Finally, a day later, the now exhausted patrol troops were able to retreat from the forest. As they got out
of the primeval forest, the spiritual beasts that had been chasing them all this time stopped all of
sudden. It was as if there was something that restricted them from leaving the forest.
After confirming that their lives were not in danger anymore, the patrol troops immediately camped on a
nearby spot to rest for a while. Then, they checked the conditions of each member and counted the
number of casualties. It turned out that more than a third of their total number was either badly injured
or killed. All in all, there were about two hundred soldiers that died in their encounter with the army of
spiritual beasts.
Obviously, it was because of Rocky's brilliance that the patrol troops were able to avoid an extremely
disastrous situation.
"Spiritual King Basil, we are indeed lucky that you are with us. Otherwise, there was no way that we
could have gotten out of that forest." Deputy Commander Lin expressed his gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm a member of this team, so I just did what I could to get us to safety.
Moreover, I think the credits should go to everyone, including you. If you didn't make the right call, we
wouldn't have survived," Rocky humbly replied.
Deputy Commander Lin was evidently very happy that he was flattered by Rocky. He talked more with
Rocky for a while before he finally left.
Right after the deputy commander left, Kye suddenly came out of nowhere and said, "When we go
back, that guy will definitely claim all the credits for what happened."
"Kye… I heard you and the deputy commander are relatives, but it seems that you are not that fond of
him," Rocky uttered softly.
"No. We are not close. And I didn't rely on him when I joined the army. Besides, I think he's just
someone mediocre. Even you must admit that he doesn't have the talent to lead the army. Am I right?"
Kye asked bluntly.
"I don't think he would become a deputy commander if he was not qualified," Rocky said with a faint
smile.
"Well, we can just agree to disagree. Anyway, previously, I wasn't able to figure out how you could help
Deputy Commander Ma and the others retreat successfully under the siege of the spiritual race's
troops. But after seeing what happened earlier, I finally got it. You must have a powerful treasure that
can make the whole army have the power of a spiritual warrior, right?" Kye surmised as he cast a
meaningful glance at Rocky.
"You can put it that way. But the number of times I can use that power is very limited. Hence, I only
reserve it at very crucial moments to maximize its effects," Rocky answered with a serious expression.
"I see. With that kind of power, it would indeed be very efficient on the battlefield as it would greatly
increase the combat power of the army," Kye commented as he realized its potential.
"Well, I am not the commander of the army, so I would be able to have that chance to freely test it in
battle," Rocky said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, that's a shame. But you know what? With how things go, it may not be that far when you replace
him," Kye said as if he had suddenly seen a premonition.
"Really? How can you say so?" Rocky glanced at Kye as he narrowed his eyes. In fact, Rocky already
had such ideas. However, he wasn't just aiming for the position of deputy commander. His real goal
was to become the grand commander of the human army, which was even a level higher than the
commander.
"Hmm. I don't know either. Somehow, I just have this gut feeling." After their conversation, Kye also left
hurriedly.
The next morning, when the troops had already rested well, Deputy Commander Lin led them back to
the Tiger Whisker Pass.
Two days later, the patrol troops had completed their mission and were able to come back safely.
Deputy Commander Lin reported everything that happened to Tucker, and even the commander broke
into cold sweat upon hearing the details. He didn't expect that they would meet an army of spiritual
beasts that almost annihilated them.
Like what Kye suspected, Deputy Commander Lin asked for all the credits, claiming that he tried very
hard to manage and lead the patrol troops to escape in such a dangerous situation. He did not even
mention a word about Rocky and everything he had done.
However, Tucker knew that it would be impossible for Deputy Commander Lin to handle that situation
alone. He just didn't say anything because he didn't want to embarrass the deputy commander. Deputy
Commander Lin had been working for him for several years. He might not have many great
contributions, but he was very hard-working. Hence, although Tucker knew that not everything was
reported to him, he decided to turn a blind eye to it.
Then, in the evening, Tucker summoned Rocky in his quarters.
"What can I do for you, sir?" Rocky asked as soon as he entered Tucker's camp.
"Well, it's nothing serious. I just want to talk and ask you a few questions. Please have a seat first,"
Tucker said calmly.
After Rocky sat down, Tucker poured a cup of tea for Rocky himself.
For a moment, the two of them just sat face to face.
"I want to thank you for what you did during the patrol mission," Tucker said with emotions that were
clearly coming from the bottom of his heart.
"Sir, I was just doing my job. Of course, I will do whatever I can," Rocky answered politely.
"Actually, Kye came to see me earlier before you arrived," Tucker said out of nowhere.
"Kye? Did he rat me out?" Rocky asked with a faint smile.
"Well, kind of. But what he said was beyond my expectations. He told me that you were the main
reason why the patrol troops could come back safe and sound. It was because of your timely response
and brilliance on the battlefield. I also did some investigation about the matter and found out that
everything he said was true. I didn't expect that you would be very talented in leading the army," Tucker
said excitedly.
"It was a very critical moment, and since I am more experienced in dealing with spiritual beasts than
Deputy Commander Lin, I did what I had to do," Rocky replied honestly, but he still didn't ask for any
credit.
"Yes. That is true. That is why I am relieved that someone like you exists in the army. After all, at the
most crucial moments, we need leaders that would step up and boost the morale of the soldiers. I also
want to tell you that I am a person who has clear distinctions between public and private interests, so I
cannot be just partial to anyone. However, because of your service to the army, I can promise you that
once a chance arises, I will certainly promote you so that you can work directly for me. We need
someone of your caliber to guide our men," Tucker said sternly. He knew that Rocky was an amazing
military talent. Hence, if such talent could work directly under him, he could contribute more and he
would be of great help. With the reports that he heard from Kye, it became clear to Tucker how
powerful Rocky was. Thus, there was no way that he would waste this opportunity. However, since he
could not just make a move based on his whims, he needed to find a perfect chance to promote Rocky.
"I am honored, sir. Of course, I am willing to work for you when that time comes," Rocky replied,
accepting Tucker's kindness without hesitation.
"Very well then. I like smart people like you," Tucker remarked as he smiled proudly.
After that, Rocky eventually left the commander's camp.
Upon returning to his residence, he saw Eunice was already there.
"Basil, you're back!" Eunice shouted in shock. She had also come back from a mission, so she did not
know that Rocky had already returned from his patrol mission.
"Why? Don't you want to see me back?" Rocky teased.
"Humph! Whatever," Eunice snorted. But then, she could not help but ask, "How did things go? Did the
patrol go smoothly this time?"
"Well, I think so. We accidentally broke into a forbidden area where we encountered an army of
spiritual beasts. We had many casualties, but luckily we managed to escape and return safely," Rocky
said as if it was not a big deal.
"What? An army comprised of spiritual beasts?!" Eunice exclaimed in shock. Of course, she instantly
became curious.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Rocky had no choice but to tell her what happened. Upon hearing it,
Eunice trembled in fear. She did not expect that they would experience such a thing during their
mission.
"It's my first time hearing that spiritual beasts can actually rule their kind and even form an army,"
Eunice said in surprise. She had never heard that spiritual beasts could actually reach such a level of
intelligence.
"Once spiritual beasts reached the Emperor Realm, their intelligence will not be much inferior to that of
humans. In fact, some of them are even smarter than humans," Rocky remarked. He was clear about
this because he knew that this was the kind that was very difficult to deal with.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda