Chapter 137: The Awakening of Kevin

"Do you still remember Kevin Enqueting?" General Bradley asked.

Robes looked blank for a moment, clearly having forgotten.

"The first time you and I met him was in a small tavern. At the time, his identity was a bard, and also a low-ranking officer in the Thunder Knights—though he still is now," Bradley recalled. "Our conversation back then left a deep impression on me. The parrot-built network he proposed was also quite visionary."

"I remember now," Robes nodded. "But at the time, he said he was simply copying things he read from books."

"No one is born knowing everything," General Bradley shook his head. "I also tried to refute his views, whether it was that the parrot network might have agonizingly slow speeds or frequent dropouts, but he still insisted. From this, we can see his strategic vision, because social informatization is an irresistible trend. In this regard, he was right."

Robes nodded slightly.

"Actually, the first time I saw him was in the nation of Lebochell," General Bradley recalled further. "At the time, I was behind a door, seeing him reduced to a prisoner through the crack. Back then, facing an absolute disadvantage in personal strength, Kevin spoke fluently, relying on the powerful country behind him. No matter how many enemy officers and generals filled the room, none could touch him."

"He even sensed my presence, though at the time he spouted nonsense claiming I was some General Heitlan. Of course, I couldn't jump out to refute him and could only respond with silence. But that very silence made everyone around him assume he had guessed correctly, leaving the surrounding soldiers even more astonished and uncertain."

"I realized this man was extraordinary and even went so far as to bluntly tell the commander at the time to execute him. Unfortunately, that commander was hesitant and indecisive. In the end, time dragged on until the ambassador of the Lubollar Kingdom arrived, and he was taken away. Alas!" General Bradley sighed.

"I've read his book. Once, by a stroke of luck, I found a copy of *Biographies of Assassins* in the Stadt Library, and only now seeing his handwriting have things become clear," Bradley raised a hand, his battle qi sweeping forth to completely erase the words. "Although I knew Kevin belonged to the Thunder Knights, I never expected him to be a catapult captain. As far as I know, within the Thunder Knights, catapults are the destination for incompetent officers. Given Kevin's talent, I thought he would at least be a staff officer."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Robes smiled. "We haven't suffered any real losses. Even if a bunch of bandits died, it's of no consequence to us."

Bradley, however, said with a solemn expression, "But this time, he targeted you."

Robes lowered his head.

"One must never be careless," Bradley turned and walked toward the exit of the cave. "Kevin's escape this time clearly means the bandits here have not been wiped out. To uphold the reputation of the Thunder Knights, they will inevitably come again!"

"Then what should we do?" Robes frowned.

"Now that the pretense has been dropped, what else is there to say? Slandering the Thunder Knights is also one of our optional tasks," Bradley smiled faintly. "Now that I have retired, even in my remaining years, I can still make a modest contribution to my country."

"But..." Robes said awkwardly, "the bandits have already scared their pants off."

"Then make them pull their pants back up!" Bradley smiled coldly.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Kevin and Stadt were both in a deep sleep. The investigation team naturally turned back and returned immediately. Although the two were asleep, they had hauled the catapult back, and there were numerous clues on their persons available for investigation. Although the staff officer had been sent out, Lieutenant Colonel House and other surviving soldiers were still available for repeated interrogation.

The work proceeded intensively and methodically. The catapult was almost completely disassembled for inspection part by part. The sole recovered corpse of Gray was stripped and examined inch by inch with a magnifying glass. The investigation team worked through the night, and by midnight, the preliminary investigation report was already out.

Consumables on the catapult such as stone projectiles, fire-oil jars, and arrows, as well as living resources like food and clothing, were completely gone—whether they had been used up or discarded to lighten the load for the return journey was unknown. However, the remaining few bows were visibly severely damaged. According to experienced archers, they had been fired at least several thousand times. Yet, after questioning the remaining soldier, Sayin, it was learned that Kevin had attached great importance to this expedition, and these bows were practically brand new when taken out.

The swords and shields brought back by the two men were ninety percent new, but neither belonged to them. The army had a habit of engraving names on personal items, but the swords of these two men bore neither of their names, instead displaying the names of other comrades. The wheels of the catapult were extremely muddy, and the vehicle was covered in numerous bloodstains. Due to the prolonged exposure to a damp environment, moss had grown in certain spots. Strangely, however, the catapult itself sustained almost no damage.

It was even difficult to find a single sword slash on the vehicle; at most, there was only mud and blood, which appeared highly suspicious.

As for their physical conditions, judging by the numerous minor injuries on their bodies and the degree of muscle damage, even the many priests on the investigation team repeatedly exclaimed that they had not seen such a sight in many years. Although they bore no major wounds, it was worse than major wounds—only those who had truly struggled back from the gates of death would look like this.

The preliminary investigation concluded, and now they could only wait quietly for Kevin and Stadt to wake up. Although there were certain spells that could forcibly rouse someone, no one brought them up at this moment. They preferred to let them wake naturally.

This sleep lasted for two days. Stadt woke up around noon on the third day, while Kevin slept all the way until the evening of the third day. When they opened their eyes to see a crowd of soldiers and military officers instead of the roof of that cave, the two truly confirmed that they had been saved. After surviving life and death, an infinite wave of emotion was inevitable.

Upon waking, the two received further treatment from the priests. Holy water baptism, light-attribute recovery spells, a bath, some food, and minor wounds dressed. Once their spirits had recovered sufficiently, the two began to be interrogated.

The interrogation was meant for them to recount the sequence of events, not to imply they were on trial, though the pomp was rather grand. Three Sword Saints sat on the stage, surrounded by a group of professionals, each holding pen and paper, staring at their mouths. When Kevin tried to give a cough, they actually started writing; truly deserving of professionals.

Since Stadt woke up first, he naturally took the interrogation first. Such a matter of life and death naturally left an exceptionally deep imprint in his memory, and he no longer bothered to hide his contraband armor—with Sword Saints present, concealing such trivial details was pointless. He recounted everything from the start of the expedition to the end when he escaped out.

The editor had read countless texts, and his storytelling skills were certainly no lower than those of an ordinary bard. He spoke for over two hours, leaving everyone dumbfounded. He described Kevin as a god who calculated everything without omission; the only regret was the deaths of Gray and the parrot, but he believed this was beyond human power to reverse. In the end, Kevin shouting down the bandits was unhesitatingly described by him as protagonist halo.

"This is the first time in my life I've truly witnessed a protagonist halo." Stadt's expression was serious, not joking at all.

Everyone: "..."

With the first interrogation finished, it was Kevin's turn. Seeing Count Gulaide on the stage, Kevin couldn't help but pause. He certainly remembered once serving as a tutor in his household. However, this occasion was clearly not the time for a reunion, so he could only pretend not to know him.

Kevin's narrative was even more detailed. He explained his past conversations with the parrot, as well as the staff officer's accusations that he ignored orders and acted arrogantly. After all, Kevin had not discussed these matters with Stadt.

"At the time, I asked the staff officer what role my catapult would play if it entered. The staff officer replied that my catapult had many uses; creaking and groaning as it went, the bandits wouldn't dare approach when they heard it, thereby reducing a large area that needed searching. Right?" Kevin spread his hands while sitting in the chair. "That was basically his exact quote, and Lieutenant Colonel House was present at the time. I just don't know if he's willing to testify."

"I admit I initially received orders to head for Height 225, but midway I encountered a flock of sheep. I saw through the fact that it was transformed by sheep-transformation spells and killed them, though a few escaped. I reported this to the staff officer, but he refused to believe me, claiming I had fallen under an illusion. To be honest, I was very disappointed at the time."

"I admit, I began to distrust the staff officer and started planning for myself. The catapult was unsuited for combat there and of very limited help to the cavalry. Now that things have reached this point, I want to ask an honest question. General, why on earth did you have me tag along?" Kevin faced General Oder on the stage calmly, while General Bright and Count Gulaide beside him also turned to look at him.

"You continue with your story first," the general casually dismissed it.

"Very well. Afterward, I found an excuse. Using the reason that my catapult needed repairs, I requested to fix it in a cave on Height 163, and the staff officer agreed. My parrot remained by the staff officer's side so news from his end could reach me. They encountered a bandit delivering a message; in a fit of rage, the staff officer cut off both his arms. Then, in a fit of rage, the bandit smashed his head and died against the staff officer's sword."

"The bandits were not afraid of death; they had been brainwashed by the protagonist halo, which they mentioned multiple times during our subsequent battles. Afterward, the staff officer tracked the scent of this message-delivering bandit all the way to a river and discovered a cave at the bottom. I hurriedly used the parrot to warn him not to enter. But whether he did it just to argue with me or for some other reason, he took his men and plunged right in without a second word."

"What happened inside the cave, I do not know. Shortly after, the cave collapsed, and the staff officer escaped alone, claiming the bandits had been wiped out. Their entire squad retreated, while I remained near the cave building traps and fortifications. I could not retreat; to retreat was to die."

"You all see why the two of us fought fiercely to this state yet the catapult bears no battle scars. Because the target of the bandits was the catapult, and clearly, it wasn't the bandits who wanted the catapult, but the mastermind behind the scenes."

Kevin's account was undoubtedly more detailed than Stadt's, and as the frontline commander, he indeed knew more. He did not complain about how wronged he was, nor did he boast about how miraculous his calculations were; he simply narrated from his first-person perspective in a straightforward manner, without fancy vocabulary or agitated emotions. When mentioning Gray and the parrot sister, however, he expressed his deepest condolences and hyped them up quite a bit.

As he went on, Kevin inevitably brought in some personal views: "During those few days, I also wondered why we suffered such a tragic defeat. Was it the staff officer's fault? If it was the staff officer's fault, then whose fault was it for promoting such an unqualified staff officer in the first place?"

"What are you trying to say?" General Oder immediately frowned.

Kevin simply smiled: "I am merely analyzing the problem, not targeting the general personally. In fact, the staff officer's problem is a relatively common issue in our army. We haven't fought a real war for too long. True tactical wisdom, tactical methods, battlefield observation, and so on cannot be seen during peacetime. When it comes to appointing and dismissing high-ranking officers, in many cases, the color of their battle qi is more important than their tactical literacy."

Facing such blunt words, General Oder's expression also changed: "When the Thunder Knights fought the beastmen, you didn't even know where you were!"

"Beastmen—almost most beastmen have no tactics to speak of," Kevin replied calmly. "The staff officer might have a high level in direct confrontations. But knowing only one tactic is not enough, and his role as a staff officer is unqualified."

There was silence in the room. The members of the investigation team were all astonished, secretly marveling that this low-ranking officer was truly bold enough to talk back to a general right in front of so many people.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Kevin took a step back: "I know saying this is a bit excessive. But having come through a field of life and death, I have many emotions. Gray is dead, big sister [the parrot] is dead. What I want to say and do now is simply hope that in the next battle, such occurrences can be minimized or eliminated altogether."

"Then how do you think high-ranking officers should be selected?" General Bright interjected. "You say not to rely on battle qi color, but should we give written exams? In fact, high-ranking officers undergo evaluations every year, yet they all pass? The evaluations themselves are rigid and can only serve as a reference."

"This requires a long period of discussion and decision; it's not something I can make clear in a single sentence," Kevin replied. "But one thing is certain: the staff officer is truly unsuited to be a staff officer. Perhaps he could be given another position, such as... commander of a suicide squad."

Everyone: "..."

General Oder spoke up: "The staff officer has already led troops out. This time he will definitely wipe out the bandits and return. Stop speaking ill of him behind his back."

Kevin paused: "The staff officer went on an expedition again?"

"Yes," General Oder replied. "Come to think of it, it's been almost three days."

"How many men did he take?" Kevin asked.

"The entire First Cohort was dispatched," the investigation team on the side helped answer.

"Did he bring mages or personnel proficient in detection?" Kevin asked again.

Silence filled the room once more. Everyone turned to look at General Oder. General Oder froze stiffly and did not answer.

Seeing this, Kevin sighed instantly: "General, if you are willing to heed my words, immediately order someone to call the staff officer back. There might still be a glimmer of survival."

"What did you say?" General Oder was clearly angered.

"I have already explained the geography of the Caludia Hills; the bandits are hiding underground. Without senior earth-mages, how can cavalry search alone? Although the bandits suffered a mental breakdown, such people, being easily fooled by me, can naturally be fooled back by others just as easily. I even thought of the method for them: just have the bandits wear blue cloaks, have the mastermind personally bless them with special effects to experience the state I was in back then, and it's very likely they can regain their protagonist presence."

"Although the First Cohort is stronger than the Third Cohort, their basic combat style remains unchanged, and the overall troop configuration is single. The staff officer didn't properly learn his lesson and rushed into this expedition. Rather than calling it an expedition, it's more like escaping a confrontation with me. Entering with that mindset, how can he win?"

Silence reigned in the room. All gazes converged on General Oder's face. General Oder's complexion shifted between dark and light, remaining speechless for a moment.

Kevin spoke again: "To be honest, I anticipate only two possibilities for this battle. First, the bandits might truly be scared out of their wits, rendering them unable to fight and causing them to hunker down and not emerge. The staff officer will find it difficult to search for them and will naturally return empty-handed. That is the better outcome. Second..."

Kevin closed his mouth, and the oppressive atmosphere in the room returned. Everyone looked at each other, their hearts inevitably filled with apprehension. (To be continued.)