Chapter 5

On the earthen slope at the foot of the forested mountain, large patches of lush sweet potatoes grew. A wave of hot wind blew, and the sweet potato vines on the slope swayed like wheat fields.

Here, with abundant rainfall and a warm climate in summer, and without natural enemies like groundhogs, the sweet potatoes grew very vigorously. The tender stems and leaves were the favorite food of the Thunder Rhinos, but to keep these Thunder Rhinos in good physical condition, they needed to be fed sweet potatoes rich in starch.

The warriors of the second squad, under the scorching sun, swung their sickles to cut down large patches of sweet potato vines and used iron picks to dig out the sweet potatoes buried deep in the soil.

These sweet potatoes, as thick as arms, were each about a meter long. The pale yellow sap contained a mild toxin. If ordinary people ate them, their lips would swell like sausages, their tongues would hang out like dogs', and half of their faces would swell, making it impossible to speak normally. In the Green Empire, few people ate sweet potatoes.

However, Thunder Rhinos and some large livestock did not care about this mild toxin. The sweet potatoes were particularly hardy and had a high yield, and they could be found everywhere in the wilderness. The sixth company of the fourth battalion was responsible for preparing half a month's rations for the Thunder Rhinos in the regiment. All five squads in the company were mobilized, and it took them three full days to dig up the sweet potatoes on this slope.

Sulidak, bare-chested, led the charge, swinging his sickle. He knew the best posture to conserve energy and how to hook the roots of the sweet potatoes. He Boqiang followed behind, using prepared vines to tie the sweet potato vines into large bundles and neatly arrange them on the slope, with each bundle kept at the same distance, making the scene look pleasing to the eye.

The black-skinned Jelonan and the red-haired Klaus, each carrying a pickaxe, worked hard to dig out the sweet potatoes from the fertile, soft soil.

This four-person team, working together to dig sweet potatoes, was He Boqiang's idea. In practice, it proved that working together was much more efficient than working alone, and it also made the task of digging sweet potatoes more interesting.

Captain Sam loaded the neatly arranged sweet potatoes onto a flatbed cart, walked over to He Boqiang, and gave him a hard punch on the shoulder, praising him with a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Not bad! You look so strong, I didn't expect you to know how to do a farmer's job."

Sulidak, who was leading the group, stopped, straightened his back, and took a big gulp from his water bottle before tossing it to He Boqiang.

He Boqiang didn't hesitate and drank the remaining water in one go.

"Are you from the north?" Captain Sam sat on a bundle of sweet potato vines, tilting his head and squinting at He Boqiang.

He Boqiang saw endless snow-capped mountains in the merged memories and hesitated before slowly nodding.

"Once this war is over, we'll all chip in for your travel expenses, and you can go home." Captain Sam took out a pipe from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and dryly sucked on it a couple of times, his voice hoarse as he spoke to He Boqiang.

He Boqiang squinted his eyes, recalling the other world, his smile filled with bitterness.

"What, don't you want to go home?" Captain Sam asked He Boqiang.

He Boqiang, although able to understand the Imperial language from the fragmented memories, could not pronounce it accurately, so he still had some communication barriers, only able to listen but not speak.

Sulidak had been taking care of He Boqiang for some time, so they had become close. However, Sulidak rarely talked about these things with He Boqiang. This time, when Captain Sam asked He Boqiang, Sulidak took the opportunity to ask, "You don't remember where your home is, do you?"

Sulidak didn't expect He Boqiang to nod, and he was speechless, not knowing how to comfort him, so he could only curse, "Damn the interplanar war!"

"What are your plans for the future?" Captain Sam asked He Boqiang. Seeing He Boqiang remain silent, he assumed he was a mute with normal hearing and turned to Sulidak, saying, "Dak, don't you know the merchants of Tarapa? Why not ask if they need any help..."

Sulidak agreed, "I'll ask tomorrow morning."

As one of the few warriors in the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment with skinning skills, Sulidak was clearly more popular with the merchants who followed the regiment into Handanar County to profit from the war. He knew several managers in the merchant caravans, and Sam's request for Sulidak to seek help from these merchants was not without reason.

The black-skinned Jelonan interjected from behind, "Captain, why not keep the big guy?"

Since He Boqiang woke up, his injuries gradually improved. Although he still couldn't speak, it didn't stop him from working.

Many experiences from the body's owner's fragmented memories, combined with those from the other world, produced many new ideas. Some were constrained and couldn't be realized, but others worked very well. Because of this, even though He Boqiang's injuries were not fully healed, he had already been accepted by everyone in the second squad.

Captain Sam, biting his pipe, mumbled, "Nonsense, we are serving in the military. The Green Empire's conscription system is in place. If it weren't for forced conscription, who would want to come and fight, living a life on the edge of death?"

Jelonan was speechless, only able to pull out a piece of roasted wheat cake from his pocket, chew it a few times, and swallow it.

He Boqiang clearly saw a golf ball-sized lump in Jelonan's throat as he struggled to swallow the dry wheat cake without a sip of water, his eyes slightly glazed over.

...

These freshly cut sweet potato vines also needed to be transported back to the camp and thrown into the feeding troughs outside the animal pens.

The Thunder Rhinos, like small hills, would gather from all sides, opening their large mouths to swallow a bundle of sweet potato vines in one bite. These Thunder Rhinos, with their enormous appetites, were the strongest labor force in the camp, but feeding them was an extremely arduous task. Normally, there were dedicated handlers, but when preparing rations for the Thunder Rhinos, a group of warriors would be sent to collect them from the wild.

After the fourth battalion received the task of clearing the battlefield, they subsequently carried out several reconnaissance missions. Preparing fodder for the Thunder Rhinos was also part of Count Montes' efforts to balance the feelings of the other battalion commanders.

When the sweet potatoes were transported back to the camp, the work of the second squad was not yet complete. They still needed to mash the sweet potatoes and send the sweet potato pulp to the logistics kitchen, where it would be steamed into sweet potato cakes, the Thunder Rhinos' favorite food.

Making sweet potato cakes was one of the things He Boqiang found particularly interesting, as it allowed him to observe the Thunder Rhinos up close.

He Boqiang was very curious about these massive creatures, weighing several tons, and wanted to ride on their backs to feel it.

However, the handlers in the camp watched them closely and did not easily allow anyone to approach these giant beasts.

Although he was infinitely curious about this world, He Boqiang always felt that he did not belong here.

During the days he lay in the tent recovering from his injuries, He Boqiang endured the pain by secretly hypnotizing himself. He constantly reminded himself: "Don't be afraid, this is just a dream. When you wake up, all the suffering here will disappear."

This was the sentence he would silently repeat to himself every night before falling asleep.

When a new day began, he would search for the meaning of life in the morning sunlight.