I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

After a long while, Chen Hong suddenly laughed, but there was no warmth in his smile.

"Lin Chen, you're a smart person. But sometimes, being too smart isn't a good thing."

He stood up, walked to Lin Chen, picked up the bundle, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it back into Lin Chen's arms.

"To be honest, Fatty Wu is dead, and Scarface Wang is dead too. Now there's no way to verify anything. You said they colluded with bandits to traffic people. Who saw it? The patrolmen? They're with you. These artisans?" He glanced at the nervous Shi Jian.

"They're just trying to survive, so they'll do whatever you say."

"As for these ledgers and confidential letters..."

Chen Hong's voice suddenly turned cold, "Who knows if it was fabricated by you, Lin Chen, to cover up your crimes of robbing military funds and murdering your superior?!"

Lin Chen froze. He knew Chen Hong would be shameless, but he didn't expect him to be this shameless.

Fatty Wu and Scarface Wang are both dead. It seems the other side was quick enough to silence them.

Zhao Tiegu's face turned ashen with rage, Li the Cripple clenched his fists, and Shi Jian rushed forward anxiously: "My lord! I can testify! Fatty Wu, he..."

"Shut up!" Chen Hong shouted. "Who are you to speak here? Men, take these bystanders away and keep them under separate supervision!"

Several soldiers stepped forward to arrest the man.

"Captain Chen." A steady voice came from outside the door.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Zhang Heng striding in with two personal guards.

He was dressed in neat captain's leather armor, his eyes sharp as lightning. He first scanned the situation in the arena, and finally landed on Chen Hong's face.

"Captain Zhang?" Chen Hong frowned. "What brings you here?"

"I heard that my brothers from the patrol battalion and Brother Lin have returned, and brought back important military intelligence, so naturally I had to come and see them."

Zhang Heng's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority: "I have read Zhou Yong's detailed report and submitted it to General Liu Zhenshan."

Chen Hong's expression changed: "General Liu knows too?"

"This matter concerns the border troops' collusion with foreign enemies and human trafficking, so General Liu naturally takes it very seriously."

Zhang Heng walked over to Lin Chen, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Brother Lin remained calm in the face of danger, killed the traitor, rescued the people, and recovered the supplies. You have done a great job. Zhou Yong's report clearly states this."

He turned to Chen Hong, his voice slightly low.

"Captain Chen, Fatty Wu and Scarface Wang are your men, aren't they? These two have done such a thing; as their superior, shouldn't you give General Liu and the soldiers within the pass an explanation?"

Chen Hong's eyes twitched as he stared intently at Zhang Heng. Their gazes clashed in the air, and an invisible pressure spread out.

After a long silence, Chen Hong snorted.

"Captain Zhang is right. Fatty Wu and Scarface Wang, among others, have committed heinous crimes and deserve to die. I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates and will apologize to General Liu. However..."

He changed the subject and looked at Lin Chen again.

"Although Lin Chen has rendered meritorious service, it is also a fact that he abandoned his post, acted on his own, and delayed returning to his unit to report for duty. He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. According to military law, he should be given fifty strokes of the cane and sent back to the reconnaissance battalion to serve as a substitute for his punishment!"

Fifty strokes of the military rod are enough to leave an ordinary person half-dead. Returning to the scout camp is practically a death sentence.

Zhang Heng frowned slightly, about to speak.

Lin Chen suddenly said, "Captain Chen, this humble general is willing to accept the punishment."

Everyone was taken aback.

Lin Chen raised his head, looked at Chen Hong, and said clearly, "However, before I accept the punishment, there is something I don't understand and would like to ask Captain Chen."

"explain."

"Besides these account books and secret letters, I also found something else on Fatty Wu's body," Lin Chen said, pulling out another item from his pocket—the domino from the Gray Wolf Tribe.

"We also found this. According to Mr. Shi, Fatty Wu mentioned that he wanted to sell them to the demon race of the 'Grey Wolf Tribe.' And this domino is said to be a token used in the trade with the demon tribe."

He held up the dominoes, and in the dim firelight, the ferocious wolf head pattern was clearly visible.

"This humble general would like to know, how could Fatty Wu, a mere border clerk, possess a token from a demon tribe? Is there someone else behind him? And is this mastermind... also within our Ghost Cry Pass, or perhaps even right here in this military camp?"

Lin Chen spoke each word clearly and distinctly; once he finished speaking, the barracks were so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Hong's face instantly turned extremely ugly. He stared intently at the domino, then suddenly looked at Lin Chen, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

Zhang Heng's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He stepped forward, took the dominoes, examined them carefully, and said in a deep voice, "This matter is of great importance and must be thoroughly investigated! Captain Chen, what do you think?"

Chen Hong's chest heaved, his breathing becoming heavier. He knew, of course, what these dominoes meant, and he understood the implication behind Lin Chen's words. If Zhang Heng really followed this lead...

"This matter... definitely needs to be investigated thoroughly."

Chen Hong squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, his tone softening, "Lin Chen... since you're involved with the demon race and you're injured, I'll temporarily record fifty lashes, to observe your future conduct."

He paused, then almost gritted his teeth as he said, "However, the scout battalion can't accommodate you. Since Captain Zhang appreciates you, why don't you transfer to his 'patrol battalion' for now? What does Captain Zhang think?"

He was promoted in name only, leaving the most dangerous scout camp, but entering Zhang Heng's system also meant being completely drawn into the factional struggle between Chen Hong and Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng looked at Lin Chen.

"I'm naturally willing, but I wonder what Brother Lin thinks?"

Lin Chen nodded slightly, then clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate obeys the order."

Chen Hong snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve, with Zhang Kui and the others quickly following.

Only Zhang Heng, Lin Chen, and Zhang Heng's personal guards remained in the barracks.

Zhang Heng handed the dominoes back to Lin Chen and whispered, "Keep them safe. This is a hot potato, but also... a talisman."

"Thank you, Captain Zhang, for getting me out of trouble," Lin Chen said.

"No need to thank me," Zhang Heng waved his hand.

"You're the one who's got guts. Chen Hong wanted to use Wang Scarface and Fatty Wu's affair to get back at you, but he didn't expect Wang Scarface to get himself involved this time, which left Chen Hong without a direct pretext. However, you pushed him too far this time, so you need to be extra careful in the future."

"What about Elder Shi and the others..." Lin Chen looked at Shi Jian.

"Since their identities as artisans are confirmed and we have evidence of Wu the Fat's crimes, they can stay and do some repair work within the pass, which will be a good way to settle them down. If they don't want to stay in the border town, I will arrange for soldiers to escort them back to Black Rock City tomorrow."

Zhang Heng continued, "From now on, you will be a member of my patrol team. I will arrange your accommodation. Report to the patrol camp first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Zhang Heng gave a few more instructions and then left with his personal guards.

Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi then gathered around, both looking relieved.

"That was close!" Li the Cripple wiped away a cold sweat. "That bastard Chen Hong really wanted to kill you!"

Zhao Tiegu then looked at Lin Chen with a complicated expression: "Kid, you... you deliberately took out those dominoes just now?"

Lin Chen put the dominoes back into his pocket, without answering, only saying, "Let's settle down first."

The new barracks were in the patrol camp area, much better than the dilapidated mud houses of the scout camp. They were four people a room and were fairly clean. Zhao Tiegu and Li Quezi were also transferred here by Zhang Heng because of their "meritorious assistance" and lived with Lin Chen.

In the evening, Shi Jian came over again.

He did not choose to stay in Ghost Cry Pass, but instead led his people back to Black Rock City. Before leaving, he thanked Lin Chen profusely.

Before leaving, Shi Jian promised that as a prominent middle-class family in Blackrock City, the Shi family would do their utmost to serve Lin Chen if needed. As for the weapons and soft armor that Lin Chen had entrusted him to forge, he would deliver them as soon as possible, assuring Lin Chen that he could rest assured.

Finally, Lin Chen and Shi Jian and the others bid each other a reluctant farewell.

It was late at night.

Lin Chen lay on the relatively dry bunk with his eyes open.

The dominoes in my arms were cold and hard.

He clearly saw the murderous look in Chen Hong's eyes at the end.

Judging from this, the power behind this person must be considerable, otherwise he wouldn't have risen to such a high position and be so arrogant!

The temporary compromise was only due to Zhang Heng's intervention and the threat posed by that domino.

But this venomous snake will not give up so easily.

And then there's Zhang Heng... While there was an element of appreciation and exploitation in helping him out today, this favor must be repaid sooner or later.

The wind outside the window howled through the rugged walls of Ghost Cry Pass, like the whispers of countless dead souls.

New environment, new crisis.

This also means that a new hunt is about to begin.

Lin Chen touched the dozen or so taels of silver in his pocket. It felt icy cold. One tael of it was given to him by Wang Scarface as a favor after he had withheld it from him.

That kid died too quickly, and it was all too suspicious.

And further away, that name loomed over my heart like a dark cloud.

Is Su Qingxue... coming soon?