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

The so-called Plan B is to "retire" while injured.

If Zod is injured in battle, he will be taken to the garrison hospital for treatment.

During his convalescence, he will not be given any combat orders.

If he spends a month and a half in the hospital, his "popularity value" will definitely not be able to break through 1000.

At that time, all you have to do is wait for the system's 'retirement' mechanism to be triggered.

Compared to deliberately messing up various missions, getting injured and "retiring" is obviously much simpler.

Next, it's about cleverly getting injured in battle.

Just as Iruk was in the midst of a fierce battle, preparing to swing his hammer at a fallen soldier.

Zod appeared just in time and steadily intercepted Iruk's hammer with his Imperial longsword.

Looking at Zod's officer's uniform, which differed from that of ordinary soldiers, Iruk's lips curled into a sly smile: "Oh? Finally, an officer dares to fight. I thought Imperial officers were all cowards, only daring to hide behind their soldiers and watch!"

Zod ignored Iruk's provocation and instead ordered the soldiers beside him, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and take the wounded to get treatment!"

At Zod's command, the two soldiers standing nearby dragged the soldier who had fallen under the mace away from the battlefield.

"You don't need to do anything now, I'll deal with this bandit!" Zod ordered his men directly.

At the same time, Iruk ordered his underlings to step back, and he would take on Zod one-on-one.

Zod and Iruk took their stances, and the battle between them was about to begin.

From the battle just now, Zod observed that Iruk's attack speed was not fast, but his strength was indeed not to be underestimated.

Especially his black iron mace, which was powerful and heavy; if Zod were hit head-on, he would suffer considerable damage.

Zod needs to ensure that intentional injuries avoid vital areas, and that he has sufficient strength to resist after being injured.

Because this bandit was somewhat unethical, he even went so far as to finish off the attacker.

If Zod were to be fatally wounded and the bandit were to deliver a finishing blow, he would be at a huge disadvantage.

"Aaaaah!" Iruk roared, like a grizzly bear, and pounced on Zod with his mace raised.

Zod held his breath and vanished from his spot in a flash, his Imperial Sword making a thrusting motion.

According to Zod's script, the moment Iruk swings his mace, Zod will take Iruk's attack head-on, and pretend to be unable to dodge in time, hastily defending with the Imperial Sword.

Then, due to the immense force of Iruk's mace, Zod's hasty defense was not completely blocked, and Iruk's mace still struck Zod's chest.

Zod's ribs would break several times, and hot blood would gush out from his throat.

He was careless and failed to dodge, ultimately losing to the bandits and sustaining serious injuries in the battle for the empire.

Afterwards, Zod fought and retreated, and in a precarious situation, he had no choice but to order Cassius to come to the rescue and wipe out the bandit gang.

Glory and popularity belong to the Empire and Cassius, while retirement belongs to Zod.

Although Zod longed to offer his heart to the Empire, his severely injured body prevented him from doing so, and he could only enter the hospital with resentment for a long period of recuperation.

Everyone got the result they wanted; the plan was so perfect.

Just as Zod's plan was about to come to fruition, Iruk accidentally kicked a dead tree root.

His body, which was rushing forward, suddenly lost its balance and lurched forward.

Just as Zod's Imperial Sword was thrust out, Iruk collided with the blade of Zod's sword, and the Imperial Sword pierced directly through Iruk's chest.

Zod was completely stunned, not even having time to react.

Until a burst of cheers and boasting arose from behind.

"The warrant officer's swordsmanship is absolutely amazing!"

"As expected of a warrant officer, he actually killed that mountain bandit who was as strong as a bear with a single sword strike."

"Such amazing swordsmanship. When will I be able to reach the level of a warrant officer?"

"I believe the warrant officer is fine."

"Nonsense, you previously complained that the warrant officer was afraid of causing trouble and deliberately brought us to this godforsaken place."

"So I only witnessed the warrant officer's abilities today!"

While the imperial soldiers were still gossiping, Cassius shouted, "Is this the time to chat? Arrest those bandits! Execute anyone who dares to resist on the spot!"

Without their leader, the bandits completely lost their will to fight and threw down their weapons.

Iruk did not die; Zod's sword did not strike his vitals.

He staggered back a few steps, knelt on one knee, and uttered his last words with his last breath: "I've never lost a fight in my life. You're the first person to defeat me with such magnificent swordsmanship. I'll remember you, hound of the Empire."

After saying that, he collapsed to the ground due to excessive blood loss, and the medics rushed over to provide emergency treatment.

"Glamorous my foot! You crashed into me yourself; I didn't even have time to dodge."

Zod looked down at Iruk, who was lying on the ground, his brow furrowed, and muttered to himself, "Just how strong is your pride? Is it so hard to admit that you accidentally kicked a tree root and bumped into my sword?"

How he wished that he were the one lying on the ground at that moment, being treated by the medics.

He narrowly avoided the vital points, but the injury was still severe enough that he would need to rest for a long time to recover.

While all the soldiers were busy escorting prisoners, treating the wounded, and cleaning up the battlefield.

Cassius walked up to Zod, head bowed, his expression grave. "Warrant Lieutenant," he said, "I truly misjudged you!"

"Sergeant Major, this is..." Zod suddenly became alert.

Did Cassius see through his intention to deliberately lose to Iruk?

Or did Cassius know that Iruk had accidentally kicked a tree root, causing it to collide with his sword, making his victory dishonorable?

"Not long ago, I thought you were the kind of person who would run away from problems and only sought comfort. I'm sorry, Warrant Officer!"

Cassius bowed deeply to Zod: "You are the officer who truly bears the glory of the Empire. I beg your forgiveness for my offense against you."

"Uh..." Zod wanted to say something, but was speechless for a moment.

Only he knew that Cassius had no reason to apologize; Cassius's assessment of Zod was entirely accurate and without any problems.

Zod was a man without honor. He was afraid of causing trouble, afraid of making a name for himself, and only wanted to retire, collect his salary, and not go to the battlefield.

Even at this moment, Zod was thinking about how to reasonably withdraw from the dangerous battlefield while injured.

Not only now, but he will never repent in the future.

Seeing Zod remain silent, Cassius continued, "I've been somewhat resentful since the beginning, when you refused to take my advice."

"But if you had taken my advice and split your forces into two groups, you would definitely be short of troops and unable to form an encirclement in today's situation."

"Insufficient manpower will lead to a significant increase in the casualty rate of soldiers, or allow some bandits to escape."

"If this happens, as the sergeant major who made the suggestion, I will be held responsible, and my career may be over."

"Even if I were to be demoted to an ordinary soldier of the Empire, the imperial honor I carry would still weigh heavily on my conscience."

"So you saved my career. Thank you, Warrant Officer!"

Cassius bowed deeply to Zod again and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Because of his youthful arrogance and desire to make a name for himself in the army, Cassius almost got his officers and soldiers imprisoned.

If it weren't for Zod's insistence, he might have made an irreparable mistake.

"Sergeant Cassius, don't worry, no one could have predicted this situation!" Zod patted Cassius on the shoulder.

Cassius, don't think too highly of me. I'm just a nobody, a bystander.

The better you think of me now, the greater your disappointment will be in the future.

Every compliment he gave made Zod feel very embarrassed, even somewhat awkward.

"No!" Cassius stared intently at Zod. "You foresaw this all along!"

If I said I was just making this up, would you believe me?