Chapter 4: War Begins! A Frenzied Slaughter!

Deep in the night, on the vast grasslands, Li Dao and his group finally came to a halt after walking for who knows how long.

"We've arrived."

Hearing this, Li Dao and the other death row convicts followed the gaze of Captain Liu. In the distance, a campfire flickered on the plains, surrounded by figures clad in strange, exotic attire. Many recognized them at a glance; these were not men of the Great Qian Dynasty, but nomadic barbarians from the Northern Wilds.

Captain Liu turned to the group of convicts. "You will creep toward them with us. Your task is to charge the camp and set fires, creating enough chaos to draw their attention so that we can flank them."

The convicts’ expressions shifted at these words. Charging a Northern barbarian encampment—even a small one—was no different from a suicide mission. After all, one side consisted of professional soldiers, while the other was a ragtag bunch of condemned men.

Sensing their hesitation, Captain Liu offered a hollow reassurance. "Do not worry; we won't let you die in vain. You only need to set fires and create confusion. Once we rendezvous with you, you will be safe. You can simply hide; we aren't asking you to fight."

Seeing his earnest demeanor, some of the convicts felt a sliver of comfort. After glancing at the hundred or so regular soldiers accompanying Captain Liu, and then at the small enemy camp nearby, they nodded in agreement. Captain Liu gestured, and the hundred regular soldiers dispersed into the shadows.

...

Shortly after, Li Dao and the others arrived within dozens of meters of the barbarian camp. Captain Liu and two soldiers stayed close by.

"Take out the sentries."

At his command, the two soldiers sprinted into the darkness. A moment later, the call of a partridge echoed through the night. Captain Liu nodded and turned back to the convicts. "The sentries are dealt with. The rest is up to you. Wait for my whistle, then strike."

The convicts exchanged glances, clutched their battered weapons, and crept toward the camp. Li Dao silently followed in the middle of the pack, neither too far forward nor too far back, his right hand gripping his tetanus-ridden blade tightly as if it were his only source of security.

Soon, as they neared the camp, a whistle pierced the night air.

"Do it!"
"Barbarians! Even as a death row convict, I look down on you lot!"
"Charge! If you want to live, don't hesitate!"

With the signal given, the convicts abandoned all hesitation; there was no turning back now. With shouts of encouragement, they scattered and charged into the camp. The barbarians reacted with surprising speed, grabbing their weapons the moment they heard the commotion.

"Enemy attack! Get your weapons and fight!"
"It's the Great Qian forces! Kill them all, leave no one alive!"
"For the Bear God, kill!"

The camp, once peaceful, erupted into chaos. In one corner, Li Dao moved cautiously, his rusted blade in hand. Whenever he passed a tent, he used the blade to hook a nearby fire, setting the canvas ablaze to sow further disorder.

"Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!" A cry suddenly rang out.

Li Dao looked over to see a fellow convict, only a dozen meters away, cornered by a barbarian soldier. With a single exchange, the scrawny convict was knocked to the ground and began begging for his life. The barbarian showed no mercy, swinging his blade down and instantly decapitating the prisoner, leaving a pool of blood on the grass.

As the barbarian looked up, his gaze locked with Li Dao’s. Having tasted blood, the soldier didn't bother calling for backup; he charged straight at the 'frail' Li Dao with his blade raised.

"Great Qian dog, die!"

As he closed the distance, the barbarian delivered a heavy, overhead strike. Li Dao instinctively raised his rusted blade to parry.

*Clang!*

Sparks flew as the blades locked in mid-air. The barbarian’s expression turned to one of shock at the sheer strength coming from his opponent. How could such a 'weak' soldier hold back his strike?

The barbarian might have been thinking, but Li Dao had no such luxury. Realizing he was stronger, he shoved the barbarian’s blade aside with a forceful heave.

*Whoosh!*

He swung his rusted blade toward the barbarian’s neck.

*Rip!*

Blood sprayed onto Li Dao's cheek, but an unexpected problem arose. His blade was too dull to finish the job; it became wedged firmly in the barbarian’s neck, a sight that made his skin crawl.

"Aaaargh!" The barbarian collapsed, howling in agony, blood gushing from his throat.

"My apologies," Li Dao muttered under his breath. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill him, but his weapon was truly pathetic. Thankfully, his own strength was high, or most people wouldn't even have managed to hack into the flesh with such a blunt tool.

Since the rusted blade was stuck, Li Dao grabbed the sharp sword the dying barbarian had dropped. He weighed it in his hand; it felt good to use a proper weapon. Without hesitation, he ended the barbarian’s suffering and sliced off his left ear—he needed the proof for his war credits.

The next second, the system's voice chimed in his ear:
【Enemy killed. Attribute points gained: 0.15】

Seeing this, Li Dao felt an inexplicable sense of relief. These attributes were his path to survival. Without hesitation, he added all the points to his Physique. A few breaths later, he felt his body grow stronger. He flexed his grip on the new blade; it felt even more natural now.

He continued to move through the camp. Near another tent, he heard movement inside. He waited by the curtain, and as someone emerged, he struck.

*Slash!*

Blood splattered.
【Enemy killed. Attribute points gained: 0.12】

"Ada, what's wrong?" someone inside asked.

Li Dao took a deep breath and stepped into the tent.

"You... Great Qian... why..."

The voice cut off abruptly as blood painted the white canvas. Inside, witnessing the disarray and smelling the foul odor, Li Dao kicked the corpse in disgust. "Damn pervert."

As the last of the barbarian's life faded, the system chimed again:
【Enemy killed. Attribute points gained: 0.13】

"Panel."

【User: Li Dao】
【Physique: 2.15】
【Available Attributes: 0.25】

He immediately dumped the points into Physique. Until he knew if attributes had other uses, survival was the priority. He felt a surge of heat as his body strengthened.

【User: Li Dao】
【Physique: 2.4】
【Available Attributes: 0】

His physique was now nearly two and a half times that of an average person. It was enough to survive, but not enough to feel truly secure. He wanted at least ten.

Ignoring the chaos outside, he cut off the ears of his two latest victims, wrapped them in a cloth, and stepped out into the night.

...

On the other side of the camp, seeing the havoc the convicts had wrought, Captain Liu blew his whistle, signaling the regular soldiers to join the fray. The camp descended into total madness. The barbarians, who had been aggressive moments ago, lost their edge and shifted to a defensive stance upon seeing the organized Qian forces.

Li Dao roamed the camp, picking off lone barbarians. With his superhuman physique, he didn't need fancy techniques; raw strength was enough to end fights quickly. As he killed, he became more efficient, his movements sharpening. Eventually, the barbarians noticed the 'madman' and began to cluster together.

The Qian soldiers, realizing Li Dao’s prowess, began to rally around him. Li Dao parried an incoming strike for a comrade and countered with a lethal blow.

"Thank you!" the soldier cried out.

Li Dao didn't hear him; he was focused on the system:
【Enemy killed. Attribute points gained: 0.2】

An elite. He was worth twice a normal soldier.

Just as Li Dao was enjoying the thrill, a voice boomed: "Drop your weapons! Surrender and you shall be spared!"

It was Captain Liu.

*Surrender?* Li Dao panicked. Cutting off his kills was like murdering his future. He wasn't about to let that happen. Without waiting for the barbarians to decide, he grabbed a second blade in his left hand and charged into the enemy group.

Perhaps it was his relentless ferocity, but the morale of the barbarians shattered completely.

"I surrender! Don't kill me!"
"We surrender!"

Facing the terrifying Li Dao, the barbarians dropped their weapons. Li Dao’s blade stopped inches from a barbarian's neck. Seeing that Li Dao wasn't moving, the barbarian let out a sigh of relief, even casting a provocative look at Li Dao, sensing his frustration.

*Rip!*

A head rolled across the grass.

"What are you doing!"
"He surrendered! You're murdering prisoners! You’re breaking the rules!"

The other barbarians began to shout accusations. Li Dao shrugged calmly. "Apologies, my hand slipped."

The crowd went silent. They stared at him, cursing him under their breath. *Who 'slips' and decapitates a man?*

*Rip!*

Another head hit the ground.

The silence returned, deeper this time. Even the Great Qian soldiers looked on in disbelief. Once might be an accident, but twice? That was intentional.

Li Dao looked at the remaining barbarians. "Sorry, my hand slipped again."

This time, not a single barbarian dared to speak. They stared at him with sheer terror, venting their rage only in the silence of their minds.