CHAPTER 106: CHAPTER 101 MILITARY MERIT REWARDS, SPECIAL BEASTMASTER TROOPS?

"What?!"

Chief Lin on the other end of the phone initially thought he had misheard.

"That young Breeder’s father is also from the military, and with a rank equal to mine?"

Hearing his superior’s astonished voice, Zhang Lie could only smile wryly. He truly hadn’t expected that this gifted Breeder’s family concealed such a formidable figure!

"That’s right. In addition to Battle Merit Points, he’s also requesting a military decoration, and he’s not satisfied with the honorary military rank for Cultivation."

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Lie could have haggled with him. However, after seeing that glaring military insignia, he completely lost his nerve.

There was no way around it; who could stand firm when the other party spoke with the tone of a superior?

However, it was clear that upon hearing this, Chief Lin on the other end of the phone suddenly became interested. "How about this? I’m free right now. Start a video call, and I’ll chat with this comrade personally."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lie immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Old Squad Leader!"

The man’s presence was too strong, and with the disparity in military rank and status so evident, he truly felt overwhelmed.

He returned to the reception room.

The gleaming insignia on Su Anyong’s chest was incredibly shiny.

Su Anyong glanced at him. "Finished negotiating?"

"Reporting, sir! Chief Lin said he would like to discuss this with you personally."

"Oh?"

Watching the phone placed before him, Su Anyong slightly raised his eyebrows as the figure appeared on the screen. He naturally recognized the person’s identity.

"Lin Lei, Chief of the Eastern Forest Army’s Forest Wolf A Division. Greetings, comrade."

Su Anyong nodded. "Su Anyong. Hello, Chief Lin."

He didn’t say much more. This caused Chief Lin on the other end of the video to frown slightly, but Lin Lei didn’t pursue that line of conversation because Su Anyong had already started speaking. "I’ve heard about your Legion’s situation. Battle Merit Points are indeed precious, but they alone are not enough! The potential of the Wanmu Wolf can’t be exchanged for just a few Battle Merit Points!"

During the afternoon, he hadn’t just been idly chatting with Old Sha; he had also been observing Old Sha showcase his abilities.

The results he witnessed were somewhat astounding.

Although its direct attacking power was average and its attack Skills weren’t very intuitive, it was exceedingly versatile!

Especially its mutated Wood Body.

It was outrageously impressive.

In fact, what the Beastmaster Legion lacked most were precisely these kinds of all-around Pet Beasts, especially those without glaring weaknesses.

Moreover, this was an Evolutionary Body capable of reaching Monarch Level Racial Potential. If it were cultivated just for those few Battle Merit Points, Su Anyong felt Su Ping would be getting a raw deal.

Of course, Old Sha’s Evolution potential was among the very best for Wanmu Wolves. Others might not necessarily evolve to the same degree.

But that didn’t stop Su Anyong from trying to leverage this to extract more benefits from the Legion.

Lin Lei spoke, "Comrade, first, the level of the honorary military rank isn’t something I can decide. Even if Breeder Su successfully completes the Cultivation, he might not receive it. The standard for acquisition is achieving a rank in the Legion-wide competition for Breeders."

"General Zhao personally stated this, so I can’t promise you anything in this regard. Second, regarding military decorations, I can make you a promise there. However, it’s also conditional on achieving a sufficient rank. If the Forest Wolf Troop, with Breeder Su’s help, can secure a high enough ranking, a third-class merit won’t be a problem."

Lin Lei’s words were clear, but Su Anyong listened with utter boredom. Only when Lin Lei finished did Su Anyong speak. "So, after all that talk, you’ve essentially said nothing? All empty promises?"

"If my son finishes the Cultivation for your troop, and your troop’s Beast Tamers are incompetent, does that mean my son will have wasted his time and energy cultivating for those failures?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Lei’s expression turned somewhat grim.

Zhang Lie, who was sitting to the side, immediately stood up. If it weren’t for the military insignia on Su Anyong’s chest, he would have thrown a punch.

A soldier can be killed but not humiliated!

Yet even so, he declared loudly, "Report! The elite Beast Tamers of the Forest Wolf Troop are not failures!"

Su Anyong glanced at him and chuckled contemptuously.

"Comrade, please watch your words," Lin Lei said coolly. "There are other Forest Wolf Breeders in Linzhou City, and even in Jianghai Province and the surrounding provinces."

He was clearly implying that Heart of Woods wasn’t the only option for cultivating Forest Wolves.

Su Anyong, however, was unconcerned. He continued, "Indeed, there are many. But the Wanmu Wolf is unique! Moreover, it’s an Evolutionary Body whose existence has never been publicly revealed. Its abilities, Cultivation effects, and combat methods are all unknown!"

Indeed, that was the true trump card.

The competition within the Legion this time was a serious, large-scale tournament, not just some trivial drill!

It was a coordinated tactical team competition involving several divisions and more than twenty regiment-sized groups from within the Legion.

This was all taking place before the entire Forest Wild Army.

If Lin Lei personally intervened, wasn’t it also because he wanted his own people to make a name for themselves in front of the entire army?

Besides, this wasn’t just about showing off.

It was about tangible results!

During the previous exercise between Forest Wolf A Division and Fierce Tiger C Division, one could argue it was because the other side had undergone elite Cultivation first. But if they were disgraced again this time, there would be no excuses.