"You're clearly upset because I'm too relaxed." Ren Xiaosu said with a dark expression, "You're the commander of the Northwest Army, so how can you be so narrow-minded?"
Zhang Jinglin said matter-of-factly, "I'm not being narrow-minded. Since this is a journey to train the next commander, I naturally have to let you experience how tough it is here. Think about it, the sentries here are not supernatural beings. If you don't increase your load, will you be able to feel how tough it is for them? "
Zhang Jinglin continued, "If you don't experience it, how will you know how tough it is for the sentries here in the future? I'm not asking you to overload either. I just want you to experience the life of a normal person again. "
"As expected of the commander. You're so reasonable." Ren Xiaosu curled his lips. "Which rock do you think I should carry?"
"How much weight can you carry right now?" Zhang Jinglin asked.
"50 kilograms?" Ren Xiaosu asked tentatively.
"Tell me the truth!" Zhang Jinglin said angrily.
"I haven't tested it before." Ren Xiaosu went to the roadside and found a rock about the size of a winter melon. He put it on his shoulder and said, "Will this do?"
"No, I don't think it's strenuous for you at all!" Zhang Jinglin looked around for a long time before he found a rock about half the height of a person. "I'll take this."
Ren Xiaosu walked over to the rock. It was only when Zhang Jinglin saw that he was struggling to carry the rock on his back that he was satisfied. "Alright, let's move on!"
However, after walking for another two hours, Zhang Jinglin felt that his knees could not take it anymore. But when he turned around to look at Ren Xiaosu, he realized that there was not even a drop of sweat on his forehead.
It was already early summer in the Northwest. It was hot during the day and cold at night. If Ren Xiaosu was really tired from carrying such a large rock while the sun was high in the sky in the afternoon, how could he not sweat at all?
Zhang Jinglin asked suspiciously, "Aren't you tired?"
Ren Xiaosu said with a pained expression, "I'm tired, so tired!"
"Really?" Zhang Jinglin asked.
"Of course it's true." Ren Xiaosu roared angrily, "Why don't you try carrying such a big rock? You'll be tired too!"
Zhang Jinglin sighed and said, "Let's not talk about anything else, his acting skills are really good …"
"Did I reveal anything?" Ren Xiaosu was puzzled.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jinglin pressed down on Ren Xiaosu's shoulder and jumped onto Ren Xiaosu's back.
As a result, Ren Xiaosu was carrying the rock while Zhang Jinglin was leisurely sitting on it. Ren Xiaosu said unhappily, "You're the commander of the Northwest Army. Why do you still like to slack off so much?"
"This is a training trip for you, not for me." Zhang Jinglin said nonchalantly, "I'm still considered good. My previous commander told me that his old commander drove when he brought him to the outpost."
Ren Xiaosu retorted, "How are you better than him? I'm thinking you might as well drive! "
Zhang Jinglin glanced at his watch. "Alright, there's only a little over an hour left until the estimated time of arrival. Let's get going!"
Just like that, the two of them resumed their journey. Zhang Jinglin sat on the rock and enjoyed the scenery. The hills in the distance were rolling up and down, and the flocks of sheep were grazing with their heads lowered. Occasionally, they could even see yaks passing by not too far away.
Zhang Jinglin suddenly said, "I've never been so relaxed outside of the fortress before, nor have I had the time to enjoy the scenery here. But when I think about how this place will be littered with corpses again when war breaks out one day, I feel like it's a waste of the scenery here. "
"You've never thought of launching a counterattack against those warlocks?" Ren Xiaosu asked, "Wouldn't that solve the problem once and for all?"
"I've thought about it." Zhang Jinglin said, "But the enemy's power is too mysterious, and it makes us wary. Before we understand how strong the enemy is, we can't gamble with the lives of the civilians behind us."
Ren Xiaosu nodded. Just like the war between the Pyro Company and the expeditionary army, rashly pursuing and counterattacking would only lead to failure before they fully understood how strong the barbarians were.
"I heard from Big Bluff that they've sent people to infiltrate the barbarians. Did it not go well?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"It didn't go well." Zhang Jinglin shook his head.
"Is it because of a language barrier? Or a different skin color? "Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.
"No." Zhang Jinglin said, "It's because they've been looting a large number of our compatriots for the past 200 years. Actually, 80% of the people there are no different from us, and even their language is the same. I reckon that when the first group of warlocks looted the population to develop themselves, they did not expect this to happen either. Of course, we also have to be vigilant. This situation not only makes it easier for our people to infiltrate their society, but it also means that they can infiltrate our society too. "
"Then why can't we infiltrate them?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"Because we can't create warlocks." Zhang Jinglin explained, "The warlock organization is a power structure that reigns supreme over everything else in that country. Moreover, this organization's structure is extremely strict. As long as you're not a warlock, you won't be able to truly understand what methods they have."
"We don't know the exact number of these warlocks or their levels. We also don't know where their power comes from or how to keep them in check." Zhang Jinglin continued, "Perhaps this situation will only change when we have a warlock among our people. However, we don't know how to become a warlock."
"Have you found any clues about the source of their power? Did they awaken like us?" Ren Xiaosu asked.
"No." Zhang Jinglin said firmly, "Their power has a complete system and inheritance. It's not the same as awakening through luck. Besides, these warlocks have been around since before The Cataclysm. Actually, they don't have any hatred for us. It's just that when a civilization rises, it will inevitably have a certain degree of exclusivity toward other civilizations. Moreover, a constantly improving society will definitely have a great demand for resources. We believe that Fortress 178 will have to fight them sooner or later because the land they're on isn't considered rich. "
But at this moment, Ren Xiaosu suddenly turned his head and looked at the hillside in the distance. Zhang Jinglin asked, "What's the matter?"
Ren Xiaosu looked at the two goats on the hillside and said, "I keep getting the feeling that those two goats are watching us."
Zhang Jinglin smiled and gave him a squeeze on the shoulder. "It's just two goats. Let's keep moving. The soldiers at the outpost are still waiting for us."
"Mhm, maybe I'm overthinking things." Ren Xiaosu nodded. "After we left the Northwest, I kept getting the feeling that the enemy might be nearby. That's why I'm a little nervous."
When the two of them gradually disappeared over the horizon, the two goats on the hillside who were grazing with their heads down suddenly turned around and started running. No one knew where they were headed.
When a shepherd dog saw them breaking away from the group, it wanted to stop them. But as soon as the shepherd dog got close, it shrank back as though it had seen something very terrifying.
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