Origin Paradise!

The fierce battle lasted for half an hour, until finally the spotted sparrow gave up and joined the crows.

Wuhe looked up and stared at the male master's face. Generally speaking, knights possess extraordinary abilities and know about supernatural powers. When they see crows and sparrows mixed together in an organized manner, they will most likely become wary. Conversely, the possibility of them being ordinary people will increase. However, this judgment is not absolute and needs to be verified by several subsequent procedures.

"24?"

When Wuhe received the news from Leva City, he was taken aback. His personal executive officer was practically a mobile artillery regiment, and was extremely generous, which was beyond his expectations.

"Let's observe for a while longer."

Wuhe flapped his wings and left. His inventory bag could not carry live animals, but he also had a sizable flock of birds in the real world. In the beginning, in order to complete the mission, he had gathered mostly birds of prey, which made it difficult for them to integrate into society as a group. If he did not want them to disperse, he would have to find a suitable owner.

Chapter 53 Knight's Ritual

Leva, second floor of the chemical plant.

Jiang He dragged Charles XIII to a corner, opened the supply pack, and took out individual rations.

Inside the outer metal box, food was crammed in. First, there was a brown meat patty, followed by long strips of chocolate and white sugar cubes. Vitamin tablets and lemon powder were packed together in a waterproof paper bag. Canned chicken and ham and solidified oatmeal occupied the main positions. There was a box of five cigarettes with V-shaped matches, a black tea bag, and three painkillers, which were extremely rare at the time.

"It's as luxurious as a vacation."

Jiang He clicked his tongue twice. This kind of rich and complicated individual rations could give soldiers a lot of surprises, similar to opening a package or guessing a blind box. Cigarettes and tea were essential items, which could be considered hard currency.

He stuffed two painkillers into Charles XIII's mouth. The emergency bandaging only stopped the bleeding. Carrying a wounded man out of the streets during the day was tantamount to suicide; whether he would survive depended on the man's luck.

Jiang He slowly savored the candy; the sugar brought a sense of relaxation and pleasure to his brain. With machine gun positions on the first floor, the chemical plant was temporarily in a safe environment.

Kahn Friedenburg was released, and the sunlight gave him an instinctive thrill, causing him to curl up into a ball in an instant.

The time spent in solitary confinement felt like an eternity. Kahn's eyes were bloodshot, and his skin, which had become dry and shriveled from overuse and self-healing, lay frozen on the ground like a lifeless corpse.

"I want your family legacy."

Kahn almost burst into tears, and said hoarsely, "Why didn't you ask sooner?"

Jiang He opened the can and handed it over.

"I can give you a quick death as a last meal, otherwise you can stay locked up. We're both knights, so maybe you can try telling a lie."

The thought of going back made Kahn feel suffocated; his pupils gradually dilated, and his breathing rapidly declined.

Jiang He watched coldly, "If I can defeat you, I can defeat any other knight. The legacy of Fredenburg is not a necessity, nor is it a reason for you to make any conditions with me."

The signs of death ceased, and Kahn turned his head to gaze greedily at the sunlight. Staring directly at the sun caused his eyes a great deal of pain, but it also brought him immense comfort.

"Soul Armor is merely an armor of the soul. You must remember this. No matter how inhuman the supernatural ability may seem, the knight who uses this power must maintain his dignity. If he abandons his soul, he will soon degenerate into a mindless monster."

"To become an ancient Bloodbat Knight, you must forge a blood pool. Our family has already prepared one for you. However, Kahn, you must memorize the material recipe and pass it down."

"The first is the Twin Flower, which is pure white but symbolizes darkness. Its two stems are in a love-hate relationship; if one dies, the other will also rot. If your soul falls, your body will be deformed."

"Second is the trunk of the Bleeding Tree, which oozes a deep red, blood-like sap that is praised as a blood-activating medicine, making your dormant blood as a mortal boil."

"Third is the heartwood of the cedar fire tree. This ancient tree can be revived in a fire, and after being reborn, it becomes even more resilient. It can cool your boiling blood and preserve the results of your sublimation."

……

Kahn recounted the ritual materials one by one, his expression dazed, as if he were relaying someone's words.

There are a total of thirty-six alchemical materials, and the amount needs to be adjusted according to the quality and scale of the materials, as well as the person's weight and age. The Fredenburg family has passed down their secret formulas for this purpose over generations.

"The thirty-seventh is blood, human blood, symbolizing your past self, and bat blood, symbolizing your future self. When you enter the blood pool now, the Alchemy Matrix Blood Bat will be born, transforming into armor to protect your soul, and from then on you will step into the extraordinary."

"Finally, I must remind you that even in an ancient family like ours with a complete heritage, the failure rate for ascending to knighthood is nearly 90%. I'm sorry, but this failure rate is also part of the ritual, because miracles symbolize the extraordinary, and knights are always unique, after all, everyone is one of a kind."

After Kahn finished recounting the events, he became completely absorbed in his memories.

Jiang He ended his life with a single shot, then pulled out a page from the Codex to compare. All thirty-six kinds of alchemical materials were available in the Platinum Palace Treasury. According to the military merit exchange standard, thirty-six D-level military merits would be required.

He currently has one C-level military merit and eight D-level military merits, which is still half short of the required number.

Executive Officer Jiang He: Find two Prussian knights.

Intelligence agent Wuhe: The flock of birds is in position. Please move according to the instructions. I'm a professional when it comes to guiding.

Jiang He placed some cover around Charles XIII, then carried a sniper rifle down the stairs. Gunfire and artillery fire could be heard intermittently in Leva, and fighter jets flew low overhead, accompanied by a rumbling whistle.

"Turn left into the street. There is a group of Prussians on the left side of the intersection ahead. They have no heavy firepower. Just run past them."

Jiang He sprinted forward, glancing sideways at the soldiers who were about to enter the soap factory through the back door. He fired a shot, missing his target, but alerting his own machine gun positions.

A small crow landed.

"There is a sniper on the second floor of the attic at 276 degrees west of north. Further ahead is the fan-shaped firing area. Please enter the private residence on the right front and go up to the second floor."

Jiang He followed the directions and entered the second floor of the private residence. Half of the wall had collapsed due to the bombardment. In front of him was a wooden plank leading to the church attic across the street.

"A wounded Prussian sergeant was hiding in the attic cabinet. Number 22 saw him hide there."

Jiang He quickly jumped over, drew his revolver, and fired three shots at the cabinet. After a scream, the sergeant crashed through the cabinet door, fell to the ground, and died in a pool of blood.

"Please go to the second window from the left, next to the bombed clock tower, in the room with the banner advertisement. The Monkey Knight Brun is feeding my legion members breadcrumbs. You only have one shot. He is very agile. The bottom left corner of the advertisement is aimed at his head."

Jiang He loaded the alchemical burning bomb and chuckled, "The legion members are a rabble; it doesn't seem very auspicious."

Wuhe snorted and said, "No need for 'seems,' I never had much fighting power to begin with. I was just reflecting on myself."

Jiang He aimed at the bottom left corner of the advertisement, pulled the trigger, and the incendiary round flew out of the sniper rifle barrel. The shattering effect blasted through the building wall and hit the target's head behind it, suddenly bursting out with thick and sticky flames.

The monkey rider fell to the ground, struggled frantically for a while, and then fell silent.

"Your sniper rifle isn't dealing enough damage. Let's add a gem later; it's a perk for us privileged players."

"The random gems mentioned in the rewards of the hunting missions?"

Wuhe hummed in response, "The gem's original state doesn't offer much enhancement, but you can use game currency to drill holes in it. There's a risk of failure and breakage, so you need to buy a special protection charm from the privilege shop. That way, you won't lose the gem or lower its tier if you fail."

"In addition, I suggest you get a few recipes from the supply department. Players with proper privileges consume a lot of game currency, so you won't have to worry about finding a market for them. You can become a supplier for the Bureau of Order. For them, the cost of reverse engineering and research is much higher than that of purchasing, unless it is a strategic project."

Jiang He put away his sniper rifle and moved to a new location, earning +1 C-level combat merit.

Chapter 54 Private Mission

The night ends.

Looking down on the Somme region from the air, countless long shadows are converging towards Leva. The two sides have deployed tens of thousands of transport vehicles, and the roar of fighter jets is accompanied by brilliant bursts of fire rising into the sky.

Countless infantrymen launched a death charge against the front line, and Maxim machine guns mercilessly reaped lives. A trench often required several rounds of back-and-forth fighting to determine its ownership. The dead bodies could not be recovered in time, attracting swarms of flies and vultures.

Leva was of strategic importance in the overall war effort. As the hub for the movement of troops along the Prussian defensive line, its fall would mean the complete loss of the western side of the battlefield, and the defeat would radiate throughout the region, thus affecting Verdun, where the fighting was equally fierce.

In a collapsed attic in Leva.

Jiang He hid under the overlapping wooden beams, his eyes wide as he scanned the map in the supply pack. Due to the lack of light, it was a bit difficult for him to see. If the city were divided into four regions—east, west, south, and north—the north and south would already be occupied by both sides, while the most intense fighting would take place in the east and west regions. As troops continued to gather, the density of soldiers was increasing at an astonishing rate.

"Crocodile Knight Krosophia, she goes to the bank ruins in front every night to scavenge. Her skin is quite tough, especially her head. With your current sniper rifle damage, you can seriously injure her, but you can't guarantee a kill. It's best to shoot her in the eyes."

Jiang He gazed at the vast ruins outside the gap, occasionally catching glimpses of the faint glow of soldiers lighting cigarettes. In their highly tense state, tobacco became a necessity to soothe their nerves, even at the risk of their lives.

A dozen minutes later, a slender figure appeared beside the ruins, dressed in a Prussian military uniform and looking capable.

Under the dark night sky, only the pile of wood shards from the exploding shells was still burning, faintly illuminating the woman's graceful silhouette. She looked around, quietly pushed aside a stone, and carefully searched through the debris below.

"Before the war, the Leiden Bank was renowned throughout Europe and was second only to the Prussian Emperor's purse in Prussia. What was she looking for?"

Seeing how serious his target was, Wuhe couldn't help but feel a little curious. Exposing himself in the same position for a long time in street fighting was especially unwise, even for a knight. The treasure he was paying for with this recklessness was likely to be priceless.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I'll become a knight first, then we'll talk about the rest."

Jiang He set up his sniper rifle and deliberately aimed at a position three inches above the prey's head. After hundreds of sniper kills, he discovered that some highly vigilant prey would instinctively feel a sense of crisis when being targeted, and thus dodge to varying degrees.

Not only knights, but also battle-hardened veterans have this special ability. The most prominent example is Tommy. The Wildebeest Knight's flash of inspiration amplified his special perception to an abnormal level. From battlefield 145 to battlefield 144, Tommy avoided every shell that might hit him in advance, making him extremely survivable. Occasionally, he could even easily shoot and hit enemy officers.

Jiang He hypnotized himself through the scope, telling himself that he had no grudge against the Crocodile Knight, only that they were on opposing sides. Killing prey was not the goal; the ultimate objective was to devour flesh and blood to nourish himself. If he encountered a rock blocking his way, he would have to move it.

From the perspective of the monitoring crow, Wuhe was surprised to find that the murderous intent on someone was rapidly diminishing, and the aura was gradually merging with the surroundings. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought that the person had become an inanimate object.

Jiang He slowly lowered the muzzle of her gun, the crosshair landing on the target's forehead. The Crocodile Knight was completely unaware, continuing to rummage through the debris. Her tough defense was her only reliance when she went out on missions.

The bullet flew from the muzzle, its shattering effect leaving a faint white trail in its trajectory. The muzzle flashed, and the bullet entered the Crocodile Knight's eye socket from the side, shattering her eyeball and destroying her brain. The kinetic energy caused her to fall to the side and die.

Unsurprisingly, the assassination was successful, and a C-level merit was added to the code page.

Jiang He retreated through the gap in the wooden beam. His newly acquired skill of concealing killing intent was very suitable for assassination and was considered one of the hallmarks of a sniper's excellence. During the day, when Eagle Eye Knight sniped at him, his instinctive reaction did not work. Compared to the daily exploration and practice, the hypnosis skill provided a significant boost.

"Two fire teams are approaching you. All eleven men are equipped with MP18 submachine guns. My advice is to retreat immediately. These weapons were originally scheduled to be mass-produced in two years. Their firepower is on a completely different level from rifles."

Jiang He readily agreed, leaving behind a black gemstone before immediately retreating. When he was seventy meters away, he felt his connection with the Chaos Bomb become almost nonexistent, so he took another step forward.

Soon, the infantry surrounded the collapsed pavilion from all sides and opened fire on the ruins, with a series of crackling sounds.

Jiang He snapped his fingers, hypnotizing himself into thinking it was the switch to activate the chaos bomb. It was as if a thunderclap sounded in the night, and a violent shockwave swept outwards, enveloping the building debris. The heat radiation caused the iron products to melt.

"With a mental value of seven, the maximum remote control distance is seventy meters?"

The explosion seemed to awaken the city of Leva, and shouts of battle and intense gunfire rang out everywhere. Many hidden soldiers awoke and rejoined the escalating fighting.

Jiang He returned to the chemical plant. The machine gun positions on the first floor had been removed by the Prussians, leaving behind a crater nearly two meters in diameter. A new fire support team was in place to continue controlling the street entrance.

Upon reaching the second floor, Charles XIII's body was already cold, and the two individual rations in the supply package were completely empty.

Wuhe reconstructed the scene and analyzed: "About five or six hours ago, he woke up. His condition was stable but he couldn't move. The removal of the machine gun position put a lot of psychological pressure on him. There was a high-intensity gun battle outside the chemical plant, so after eating his rations, he chose to shoot himself. In the current environment, no one would be so bored as to fake a suicide scene."

After saying that, Wuhe humbly replied, "Please call me Detective Wu."

"Detective Wu."

"I'm so embarrassed."

Jiang He took the remaining supplies, mainly the ammunition boxes and grenades.

On his way back outside the city, he scattered cinnabar pills along the way to create a safe passage in and out.

……

Outside the city of Leva, in a dense forest village.

The quartermaster at the camp has been replaced by a middle-aged colonel. Clearly, Lieutenant General Summerford's command post has been moved here to oversee the overall battle.

"You mean, you killed two knights and twenty infantrymen in half a day?"

The surprised exclamation drew everyone's attention. It was rare for knights to fight to the death, as the total number was not large. Killing twenty people was equivalent to destroying most of an infantry platoon. Street fighting was not a death charge. This meant that the person who achieved the feat had outstanding individual combat ability.

“If you wish, I can repeat it a third time, or burn the pages of the code for fun, since it’s not as useful as I imagined,” Jiang He said calmly.

The middle-aged colonel chuckled, put his hands together on the table, and then said seriously, "I have a personal mission for you. Do you want to take it?"

Jiang He replied, "That depends on what kind of personal compensation the superior can offer."

Chapter 55 Blood Bat Knight

Quartermaster Department.

Jiang He kept ticking boxes on the code page. After converting the two C-level battle merits, he had forty D-level battle merits, which was more than enough to buy the alchemy materials for the Blood Bat Knight. He used half of the remaining four D-level battle merits to buy human blood from the field hospital and the other half to hire soldiers to catch bats in the cave.

The middle-aged colonel found a crumpled document and solemnly pushed it over.

"Albrey, the current Cheetah Knight of the old Prussian noble Albrey family, has earned the honor of representing the family. He killed my brother in a previous battle. Now I have personally hired you to carry out the revenge. When the operation begins, someone will assist you as an assistant."

Jiang He's gaze lingered on the twin lotus flowers, an alchemical material, for a moment. He then put away the pages of the codex. "Provoking an old noble family will inevitably lead to cruel retaliation. Even if they are too busy with the war to care for it at the moment, the war will eventually end."

The middle-aged colonel nodded and said, "So it's not that no one rejected me before, but you are different. You killed Kahn, and even caused his descendants to fight for the power of knights. What difference does one make compared to two?"

After speaking, the middle-aged colonel removed his wrist guard, which was entirely golden and engraved with a majestic lion pattern.

"This is for you to use. If you can kill the Cheetah Knight, it's yours. This is the will of the next head of the Lemon family."

[Name: Lionheart's Bracers]

[Category: Set (1/6)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect ①: Strength attribute +1]

[Effect 2: Stamina recovery speed increased by 20%]

[Effect 3: Intermediate Durability]

[Note: Collecting all three Lionheart items will unlock set effect ①, and collecting all six items will unlock set effect ②.]

Jiang He's pupils contracted slightly. The other piece of the Lionheart set was among the twelve items on the Platinum Palace's military merit list, and it was the most symbolic helmet among them.