I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

After confirming that all the other team members had left Ancol Village and were carrying out their assigned tasks, Zod began his own operation.

He carefully hid his few remaining valuables on his person and took with him a piece of coarse cloth clothing, stained and worn by ordinary people, which he had prepared beforehand.

Within the empire, this crisp officer's uniform served as his pass.

Once you cross the border, it becomes nothing short of a death warrant.

This tattered commoner's clothing was his only protection at this moment.

As long as his identity remains hidden, he can perfectly portray a refugee displaced by war.

Even if, hypothetically, Zod's true identity were exposed during a search by the Holy Kingdom's army...

Zod could also use the Imperial intelligence he possessed to secure his own safety.

Of course, this is in the worst-case scenario.

Zod's true destination was not the Holy Kingdom of Baines, which was embroiled in war with the Empire.

Instead, they traveled through the Holy Kingdom of Baines to the Lombardia Trade Federation in the south, a relatively peaceful and neutral country that was based on trade.

As night fell, Zod left Ancor Village silently and sped toward the border between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom.

Anker Village is not far from the border; it takes about half an hour to walk to a natural boundary river.

Once you cross the river and land on the shore, you will be within the territory of the Holy Kingdom.

The only thing that made Zod feel a pang of reluctance was the Imperial salary he would never receive again.

However, the thought of finally escaping the empire's suffocating bureaucracy, getting away from the fear of being pushed into the meat grinder of the battlefield at any moment, and completely getting rid of that impossible mission...

These thoughts, like clear spring water, instantly washed away that insignificant regret.

He took a deep breath of the free air carried by the evening breeze, fresh with the scent of grass and trees, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Including the imperial glory that never existed, it was resolutely left behind.

His steps became unusually light, and he strode towards the border.

His thoughts had already flown to the future.

Once he successfully traverses the Holy Kingdom of Baines and arrives at the Lombardia Trade Federation, his life will be completely rewritten.

Perhaps he can use the knowledge he gained on Earth to start as a street vendor and gradually become a powerful business tycoon in the Lombardia Trade Federation, a land brimming with business opportunities.

This is basic stuff for time travelers, so it shouldn't be considered some unattainable dream.

After all, Klein could rise from a Night Watcher to become the Queen of Best Friends.

It seems no problem for him to transform from a warrant officer into a business tycoon.

Zod was lost in his beautiful vision of the future, and a smile even crept onto his lips unconsciously.

Just then, a cold, hard object pressed against his back without warning.

Immediately afterwards, a deliberately lowered voice rang in his ears, instantly freezing all his fantasies:

"Don't move! Hands up!"

Oh no! I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice someone sneaking up behind me.

The evening breeze seemed to conceal the deadly footsteps.

Zod's heart sank, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

He couldn't even tell who the person behind him was, and could only stiffly and slowly raise his hands as instructed.

He forced his heart to pound, trying to tilt his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the attacker out of the corner of his eye: "...Who are you?"

But the other party stopped him, saying, "I'll say it again, don't move."

Zod had no choice but to give up.

The stranger glanced at the epaulets on Zod's shoulders and sneered coldly, "Oh, so you're a lieutenant in the Empire."

"Aren't you going to reveal your identity? Maybe we're not enemies, we could even be friends."

Zod tried to extract the information he wanted through conversation.

His response was a dismissive snort.

The stranger unceremoniously snatched the Imperial standard longsword from Zod's waist and threw it to the ground.

Rough hands then reached into Zod's pockets and clothes, groping roughly.

He took the dagger and valuables from Zod's body and stuffed them into his own pocket.

"It's impossible for me to be your friend, because all this time, I've been the one you've been hunting down."

The stranger's name was Mofisen, and he was a soldier from the Holy Kingdom of Baines.

"So you're the kidnapper who abducted two important figures of the Empire?"

Zod never expected that what he had been searching for would come to him so easily.

Although Zod never actually sought out Morpheus and the two hostages, he was only focused on escaping the Empire.

"Who's the kidnapper? I'm a genuine soldier of the Holy Kingdom of Baines," Mofisen immediately corrected.

Zod took a deep breath, deciding to lay his cards on the table, his words carrying a rare candor: "Actually, I never intended to track you down from the beginning. I'm a pacifist. I'm tired of war and just want to escape the shadow of the Imperial Wars and quietly find a place to retire. So, can you leave me alone?"

His words came from the very bottom of his heart.

"You think I'd believe your nonsense?!"

As if struck on a sore spot, Morpheus's pent-up anger erupted, his voice trembling with emotion:

"These past few days we've been running and you've been chasing us, wherever we run, you chase us."

"Even though we chose to escape at night and tried to erase all traces as much as possible, you still clung to us like a ghost."

"No matter where we run, you always manage to catch up with us like a ghost!"

"We've been living in a nightmare these past few days."

"I admit you're very capable, but that's the end of it."

After capturing Zod, Morpheus wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. All the effort and fear he had endured during this time seemed to have been worthwhile.

He turned to his silent companion beside him, his tone resolute with relief: "Delanck, tie him up. With the merit of these three hostages, we can officially apply for retirement."

"I'm never doing that kind of life of constant fear again, being a secret agent. It's too terrifying."

Mofisen was originally a junior officer, but a transfer order from his superior sent him to infiltrate the Empire on a secret mission.

Beside Morpheus, another man named Delanck took out a rope and prepared to tie Zod up.

The moment the rope was around his neck, Zod knew he had no choice but to resist.

Otherwise, we would really be captured by the other side.

Unlike surrendering, if Zod were captured and became a prisoner of war, he would be in an unequal position, completely losing his bargaining power and becoming a fish on a chopping block.

Zod longed for a free and secluded life, not the life of a prisoner of war in a concentration camp.

For whatever reason, he cannot simply surrender.

He has a newly acquired physical technique called "Iron Defense" to rely on.

Furthermore, within the Empire's borders, Zod bet Morpheus wouldn't dare fire.

Once the guns are fired, it will undoubtedly attract the attention of Imperial patrolling soldiers.

Taking advantage of the momentary opening when Delank was tying the ropes, Zod used his steel-reinforced elbow strike to accurately and ruthlessly smash Delank's nose.

"Ugh!" Delank groaned.

Zod seized the opportunity to grab Delanker's arm, forcefully pulling the defenseless Delanker in front of him and firmly holding him as a hostage shield.

Morpheus instinctively raised his pistol, but stopped abruptly when the muzzle was pointed at Delanck, who was being blocked by Zod.

He wanted to fire, but was afraid of attracting nearby Imperial soldiers.

After hesitating for a moment, Morpheus put down his pistol and drew his longsword from his waist.

Morpheus screamed hysterically, "Damn Imperial dogs, let go of Delanck! We'll fight one-on-one in the name of soldiers!"

Mofisen's angry expression was not feigned at all; it was a genuine expression of emotion.

Zod's mind raced. He grabbed Delanker by the neck and quickly snatched the sword from Delanker's body, pressing the cold blade against Delanker's carotid artery.

Then, a sinister smile appeared on his face: "You don't want your good brother to die here, do you? Throw your weapon over here."

Despite being held hostage, Delanck showed no fear: "Morpheus, don't worry about me. Even if you lay down your weapons, he won't let us go!"

"Shut up, who told you to talk!" Zod punched Delank on the head.

"You despicable imperial dog, do you even consider yourself a soldier bearing honor?" Morpheus feigned composure: "Delanck and I both have the dignity of soldiers, and I will not be held hostage by you."

"Oh, really?" The sharp blade sliced ​​across Delank's skin, and blood gushed out.

Zod threatened again, "Put down your weapon, and I won't say it a third time."

"Wait, don't do it."

Morpheus was ultimately forced to compromise: "After I lay down my weapons, you have to guarantee the safety of me and Delanck. If you can't do that, I certainly won't lay down my weapons."

He and Delan were from the same hometown and had known each other since childhood. They were like brothers, and he couldn't bear to watch his brother die before his eyes.

But if the safety of the two men cannot be guaranteed after they lay down their weapons, he wouldn't be foolish enough to do so.