Chapter 57: Dinner

Night fell, inside the private bunker built by the Lemon family.

A conference table meant for stacking documents was instead laden with dishes. Candlelight flickered, and a whole lamb raised in a nearby village had been roasted until its skin was crispy and golden, oozing with bright juices. Cream of mushroom soup and vegetable salad were completely out of place on the front lines, with only the staple food of mashed potatoes and sausages seeming somewhat restrained.

Jiang He polished off most of the roast lamb, yet felt not the slightest sensation of fullness. The nutrition was digested by the Egg of Garuda and fused with his blood energy, allowing his intermediate self-healing ability to operate continuously at an advanced level.

Si Ning was chugging iced lemon tea. This meal had been sent over by the middle-aged colonel in charge of military supplies, perhaps out of guilt, or perhaps as appeasement—the exact reason remained unknown.

"Player task matching adheres to a partial proximity principle. For example, if you are a player from Northern Great Xia, the probability of encountering Order Bureau personnel from the Northern Grand District is quite high."

Jiang He casually wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth. Scanning the area and finding no water, he simply picked up the bottle of whiskey on the table.

"So, what? The Death Cruise is your territory?"

Si Ning snapped her fingers. "Although it wasn't particularly difficult, you guessed correctly. You are the third player to board the Death Cruise in the past year. The security check during boarding was just a facade; the real core is the computer system's comprehensive scan of a passenger's physical fitness."

Jiang He asked in confusion, "Some people outstanding in the athletic field, even if they aren't players, might not have inferior physical fitness."

Si Ning smiled and offered no reply.

Jiang He fell silent. It was a case of better to kill by mistake than let one go; the other party certainly had nothing to do with benevolence.

"The Death Cruise can satisfy a passenger's greed for money, but naturally, one must be prepared to stake their life; otherwise, wouldn't it be terribly unfair to those who work hard?"

Spouting utter nonsense that even she didn't believe, Si Ning continued, "The Lemon Party I recommended to you is actually the hardest game of all, because it is hosted jointly by myself and twenty-six subordinates, specifically catering to fellows with abnormal physical fitness. Of course, none of that matters now. I'd like to ask you to leave the Death Cruise, and not leave behind a single one of those black gems. In exchange, I will pay a price."

Jiang He asked, "What is the Death Cruise?"

A miniature crow chimed in, "That's her legion, just like my avian legion. We are both preparing for the First World Clash. As for detailed intelligence on the World Clash, the Origin Game has yet to disclose it."

Si Ning looked somewhat displeased. "Information costs money."

The crow flapped its wings and sneered, "Do you understand the value of an exclusive intelligence officer? Never mind if I wasn't asked, but answering every question asked is a basic tenet. Besides, you and your giant mosquito skeleton soldiers are already notorious, refusing to spare even the skeletons of dead players. The Order Bureau really should hit you with a dragon scale shell."

Si Ning laughed angrily. "At least thirty percent of the invitees were sold off by me as hardcore criminals. It's not like I didn't leave them a way out."

"That's even more inhumane!"

Jiang He interrupted, "Your reward outweighs the quest reward. I'll leave as soon as I return to reality."

Si Ning sipped her lemon tea and negotiated, "Let's discuss this after we get out. It only makes sense to trade if both of us are alive. My second-tier main quest is to kill the Cheetah Knight. You should have obtained the Lionheart Bracers."

Jiang He nodded. "First, we have to find him."

"We can only confirm that the target has come to Leiva City. He has appeared twice near the dispatch station in the East District, but his speed is too fast, and my legion members couldn't pin him down," Wu He said.

"Then we'll head over to take a look tomorrow morning. Right, both you and I need to select assistants. That's a direct order from the upper echelons." Si Ning rose from the table, stretched lazily, and walked into the command room to rest.

Jiang He pondered. Having ordinary soldiers follow a knight into battle was destined to be a life-or-death gamble. However, judging by his own promotion to knight, the higher-ups perhaps intended to use this method to leave a "symbol of miracle" on the assistants, facilitating future cultivation to compensate for the knights lost in the war.

"Are there any secret treasures that enhance mental resistance?"

Wu He answered without hesitation, "The Statue of Joan of Arc at the Palace of Versailles, one of the nine Epic-grade secret treasures of the present era, symbolizing freedom and rebellion."

"What would happen if I snatched it away?"

"Then the French army would stop fighting the Somme and fight you first."

Jiang He felt a slight headache. "Anything else?"

The crow lightly pecked at the cream of mushroom soup. "Let me compile a list. The opposing forces and the knights being dispatched are increasing by the day; surely one or two nobles are holding suitable secret treasures. I'll let you know as soon as there's a result."

"Thanks." Jiang He slid over three black gems.

"You're too polite, caw caw caw."

...

Early the next morning.

Three infantry divisions crossed the western defense line of the Somme River and successfully arrived in the Leiden City area. In accordance with superior orders, they prepared to break down into smaller units, entering the urban area by platoon to participate in urban warfare.

In fact, new troops arrived every day, and wounded soldiers were constantly being transported back from the front lines. The two field hospitals subordinate to the camp headquarters were already overflowing. With medical supplies in extreme shortage, tens of thousands of soldiers underwent amputations without anesthesia simply to prevent wound infections.

In the morning light, Jiang He finished organizing his equipment, slung his gun bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the bunker. His promotion to knight had comprehensively elevated his strength, especially the advanced self-healing, which undoubtedly provided a great safety guarantee. However, it was worth noting that his foundational pure-azure energy was not inexhaustible; rather, it derived from the major portion of the granary he had consumed previously, making the search for new food sources quite important.

"Oh my, there's a rather peculiar fellow here."

Si Ning turned around, feigning surprise, her tone muffled. She gargled noisily, then casually tossed aside the twig she had been using as a toothbrush.

"Spit it out if you have something to say."

"Sleeping at four, waking up at six-thirty, not a second off. Are you a robot?"

Too lazy to reply, Jiang He found a rock and sat down cross-legged. As he drove his physical strength to integrate his entire body into a cohesive whole, his acuity gradually climbed to its peak. The morning breeze blew past, stimulating his skin. According to the essentials within the *Arm Scripture*, he reached a state where the morning breeze felt like knives, tempering his bones and cleansing his marrow—being not far from the realm of hidden force.

During the previous derivative mission, the Great Shaman beside Tieduo had once used the Black Tiger Soul attack to plunge him into rigidity. The violent tiger roar swept through both inside and out, causing his entire body's muscles to stiffen like wood. But since he hadn't died then, looking at it in the long run, it was actually a blessing in disguise.

Beyond visible force, martial arts had to move inward, seeping into the internal organs to catalyze hidden force. This step was extremely difficult, requiring the achievement of the "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound" before the muscles and bones could resonate simultaneously.

Jiang He carefully recalled the sensation of that rigidity, imitating the tiger roar, and circulating the blue-and-red blood energy within his body to tear at his physique. The advanced self-healing quickly repaired the damage, but the lingering excruciating pain served as the trace of the ideal state of hidden force, requiring a martial artist to "chase shadows in the wind" bit by bit.

"Endure three more strikes of the Black Tiger Soul, or get struck by lightning, and I'll have the confidence to master hidden force."

Jiang He closed his eyes to experience the lingering, corrosive, agonizing pain. The more intense the pain, the deeper his impression became.

The camp finished breakfast. The sub-lieutenant who had been running about frantically yesterday had barely returned to normal. He led two young men to the private bunker, looking at the new Count Lemon with eyes full of fear.

"Count, these two are the assistants selected by the Colonel—Friger and David. Both are elites from the rear academies."

Si Ning finished wrapping her bandages and teased, "Snatching up child soldiers already? Why do I feel like the fighting is even more brutal than expected? I heard that yesterday on the central front, forty thousand casualties were suffered in a single day."

The sub-lieutenant saluted. "But our side has achieved phased victories, and a steady stream of privates from the mainland is still rushing to the front."

Si Ning let out a light scoff. Compared to the bigwigs in the White-Clad Palace, her Death Cruise wouldn't even reach them, even if its scale were multiplied tenfold.

"The fellow following me goes by the moniker Charles XIV."

Jiang He added another sentence, "Easy to remember."

Friger raised his hand enthusiastically. He was full of passion for war; only imperial power and glory could be passed down through generations, and previous assistants must certainly have possessed legendary tales of their own.