Chapter 27: The Twin Jewels of the Empire

“I’ve seen this many times before. During my first ‘lesson,’ I fared even worse than you. I vomited, and it became a long-standing joke among the others,” said the veteran.

Qian Ye could feel the concern and kindness in the veteran’s words, and he managed a weak smile in return.

The veteran gestured towards the blazing fire with a solemn expression, “This is not anyone’s fault. All these deaths are due to the Blood Clan. Do you know that I once shot through my own brother’s heart? He had been bitten by a vampire! From that day on, I vowed that I would never retire until every last one of those damned black-blooded bastards is exterminated. Even if I die of old age, it will be on the battlefield!”

Silence filled the transport as the rookies were left in shock, while many of the veterans were lost in their own memories. Each one of them had a story to tell about the Blood Slaves.

As the burning city gradually disappeared from the horizon, the flames continued to burn in Qian Ye’s heart.

Upon returning to the base, Qian Ye received both bad news and good news.

The bad news was that Lin Xitang had passed through Qin Continent just two days ago on his way to the capital to report. When his aide contacted the Red Scorpion headquarters, Qian Ye was already on the battlefield.

The good news was that Qian Ye received his first letter from home—or, if a letter from Wei Po Tian could be considered such. The envelope was made of pure white paper, embossed with a delicate pattern of a headless, winged angel in dark gold thread.

When Nan Ba Tian saw it, he snorted, “Those bird people’s stuff, always showy but useless.”

Qian Ye carefully extracted a silver cartridge from the envelope, and his expression grew slightly enigmatic.

Upon opening the letter, he discovered that the cartridge was handmade by Wei Po Tian. To be precise, the casing was an industrial product, but the array etched inside, which compressed origin power, was his first successful creation and a point of pride for him.

In the time Wei Po Tian had spent with the Winged Angel Company, he had not wasted a moment. He had broken through to become a 3rd Rank Warrior and, due to his family’s secret techniques, quickly mastered the art of origin power etching, allowing him to create physical origin bullets. In the letter, Wei Po Tian also issued a challenge, but expressed his frustration at how to repay his debts, still three times over!

Qian Ye crumpled the letter and envelope into a ball and tossed them into the wastebasket. He then threw the cartridge high into the air, where it traced a parabolic arc of silver light before falling back into his hand.

The military competition was still half a year away.

In the following months, Qian Ye applied for missions continuously, moving from one battlefield to another. He rose like a comet, known for his icy calm and ruthless efficiency in combat.

The number of dark races killed by Qian Ye increased rapidly, propelling his record to the top, surpassing countless brilliant talents among the Red Scorpion rookies and many noble scions!

Qian Ye seemed born to be a warrior and an assassin. He excelled in team combat, but became even more dangerous when acting alone. In any environment, he could find ways to amplify his combat advantages.

When Qian Ye single-handedly killed a Blood Warrior equivalent to a 4th Rank Soldier, the assassin part of his combat instinct seemed to awaken. From then on, the casualty rate of mid-ranking dark race warriors in the areas he frequented began to skyrocket.

Nan Ba Tian was both pleased and worried by Qian Ye’s transformation. He had to order Qian Ye to reduce his mission frequency. As Qian Ye was not yet eighteen, he had a brighter future ahead, and at this stage, Nan Ba Tian believed he needed more time to cultivate his origin power, the true path to becoming a powerhouse.

Qian Ye, of course, unconditionally obeyed the orders of the Tiger Scorpion Company Commander.

Thus, among the new recruits, Qian Ye’s reputation grew, attracting the attention of several Deputy Legion Commanders.

To many, Qian Ye was a rising star, destined to shine brightly in the Imperial military. His name had already appeared on the watchlists of some noble families, and some even discussed whether to recruit him.

A bright future was unfolding before Qian Ye!

The only regret in Qian Ye’s heart was that he had yet to meet Lin Xitang. Through his various missions, Qian Ye had grown familiar with the military, and he gradually understood the weight behind the title “Commander Lin.”

Lin Xitang did not come from a particularly distinguished background. His family had a long history in the military, but mostly in lower ranks. His father was only a hereditary viscount, barely scraping the upper echelons of society under the Imperial nobility system.

Such a family provided Lin Xitang with a decent starting platform, but everything else had to be earned through his own efforts.

In his nearly thirty years of military service, Lin Xitang had fought hundreds of battles, rarely suffering defeat. Even when facing the most powerful dark races, his defeats were so minor that the Imperial War Department could find no fault.

However, Lin Xitang’s talents extended beyond the military. He was exceptionally skilled in handling local governance and, due to his cultivation of the Great Derivation Celestial Technique, had discovered countless talents for the Empire. In essence, Lin Xitang was a man of many talents.

Thus, he was promoted to Marshal at the young age of forty, becoming the youngest of the ten Marshals, often mentioned alongside Zhang Boqian, another young prodigy of the Empire.

Zhang Boqian, on the other hand, was a different breed entirely. He and Lin Xitang were polar opposites in almost every aspect. Zhang Boqian came from a true noble lineage, with ancestors who had helped found the Empire and were granted the title of Duke of Qingyang.

By now, the Zhang family, led by the Qingyang branch, had risen to the top of the four major noble families, with each branch headed by a hereditary duke. The family’s achievements in both letters and martial prowess were second only to the Imperial Family.

Zhang Boqian was a genius in military strategy, even surpassing Lin Xitang in this regard. He was also one of the Empire’s top martial experts, with a reputation for bloodthirstiness and ruthlessness. Despite his name, his hands were stained with more blood than even the dark races could bear.

However, Zhang Boqian was a disaster in politics, often resorting to violence to solve problems. His favorite saying was, “Kill all the troublemakers, and there will be no more trouble.”

Despite knowing Lin Xitang’s illustrious identity, the clearest image in Qian Ye’s mind was still that warm, strong hand.

But Lin Xitang had been tied up in the Western Border, dealing with a significant rebellion. He had personally gone to quell the unrest, yet found himself in a difficult position.

Recently, rumors had spread that several high-ranking generals in the Imperial War Department were planning to replace him. Lin Xitang had been summoned to the capital twice, and though he returned quickly each time, no one knew what would happen next.

The latest news Qian Ye had heard was that Zhao Weihuang, a major general from the northwest, had mobilized his famous Wolf Smoke Legion, ready to deploy to the rebellious provinces.

Qian Ye was concerned for Lin Xitang and curious about the rebels, who had dared to defy the Empire for centuries.

After joining the Red Scorpion, Qian Ye had come to realize just how massive the Empire truly was. Even the Red Scorpion, with its formidable strength, struggled to make the top three. How immense must the Empire’s military might be!

Perhaps fate had its eye on Qian Ye, for shortly after he became curious, a small mission fell into his lap.

It was indeed a small mission, with only five Black Scorpion veterans and Qian Ye, a rookie, dispatched. No local troops were called in for support. As it was not a cross-continental mission, the same bald-headed captain was in charge of the internal flight.

Before the airship took off, the bald captain and the temporary squad leader reviewed the mission details. The captain’s chubby face immediately turned grim, and he said coldly, “Those aristocrats are always up to something! Rebels? Who doesn’t know what’s going on?”

The temporary squad leader shrugged, “What can we do? Since they have the clout to mobilize us, there’s no changing the task. Let’s just get in and out quickly!”

The bald captain suddenly glanced at Qian Ye, muttering, “Let him see for himself. A rookie needs to grow up and see the truth behind the glamour.”

Qian Ye, confused by their exchange, felt even more curious about the mission. This was not a simple assignment.

The airship ascended into the sky, flying in its usual wild manner. This time, Qian Ye did not get sick. Like the other veterans, he sat calmly, resting, and even nodded off lightly.

Conserving energy before battle was a common practice among Red Scorpion soldiers.

The journey lasted three days, and they finally reached the mission location at night.

This was a remote province on the edge of the Qin Continent. Several major noble families had holdings here, leaving less than half the land under direct Imperial control. The political situation was incredibly complex.

In the mountains, there was a small town near a gem mine, where most residents were miners. The mission site was near this town, where a group of rebels had attacked, causing heavy casualties.

These rebels were cunning, hiding deep in the mountains and abducting the fiancée of a local viscount. The viscount, unable to deal with the rebels, requested the Imperial forces, dispatching a small Red Scorpion team to resolve the issue.

The airship hovered above the town, lowering to about thirty meters above the ground. The veterans opened the hatch and jumped down, landing firmly after a thirty-meter fall.

Qian Ye grabbed a rope, sliding down, pulling it to stop his descent at ten meters, then dropped to the ground.

The town was already occupied by over a thousand of the viscount’s private troops. A young officer, barely in his twenties, galloped out, looking at the landed Red Scorpion soldiers in disbelief, “Just a few men?”

The squad leader frowned, “Even a thousand fools are still fools!”

The young officer, full of arrogance, was instantly enraged, “Who are you calling a fool? Do you know who I am? A lowly soldier, daring to speak to me like that!”

With that, he raised his whip and lashed it at the squad leader’s head!

Without a word, Qian Ye unslung his flintlock automatic rifle and pulled the safety catch. He ignored the officer, focusing instead on the private troops.

Including the bald captain, there were only seven Red Scorpions. If they clashed with a thousand private troops, it would be quite a mess.