Anyone could tell that the sigh was filled with unspoken words.
The general, still clad in golden armor, felt his pupils constrict violently. Instinctively, he was about to unleash his aura to scan his surroundings when Rou Si placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Don't do anything."
"Take the military token back to the city, rally the troops, and defend our borders. Don't worry about anything else, don't think about it, and don't speak of it. If, and I stress *if*, I return to the city unharmed, do not trust me. If you feel you cannot compete with my position in the city, take those who believe in you and seek refuge with..."
Rou Si suddenly froze. He couldn't immediately name a place to seek refuge.
After a long silence,
He finally exhaled deeply.
"Seek refuge with Kuka. He should accept you."
The general, holding the military token, looked utterly bewildered.
He couldn't understand the meaning behind Rou Si's words.
Rou Si, the commander, had said all these things. Was it possible that if he returned to the city unharmed, he shouldn't be trusted? Could it be that the returning commander was not the real commander?
"Commander, I don't know what kind of predicament we've fallen into. I believe that for you to reach this point, it must be a desperate situation, one we cannot help you with. I just want to ask, will you truly never return to the city? Or..."
"Perhaps not."
Rou Si suddenly grinned. The smile didn't suit his effeminate demeanor at all.
"Maybe I can go back."
"If that's the case, should I trust you, or..." The general's eyes were filled with hesitation. Rou Si pondered for a moment and sighed, "That will depend on your own ability. You've followed me for so long. There should be a certain understanding between us, shouldn't there?"
The general standing before Rou Si remained silent for a long time.
Rou Si simply watched him, patting his shoulder.
"I hope my trust in you is not misplaced."
"Commander, rest assured, I will absolutely not disappoint you!"
The general, clutching the military token tightly, suddenly looked up. His dark eyes seemed to burn with a fiery passion. Rou Si saw a determination originating from his heart, and with that, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Go. Change into the Black Iron set with agility stats and return to the city."
The golden-armored generals donned the Black Iron-grade Swiftwind adventuring set. Rou Si stood several meters away, waving goodbye with a smile.
"Go back, everyone."
The general holding the military token bowed deeply to Rou Si, raised his arm, and his subordinates vanished into the depths of the rainforest.
Rou Si watched silently.
His subordinates were long gone, yet he continued to gaze into the depths of the rainforest.
"I really miss those times."
In a daze, the scene before Rou Si's eyes changed.
An endless grassland.
Two carefree lions ran across the plains. They were the kings of this territory; no beast could match them. They had fought side-by-side since childhood, tearing apart beast after beast that dared to challenge them.
When injured, they licked each other's wounds.
When victorious, they shared the fresh meat.
They were absolutely free in those days.
The scene shifted again. Now they were not on the plains but in a camp filled with various living facilities.
A small black cat patrolled back and forth, occasionally nuzzling against a big sister's chest, acting cute and adorable. A mole man, carrying a shovel, relentlessly pounded the ground, killing moles he'd pulled from glowing circles.
Piles upon piles.
A burly, muscular dog-headed man wielded a large cleaver.
A black donkey, lazily lying on the ground, ate fresh fruit.
"Mealtime, mealtime!"
A clear young voice called out. Rou Si, lying on the ground, also saw the young man's face.
Fragrant roasted meat was placed in a wooden basin.
"Rou Si, you had a good harvest today. If we keep this up, you'll have riches and honor in the future." The young man placed a basin of roasted meat before him. "This is all yours, enjoy it exclusively. Don't give any to Jack. He's been a bit too lazy lately. He went out and got nothing. Jack... are you listening? I'm talking to you. Learn from Rou Si, don't be such a coward."
The young man kicked a lion's hindquarters and placed down a wooden basin with over a dozen slices of roasted meat.
"This is like a meat loan; it requires interest."
The black cat, who had been resting on the big sister, ran back. The lazily lying black donkey also stood up. The mole man, who had been hitting moles, put down his shovel. Er Gou, who had been waving his cleaver, put down his weapon. The bee-woman swayed her hips, holding various washed fruits.
One person and a group of beasts sat together, laughing heartily.
"I'm telling you, you won't be at a disadvantage following me, Chen Yu. Don't mind that our camp is small now. We will definitely be rich enough to rival a nation in the future. At that time, you will all be veterans, and you'll have more money than you can spend in a lifetime."
"Heidou likes big sisters, so I'll hire a hundred big sisters to take care of you in your mansion."
"Nuoya likes to plant flowers, so I'll get you hundreds of acres of flower fields."
"Kuka, you want to be a great mage, right? You can pick any cultivation resources you want, be it Rainbow Realm or Saint Realm."
"Black Donkey, you... you just like being lazy, so be lazy."
"As for the two of you..."
The young man glanced over, and the lion gnawing on roasted meat slowly raised its head.
"What about you two? I've never known what your dreams are. It's fine, we can think about our dreams slowly and realize them slowly. What I can guarantee is that if you follow me, you will definitely achieve something. You will have a place in this underground realm. The prerequisite is that you must first let me get rich. When the rich help the less rich, if I can't even eat my fill, none of you should expect to eat either. In short, work hard, and the future is promising!"
...
"Boss, I never realized before, you really exploit us."
Rou Si, looking at the sky, shook his head with a wry smile. But from the corner of his mouth, one could feel the happiness hidden within the smile.
For him, life in the camp was the happiest and most interesting time. Everyone in the camp worked hard, little by little, for the camp's development. In the evening, they would gather together and joke around.
It was nothing like now, where it was difficult for familiar people to meet.
He let out a long, mournful sigh. The lion, Rou Si, slowly turned his head, spread his hands, and gazed into the void.
"Come out. You've been following me all this way."
"I was just thinking of giving you more time. From the look in your eyes just now, you seemed to be reminiscing about something from the past. Although I don't quite understand this behavior of yours, I absolutely respect everything about you."
"Thank you. It was worth it."
Rou Si smiled as he looked at the semi-transparent illusion before him.
"To kill me, they sent out a demigod. You really think highly of me. I knew it. No wonder Old Seven suddenly changed so much. His confidence comes from you. He actually collaborated with the demons."
"Are you planning to commit suicide, or..."
The phantom didn't take Rou Si's words but asked a very sensitive question.
"Commit suicide? I can't do something so cowardly." Suddenly, Rou Si directly pulled off his cloak, put on his helmet, and gripped his sword sheath. "I, even if I die, will die on the path of charge!"