Yang Yi emerged from the office and returned to the drill ground, where a myriad of surprised gazes immediately fell upon him, as if they were using a 'naked-eye scanner' to see right through him. Those summoned by Instructor Chen, especially Nangong San and his two companions, harbored suspicions about why he had been called away.
“Why would Instructor Chen call him over? Does he have connections in this barracks?” Tang Shen muttered under his breath, his face grave.
“Hmm, definitely suspicious,” Ximen Ling said, stroking his chin.
Nangong San, who had remained silent until now, finally stood up, brushed off his trousers, and announced, “Why bother with that? We just need to proceed with the original plan. Let’s go; half an hour has already passed, time to assemble.”
“Right!” The other two nodded in agreement.
“Damn it, that brat, Lao San, really deserves a beating.”
“Exactly. Looks like we need to give him a good thrashing when we find the chance.”
Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou grumbled in unison after hearing Yang Yi’s words.
“Alright, beating him isn't the priority right now. We might have bigger problems brewing later,” Yang Yi said, knitting his brows.
“Don’t worry, we know what to do,” Fatty Lin and Ye Xiaohou both nodded toward Yang Yi before heading to the center of the drill ground for assembly.
Yang Yi glanced back at Xuanyuan Bing, offering only a nod, not saying a word.
“Assemble!”
Instructor Li’s sharp command accelerated the gathering process for the new recruits. In no time, everyone was lined up perfectly. Just then, Instructor Chen arrived with two other men. He exchanged a few hushed words with Instructor Li, which caused Li’s face to change color briefly before he instantly regained his composure.
The mass of new recruits was utterly perplexed. Meanwhile, Yang Yi felt a wave of exasperation seeing the two men following Instructor Chen. He thought, First, a gangster boss, and now a shameless lackey. Their previous actions had made Yang Yi deeply uncomfortable, and he certainly didn't wish to repeat that experience.
“Class, due to staff shortages from official channels, we require a few people to lend a hand!” After speaking, Instructor Chen snapped to attention and saluted the two men in formal military attire, Li Sui and Guo Qing.
“Very well, which students are eager to volunteer?” Guo Qing smiled faintly, a look that seemed utterly harmless, yet it conveyed a sense of ill-intent far more profound than Instructor Chen’s smile. He continued, “Of course, I only need a few males.”
“Me!” Lin Wen from Yang Yi’s squad raised his hand; this guy was always eager to stand out.
“Me!”
“Me!”
As the saying goes, where there is one bird eager to fly high, there is a whole forest following. A few scattered voices chimed in, and five or six male recruits raised their hands.
“Hmm, the first six of you, please step forward,” Li Sui said, waving his hand while jotting down names. “We still need a few more!”
“Then allow me to choose,” Guo Qing thought smugly. He walked among the students, suddenly pointing at several recruits. “You few, come out as well.”
“Yes!” Six more recruits stepped forward.
Any discerning eye could tell this was deliberate. Absolutely intentional. At least, Yang Yi knew it clearly in his mind. Because among those six were Nangong San, Tang Shen, Ximen Ling, along with Shangguan Tengfei, and two other new recruits.
This move felt peculiar, yet it achieved the effect Yang Yi desired: Nangong San and the others were completely oblivious. Even Shangguan Tengfei seemed unaware. The only one likely to surmise something was Gongsun Ce.
Legend held that the Gongsun family were indeed descendants of Gongsun Ce, the famous strategist who served Bao Zheng (Judge Bao) during the Song Dynasty. The fact that this lineage had survived and thrived to the present day was proof of their inherent capability. As the Song Dynasty Gongsun Ce was renowned for his sharp intellect, it was said that the current Gongsun Ce was his equal within the Gongsun clan, illustrating the formidable intelligence of the present-day man.
This tactic is truly masterful. It's a case of turning enemies against each other, yet making it difficult for anyone to trace the connection back to the orchestrator. Alas, this person is truly formidable, Gongsun Ce thought bitterly as he watched Nangong San and his cousin.
“Alright, the twelve of you, follow me. There is a task I need to assign you,” Guo Qing instructed the twelve new recruits.
“Yes, Officer,” these recruits didn't know the exact status of Guo Qing and Li Sui within the camp, but seeing their own instructor show them such respect, they felt addressing them as 'Officer' was appropriate.
“Hehe, excellent, follow me,” Guo Qing said, waving his hand and leading the way.
“Li Sui,” Li Sui said to Instructor Chen, “for the remainder of the time, proceed with the standard review ceremony.”
“Yes!” Instructor Chen saluted sharply and responded loudly. Only after watching Li Sui and the others depart did he turn to the remaining twenty-odd recruits and announce, “The review ceremony is about to begin. Remember this: a soldier’s highest duty is obedience to orders. Follow my instructions precisely, understood?”
“Understood!”
“Louder!”
“Understood.”
While the shouts of confirmation echoed, Li Sui spoke to the twelve chosen recruits behind the podium. “The reason we selected the two of us to pick you out is singular.” Li Sui paused, scanning their faces before continuing, “Our objective is to assign you a mission. Do you have the confidence to complete it?”
“Yes!” Although the recruits had no idea what the mission entailed, how could they refuse when an officer had asked directly?
“Very well. Today is your new recruit review ceremony, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be here to deliver a speech. However, should any unforeseen incident occur, I will require you to cover his evacuation. This is an extremely vital and demanding task. I will ask you one more time: do you have the confidence to complete it?”
“Yes!”
“Excellent!” Li Sui and Guo Qing exchanged a glance, sharing a silent understanding in their eyes that only the two of them could decipher.
“General, he has arrived,” the adjutant called out to Xu Ming inside.
“En,” Xu Ming responded, adjusting his collar before stepping out with a strangely placid smile. “Greetings, Sir.”
“Hello, General Xu,” the foreigner, who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Chinese Consulate stationed in the UK, shook Xu Ming’s hand. “I apologize for the trouble.”
“Not at all, Sir. Your dedication to our Chinese brethren commands my utmost respect. Please,” Xu Ming smiled faintly.
“Good!” The Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded and proceeded toward the drill ground.
Soon, the review ceremony was about to commence. Numerous soldiers were already positioned near the podium, including the twelve recruits selected earlier. The students below were stunned to see familiar faces among them. On one side, several soldiers stood guard, gripping machine guns; the formation was imposing.
Moments later, Xu Ming and the Minister of Foreign Affairs arrived at the drill ground, both ascending the stage with practiced courtesy. Instructor Chen saw them and called out, “Salute!”
“Swish!” The new recruits snapped to attention and saluted in unison.
“We now invite General Xu Ming to deliver his address.”
A burst of applause erupted, but it was immediately accompanied by looks of disdain, particularly from Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin. Conversely, there were also looks of fervent admiration; given Xu Ming’s youthful appearance, achieving the rank of General at his age suggested extraordinary capability.
“I think I’ve seen this man somewhere before,” Nangong San murmured quietly, his expression unchanged.
“He looks like he’s with Yang Yi’s group.”
“Could it be he was the one who summoned Yang Yi earlier?”
Ximen Ling and Tang Shen exchanged glances, their eyes fixed on Xu Ming in that instant.
“Hello, fellow new recruits,” Xu Ming said with a faint smile, pointedly ignoring the gazes below him—a testament to his thoroughly honed composure.
“Welcome to Fudan University. This month-long military training is a rare opportunity, and I believe it will be your greatest test. I hope you all gain something truly precious from this experience.”
“Clap, clap, clap!” Applause broke out again.
Xu Ming’s expression turned serious, and he asked with a peculiar tone, “I wonder if any of you new recruits have heard about the recent incident where overseas Chinese were subjected to physical abuse in the UK?”
“...........” The new recruits looked at each other, clearly uninformed. After all, they were students, rarely concerned with national affairs unless forced into such situations by circumstances like this training. However, Xu Ming’s deliberate introduction of the topic suggested it was far from idle chatter, especially with the foreign dignitary visible behind him.
“Hehe, I suspect most of you are unaware. Not knowing is unimportant; what matters is knowing the people who strove, who gave everything to fight for justice for our Chinese brethren. Today, we have one such person right here. Please join me in welcoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Chinese Consulate in the UK with an ovation.” Xu Ming led the clapping.
The applause swelled, clearly more fervent than before. But at this very moment, heads that had been lurking in the shadows began to emerge.
“DA, is that the target?”
“Don’t act rashly yet,” DA commanded, pressing down on DE’s sniper rifle as he prepared to fire.
“Why?”