I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

In the dead of night, the camp was silent. Apart from the occasional footsteps of the night sentry, all the soldiers were fast asleep.

Zod was the only one who remained awake, leaning against a large tree, his fingertips slightly cold.

He gently unfolded the map marked with garrisons and outposts throughout the empire, and in the dim light, his gaze swept over the familiar markings inch by inch.

Of course, he wasn't thinking about how to retrieve the two important hostages.

Because he himself did not believe he could find two important hostages.

What truly occupied his mind was something else entirely.

If this top-secret operation fails, how can we cross the border and escape the Empire completely?

His initial plan was to use the pretext of searching for hostages to gradually approach the borders of the empire.

Once they reach the border, they will seize the opportunity to escape and flee the empire's control.

As for whether to later ally with the Holy Kingdom of Baines, the empire's mortal enemy, that remains to be decided at a later time.

As the idea of ​​escaping became clearer, a route that could bypass the numerous checkpoints naturally emerged in Zod's mind.

This was probably due to his many years of experience as a junior officer in the Empire, as well as his familiarity with the Empire's territory and defenses.

He picked up a pencil, and with a slight pressure from his fingertips, carefully traced the winding path onto the map.

After determining the specific escape route, Zod began to mentally rehearse various escape details.

He had to concoct a plausible story to convince Cassius and his soldiers that the route was for a mission, not an escape.

And let them proceed along the route they envisioned, so that they wouldn't be exposed halfway through.

Zod's mind raced; this was the first time he had put so much mental effort into thinking since his college entrance exam on Earth.

Before he knew it, exhaustion enveloped him like the darkness of night. He leaned against the tree and drifted off to sleep.

……

When Zod slowly opened his eyes and woke up again, he suddenly found a familiar figure standing in front of him.

His gaze slowly moved upwards until he spotted that familiar figure—Cassius was holding a map.

It was the very one he had originally kept in his pocket.

His carefully planned escape route was clearly drawn on it.

He jolted, stood up abruptly, and prepared to snatch the map back from Cassius's hands.

At this moment, Cassius's eyes were filled with shock, then he sneered, "Hmph, Lieutenant, so this is the route you planned to take to escape the Empire?"

Pshaw! Were we discovered? Did Cassius see through Zod's intentions from the map?

Or perhaps Cassius overheard what I unintentionally said in my sleep last night?

Whatever the reason, the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and danger is imminent.

A strong sense of crisis surged into Zod's heart, and dozens of excuses flashed through his mind.

The most urgent task at present is to stabilize Cassius.

Zod coughed twice, his voice clearly tinged with guilt: "Cough...cough cough...Cassius, this is what I drew..."

"Lieutenant, stop explaining, I already understand!"

Cassius seemed to know all this, his tone very firm.

Zod's eyes widened: "You...you knew all this??"

There's nothing we can do about that.

I don't want to hurt anyone.

Zod reached for the dagger hidden behind his back; he absolutely could not reveal his plan to escape the Empire.

The empire is extremely strict with deserters, especially during wartime. Once discovered, they are executed on the spot without any possibility of leniency.

No wonder!

Once Zod is convicted of desertion and executed, Cassius, as the whistleblower, will naturally replace Zod as a lieutenant in the Empire.

So this is what you've been after? You've been eyeing the Imperial Lieutenant's position for a long time, haven't you? Cassius.

I'm so sorry, I didn't want things to turn out this way either, but you know too much!

Zod planned to strike first, eliminate Cassius, and then frame him for "espionage"—specifically, for assisting Imperial agents in kidnapping two individuals within the Empire.

The top-secret documents in his possession are the best proof that he was carrying out a top-secret mission and had a certain degree of discretion, which is reasonable.

Within the Empire, Zod, as the commander of the troops, has the authority to execute Cassius on the spot if he commits "espionage".

Once Cassius is dealt with, Zod will immediately use the pretext of retrieving two important hostages to quickly approach the border of the Empire, and then find a way to escape the Empire.

That way he'll be safe.

You're too green to play with me, Cassius!

I'm a man who thinks about living every single moment of every day!

No one can stop me from living.

Just as Zod was about to draw his dagger and strike first...

Cassius suddenly spoke up: "So this is the route the enemy agents planned to take to transfer the hostages!"

Then, Cassius looked up at Zod with admiration: "Is this the escape route of the enemy agent that you deduced overnight? That's amazing. If the enemy agent intends to escape the empire's borders, this is undoubtedly the best route."

Zod wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and put the dagger he had just pulled out back down.

I almost lost control of the knife.

If Cassius had said those words any later, Zod might have already taken him down.

"Yes...yes! That was the enemy's escape route that I deduced from their perspective last night."

Zod gently stroked his heart, which felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

If his mood were like today every day, his little heart couldn't take it.

"A whole day has passed since yesterday." Cassius, suddenly finding his direction, instantly became spirited: "Time waits for no one! Give the order, and we'll organize a pursuit immediately!"

Having composed himself, Zod immediately issued the battle order: "Assemble all soldiers immediately and, following the route I just drew, immediately pursue any potential enemy agents within the Empire's territory and ensure the safe rescue of the two hostages."

"Yes, Lieutenant Zod!"

Cassius gave a standard military salute and then immediately carried out Zod's orders.

After seeing Cassius leave, Zod finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense nerves instantly relaxing.

Immediately afterwards, the team began their search mission following the route drawn by Zod.

The route largely avoided the locations of imperial garrisons and outposts, traversing through wilderness and dense forests.

Thanks to Zod's previous nonsensical command, there was no resentment in the team this time, and their morale was unusually high.

Because they all believed that Zod could lead them onto the right path.

And so, an Imperial squad of more than 30 people began their search in the wilderness, villages, dense forests and swamps.

Time passed by day after day, and soon three days had gone by.

The search reached a stalemate with no progress.

There was no trace of the kidnappers, and no one witnessed the two hostages.

The so-called one blast, then decay, and exhaustion.

The soldiers were clearly fatigued, and even Cassius had lost his initial fighting spirit.

The only one who remained calm was Zod.

Because everything was proceeding according to his plan, he didn't originally think that his haphazardly drawn escape route would lead to the two kidnapped hostages.

Just when everything seemed hopeless, a soldier suddenly ran up to Zod, panting heavily.

"Reporting, Lieutenant, a group of suspicious individuals, possibly bandits, has been spotted in the woods ahead."

This explosive news revitalized the somewhat weary Cassius. He turned to Zod and said, "Lieutenant, just as you predicted!"

Zod looked stunned and couldn't react for a long time.

It can't really be that much of a coincidence!

No, impossible, absolutely impossible!