Chapter 87: The Latest News

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Kang Hongyuan’s words left Zhao Li in a moment of silence. Could it really be so? If they wanted him dead, there was no need to send someone, especially at the cost of involving Major Michael from the Genius Academy. Moreover, even now, two female students from the Genius Academy were still with him.

Besides, it seemed that they didn’t have to go to great lengths to fake his death or deliberately give him options. At least one of those options allowed him to go to an ordinary prison—places that were safe and reliable, where nothing would go wrong.

But why, then, did the information Christine obtained not include any statistics on military commanders going missing here? Was he truly abandoned? Were the two Genius Academy students also being forsaken?

Previously, Zhao Li didn’t know the acceptance rate of the Genius Academy, but later, when Professor Hans explained it, he understood the ratio. For every genius, there were at least a million ordinary people. Such rare, painstakingly selected and trained elites would not be so easily discarded, even on Zhao Li himself.

“Are the statistics about the military commanders true?” Unable to ease his doubts, Zhao Li asked again. Though he knew it was pointless, as Kang Hongyuan would never retract his words in front of him.

“Of course!” Kang Hongyuan sat up straight as if Zhao Li were undergoing a comprehensive psychological evaluation on his first day of enlistment. “If you don’t believe me, you should at least remember how your predecessor captain left. He was lucky—only five percent disabled.”

After that, Zhao Li seemed to abandon his last shred of suspicion. Still, facing Kang Hongyuan, he dared not be careless. This man was a master manipulator of human hearts. One misstep and he could be trapped.

“You may only operate within the military camp!” Raising his right index finger, Zhao Li began to announce the rules.

“Agreed!” Kang Hongyuan answered without hesitation.

“No political views inside the camp!” Two fingers raised.

“Agreed!” The old man nodded again.

“You must solve your identity issues yourself.” Third finger raised.

“Understood.” Nodding repeatedly, “Anything else?”

“For now, that’s it. But if you break the rules, I won’t hesitate to get rid of you!” Zhao Li thought it over and decided to keep the rules simple. Too many regulations would only give this powerful man, who could find loopholes in the law, opportunities to exploit.

“You’re the commander; your word is final!” Kang Hongyuan shrugged with a sly smile, as if he had just found a place to freeload. His scheming grin was more like a petty trickster’s than the dignified political figure Zhao Li had once known.

“Then solve your identity problem first. How am I supposed to explain this to others?” Zhao Li looked at him helplessly, feeling like he had been outmaneuvered again.

“Explain?” Kang Hongyuan smiled, “You’re the highest military commander here. What is there to explain? To whom?”

“Of course, it’s easy to explain to the soldiers, but you know, there are two Genius Academy students as well.” Zhao Li was at a loss dealing with the old man’s shamelessness. He could neither hit nor reason with him.

“Two beautiful female students?” Kang Hongyuan’s lecherous smile made Zhao Li irritated. The unspoken implication in his eyes was downright disgusting.

“Don’t you know already?” Zhao Li was impatient.

“That’s even easier, no explanation needed.” Kang Hongyuan stood up and stretched his stiff back. “What man doesn’t have secrets he can’t explain to his confidantes? If you have none, the girls might look down on you!” He twisted his waist left and right. “I remember you young people have a saying: A fierce life needs no explanation!”

Hearing this, Zhao Li felt a mix of amusement and exasperation. What kind of logic was that? Concealing things gave one a justified cause? But somehow, the old man’s words made sense, so he decided to leave it be for now. After all, he had no better options. He certainly couldn’t shout out that this guy was a fugitive!

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“Let’s go. Show me my territory!” Kang Hongyuan strode ahead with the tone and words of the true master here.

“Ahem!” Zhao Li cleared his throat behind him, reminding him who was actually in charge.

“Ah, forgot. You’re the commander. Please, lead the way!” Kang Hongyuan gestured casually, as if he had planned the move all along.

Observing how naturally he handled things, Zhao Li reassessed the old man’s danger and added one more rule: “And remember, under no circumstance may you challenge my authority!” He was well aware of politicians’ knack for incitement.

“Of course, you’re the commander!” Kang Hongyuan bowed politely. “Should I address you as ‘my lord’?”

Defeated by this joke, Zhao Li shook his head helplessly and led the old man out of the reception room toward the camp.

“Old Lai, issue this gentleman a military camp ID card.” Not far off, Old Lai was on duty. Zhao Li called out to him. It seemed no one minded calling him “Old Lai” — it was his usual nickname, and no one even knew his full name.

Watching Old Lai jog off to the duty room, Kang Hongyuan squinted habitually and nodded approvingly. “Hmm, not bad. In just a few days, turning a bunch of lazybones into this is quite a feat.”

This was Zhao Li’s proud achievement, and hearing Kang Hongyuan’s praise—whether sincere or not—still made him smile.

“Young people are young people. Just a little politeness and they get all puffed up. Sigh! All mouth, no backbone!” Kang Hongyuan seized any chance to mock Zhao Li. Seeing his enjoyment, he immediately retorted.

“You...” Zhao Li was speechless, only able to point a finger at Kang Hongyuan.

“Oh, sorry. That shouldn’t count as disrespecting your authority, right?” Kang Hongyuan showed no mischievous pride, his expression serious. “Don’t worry, I only say this in front of you. It won’t affect your image among them.”

Raising his arm, Zhao Li silently jabbed Kang Hongyuan a few times, feeling indignant. “You’re ruthless, but I won’t argue. Consider it respect for the elderly!”

The camp now had an unfamiliar old man. Everyone noticed, but no one knew his name. They only heard Zhao Li rudely call him “old man,” so everyone followed suit. Kang Hongyuan always smiled warmly in reply, his chubby face lighting up with two narrow eyes, very amiable.

No one asked about Kang Hongyuan’s background. The soldiers under Zhao Li treated the old man no differently than they did Christine or Li Mengdie. They all came with Zhao Li, yet no one questioned their origins.

Li Mengdie trusted Zhao Li completely. When he introduced Kang Hongyuan to her and Christine, saying only to get to know the old man, she merely nodded without a word.

“Hello, I’m Christine. Pleased to meet you!” Unlike Li Mengdie, Christine was not one to ignore the world outside her training. Facing Kang Hongyuan, she offered a sweet, charming smile and extended her hand to introduce herself.

Kang Hongyuan smiled and shook Christine’s hand gently, neither too light nor too firm, just right, like a courteous gentleman. “No need for formalities, beautiful lady. Just call me Old Man. If you need anything, just say the word!”

Even Zhao Li standing nearby felt that Christine’s captivating charm was almost excessive today, nearly making him lose control. Yet Kang Hongyuan, who had only practiced low-level folk techniques, seemed unfazed by her seductive gaze, maintaining his composure with ease.

Indeed, neither woman asked about the old man’s background. Zhao Li admired Kang Hongyuan’s foresight and was equally impressed by his self-control. Christine’s charm could even dazzle General Thomas, a seasoned warrior, yet it was useless here. To be a politician, it seemed, steadfastness was crucial.

Perhaps Old Lai’s motto “live with dignity” inspired this, or maybe their earlier talks with Zhao Li, where unspoken thoughts stirred hope. Under Old Lai’s lead, the entire camp had recently begun a frenzy of rigorous training.

Of course, Zhao Li thought the real motivator was fear of the guerrilla snipers who had been shot dead, which suited his needs perfectly. At least the men practiced hard every day without coercion.

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Beyond warning the two women to be cautious regarding Kang Hongyuan’s mention of military commander statistics, Zhao Li said nothing more. He stayed alert and vigilant himself.

“Hey, Old Man, I haven’t been keeping up with political or military changes lately. You must know something—tell me!” Worried about the retired prison warden, Zhao Li quickly sat down with Kang Hongyuan again.

“Hey? Just ‘Old Man’ is fine. Why add ‘Hey’? That’s disrespectful!” Kang Hongyuan protested, then slowly poured himself tea under Zhao Li’s stern gaze.

“Fine, what do you want to know?” Seeing Zhao Li ready to burst, Kang Hongyuan stopped teasing.

“Any changes in the army?” Zhao Li’s main concern.

“Recently? Besides the ongoing unfavorable battles, a minor incident caused the dismissal of one lieutenant general, two major generals, four brigadier generals, and two military districts changed commanders. Countless smaller fish were also affected.” Kang Hongyuan seemed unimpressed, casually updating Zhao Li.

“Minor incident? What kind of minor incident?” Zhao Li was curious. So many top generals involved, and two military district commanders replaced—how was that minor?

“Apparently...” Kang Hongyuan dragged out the words, then maliciously paused to sip his hot tea before setting the cup down slowly. “It’s said to be because of an armed prison break involving a few dozen people. Not a big deal.”

After such a wait, this was the news? Zhao Li nearly blacked out, collapsing to the ground. It all boiled down to the incident he had been through. But if such a big shakeup happened, why was he completely in the dark? No one above ever mentioned it.

“Normal!” Kang Hongyuan glanced disdainfully at Zhao Li. “What’s your rank now? Why should they tell you?”

“Aren’t I involved?” Zhao Li stammered, trying to defend himself.

“There are so many people involved—the emergency forces, the ship crews—if everyone was notified, would the army still have secrets?” Kang Hongyuan saw right through Zhao Li’s thoughts and shut him down with one sentence.

“By the way, that retired old guy’s influence is massive. He gets things done way more efficiently than us government officials!” Kang Hongyuan shook his head in admiration. Zhao Li caught the hint—behind this was the shadow of the old prison warden.

So it was the old warden’s doing. No wonder no one dared act rashly against him; instead, they used the camp’s complex factions to settle scores by proxy.

Thinking of the old warden, Zhao Li felt a surge of pride. Even in retirement, the old man wielded immense power. The gap between them was no small matter.

“Any changes in the government?” After his reflection, Zhao Li remembered why he sought Kang Hongyuan and asked again.

“Because of the rebels, public dissatisfaction targets the current government. Life isn’t easy,” Kang Hongyuan said disinterestedly, clearly bored with politics. “It’s always the same: the people demand explanations, the government organizes some, and when dissatisfaction peaks, they swap in a scapegoat. Very dull.”

Likewise, Zhao Li cared only superficially about politics. Though he knew such indifference was wrong, and to climb higher he needed to pay attention, he just couldn’t focus.

“I think I found a job you can handle.” After a moment of thought, Zhao Li had a new idea.

“No one in the camp cares much about these matters, and you’re an expert. Take on the task of monitoring government and military changes and inform me if anything arises.” Zhao Li gave a direct order. “This way, at least we don’t have an idler in the camp. Understand?”