A Chance to Change Fate

"Retreat, retreat quickly!"

With the arrival of reinforcements from the Great Flame Dynasty, the Barbarians fled in disarray, and Li Xuancang, who had been on the brink of death, escaped disaster.

After the Barbarians retreated, Li Xuancang expected to receive medical treatment. Yet, over an hour passed, and not a single person spared him a glance.

The wound on his shoulder, deep enough to expose bone, had gone numb from the pain. The only silver lining was the 1% boost he had received, which had stopped the bleeding; otherwise, he would have long since perished from blood loss.

Even so, his condition remained dire. If he could not receive treatment soon, infection would surely claim his life.

I cannot give up. I must stand.

Li Xuancang gathered every ounce of his strength, his tenacious will driving his body to move.

Every movement sent piercing pain through him, causing him to grit his teeth and twist his face in agony, but he could only hold on with grim determination.

"There is someone still alive over there. Bring him back to the camp."

Seeing that Li Xuancang was still alive, the Great Flame Dynasty soldiers were somewhat surprised, yet they walked toward him nonetheless.

Li Xuancang had reached his limit. Cold sweat poured down his body, his frame staggered, and his vision blurred.

Vaguely, he saw the Great Flame Dynasty soldiers approaching. A flicker of hope ignited in his heart before his vision went black and he collapsed completely.

When Li Xuancang opened his eyes again, he had already left the battlefield and was lying in a dilapidated room.

The room was barren, its walls crumbling; one could even see the gloomy sky through the roof. As the gale raged and blew inside, Li Xuancang instinctively curled his body tight.

"Ah!"

At the slightest movement, a sharp, stabbing pain surged through him.

"Kid, you're awake. You're truly lucky to have survived such a heavy wound. If you hadn't woken up by tomorrow, they would have tossed you into the wilderness to become a feast for the beasts."

Seeing Li Xuancang wake up, a man in his thirties nearby looked quite surprised.

Hearing the man's words, Li Xuancang's heart sank, making him realize even more clearly the cruelty of this world.

This was a chaotic age where demons devoured men; commoners were like ants, and only power could provide a foothold.

They, the common folk forcibly conscripted, were nothing but cannon fodder. Even if injured, they received only the most rudimentary care.

If they could not be healed, the army would simply abandon them, not even bothering to dispose of their corpses, leaving them in the wild to be eaten by beasts.

"Big Brother, how long have I been unconscious?"

Every word Li Xuancang spoke tugged at his wounds, sending waves of agony through him.

He asked the man who had spoken, wanting to know how long he had been out.

"You've been asleep for a day and a night, kid."

The man did not hide anything and answered truthfully.

"Thank you, Big Brother."

Li Xuancang thanked the man, realizing at the same time that his survival wasn't due to the army's medical care, but because his body had received another boost.

As long as I live, anything is possible.

Li Xuancang was resolute. As long as he survived, he could change his current predicament.

In this chaotic world, to survive, one needed only power and military merit.

Five-Man Leader, Hundred-Man Commander, Battalion Commander, General...

The higher the rank, the better the treatment, and the greater the supreme privileges.

Once he attained a high position, he could exempt his family from taxes and dispatch troops to guard his village, ensuring his parents and sisters would no longer live in hunger and fear.

The thought took root, and his obsession grew firmer.

Over the next few days, Li Xuancang's wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"No, no, I can still be saved! Please, don't throw me away..."

A plea echoed through the room as an injured soldier was forcibly dragged away.

His wounds were lighter than Li Xuancang's, yet after several days, he had shown no improvement; instead, he had grown steadily worse.

The camp decided to abandon him and cast him into the wilderness.

Seemingly aware of his fate, the injured soldier ignored his pain and used his final strength to beg desperately, wanting to live.

The men from the camp showed no mercy, their expressions unmoved as they carried him away.

"Sigh!"

Witnessing this, the other wounded soldiers in the room looked on with sorrow, feeling a sense of "the rabbit dying and the fox grieving."

Li Xuancang clenched his fists. This scene dealt him a massive shock; they truly did not treat people as human beings.

The Great Flame Dynasty's exorbitant taxes and levies were endless; harsh governance was more ferocious than a tiger, and forced labor and military service were merely a part of it.

The group had been forcibly conscripted for service, yet the imperial court provided only crude weapons and meager food, with not a single copper of pay.

There had been over a thousand men at the start of their service. Two years later, only three hundred remained, a testament to the cruelty of the battlefield.

After this incident, everyone in the room fell silent, no longer speaking casually.

Even Old Du, who talked the most, became reticent, and the atmosphere grew incredibly oppressive.

Another few days passed, and it had been ten days since Li Xuancang arrived in this world.

His wounds had mostly healed, and his body had been boosted; his strength had reached 1.1 times that of an average person, no longer much different from a normal man.

It will still take some time. I hope no battle breaks out.

What Li Xuancang lacked most right now was time. If he were given another ten days or half a month, he would have the strength to protect himself on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, things went against his wishes. Three days later, the Barbarians attacked again, and a great battle was imminent.

"Dong, dong dong dong..."

The urgent, shrill sound of a bronze gong suddenly rang out, echoing through the entire camp.

"All personnel assemble! All laborers, servants, and Battle Soldiers, report to the drill ground immediately! Those who disobey will be dealt with by military law and executed on the spot!"

The brutal voice spread layer by layer, cold and heartless.

The scarred laborers turned pale. Not daring to hesitate, they endured their pain, grabbed their crude weapons, and stumbled toward the central drill ground.

Li Xuancang also arrived at the drill ground quickly, his heart heavy.

On the drill ground, a man clad in heavy iron armor with a cold, stern expression stood with his hand on his blade.

Behind him, several fully armed elite soldiers stood in a line, their eyes cold as they looked down upon the crowd like ants.

In this chaotic world of demons, human life was the cheapest commodity.

Li Xuancang and the other forcibly conscripted laborers had never been considered true Great Flame soldiers.

They had no pay, no benefits, and no one to collect their bodies if they died. Alive, they were merely consumables used to fill the front lines and block blades and shields.

Battalion Commander Wang Tianshan swept his gaze across the field and spoke with a piercing tone.

"In the last battle, the Barbarians suffered significant losses, but they were not routed."

"They have gathered the bulk of their forces and are pressing down on us, intending to flatten Lakeside Station and slaughter every one of us."

As his voice fell, the entire field turned deathly silent.

Many soldiers trembled, their eyes filled with despair.

The Barbarians were cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. Once the camp was breached, everyone would be slaughtered, leaving not even bones behind.

Wang Tianshan continued coldly, "You are all conscripted laborers, not proper military personnel. You have no money, no grain, no pensions, and no privileges."

Wang Tianshan's words echoed in everyone's ears. Some clenched their fists, their hearts filled with indignation.

Every time they fought, they were the ones charging into the most dangerous places, surviving by the skin of their teeth.

Yet, while they were the ones risking their lives, the credit went to others. How could they not feel resentment?

Wang Tianshan saw the dissatisfaction and unwillingness in the crowd and shifted his tone.

He suddenly deepened his voice, throwing out a promise that made everyone's hearts race.

"For this battle, the rules have changed."

"Anyone who kills a Barbarian in this battle will be credited with military merit and rewarded with grain and medicine."

"Those who kill three Barbarians will be promoted, breaking the rules to be entered into the regular military registry and becoming official Great Flame Battle Soldiers."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field erupted in an uproar. Countless numb eyes suddenly lit up, staring fixedly at Wang Tianshan.

In this dark world where the lives of commoners were as cheap as dust, becoming an official Battle Soldier was a dream that countless people at the bottom of society yearned for.

Wang Tianshan slowly laid out the benefits everyone craved most, every word and sentence dripping with temptation.

"Once you are enrolled in the regular army, you will receive monthly pay and be issued fine armor and weapons."

"You will be removed from the status of lowly commoners and be exempt from being beaten or oppressed by officials at will."

"You will be able to live in the army barracks and be allotted rations and meat, no longer suffering from hunger."

"In the future, there will be paths for promotion to Five-Man Leader, Ten-Man Leader, and Hundred-Man Commander."

"Your family members will also have their taxes and labor duties reduced, and they will not be bullied by local gentry or rogue soldiers."

Hearing the bright future Wang Tianshan described, everyone's eyes turned red and flashed with intensity. Many were already boiling with blood, wishing they could rush onto the battlefield immediately to slay the enemy.

A cruel promise, nakedly tearing open the rules of this chaotic world.

Want stability? Want to eat your fill? Want to protect your family? Want to shed your status as a lowly commoner and no longer be at the mercy of others?

Then go kill, go risk your life, and trade your flesh and blood for a future.

Li Xuancang was no exception. He slowly clenched his fists, cold light flickering in his eyes.