly extraordinary—hitting the mark from a hundred paces, never missing a shot!" Marshal Shao looked at William and praised him first before continuing, "However, you are a foreigner, so I cannot grant you too high a position. From now on, you are a member of the Shadowless Army. Whether you stay or leave after the war is over will be your own decision."

With a wave of Marshal Shao's hand, Lin Mei turned and translated. Once she finished, she gave Xiao Hen, who stood beside William, a strange look. This guy is actually that powerful?

After everyone had been rewarded according to their merits, they dispersed. At noon, a victory banquet was held. They had at least successfully repelled one Taotie assault. William and his companion had changed into fresh clothes, and Xiao Hen had also changed into the attire of a Commander of a Thousand Households. He sat in the tower's main hall and dined with Marshal Shao, General Chen, General Wu, and General Lin Mei.

William walked into the hall step by step. At the sight of him, Marshal Shao took the lead in applauding and laughed heartily. "William, several Taotie broke onto the wall this time. Thanks to you, many casualties were avoided. I hear your archery is quite good. Why not give us a demonstration?"

Hearing this, Lin Mei stood up expressionlessly and translated for him. William frowned. Archery was a method of killing, and he had no wish to perform it for entertainment. But after looking around at everyone's expressions, he knew he had no choice.

Just as William was preparing to demonstrate, Lin Mei's gaze shifted toward Xiao Hen. Seeing the faint curiosity beneath this woman's indifferent expression, Xiao Hen inwardly cried out in alarm.

"Commander Xiao Hen also fought valiantly in this battle. Why not have him come out and compete with Mr. William, who has traveled so far to be here?" Lin Mei said coldly, though the corners of her lips curled ever so slightly.

"Good!" General Wu laughed at once. He glanced at General Chen and shouted his approval.

The other officers quickly followed General Wu's lead. Everyone dining in this hall held military rank. With all of them cheering, Xiao Hen truly could not refuse. If he did, even with invincible strength, he would find it hard to shake the suspicion that he feared battle.

"Fine!" Xiao Hen rose to his full height, patted the light armor on his body, and walked into the center with a smile. His gaze seemed to casually sweep over Lin Mei.

This woman wanted to set him up?

Heh!