The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

After Li Weiguo gave that thumbs-up, he felt quite satisfied with himself.

That's quite impressive.

The head of the command headquarters, without putting on airs or pretension, paid tribute to a junior in the simplest way.

If this scene were captured by a reporter from the military newspaper, the headline for tomorrow's front page would be ready: "A Silent Dialogue Between Iron-Blooded Generals and Young Heroes."

It is heart-wrenching and deeply moving.

however.

Gu Xu looked at Li Weiguo's thumbs-up, but the expected expression of emotion did not appear on his face.

On the contrary, his expression was very subtle.

To be precise, he was speechless.

How can I describe that expression?

It's like you've worked hard all month, and your boss pats you on the shoulder and says, "Good job, young man," then turns around and leaves without mentioning a single penny of bonus.

That feeling.

"minister."

Gu Xu cleared his throat and spoke in an extremely sincere tone.

"I appreciate your thumbs up, thank you."

"but--"

Gu Xu abruptly changed the subject, his expression becoming extremely serious: "Between us, can we skip all this formality?"

Li Weiguo's thumb froze in mid-air.

"I single-handedly carried four demigods and a source-level projection..." Gu Xu counted on his fingers, "You're going to give me a thumbs up?"

"Can this thumb be eaten? Can it be exchanged for money? Can it buy a house in Longjing's Second Ring Road?"

Li Weiguo's lips began to twitch uncontrollably.

Gu Xu continued, "Minister, if you truly want to thank me, then give me something tangible. A medal, a bonus, a subsidy—anything is fine. Bank transfer is preferred, but cash is also acceptable."

"besides--"

Gu Xu seemed to suddenly remember something extremely important and abruptly sat up straight.

"I'm a major general now, right?"

Li Weiguo nodded subconsciously.

"Major General."

Gu Xu chewed on those two words, a meaningful look on his face: "This rank is alright under normal circumstances. But the work I did this time, isn't Major General a bit... inappropriate?"

"Why don't you consider mentioning it to us?"

The entire ward fell silent instantly.

It was so quiet you could hear the gurgling sound of the repair fluid flowing through the tube.

The group of high-ranking officers who had followed Li Weiguo in behind him all stared wide-eyed, their expressions quite remarkable.

Several elderly generals were so shocked that they almost lost their dentures.

Su Qiong stood to the side, one hand covering her forehead.

She didn't want to watch anymore.

Every time this man opened his mouth, it made her oscillate between pride and despair.

Jiang Shu, without any hesitation, nodded frantically beside him, muttering under her breath, "The Crown Prince is right! Major General is indeed too low! It should at least be Lieutenant General! Ideally, it should be General!"

Li Weiguo finally lowered his thumb completely.

He just stared at Gu Xu, his expression changing several times.

First, his lips twitched, then his brows furrowed, and then a deep sense of helplessness appeared.

finally--

He smiled.

It was a relieved and heartfelt laugh.

It's not because I find it funny, but because I think it's just right.

If Gu Xu were genuinely moved to tears, holding his hand and saying something like, "Minister, it's my honor to serve Sherlock Holmes," Li Weiguo would find it rather odd.

They might think this kid's brain got damaged in a dimensional rift.

But now he's all smiles and haggling?

This is the Gu Xu he knows.

"Don't worry."

Li Weiguo patted Gu Xu on the shoulder, the anger in his voice long gone. "You'll get everything you're owed. The General Headquarters is already processing your rank; you don't need to rush it."

"That's good, that's good."

Gu Xu nodded in satisfaction, leaned back on the hospital bed, and a smile spread across his face.

Only after receiving a substantial commitment did Gu Xu shift his focus away from his personal interests.

His gaze darkened slightly, and his tone became more serious.

"Minister, how's the God-Slaying Army doing? Commander Zhou Yi and the others..."

"Everything is fine."

Li Weiguo immediately reassured him, "Thanks to you, the East China Sea defense line has been completely stabilized. The commanders of each legion and the saints have recovered to their peak condition, and the main force of the Forbidden Water Clan has been repelled."

"Zhou Yi is currently regrouping his troops and clearing out the remaining enemy forces. It is estimated that in another two or three days, the East China Sea will be able to return to its pre-war defense level."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu nodded slightly, finally feeling a weight lift from his shoulders.

It's good that everyone is alright.

He went to such great lengths to reverse time so that these people could live a good life.

However, after relaxing for only a few seconds, a thought suddenly flashed through Gu Xu's mind.

He narrowed his eyes, and his tone became serious.

"Minister, I have one more question."

"explain."

"The Forbidden Water Tribe's massive invasion caused such a huge commotion that the East China Sea defense line nearly collapsed..." Gu Xu tapped his fingers lightly on the bedside railing twice. "Did other countries take advantage of the situation to do anything underhanded?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the ward suddenly dropped several degrees.

Li Weiguo's expression changed.

It wasn't a major change, but rather an extremely subtle one.

It's like asking someone who's just finished a fight, "Did the other person call for backup?" and they suddenly fall silent.

Zhang Daoxuan also fell silent, his gaze shifting slightly to the window.

The group of generals behind him fell silent in unison, as if they had collectively lost their voices.

Gu Xu sensed the uneasy atmosphere, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Xu sat up straight. "Could it be that other countries have really come?"

Silence is the best answer.

Li Weiguo did not speak immediately, but stood there for a few seconds.

His expression was complicated, as if he was carefully considering how to phrase his words.

In fact, he really didn't want to talk about this with Gu Xu at this time.

The kid just woke up; he must still be weak.

Such sensitive military intelligence should not have been discussed in a hospital ward.

"This matter..."

Li Weiguo hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It's rather complicated. Your priority right now is to recover your health. We can talk about other things after you've recovered."

"The General Staff will handle everything; you don't need to worry about it."

The words were spoken in a very official and respectable manner.

If it were someone else, they would most likely obey obediently, since the higher-ups have given the order.

But this person is Gu Xu.

Upon hearing this, Gu Xu's playful smile vanished instantly.

He looked at Li Weiguo, his tone calm but with an undeniable air of authority.

"Minister, that's not fair of you."

Li Weiguo was taken aback.

"I am, after all, a major general and chief of staff of the Divine Xia Empire's God-Slaying Army."

Gu Xu said, enunciating each word clearly, "If you're hiding something from me, then you're treating me like an outsider."