Chapter 1060: Baoji Kingdom Reports, Border Army Arrives

......Upon hearing those words, Lu Ding corrected her: "You said it wrong. Being born in the Great Han is my blessing."

If he hadn't been born in the Great Han of the Third Circle, Lu Ding didn't know how difficult those eighteen years would have been.

Had he been born in any of those feudal kingdoms in the Second Circle?

He'd be finished.

Not to mention anything else.

Just look at all those opponents from commoner backgrounds he'd encountered on his path of growth.

Every single one of them lived precariously, barely surviving, crawling forward bit by bit with extreme caution.

And what about Lu Ding?

He had social welfare, access to education, enough food to eat, and warm clothes to wear.

The Great Han had taken care of him for nineteen years, providing help when he needed it most.

A person cannot forget the hardships of the road they traveled just because of their current glory.

Lu Ding's present brilliance and success.

Were all accumulated from those nineteen years.

The Great Han's contribution was undeniable.

Lu Ding would never mistreat any investigator who had rendered meritorious service under him, and he would never forget anyone who had shown him kindness.

Likewise, he would never forget the Great Han.

This was a basic principle of being human—to know gratitude and repay kindness, not to be an ungrateful wretch!

And that one statement.

Instantly elevated Lu Ding's image in Gongyang Qingrou's heart by a huge margin.

Who wouldn't want to encounter someone like Lu Ding, who valued friendship and loyalty, and knew how to repay kindness?

She had seen many geniuses.

But most of their characters were difficult to judge.

To the point that an unspoken atmosphere had formed that everyone understood implicitly.

Whenever there was a formidable genius, most of them had their noses stuck up in the air.

Given Lu Ding's usual demeanor, it was practically written on his face that he was arrogant. Combined with his ruthless methods and decisive nature, Gongyang Qingrou really couldn't imagine that such words would come out of Lu Ding's mouth.

And delivered with such solemnity.

She sighed: "If only there were enough resources to continuously supply you—I can't even imagine where your limits would be."

"If you were a genius of my Two-Straight Tower, even if you didn't take on missions, I would give you the best resources and full support."

Lu Ding smiled: "That's why your Two-Straight Tower is just a faction, while the Great Han is a nation."

"The rise and fall of a nation has never been determined by a single person's power."

"Even if that person is strong enough to make all enemies fear them, strong enough to make decisions on any matter without opposition."

"But factors like spirit, legacy, and so on will indeed manifest as—the stronger the exterior, the weaker the interior!"

"When a nation is in its prime, moving upward, if it loses justice, loses fairness, loses the rule that effort earns reward, and labor thieves who reap without sowing appear, then that nation's ceiling can be seen at a glance."

Lu Ding lifted his chin slightly: "I have strength, I have talent—I can earn everything with my own hands and feet. Why would I need to reap without sowing?"

He looked toward the investigators roaming among the ruins of the Great Wilderness Realm: "I'm actually no different from them. I might be their future, and they are my past."

"Tell me—if someone who reaps without sowing appeared among them, what would they think?"

Such a statement was shocking to Gongyang Qingrou.

This was something she had never considered before.

But now, she understood.

She raised her hand in salute: "Gongyang Qingrou has learned from this."

Lu Ding smiled: "I'm not lecturing you, I'm just explaining my own thoughts. We're just chatting—no need to get so serious."

Soon.

After the Great Wilderness Realm was completely cleared.

Lu Ding led the investigators back to Black Phoenix Gathering.

The moment he stepped into the Black Phoenix Gathering territory.

He saw the border army squad of several dozen people waiting outside the temporary 749 Western Region headquarters.

Each one was fully armed, their aura fierce and explosive.

This was what the border army should look like.

Soldiers who guarded conflict-ridden borders year-round were never as gentle as one might imagine.

In other words, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to see them as beasts possessing both humanity and savagery.

Of course, that wasn't an insult.

It was praise.

For a complex border situation, if the border army wasn't tough and ferocious, what awaited them would only be the abyss.

Seeing Lu Ding return with his people.

The border army commander walked over, wearing a vest that looked like a bulletproof vest but was actually an artifact. His gear was so rugged it looked impressive just to see.

He stepped forward and gave a military salute.

"Hello, Special Envoy Comrade. I am Zhang Xing, Company Commander of Black Sand Company, 076 Border Army. We have received a report that your side has been conducting large-scale destruction in the Overcast Mountain area, intimidating neighboring country citizens. We have come specifically to investigate. Please cooperate, Special Envoy Comrade."

Lu Ding walked to the side.

Zhang Xing followed closely behind.

Lu Ding fumbled around his body, pulled out a cigarette pack, and handed him one while turning off his bodycam.

Zhang Xing took the cigarette while also turning off his own.

Lu Ding lit his own, then lit Zhang Xing's. Both took a deep drag together. Lu Ding exhaled smoke: "Who reported it?"

Although they weren't from the same system.

But behind Lu Ding stood Elder Shui, who had a military background and was a top hawk. Lu Ding meeting the border army felt like meeting his own cousins.

Start with a couple of formal lines, handle the official business, and that's it. Did they really think he was going to be investigated?

Dream on.

Zhang Xing took a deep drag, the cigarette already forming a long ash. He flicked it off: "Who else could it be? The Baoji Kingdom side. So what exactly have you been doing around here?"

"White Sun Palace a while back, Zhutai Sacred Land, and today the Great Wilderness Realm—you've scraped Overcast Mountain clean from top to bottom."

"Give me a little something? Don't make me go back empty-handed. That wouldn't look good."

Lu Ding flicked his ash: "Nothing special. Just had some grudges to settle here."

Zhang Xing smiled: "You're being a bit dishonest with me."

He lowered his voice: "We're all family here. You guys eat the meat, we'll at least get some soup, right? All this stuff here—we've been guarding it for a long time. We're tempted, but we can't act."

"If you've gotten hold of something crucial that you can claim with justification, how about we discuss it?"

"You've taken Overcast Mountain, but Raise Phoenix Mountain won't be easy to swallow. If the border army gets involved, we can cooperate. Overcast Mountain and Raise Phoenix Mountain were already demon-gathering hotspots. With the Hundred-Year Ten Thousand Immortals Plan, they've become even more valuable. You can't just leave us watching empty-handed."

Seeing Lu Ding unmoved, he immediately played his trump card.

He leaned in closer: "Lu Ding, our unit was reorganized after being scattered under Elder Shui's command back then. We might not be an ace unit, but we're still elite. Elder Shui's banner is still hanging in our unit's office, hanging in the highest position."

Lu Ding looked at him, then immediately broke into a smile: "Since you put it that way, what's there to haggle about?"

Lu Ding 'carefully' considered it. Coming to someone else's territory to eat alone really wasn't that great.

But friendship was friendship, and work was work.

He stepped to the side and made a gesture.

Zhang Xing frowned: "More, give more. This is too little, not even enough to fill the gaps between teeth. We have a lot of people."