Chapter 1610: Chapter 1610
1610: Chapter 1606: Small Task 1610: Chapter 1606: Small Task Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what kind of sweetness the next bite will bring…
As a child, Lu Ping’an believed this, but later found that those chocolates all had a strange taste, truly becoming more disgusting the more one ate.
Ditching those comforting clichés, for most ordinary people living in a time of war, life was destined to be a coffee table piled with various cups of tragedy.
The era of war lacked nothing in bad news and tragedies, with reports of casualties and deaths falling like paper, and television news had stopped reporting incidents with double-digit deaths.
Even with the existence of the Boundary, Sea Beast Pool, and defenses, trouble intermittently came ashore…
And if the defending forces or high-tier combat power were a bit slow, the deaths would soar into the triple digits.
Money became meaningless in such circumstances…
or so one might foolishly think.
Better military force, resources, and living areas became fiercely contested territories, and domestic unrest had already started in certain regions.
Oddly enough, the Eastern Country’s coin saw a significant appreciation…
The reason was simple and brutal; Eastern Country faced immense pressure, but other Kingdoms were far worse off, so much so that their news had to be censored and silenced.
When the Extraordinary Legion and the top Slaughterers entered the territory of Mortals, countries with sufficient depth paid a heavy price but always found a solution, no matter the sacrifice…
However, smaller nations had no capability, having to let invaders wreak havoc on their lands and islands.
Naturally, this led to some friends traveling across oceans to “tour”…
“….Tch, don’t pick me for this kind of job next time!”
On the ship, Lu Ping’an was in a bad mood.
Around him was covered in flames, and in front of him, the sea contained bits of charred corpses that reeked of barbecued fish.
Not far off, the body of a giant sea beast burned, wooden sail ships, warships, and Fishman Beast Tamings smoldering slowly on the sea.
Reluctantly working overtime, Lu Ping’an growled as he complained to his deputy, squatting at the lookout with his large aluminum lunchbox, eating his lunch four hours late.
“Tch, the meat is cold…” As he said this, he licked the corner of his mouth lightly, and the already cold meal heated back up.
The best part of becoming an Extraordinary Fire Controller, he thought, was eating hot food in any environment.
But even then, he was annoyed…
Who skips breakfast to slack off until lunchtime, hoping to sneak into the cafeteria for food and a nap, only to be called in for overtime in the middle of serving food.
If it had been an opponent truly worth engaging, fine…
“….I seriously didn’t expect my task to involve rescuing deserters, refugees, and tycoons.”
Looking at the foreigners entangled with his soldiers, Lu Ping’an felt quite annoyed.
Previously, a fat foreigner shouted at him in a foreign language, uncontainable by those behind him… They thought Lu Ping’an didn’t understand, but the phrases starting with “F,” “Why didn’t you come earlier,” “It’s all your fault” were barely passable, and the direct insult of “yellow-skinned XX” made Lu’s blood pressure soar.
Thus, that guy really “soared to heaven.”
Lu Ping’an had figured out that those who managed to flee across the sea were mostly authorities and tycoons of those countries… and they had never been friendly toward their own “yellow-skinned ethnic Chinese.”
The fact that he hadn’t thrown them off the ship was surprising enough to Lu Ping’an…
“You’ve already thrown one, that fat man was fed to the fish, and two are hanging on the deck, no wonder they’ve gotten so obedient.”
Catherine spoke irritably, she herself a Quasi-rule level Heavenly Fire Knight and a rapidly progressing confidant of Lu Ping’an in the “Path of the Fire God.”
But according to the principle of “use them tirelessly if they are useful,” Lu Ping’an had stuck Catherine back in the secretary team.
She was indeed very useful…
Not just for her ability, being from the Exotic Races, her role was vital in stabilizing the internal powers of Lu Ping’an’s team and her understanding of Lu Ping’an’s style of doing things often allowed Lu Ping’an to confidently let his representatives act as his executors.
Given her people’s sensitive status, she indeed needed the support of Lu Ping’an, a human high-tier, and she, harboring knightly dreams, had no choice but to dutifully serve as Lu Ping’an’s deputy.
“Uh, did he say he was some sort of imperial family kin?
Will I receive a diplomatic complaint?”
Lu Ping’an actually quite admires Catherine…
Having such an alien as his assistant can make him seem less extreme.
So, I can do a few extreme things myself…
“It’s certain, that fat man seems to be their president’s uncle.”
Lu Ping’an opened a bottle of drink and gulped it down.
Regarding the possible punishment from the upper echelons, he really didn’t care…
If he really got scolded, just assign himself fewer troublesome tasks, and he would probably throw all these “deserters” into the sea.
But obviously, that idiot doesn’t even understand the Vice Admiral rank on his own epaulets, and really thinks he’s just a young naval officer.
Regrettably, such a boring and uninteresting task, Lu Ping’an had to personally handle it.
“Your Excellency, a new regulation was implemented last week…
Twenty percent of ‘lost items/spoils of war’ will be directly handed over to the military region as logistics supplies.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Ping’an was startled, not because of the money and resources, but because of the meaning of this matter itself.
It’s only natural for modern military personnel to receive their military salary.
“Legal letters of marque?”
“…Quite fitting.” Catherine’s learning ability is strong; she understands Earth’s history and many references.
Allowing the military or military regions to keep spoils of war is just a part, and by nature, it’s utterly abnormal.
Soldiers are indeed machines of violence, and their actions should be the will of the nation and the people.
If they fight just for their own interests, warlordism and privatized forces would just be a matter of time.
But if there was a management problem in the military region and officers started getting lazy, this could be a very good stimulant…
In ancient times, many nations in crisis had used such self-harming strategies.
“Are there problems with supplies?”
But the salary and wages are absolutely not enough for Extraordinaries aiming to advance.”
Now, Lu Ping’an was enlightened.
This matter probably had to be viewed from two aspects.
One side is that Extraordinaries like himself who joined the military, even if they were out of the regular structure, had a very subtle enthusiasm…
I don’t mind defending my homeland, but sacrificing for other countries or regions, I really don’t have that enthusiasm.
Wild Extraordinaries, neutral Extraordinaries, Foreign Domain mercenaries—those warriors not quite “loyal” are bound to exist in large numbers, expecting their pure devotion is unrealistic.
On the other hand, it’s also a different era…
In the old days, you just had to provide soldiers with weapons, equipment, and supplies, but Extraordinaries must grow through resources, otherwise, they become unstable bombs.
“…I get it a bit now.”
Looking at the spirited sailors and warriors below, Lu Ping’an suddenly understood.
His own dissatisfaction stemmed from extra shifts and unsatisfactory battles, while they were happy because of obtaining substantial dividends…
These foreign fleeing businessmen might have questionable morals, but plucking geese was indeed lucrative.
“I know, continue to plunder…
ahem, proceed with the rescue mission.”
“By the way, Your Excellency, here’s a list of those who played nationalist tricks in their country and harmed or killed our people from the Eastern Country…
If you encounter them…”
“Oh, there are always risks at sea, a few capsizing and drowning is normal.”