Not Interested

The Special Operations Department generally used single-character IDs as codenames, making them very easy to distinguish.

Moreover, Jing was quite famous. Nicknamed the Street Loiterer, he would always appear and disappear unpredictably in various places.

Although Li Ce had never met him in person, he had heard the name. It was said that his strength was solid, and his background was even more formidable.

To be able to discover such a promising seedling, it seemed that past evaluations of him were too understated.

Black Crow did not reply.

He knew what Li Ce wanted to ask, but he couldn't give an answer.

"Forget it." Li Ce waved his hand, no longer pursuing the root of the matter.

He was a pragmatic soldier. The process could be reviewed later; the battle results right in front of him were what mattered most.

"Inventory the spoils, search the forest, and prepare for transport."

Since there were no living demonic beasts left, the countless good things left behind here could be conveniently harvested.

Furthermore, they couldn't just capture everything. They had to understand sustainable development. They could release some of the weaker ones to breed outside; bringing too many back would leave them with nowhere to house them anyway.

Hong Yuan and Yin Chen stood to the side, watching these soldiers methodically process their achievements, a sense of absurdity rising in their hearts.

Wait, I worked so hard to catch them, and you're just putting them back?

Damn it, why didn't you say so earlier?

Black Crow, who had maintained a cold demeanor all along, was now full of embarrassment. He could feel the resentment radiating from Yin Chen and Hong Yuan.

It wasn't his fault for not saying it in advance.

After all, who could have thought someone would pull off a literal genocide?

Weren't students supposed to be chased by demonic beasts, crying for their parents?

He would add a new rule as soon as they got back.

Behind every outrageous rule was an outrageous story. If the next batch of freshmen had any questions, they could just go ask their senior, Chen Guan.

An adjutant quickly walked up to Li Ce and handed him a data pad.

Li Ce took the data pad. As his finger swiped across the screen, the rows of data made the corner of his eye twitch.

What did this pile of data mean? If a fully-staffed company achieved these results, it would be enough to apply for a collective third-class merit.

The military department was like this: individual strength wasn't high, relying entirely on firepower suppression.

And now, all of this was accomplished by three students in less than three hours.

His gaze fell on Chen Guan again, looking at him as if he were a rare treasure.

"According to regulations, the military will purchase these spoils at one hundred and twenty percent of the highest market price. The points and merits will be settled into your academy accounts together."

Li Ce said in a deep voice. This was the rule; they wouldn't freeload off the students' achievements.

Fortunately, although no freshman had ever done such a thing before, seniors had, so there was at least a reward standard to follow.

Hearing this, Hong Yuan's eyes lit up.

She counted on her fingers and found that her fingers were simply not enough.

She only knew that this sum of money was enough for her to completely upgrade her giant axe with top-tier materials from the inside out.

Unlike Young Master Yin, she was short on money.

Yin Chen also calculated a rough figure. The expression on his face remained elegant as always; money was just a number to him, and he had no interest in it.

Chen Guan's reaction was similar, though he cared more about the points. Points could be exchanged for good things from the academy to help Old Me awaken.

As for money... most of the things he wanted were priceless and unavailable on the market.

Li Ce observed his expression, and his evaluation of this young man rose another level in his heart.

He cleared his throat and took a step forward.

"Student Chen Guan, right?"

Chen Guan looked up at him.

"My name is Li Ce, Commander of the Seventh Mobile Eradication Unit at the Great Wall's Third Frontline Base."

Li Ce gave a brief self-introduction, his tone solemn. "In my personal capacity, I formally invite you to join my unit."

As soon as these words came out, not only Hong Yuan and Yin Chen but even Black Crow beside them was stunned.

The military directly poaching someone from the academy, and a colonel personally making the offer at that, was against the rules.

Li Ce ignored the reactions of others; his eyes were fixed only on Chen Guan. "You won't need to pass the academy's assessments. You will be directly granted the rank of Second Lieutenant and enjoy B-class resource allocation. I can assure you that in my unit, your tactical freedom will be the highest."

The conditions he offered were generous enough to drive any military academy student crazy.

Hong Yuan opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by a look from Yin Chen.

This was Chen Guan's own choice, and they had no right to interfere.

However, Yin Chen felt that Chen Guan probably wouldn't be interested. He would sooner believe that Hong Yuan would join the military than Chen Guan.

Black Crow frowned. He was just about to say something when Li Ce raised his hand first, stopping him.

"Instructor Black Crow, I know the rules, but rules are dead, and people are alive. For such a talent, studying theories step-by-step in the academy is the greatest waste. The battlefield is where he belongs."

Li Ce had absolute confidence in his ability to judge people.

In the entire Stone Forest, everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Guan, waiting for his answer.

"Not interested."

Two words, with no explanation and no pleasantries, like heavy stones smashing into a calm lake.

The muscles on Li Ce's face stiffened for a moment.

He had imagined that the other party might politely decline or ask for more conditions, but the one thing he hadn't expected was to receive such a crisp, clean, and even somewhat rude answer.

Awkwardness filled the air.

Chen Guan's reply swept through the Stone Forest like a gust of cold wind.

The expression on Li Ce's face shifted from slight astonishment to a trace of displeasure, and then to complexity.

In a short period, his expression changed several times.

He had seen insubordinate soldiers, and he had seen arrogant geniuses, but someone like Chen Guan, who was so straightforward as to leave no room for maneuver, was a first.

Black Crow cleared his throat. He looked at Li Ce, wanting to say something, but found that Li Ce's gaze was still locked onto Chen Guan.

"Student Chen Guan," Li Ce's voice sounded again.

"Perhaps you don't understand the operational model of the Great Wall forces well enough. B-class resource allocation means you will have priority access to the rarest cultivation materials and the latest equipment."

"You would even have the qualifications to make special requests directly to the military high command. As for tactical freedom, this is extremely rare in the army. You can flexibly choose your mission objectives and execution methods based on your own judgment, free from the constraints of conventional rules."

He tried to explain from angles that Chen Guan might care about.

In Li Ce's view, this was not only a manifestation of strength and status but also a shortcut on the path to becoming a powerhouse.

Wealthy geniuses like Yin Chen might not care because they had family backing, but Chen Guan... Although this was their first meeting, Li Ce had never heard of a wealthy family with the surname Chen.

Power was like AIDS, transmitted only through blood and sex.

For a commoner to get ahead, having talent alone was not enough.

But the Great Wall's military merit system would give every genius from a humble background a chance to rise.

Chen Guan shook his head without the slightest hesitation.

"My goal is not these things."

His voice revealed no ripples of emotion, just as always.