At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

"Old man, where are your young men? Tell them to get out here and see me."

At the gate, three soldiers with knives at their waists and spears in their hands were shouting at the top of their lungs into the courtyard.

The leader had a face full of fat and eyes that looked like he wanted to eat people.

For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether they were soldiers or bandits!

In the courtyard, an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a hunched back stood shakily, leaning on a cane.

His hearing was poor; he could only hear a buzzing sound and couldn't make out what was being shouted.

"Sirs... what are you doing here?" The old man strained his stiff neck, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows, "This old man... my hearing isn't good, I can't hear..."

As he spoke, he leaned on his cane and walked forward.

"That old geezer, he's so annoying!" The leading soldier waved his hand impatiently. "Go in and search. Every household has to send one soldier. No one can escape!"

Before he could finish speaking, the soldier next to him kicked open the courtyard gate.

"Bang……"

The door slammed heavily against the wall, teetering on the verge of collapse, making a grating creaking sound.

"you……"

The old man tried to stop him, but he stumbled and fell to the ground, his cane flying far away.

"Get out of the way! Don't block my way!"

Three soldiers stormed into the house like bandits, ransacking it and smashing pots and pans all over the floor.

"No one's in the living room!"

"There's no one in the room!"

"There's no one in the kitchen either!"

A soldier emerged from the kitchen, clutching two steamed buns in his hand. He opened his mouth and started biting into them, his cheeks bulging out.

The old man's eyes turned red when he saw this.

He pushed himself up from the ground, hunched over, and lunged forward, his hands, as thin as withered branches, gripping the soldier's clothes tightly.

"Sir, you...you mustn't!" The old man's voice trembled with tears. "That's...that's our rations for a week! If you eat it, we'll starve to death!"

The soldier glanced down at him, chewing on his steamed bun, and mumbled, "Old man, I'm risking my life on the front lines, what's wrong with eating two of your buns?"

"Don't even mention two steamed buns, even if I emptied your house, it would be your duty!"

"Besides," he kicked the old man's hand away, "you old codger who's about to die, whatever you eat is a waste!"

"Pooh!"

The old man was kicked and fell to the ground, his back hitting the threshold, his face contorted in pain.

"grandfather!"

Just then, a little girl rushed in from outside.

She wore a coarse linen dress covered in patches, carried a basket bigger than herself on her back, and her small face was flushed red by the wind, but it couldn't hide her lively and charming spirit.

The little girl dropped her basket and rushed to the old man's side, her eyes red and swollen: "Grandpa, are you alright? Where did you fall?"

The three soldiers' eyes lit up immediately.

"Wow..." The soldier munching on his bread stared wide-eyed. "In this remote, impoverished place, there's such a pretty young girl?"

The leading soldier's eyes darted around, and he crouched down, revealing a chilling smile: "Little girl, where are your parents?"

The little girl shrank back in fright, her voice trembling, "Replying to...Replying to the general, my grandfather and I are the only ones left in my family..."

"Nobody here?" The soldier stood up, glanced back at his comrade, grinned, and said, "Nobody here is good. You're the one."

"Brother Wei, how old is this girl?" a soldier nearby asked. "Is she old enough to be a soldier?"

"Who cares how old she is!" the soldier called Brother Wei glared. "The higher-ups said every family has to send one. If they can't send a able-bodied man, the old and the young have to fill in!"

"How about a woman dressing up as a man and becoming a cook, doing the work of starting fires and preparing meals?"

He lowered his head, leaned closer to the little girl, and said, word by word, "Little girl, you have one hour to pack your things."

"Gather at the village entrance in one hour."

"Remember, don't even think about running away."

He glanced at the old man on the ground, his voice chilling, "If you dare to run, your grandfather might not survive."

"Brothers, let's go!"

The man in the lead waved his hand, signaling the other two to follow.

The three then walked away, leaving behind a mess.

……

In the courtyard, the little girl bit her lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She helped her grandfather sit up, her voice choked with emotion, "Grandpa...I...do I really have to join the army?"

The old man did not answer.

He just sat blankly on the threshold, his cloudy eyes staring at the sky, like a stone statue weathered for thousands of years.

His name is Su Mu!

He is a time traveler from Earth.

Eighty years ago, he was in a car accident, which caused him to open his eyes and find himself transported to this unfamiliar world.

He thought he would be like those characters in online fantasy novels, transmigrating to another world, activating a cheat code, and becoming the protagonist of that other world.

But fate played a cruel joke on him.

A cheat code? No.

System? Does not exist.

He was just an ordinary person, like everyone else in the world.

He took the imperial examinations for twenty years, risking his life to finally pass and become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).

Later, he went into business and finally managed to accumulate some wealth, becoming a small-time tycoon in the area, and got married and had children.

They enjoyed two years of happiness, but were then targeted by bandits who robbed them of everything and even killed his wife.

He fled with his son to this small village in the north, where they were finally able to settle down.

He watched his son grow up, get married, and have children, thinking he could finally live a peaceful life.

Who would have thought that misfortune would strike him again?

Five years ago, the flames of war in the North reached our doorstep.

The son and daughter-in-law encountered the Northern Di people while working in the fields and were hacked to death.

He was the only centenarian left, raising his twelve-year-old granddaughter, Su Qingxue, on their own.

He thought he had already suffered enough.

Unexpectedly, fate was about to take away his last remaining family member.

join the army?

In this day and age, joining the army is tantamount to suicide!

The northern barbarian cavalry marched south, and nine out of ten never returned.

Those officials only care about arresting people, they don't care if you're old or young.

Su Qingxue is only twelve years old!

They even want to be conscripted into the army? This world is so inhumane.

"Grandpa..." Su Qingxue's voice trembled with tears, "I'm scared when you don't speak..."

Su Mu slowly closed his eyes, and turbid tears slid down the lines on his face.

"Qingxue," his voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, "Grandpa won't let you join the army."

"Absolutely not."

He raised his head, gazing at the gray sky, a fierce energy surging within him that he hadn't felt in eighty years.

"God, you've already taken my son and daughter-in-law's lives, and now you want to take my granddaughter's too?"

"If you want to take something, take mine!"

"I've lived for a hundred years, I've had enough!"

"Let me join the army in Qingxue's place, let this old bone of mine die in her place!"

I'm begging you!

And just as he finished speaking!

A cold, mechanical voice, like a thunderclap, exploded in his mind!

[A strong desire to join the military has been detected in the host, meeting the system activation requirements!]

[The Centenarian War God System is activating...]

Su Mu shuddered, and a sharp light suddenly flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"That voice..."

"Is it the system?"