"Hello everyone," Squad Leader Hao smiled, waving his hand. "You've all been at it all day. Get some rest. I'm here to talk with Qin Fen."

Talk to me? Qin Fen felt a touch of confusion. Was this about another sparring match?

"Come with me to the deck for a chat."

Squad Leader Hao gave Qin Fen no chance to refuse, rising and walking out the door.

Still immensely excited, Qin Fen found it impossible to truly sleep. He put on his uniform and headed to the deck.

The sea wind at night was much cooler than during the day, but the circulation of the Longxiang Banruo Gong throughout his body kept Qin Fen from feeling the chill.

Squad Leader Hao paused briefly in thought, then got straight to the point. "Qin Fen, do you have an older brother?"

"Ah?" Qin Fen was slightly taken aback, but then nodded. "Report, Officer, I do!"

"What is your older brother's name?"

Qin Fen hesitated. Squad Leader Hao wouldn't ask such a thing for no reason. Did he have news of his brother? Or had his brother done something that led to him being secretly sought? Was he trying to probe for intelligence from him?

Then, a thought struck him, and Qin Fen smiled. If his brother were truly wanted, a military officer wouldn't be the one to inquire.

"Qin Zhan."

"Indeed!" A smile slowly spread across Squad Leader Hao's face. The super recruit from five years ago was also named Qin Zhan.

"Squad Leader, you know my brother?" Qin Fen clearly sensed the change in Squad Leader Hao's demeanor and pressed on. "Do you know where my brother is now?"

Squad Leader Hao leaned casually against the ship's rail. "I knew someone. I can't be certain if he is your brother, but his name was indeed Qin Zhan."

Qin Fen considered for a moment, then pulled out the photograph of the two brothers he kept tucked away. "Officer, do you recognize the Qin Zhan you knew? Is it him?"

Squad Leader Hao's eyes immediately lit up, and he stated with strong conviction, "That's right! It is him!"

"Then where is my brother now?" Qin Fen grew agitated. His entire purpose for attending university and then enlisting was to find his brother, who had suddenly left, because he had compelling reasons to do so. How could he not be excited now that a lead had suddenly appeared?

"I don't know." Squad Leader Hao shook his head. "He disappeared like a meteor, suddenly appearing among the new recruits, displaying talent far beyond the ordinary. Before the junior officers could even file his reports, he vanished into thin air."

"Vanished?" Qin Fen was stunned.

"Yes." Squad Leader Hao took a deep breath. "Your brother was a genius who surpassed common talents. Any firearm, artillery piece, fighter jet, or mechanized armor—the moment he touched it, he was the strongest among the new recruits, capable of achieving the ace results of any specialized unit. Not only that, but his personal martial prowess and understanding of Wu were not those of a young man under twenty..."

Here, Squad Leader Hao glanced at Qin Fen. "Five years ago, the squad leader when your brother enlisted was also a Meteor-level master. Unlike you, he challenged that squad leader and knocked him to the ground in just three moves. You are far behind your brother in this regard."

As Qin Fen listened to Squad Leader Hao's description, his initial excitement slowly turned into a surge of hot-blooded pride. Anyone hearing how powerful their brother was would feel an indescribable sense of self-esteem, and Qin Fen's bond with Qin Zhan was closer than that of ordinary brothers. That pride made his whole body tremble.

He had joined the military to survive, only to unexpectedly hear news of his brother. Qin Fen began to look forward to the new recruit training camp in Australia. Perhaps there, he might find even more information about his brother.

"Kid, you must be wondering, right?" Squad Leader Hao looked at Qin Fen. "Wondering why I'm telling you this? There’s nothing strange about it. Strictly speaking, I owe your brother a favor. If I can't repay him, paying it forward to you is the same thing."

"Squad Leader, could you defeat my brother?" Qin Fen asked with a bit of curiosity. He could sense that among the Meteor-level fighters, Squad Leader Hao was certainly skilled.

"Me?" Squad Leader Hao laughed and shook his head repeatedly. "Kid, do you know what favor I owe your brother? It's that after I reached Four-Star, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make any further progress. Your brother showed me the path. Even today, the guidance he gave me still allows my martial power to advance ceaselessly."

Guidance from five years ago was still a guiding light now? Qin Fen didn't know whether to think his brother was too powerful or to suspect Squad Leader Hao’s aptitude was too poor.

"Kid." Squad Leader Hao clapped Qin Fen on the shoulder. "Since you’ve joined the military, you can't disgrace your brother, right?"

Qin Fen nodded instinctively. Even if he couldn't reach the dazzling genius of his brother Qin Zhan, he certainly couldn't be completely mediocre.

"Very good." Squad Leader Hao laughed. "Your brother challenged his superiors back then. Shouldn't you do the same?"

Qin Fen stared blankly at the benevolent smile on Squad Leader Hao's face. If not for the fact that he spoke accurately about certain things concerning Qin Zhan, he would truly suspect this man was fabricating lies just to entice him into a fight.

"You should have the strength of a Three-Star, right?" Squad Leader Hao hopped down from the rail, extending a hand. "Don't worry! I won't use more than Three-Star strength against you. How about it?"

The excitement from the aerial combat hadn't settled, and the fervor from hearing his brother's deeds hadn't stopped. Qin Fen was tempted. These past few days, just to earn money, he had only been fighting at Two-Star level in the Sky Martial Arts Network. Relying on Three-Star reflexes against Two-Star opponents was truly rather dull.

"Good..."

As Qin Fen's "good" left his lips, Squad Leader Hao's sharp hostility lunged toward him almost simultaneously with his body. The military uniform snapped loudly in the sea wind. He spread his arms, stamped his legs, twisted his waist, the vertebrae on his back undulating continuously. The power channeled through his tendons and bones into his hands; his five fingers locked, the joints vibrating, making the air ripple. Manager Zhang's Shaolin Tiger Claw Hand, when executed by Squad Leader Hao, showed a completely different level of might.

This near-sneak attack immediately forced Qin Fen into a position where he couldn't evade and then attack—he had no choice but to meet it head-on.

To fight a tiger, one must use a tiger's posture!

Qin Fen stepped forward, bending his knees, his movements once again showing the solid, rooted stance of Shaolin. His back bones exploded in succession, the force surging from his spine straight up into his raised arm. His arm, like a splitting axe, punched through the air's resistance, smashing down, choosing a direct collision.

Squad Leader Hao's eyes flashed brightly. Qin Fen’s downward strike hit the very point where his Tiger Claw Hand was least effective. If struck there, a light injury meant a broken bone; a severe one meant permanent disability! The Tiger Claw Hand demanded the fierce momentum of a tiger; changing the move mid-way weakened its power. The Hunyuan Jin in his body exploded outward; the claw speed quickened by half, determined to avoid that weak spot.

Claw and arm collided, and the air seemed to detonate with a muffled thud of muscle against muscle. The resulting airflow created a spiraling force. Their arms were like broken water pipes, instantly drenched in sweat, the fabric covering them sizzling faintly. The reasonably sturdy sleeves were visibly beginning to tear.

Squad Leader Hao was older, and his internal power was naturally deeper. In contrast, Qin Fen was much younger.

However, the Longxiang Banruo Gong provided immense strength. Since reaching Three-Star, Qin Fen had never used his full power. His first time using his full strength was now, amidst this surge of hot-blooded pride. His entire arm’s muscles bulged and twitched incessantly, instantly pushing his explosive power to its limit.

Squad Leader Hao felt as if his claw had grasped granite. A slight stinging sensation shot through his palm, and his eyebrows raised simultaneously. That weakest point had not been entirely avoided; Qin Fen’s punch had gained the upper hand.

Squad Leader Hao took a curved step back with his right foot, his body steady and unmoving. The retracted Tiger Claw shot out again—it was the Tiger Body Reversal Stance from the Shaolin Tiger Claw Hand!

Qin Fen's eyes shone intensely. As he threw his punch, he felt as if the bones in his body had completely relaxed. He roared internally, "Comfortable!" His body exploded into a Shaolin horse stance, his legs stamping down like a galloping warhorse, releasing a most ordinary Black Tiger Steals the Heart thrust.

Squad Leader Hao gasped again. This most common move from Qin Fen’s punch managed to display the essence of the Shaolin Arhat Fist—extending the range and delivering the strike with such flawless fluidity—it completely exceeded his imagination.

He forcefully surged his Yuan Jin again, and as the Tiger Body Reversal Stance struck Qin Fen’s punching arm, the Yuan Jin was instantly raised from Three-Star to Four-Star.

A higher rank trumps all; superior strength leaves one watching dumbfounded!

Qin Fen’s figure flickered. The punch he had thrown was retracted. His struck arm throbbed with dull pain.

Squad Leader Hao’s hanging heart finally settled. Qin Fen’s punch, which could be called the pinnacle of Three-Star strength, had timed the exchange perfectly, avoiding the vulnerable point of the Black Tiger Steals the Heart maneuver. If he had used Three-Star power to block that punch, even if he stopped it, he would have been decisively at a disadvantage, making any counterattack impossible.

Violating their prior agreement, Squad Leader Hao felt his own face flush slightly. He had been careless, thinking his rich experience would give him the upper hand. He hadn't expected the young man’s martial intuition to be so extraordinary, reminding him again of Qin Zhan five years ago.

Sensing Qin Fen’s reproachful gaze, Squad Leader Hao pulled a stern face. "What are you looking at? You should know, enemies on the battlefield don't abide by rules. Trusting in agreements set by others? You are far inferior to your brother in this aspect!"

It was clearly a fierce reprimand, yet Qin Fen couldn't shake the feeling that Squad Leader Hao was merely making excuses for violating the agreement.

"Alright! Go back and rest! Tomorrow, you continue with double the training load."

"But, I was first in the air combat..."

"Are you the squad leader, or am I?" Under the night sky over the ocean, Squad Leader Hao’s benevolent voice transformed for the first time into the tone of a superior suppressing a subordinate. "Hurry up and rest!"

"Yes, Officer!" Qin Fen snapped to attention and walked into the troop carrier, his mind continuously churning—was this Squad Leader Hao taking personal revenge?

On the deck of the massive transport ship, only Squad Leader Hao remained, enjoying the sea breeze. On the surface, Qin Fen had lost the fight, but he clearly knew that he, Squad Leader Hao, was the true loser. If he had declared his Four-Star strength from the start, Qin Fen's superb combat sense might have allowed him to hold out without defeat.

"Qin Zhan, I never thought you two would be a pair of shining talents. I'll find a few old friends to train your brother as repayment to you."

————

The following few days of sailing, Qin Fen grew even more convinced that Squad Leader Hao held a grudge over the last defeat.

Every day's weighted training involved an increase in weight over the previous day. This didn't trouble him, as the equipment on the transport ship was too scarce compared to the comprehensive facilities at the training camp. Squad Leader Hao noticed that the ship's equipment wasn't serving Qin Fen well and often pondered how to mold him into the next generation of super recruits once they reached the training camp.

Besides Qin Fen, Du Peng’s performance also astonished Squad Leader Hao. He had assumed this young man from a military family would merely go through the motions at the basic level, but after seeing Qin Fen's weighted training, Du Peng began the same routine the next day, and his performance was no worse than Qin Fen's.

This delighted Squad Leader Hao. Having a few decent new recruits out of two thousand was rare enough; the chance of finding one super recruit was comparable to winning the big lottery. Finding two super recruits? That probability was probably no better than the Chinese men's football team making it to the World Cup many years ago.

Compared to the daytime drills, Qin Fen preferred the nighttime aerial combat. After two sessions, Qin Fen had grown to enjoy the air combat training. He constantly explored ways to integrate his martial arts techniques into the aerial fights—this unique approach rapidly developed his martial intuition.

Now, whenever night fell, the new recruits would pray they wouldn't run into the day's rookie in the air combat sessions—the current Aerial Combat King.

PS: Recommendation tickets, recommendation tickets! Gao Lou desperately craves recommendation tickets. Send them all over!