Gao Lou had gotten Qin Fen's incoming military rank wrong—it should be Major, not Lieutenant Colonel. Several friends pointed this out. For that chapter, Gao Lou would allow himself one moment of laziness and not make the correction...

Along the street, passersby curiously watched the scene that had just unfolded. In Shengjing, an area known for its good public order, a street brawl had broken out, and the person involved appeared to be a soldier?

Snap...

In passing cars, someone pulled out a mobile phone to film the street scene before the vehicle sped away into the distance.

"Old Qin, maybe I should get a sign made for you," Xue Tian teased, "It could say: Challengers only need to state their name and rank to engage; no need to waste breath talking to me. That should probably save you a lot of trouble."

Qin Fen weakly shook his head. If he truly walked the streets carrying such a sign, it would be a miracle if he weren't immediately arrested as mentally unstable.

Xue Tian shrugged and hopped onto the luxurious bus. He figured Song Wendong wouldn't publicize this event widely; the news was likely still circulating only within the upper echelons of society.

But if that was the case... Xue Tian sighed. Those challengers likely had some connections or background. If Qin Fen kept fighting like this, some open-minded families might tolerate it, but if he ran into families who were inherently vindictive and fiercely protective, Qin Fen was certainly going to make powerful enemies.

Qin Fen settled into the back row of the bus, leaning as far back against the seat as possible, and casually grabbed a military cap to cover his face, imitating how Kai Tian Brooks used to hide.

Having encountered three challengers in a row, Qin Fen genuinely feared that if someone sharp-eyed spotted him while he was on the bus, they might stop the vehicle, and he’d end up fighting his way all the way to the military headquarters.

Hiding and refusing to be seen didn't violate Song Wendong's challenge rules. The bus also picked up speed, and they encountered no further challengers along the way.

Hiding under the cap, Qin Fen scratched his forehead. This situation couldn't go on indefinitely. He needed to find a way to reassert his authority. He planned to ask Lin Liqiang later which young martial artist near Shengjing was most famous and happened to be interested in becoming Song Wendong's grandson-in-law. He could just pay that person a visit and beat them up; that should deter some of these people who were going mad just to win the position of Song Wendong's grandson-in-law.

The bus stopped smoothly. A hint of helplessness touched Qin Fen's face hidden beneath the military cap, his eyes flickering with irritation.

There was no need for loud challenges or looking out the window to know that outside the bus, three burning flames of fighting spirit were radiating outward.

At the entrance of the Shengjing Military Headquarters, sensing the presence of iron-blooded soldiers was normal. But feeling intense fighting intent here? Why would someone release such intent at the military headquarters entrance? Were they trying to challenge the entire base? Were they insane? Not everyone was the Earth Martial God, Song Wendong.

Even thinking with his knees, Qin Fen could guess that the three individuals radiating fierce battle intent outside the bus were challengers.

He removed his cap, picked up his luggage, and stepped off the bus. After confirming with the three men that they were indeed there to challenge him, he responded with one punch, one kick, and a turning single-mountain move from the Arhat Fist. The three challengers flew over fifteen meters, landing on the ground and moaning incessantly.

Putting his cap back on, Qin Fen slowly walked into the headquarters with the group, showing no concern for the three injured men. If they had the audacity to try and steal another man's wife, giving him a cuckold's hat, they should be prepared to be beaten until they couldn't get up. This was the military headquarters; there should be good hospitals nearby, and he was sure ambulances would arrive soon to carry these three brave warriors who dared to steal another man's wife off for proper treatment.

The two soldiers guarding the entrance of the military headquarters looked at Qin Fen with eyes full of awe and confusion as they scrutinized him. Were these the new recruits returning from the New Soldier Competition? No wonder they achieved the best results in history—so fierce! Truly fierce! Three Five-Star Martial Artists, ended the fight in less time than it took to draw a breath.

The compound of the East Asia Military Region was much larger than Qin Fen had imagined. The buildings weren't as magnificent as he'd anticipated; everything maintained the simple style of the military. But the building materials...

Qin Fen gasped repeatedly. On the surface, there was nothing obviously luxurious, yet who would have thought that the materials used here, while not literally as expensive as gold, were certainly among the most costly available—perhaps even more expensive than the materials used for the Presidential Palace.

After several days of instruction from his cadre, Qin Fen had developed some ability to discern materials. The strength of these materials was beyond ordinary comprehension.

Normally, a single heavy high-explosive shell or missile could easily collapse a small building. But if one struck any building or wall within the military compound, managing to blast even a fist-sized crater would be considered exceeding the mission parameters.

Since terrorism once again used aircraft to shatter four corners of the Pentagon in the Americas, military compounds across all continents had renewed their focus on security. The structural integrity of their buildings now presented a headache even for terrorists.

Passing the front row of buildings in the compound, Qin Fen arrived at a small auditorium. Zhao Huzi quickened his pace onto the stage where two Major Generals were already seated behind a long table.

Above the stage of the auditorium hung a long red banner inscribed with: Warm Welcome to Soldiers Returning with Honors from the New Soldier Competition.

Qin Fen smiled. With the advancement of technology, many things were progressing rapidly, but this particular tradition seemed to have become a cultural relic, barely changing at all.

"Old Zhao, if I’d known there would be this much attention, I should have elbowed my way in to come!"

"Huzi, you really brought face to us this time. Congratulations!"

"Haha, Old Zhao just got lucky!"

The three Major Generals embraced and laughed, exchanging soft chuckles. During this, the two Majors occasionally glanced at Qin Fen.

After brief pleasantries, the three Majors took their seats on the stage, and the welcome ceremony for the new recruits officially began.

It was at this moment that the new recruits realized the scene was different from what they had imagined. They expected to be in a massive hall filled with thousands of soldiers, under the gaze of countless reporters, flashing lights, flowers, and applause for a commendation and celebration rally.

Instead, in this small auditorium, besides a young female military reporter, there were only the two Generals they hadn't met before. There were no other outsiders; the atmosphere felt somewhat chilly.

"Tsk, tsk..." Xue Tian, sitting in the first row, turned back to signal the others: "Disappointed? I guessed it would be like this. Don't forget, we are just new recruits, only new recruits. The main strength of the army isn't us, and naturally, the army's highest honors aren't won by new recruits. I heard that in the past, these ceremonies were presided over only by the accompanying Major General. Having two Generals here is already showing great respect. Of course, the higher-ups are very pleased. After all, we earned them a lot of face."

The new recruits nodded repeatedly. Indeed! New recruits were not the main fighting force; the most combat-ready elements of the army certainly weren't them, and the greatest honors naturally wouldn't belong to them. However, Qin Fen had shone so brightly this time that the military region specially added two more Major Generals.

"To all the new recruits..."

The General seated to Zhao Huzi's left cleared his throat and began reading the prepared speech. The new recruits' minds immediately drifted into a vacant state—a specialized mental mode they had instinctively cultivated during years of attending boring school-wide assemblies.

Perhaps because the New Soldier Competition had gone exceptionally well, the military, which usually valued concise and efficient speech, had made this particular speech much longer than usual.

After the three Generals each delivered lengthy speeches, the new recruits finally snapped back to attention. The moment for rewards had arrived! They hadn't come here to listen to Generals read speeches; they came to receive awards.

"Lin Jia, this time you led the Air Force team to win the New Soldier Competition's Air Force championship for East Asia—a title never before achieved by our region's airmen. To reward you, the military region is promoting you to Lieutenant!"

Lieutenant? Lin Jia immediately stood and gave a standard salute, inwardly sneering. Ordinary airmen usually held the rank of Second Lieutenant. If someone else had led the team to victory, shouldn't the rank have been Captain?

Zhao Huzi passed the box containing the Lieutenant insignia with a grim expression. Only Lieutenant? What was the high command doing? Even if the matter concerning General Lin hadn't been fully resolved, they shouldn't suppress a young person like this!

"Do well," Zhao Huzi said weakly.

"Yes, Sir!"

Lin Jia calmly accepted the rank insignia and quickly turned away from the stage.

"Xue Tian..."

"Du Peng..."

"Jizhen Xuanyi..."

Since the latter two were still in the hospital, Qin Fen collected their awards on their behalf.

"Qin Fen..."

All eyes of the new recruits immediately focused on him. Everyone was speculating what kind of rank Qin Fen would receive.

Zhao Huzi paused when he opened the appointment letter, his dark eyes showing a trace of astonishment.

The new recruits keenly caught the surprise in Zhao Huzi's eyes and became even more curious. What rank could Qin Fen be getting that would surprise even Zhao Huzi? A pure Army new recruit—Second Lieutenant? Lieutenant? Could it be Captain? Surely not Major—that would be too preposterous...

"New Recruit Qin Fen..." Zhao Huzi glanced at his two colleagues before speaking slowly, "Your performance in this New Soldier Competition was outstanding, far exceeding the tasks set by the military region. Furthermore, you kindly assisted other competing new recruits, setting various records. Therefore, you are specially promoted to—"

"Lieutenant Colonel..."

Hiss...

In the silent auditorium, the sound of dozens of new recruits sucking in a collective breath echoed. No one had expected Qin Fen to leap directly from new recruit to Lieutenant Colonel. This was no longer simple exceptional promotion!

Promoting a new recruit who had only recently enlisted and had not been gilded by military academy attendance to Major was already exaggerated; to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel? Had the military bigwigs become so satisfied with saving face that they disregarded all rules?

"General! I object!"

A clear, sharp voice suddenly pierced the silence in the hall, cutting through the stunned quiet.

People now noticed the military reporter who had been taking photos the entire time. She puffed out her not-so-full chest and adopted a posture of resisting behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

Qin Fen took a closer look at the military reporter. She seemed to be around his age, with short, neat hair cut to her ears. She wasn't strikingly beautiful; at best, she was ordinary, and her figure couldn't compare to the several beauties he had encountered recently. The only thing that drew attention was her demeanor—a pride emanating from her core. This was definitely not an attitude cultivated by an ordinary family; she must have grown up in excellent surroundings.

"Object?"

Zhao Huzi sized up the female reporter from head to toe. Whose child was this? Did she have the audacity to be so clueless about her own standing as to oppose a military order? Did she think the army was a democratic society? The army required iron discipline!

"That's right, I object!" The reporter did not shrink from the General’s cold glare, instead taking half a step forward. "The New Soldier Competition was an exchange event for new recruits from various regions. While achieving a dazzling result certainly warrants reward. Why should a new recruit with no merits and no military academy training be awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel? The army should not indulge in special treatment for certain individuals based on personal preference! We must remember that some graduates of military academies only receive the rank of Second Lieutenant after years of study! Did they study all those years for nothing?"

Qin Fen smiled; Zhao Huzi's smile turned even colder. The rank of Lieutenant Colonel was indeed somewhat unexpected, but it wasn't a reward Qin Fen truly couldn't bear.

"Studying? Does studying for a long time earn one a military rank?" Zhao Huzi’s chilling smile instantly transformed into disdain. He threw a document from the stage in front of the military reporter: "See for yourself!"

The auditorium fell silent again, broken only by the sound of the female reporter flipping through the documents and the gradual change in her expression from surprise to shock on her not-so-beautiful face.

Zhao Huzi sat calmly in his chair. As a General, he didn't need to explain himself to a mere junior female officer. But this time, he was confident that not only this female reporter but also the other new recruits seated would be convinced. More importantly, this woman was a reporter. While her article could be forcibly suppressed, there was no way to stop her from posting critical remarks against the military on the internet, which would create a very negative impact on Qin Fen.

Mission to Han Province to eliminate a terrorist leader... Rescue of top R&D personnel for the Nanosuit on a deserted island... Undercover assassination mission in the Golden Triangle, eliminating drug lords and reshaping the balance of power... Participation in the New Soldier Competition...

The female reporter froze. She looked up, her eyes filled with unbelievable light. This enlisted new recruit had... had already achieved so many merits?