Chapter 992: Suitable Person (1/2)

The Evernight experts had been assaulting Zhao Jundu’s command center for several days straight. The two factions would engage in a major battle almost every couple of days, and countless bodies had fallen before this steel fortress.

Zhao Jundu had displayed an unsurmountable degree of combat strength, killing powerful enemies under seemingly impossible circumstances. In less than a month’s time, three marquis and seven counts had fallen under his spear, along with countless viscounts and barons. Be it frontal assaults or surprise attacks, whether it was a duel or a group battle, the experts of Evernight found that Zhao Jundu had no weaknesses. He could adapt and face every situation accordingly.

After failing miserably at some surprise attacks they thought were ingenious, the Evernight side finally gave up on shortcuts and began relying on their advantage in expert lineup and manpower. They launched a continuous frontal assault in hopes of suppressing the enemy.

But Zhao Jundu yet again displayed unprecedented valor in battle.

He was gravely wounded thrice in the same month and also sustained countless minor wounds, yet he wouldn’t take half a step away from the command center. There was one time the enemy had attacked before his injuries were healed. Zhao Jundu sallied forth despite his wounds and fought from dawn to dusk, killing one marquis and two counts before the enemies were repelled. Thus, the Evernight’s plan to surround and kill him was effectively thwarted.

After this battle, the steel fortress was stained red with the blood of experts and Zhao Jundu’s fame skyrocketed. He was now regarded on par with divine champions. Thereafter, that steel fortress came to be known as Duskgrave on the Evernight side.

It was because of this accomplishment that the imperial generals only blamed Zhao Jundu’s methods for the high casualties and failure to make use of the defensive advantage. Ultimately, they never replaced him. Duskgrave would’ve been leveled by Evernight if it wasn’t for Zhao Jundu holding the fort. The aristocracy and military generals weren’t dumb. They knew that this wasn’t the time to fight for status, and no one was willing to replace that difficult position anyway. That place was the mouth of a volcano. The slightly less capable people would surely die without a grave.

Countless imperial soldiers and smiths were working nervously within the steel fortress, repairing the damage from recent battles. The soldiers stationed at the firing points stared nervously into the distance, ready to fire at the first sight of the enemy. At this moment, a good number of technicians were digging into the ground to open up more space. The current underground area of the fortress was already larger than the structure above.

There was a girl clad in imperial military uniform and holding a roll of blueprints. She pointed at a corner of the paper and instructed, “Dig a hall here. Thirty meters long, ten meters wide, and optimally over ten meters high. I’ll be placing a set of engines here to support the entire fortress with enough kinetic power. We can then dismantle a warship main cannon and install it atop the fortress.”

Most of the technicians near her were old and a fair number of them were already grey-haired. Many of them wore the insignia of the Zhao clan, clearly smiths from the main residence. The technician usually had to accumulate experience for many years, so the older ones were naturally more skilled. Yet, they accepted the girl’s arrangements willingly and had no doubts about her ability.

The young girl then pointed at a different side of the paper, saying, “Install three kinetic pipelines to push steam to the upper parts of the fortress.”

Two of the engineers nodded as they accepted the mission.

A couple of young technicians stole glances at her while listening to the instructions. The young girl looked fairly tender with a hint of confusion in her expression. Only when she was looking at the blueprint would she speak with great assurance.

The imperial uniform on her was clearly not a good fit. The long sleeves had to be rolled up to facilitate work, and her skirt was also too long. The attire was clearly oversized, yet it could barely hold around her chest. People couldn’t help but wonder if the buttons on her shirt would suddenly pop.

The attraction from such a girl was naturally lethal to many young men, especially on a dangerous battlefield like this one.

The enticement was exponentially stronger.

It was at this time that a soldier walked over hurriedly. “General Nangong, General Zhao seeks your presence.”

“Very well, I’ll head over immediately.” The young girl handed the blueprint to a nearby engineer before leaving.

The two passed through a couple of doors and finally walked into a secret underground chamber. Zhao Jundu emerged from inside—his hair wasn’t even dry yet, and he was buttoning up his shirt as he walked. Through the unbuttoned portion of his shirt, one could see the well-sculpted muscles, along with his unhealed wound.

The young girl bowed, “General Zhao!”

Zhao Jundu smiled as he pointed to a chair. “Xiaoniao, don’t be nervous, have a seat.”

The girl sat down tensely. Few people would feel relaxed while facing the fourth young master of the Zhao clan.

“How goes the base construction?”

“The advanced recovery pool will be done in two days. At that point, the critically injured will receive swift treatment, and your injuries will also recover faster. The origin power replenishment pool is also under construction, should be done by tomorrow. It can help you recover all of your origin power in around four hours, two if we double the black crystal consumption rate,” the girl replied.

Zhao Jundu praised, “The origin power replenishment pool will be pretty good. With it, I can defend this place with confidence, stopping the dark races from taking a step forward! I never expected that you would be able to design such facilities. If we introduce them to the army in the future, the empire will surely gain greater momentum. At that time, you’ll get the greatest merit. Tell me if there’s anything you want.”

The young girl blushed as she spoke in a soft voice, “All I want is to remain in the Zhao clan.”

Zhao Jundu was startled. “That’s not a problem, you can stay as long as you want. If those old men from the Nangong family dare to demand anything, I’ll beat them half to death.”