Finally, a day later, the now exhausted patrol troops were able to retreat from the forest. As they got out of the primeval forest, the spiritual beasts that had been chasing them all this time stopped all of sudden. It was as if there was something that restricted them from leaving the forest.
After confirming that their lives were not in danger anymore, the patrol troops immediately camped on a nearby spot to rest for a while. Then, they checked the conditions of each member and counted the number of casualties. It turned out that more than a third of their total number was either badly injured or killed. All in all, there were about two hundred soldiers that died in their encounter with the army of spiritual beasts.
Obviously, it was because of Rocky's brilliance that the patrol troops were able to avoid an extremely disastrous situation.
"Spiritual King Basil, we are indeed lucky that you are with us. Otherwise, there was no way that we could have gotten out of that forest." Deputy Commander Lin expressed his gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm a member of this team, so I just did what I could to get us to safety. Moreover, I think the credits should go to everyone, including you. If you didn't make the right call, we wouldn't have survived," Rocky humbly replied.
Deputy Commander Lin was evidently very happy that he was flattered by Rocky. He talked more with Rocky for a while before he finally left.
Right after the deputy commander left, Kye suddenly came out of nowhere and said, "When we go back, that guy will definitely claim all the credits for what happened."
"Kye… I heard you and the deputy commander are relatives, but it seems that you are not that fond of him," Rocky uttered softly.
"No. We are not close. And I didn't rely on him when I joined the army. Besides, I think he's just someone mediocre. Even you must admit that he doesn't have the talent to lead the army. Am I right?" Kye asked bluntly.
"I don't think he would become a deputy commander if he was not qualified," Rocky said with a faint smile.
"Well, we can just agree to disagree. Anyway, previously, I wasn't able to figure out how you could help Deputy Commander Ma and the others retreat successfully under the siege of the spiritual race's troops. But after seeing what happened earlier, I finally got it. You must have a powerful treasure that can make the whole army have the power of a spiritual warrior, right?" Kye surmised as he cast a meaningful glance at Rocky.
"You can put it that way. But the number of times I can use that power is very limited. Hence, I only reserve it at very crucial moments to maximize its effects," Rocky answered with a serious expression.
"I see. With that kind of power, it would indeed be very efficient on the battlefield as it would greatly increase the combat power of the army," Kye commented as he realized its potential.
"Well, I am not the commander of the army, so I would be able to have that chance to freely test it in battle," Rocky said as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Yes, that's a shame. But you know what? With how things go, it may not be that far when you replace him," Kye said as if he had suddenly seen a premonition.
"Really? How can you say so?" Rocky glanced at Kye as he narrowed his eyes. In fact, Rocky already had such ideas. However, he wasn't just aiming for the position of deputy commander. His real goal was to become the grand commander of the human army, which was even a level higher than the commander.
"Hmm. I don't know either. Somehow, I just have this gut feeling." After their conversation, Kye also left hurriedly.
The next morning, when the troops had already rested well, Deputy Commander Lin led them back to the Tiger Whisker Pass.
Two days later, the patrol troops had completed their mission and were able to come back safely. Deputy Commander Lin reported everything that happened to Tucker, and even the commander broke into cold sweat upon hearing the details. He didn't expect that they would meet an army of spiritual beasts that almost annihilated them.
Like what Kye suspected, Deputy Commander Lin asked for all the credits, claiming that he tried very hard to manage and lead the patrol troops to escape in such a dangerous situation. He did not even mention a word about Rocky and everything he had done.
However, Tucker knew that it would be impossible for Deputy Commander Lin to handle that situation alone. He just didn't say anything because he didn't want to embarrass the deputy commander. Deputy Commander Lin had been working for him for several years. He might not have many great contributions, but he was very hard-working. Hence, although Tucker knew that not everything was reported to him, he decided to turn a blind eye to it.
Then, in the evening, Tucker summoned Rocky in his quarters.
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