"Then I'll go file the report," Monkey chimed in. "This way, we might have to temporarily serve as bodyguards for those two Little Heavenly Queens." "Meaning, a few more days off," Phoenix was delighted, not caring in the least whether the mission was accomplished or not. In the ravaged lobby of the fifth floor battle site, Qin Fen finally found a moment to ask Xue Tian, "What about the terrorist you were fighting?" "What do you think?" Xue Tian grinned, pulling out a handheld game console from his chest and starting to play.

Dead! Qin Fen smelled the scent of blood, a smell emanating from the Iaijutsu sword strapped to Xue Tian's waist. Following the direction Xue Tian had come from, Qin Fen sprinted forward.

The scent of blood in the air grew increasingly intense. When he reached the scene of the incident, he couldn't help but gasp sharply. There were no bodies here, no dead people, only piles of shattered chunks of flesh, still clinging to bloody threads.

Every piece was cut with perfect, square precision. Looking at the ground scattered with minced meat, then at the footprints left in the dust, a vision of an extremely fast yet incredibly fierce fight rapidly formed in Qin Fen's mind. Based on where the pieces of the body had fallen, he could even trace Xue Tian's movements as the blade flashed.

Pungent! A swordsmanship as furious and relentless as the raging river! Qin Fen felt his eyelids twitch just imagining it.

Mission: Protect the members of the Feixin Girl Band from terrorist attacks, eliminate any remaining terrorists, and maintain social stability. After reading the mission directive handed over by Iron Hand, Qin Fen looked puzzled. "The mission states the Feixin Girl Band won't arrive for another three days.

During this period...?" "This period?" Iron Hand pursed his lips. From last night until noon today, Qin Fen's relentless training, unleashing martial skills that blasted forth, had been continuously shattering the confidence of the veteran special forces members. "What else?

Take leave! If you're interested, you can scout the concert venue beforehand to better execute the mission. In short, stay out of my sight for the next two days!" Comparing people was maddening.

Iron Hand genuinely feared that staying near Qin Fen for three days would inflict the most severe mental blow, causing him to lose his military confidence entirely—perhaps even leading him to apply for early discharge on an impulse. Qin Fen glanced at Monkey, the second-in-command of this mission squad, who wore an expression of agreement with Iron Hand. Looking at Qin Fen, Monkey too felt a sense of powerlessness.

Such aptitude marked Qin Fen as a super recruit of the highest caliber, far beyond his peers. The previous super recruits had all gone on to promising careers; the future development of these two new recruits was surely limitless as well? Monkey secretly glanced over at Xue Tian, who was playing his handheld game nearby.

Compared to Qin Fen, this kid's attitude toward effort could only be described as lazy. But! Even such a slacker, with just minimal practice, could display skills that made one marvel.

If Qin Fen and Xue Tian were compared, perhaps this lazy one possessed even more innate talent for a soldier. The problem was that his laziness was completely incompatible with military requirements. "You are all young men.

Now that you're in Seoul, you should go take a look around the streets," Monkey said kindly, attempting to console them. "This is one of the most vibrant hubs for Asia's entertainment industry." Yes, yes! Hurry up and go have fun!

No one will die if you skip training for two days! But if you keep staying here for two more days, we'll be driven mad by the continuous display of abilities that far surpass what new recruits should possess. This was the shared sentiment among the several special forces operators.

"Go take a look around," Butcher also spoke up. Qin Fen had indeed been training hard these past few days; balancing work and rest was essential, as a bowstring held too tight is prone to snapping. Phoenix nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Qin Fen, go take a break outside. You've been training with us every day, neglecting Lin Jia. Take this opportunity to buy her a small gift to cheer her up." Lin Jia?

Qin Fen blinked in surprise. He recalled she was the one who had once learned the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra from him, but why did Sister-in-law Phoenix call her his girlfriend? Qin Fen was slightly confused and wanted to ask and explain the misunderstanding, but before he could, Iron Hand and Monkey had already shoved him and Xue Tian into the elevator.

"Don't come back until the time is up! That's an order!" Standing outside the elevator, Iron Hand issued this strange command. Qin Fen reached out to block the closing elevator door, asking a question that greatly concerned him: "If we don't come back while we're out, will our food and lodging expenses..." "As long as you keep all the receipts, the Federal Government will cover them," Iron Hand pushed Qin Fen's arm back into the elevator.

The doors closed. Iron Hand turned back to Butcher. "Are you planning to help the East Asian Military Region reclaim its lost honor?" Monkey and the other special forces members also grew interested.

Whether it was Qin Fen or Xue Tian, such super recruits, if sent to the Rookie Military Skills Competition, would likely achieve impressive results. The honor the East Asian Military Region had lost in previous years might finally be won back in one go. Especially this year, even the African Military Region was loudly boasting that they would ensure the Asian Military Region finished dead last.

Such talk had deeply embarrassed the top brass of the entire Asian Military Region. "We haven't thought about that," Butcher shook his head. "We have other plans for training this kid." "Oh?" Iron Hand's eyes glittered with curiosity.

"So, in the East Asian Military Region's rookie files, he isn't outstanding?" "Correct," Phoenix nodded. "Whether he participates in the Rookie Military Skills Competition is his personal choice. Before that, we just wanted to give him some minor tempering, so we don't wish for these matters to become widely known." "Understood," Iron Hand nodded, and the other special forces operators nodded as well.

Among soldiers, sometimes no formal guarantees are needed; often, just a look or a nod is the most binding assurance. The elevator doors slid open. Having received Iron Hand's answer, Qin Fen saw no reason to object.

If he executed his mission in Hanju without buying any small gifts, and Song Jia found out, he would surely be plagued by her adorable little frown and her signature catchphrase, "I am very dissatisfied," echoing constantly in his ears. Thinking of Song Jia, a faint smile touched the corner of Qin Fen's mouth. "Buddy, thinking about a girl?" Xue Tian nudged him with his elbow.

Qin Fen laughed awkwardly. Wasn't this guy busy playing a game? How could he still be so attentive as to observe something so detailed?

"Looks like it," Xue Tian paused his game, sizing Qin Fen up with genuine interest. "I'm curious what kind of girlfriend someone with your steady personality would have. Is this Lin Jia person really that captivating?" "Lin Jia?" Qin Fen shook his head.

"They misunderstood. I have no relationship with Lin Jia." "Heh heh..." Xue Tian raised a hand to stroke his chin, wearing a sly smirk, his eyes clearly communicating: I don't believe you! With the silence broken, Qin Fen shifted the topic to something that interested him.

"That net you used the other day?" "Oh, that!" Xue Tian shook his head with displeasure. "A failed attempt. I let the duck slip through my fingers.

This has to be kept secret; if my Master finds out, even if he doesn't skin me alive, he'll probably put me through special training again." Master? Skinning? Special training?

Qin Fen suddenly realized that anyone talented still required guidance from predecessors. Xue Tian's Master must also be a capable individual, though it seemed he had grievances about Xue Tian's laziness as well. "Speaking of which, your gun handling is excellent!" Xue Tian patted the sword at his waist.

"Before I met you, I always thought there wasn't a bullet that my blade couldn't slice through. Now I see I was a bit arrogant." Bullets his blade couldn't slice through? Qin Fen’s mind flashed again to the ruins after that fierce battle.

The visual impact of those meat chunks had been too intense. Recalling it now, he remembered there seemed to be two incomplete bullet heads left on the ground! "Say, after you retire from service, what are you planning to do?" Xue Tian's question caught Qin Fen completely off guard.

They hadn't known each other long, yet he was jumping straight to such a profound topic? Moreover, they were both still recruits; retirement was a long way off. Ordinary new recruits wouldn't be considering such matters.

"Haven't thought about it?" Xue Tian’s eyes showed surprise mixed with a hint of prior expectation. "After you leave the military, come be a mercenary with me!" "A mercenary?" Qin Fen was even more surprised. Xue Tian had only just entered the military and was already thinking about being a mercenary.

"That's right!" Xue Tian's gaze held an unprecedented longing, his demeanor utterly serious, clearly not joking. "A mercenary! Becoming the strongest mercenary—that's my dream!" "I'll consider it." Qin Fen nodded just as seriously.

He gave full respect to anyone who held a dream, regardless of whether that dream was to become president, a marshal, or a street cleaner. Xue Tian stared intently at Qin Fen's face for a long moment, a genuine smile breaking through his serious expression. "Thank you for respecting my dream." Qin Fen paused, seeing that Xue Tian's usual grin had vanished.

His eyes seemed distant, immersed in something deeper. "Everyone should have a dream—no! You must have a dream!

Even if that dream sounds absurd, ridiculous, or utterly impractical to others, don't be afraid! Lock onto the path toward your dream, devote everything you have, and miracles will happen." Qin Fen’s body suddenly jolted. He had heard these words before, long, long ago, when Qin Zhan had said something similar.

Back then, he hadn't understood why his older brother spoke that way, and even now, recalling it, he still couldn't grasp what his brother's dream truly was. Could it be? Did his brother disappear while trying to realize his own dream?

Then what was his brother's dream? Qin Fen sank into thought. Was his brother's dream dangerous?

Otherwise, why wouldn't he have taken his younger brother along? Or perhaps... Various conjectures flooded Qin Fen's mind at once.

Thanks to the recent psychological training under Instructor Hao, Qin Fen's deductive abilities had greatly improved. Precisely because of this heightened reasoning, Qin Fen could consider far more possibilities, making it impossible to analyze and arrive at a correct conclusion based on his current limited information. "Haha!" Xue Tian snapped back from his reverie with a chuckle.

"How was that? Did that speech sound cool? Too bad, it wasn't an original work of mine."