Chapter 417.1. Being a Soldier Feels Good

Several simple statements taught these recruits who had just entered the army camp a new lesson. Their laziness and idleness from before was a lot more toned down, and the three officers in chainmail armor led them off to the army barracks.

The three hundred fighting soldiers were led to ten bunkhouses. Each bunkhouse was quite spacious, and each one could accommodate thirty soldiers. Huo Yuhao’s bunk was the first among these ten bunks. Furthermore, according to their allocations earlier, he was in charge of this bunk. This meant that the affairs within his bunk were temporarily in his command.

Complaints and curses started as soon as all thirty soldiers entered the bunkhouse.

“Aiyo, I’m so tired! We’ve been standing the entire morning, and only now are they letting us eat. I guess it’s not so easy being a soldier after all!” one skinny recruit mumbled with a gloomy look on his face.

Another relatively fatter soldier said, “Let’s not talk about that, I’ve been cooked to the point where I’m sweating oil! Thirty people staying together! This bunk is already starting to smell! We’re going to have a tough time. If I’d known all this, I wouldn’t have enlisted as a soldier! My dad insisted that I train myself in the military… this really makes people speechless.”

Similar voices rang out in every corner of Huo Yuhao’s bunkhouse.

Huo Yuhao found a berth for himself in the corner after he entered the room, a bunk actually meaning a simple cot. It was a straw mat laid out over a wooden frame, and a thin mattress was laid out on the straw mat, with a blanket on top of the mattress. This was the standard setup for every bunk in the room.

Huo Yuhao had no complaints about this because he didn’t care about it at all. He placed his uniform on the blanket and his spear to one side. He didn’t even need his eyes to see – his spiritual power covered the entire room. There were twenty-nine other people in his room, and every single person was now within his perception. Nobody could hide anything under his careful observation.

Most of the others were still complaining. They were clearly unadjusted to army life, but there were some others who were very calm, such as a soldier roughly twenty years of age on a bunk not far from Huo Yuhao. His build was average, and he looked very composed. Furthermore, there were dashes of coldness between his eyebrows. He clearly didn’t quite fit in with the other recruits.

Besides Huo Yuhao, there were six others among the group who could face the novelty of entering army life with a relatively calm attitude. They quickly packed their things up properly, and two of them stood up and were about to go out to eat.

Huo Yuhao stood up and suddenly clapped his hands.

“Clap, clap, clap!” Three crisp sounds could be heard, and Huo Yuhao immediately attracted every recruit’s attention.

“Quiet down for a moment, everyone. Let me say a few words.” Huo Yuhao spoke with a faint smile on his face. He had changed his appearance to someone who had a very simple and honest look, and this smile made him seem even more so. Furthermore, his smile even seemed a little rustic.

Everyone stared at the leather armor that Huo Yuhao was wearing, and he had their attention. The entire room actually quickly quieted down.

Huo Yuhao said, “My brothers, we have all reported to a new army camp today, and today is our first day. Everyone must have seen what happened just now; if we don’t perform well, we might just be allocated to become an auxiliary soldier. I don’t think anyone wants to become an auxiliary soldier, right? Since we have been allocated into the same squad we will be brothers-in-arms in the future. We have to fight and slay our enemies together if we get to go onto the battlefield.

“Our three months of basic military training will be very important for us. That officer already said that only those who perform excellently can truly become fighting soldiers. That means we are up against the recruits from the nine other bunks. They are all our rivals and competitors. If we want to become fighting soldiers, then we have to perform better than they do. That means teamwork is paramount.

“We’re all recruits, and everyone in the other bunks won’t be familiar with one another. Everyone is still like a plate of scattered sand. If First Bunk’s brothers can unite, then none of the other bunks will be a match for us. We will move forward and backward together in the future. What do you guys think?”

Huo Yuhao’s speech was quite inciting. Juxtaposed with his tone, and with an infusion of a thread of his spiritual power, most of the recruits in First Bunk were moved.

However, there were also dissident voices. The fatso that was complaining before this slanted his mouth and said, “Do you really think you’re in charge? Don’t you just have some leather armor on you? We’re all recruits, what makes you think you can tell us what to do? Let’s not bother with him, everyone. Let’s go and eat!” He turned and walked out as he spoke.

There were several other recruits like him who had indifferent expressions. Mocking looks flashed across their faces when they heard his words.

Huo Yuhao’s eyes flickered as he bolted forward, and he blocked the fat recruit’s path with a few steps.

He withdrew his simple and honest smile, and he stared seriously at the fat soldier in front of him. “What I just said isn’t just a suggestion. It’s also an order.”

The fat soldier glared at Huo Yuhao and said, “Fuck, who do you think you are? What makes you think you can control me? Fuck off!” He reached out with a large hand that resembled a cattail-leaf fan as he spoke, and he attempted to shove Huo Yuhao on the chest.

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly, and he raised his left hand and pinched the web between the fat soldier’s thumb and his forefinger. The fat soldier stumbled and slammed towards Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao slanted his body towards one side and stepped lightly with the tip of his foot on the tip of the fat soldier’s foot. The fatso immediately lost his balance and fell face-first to the ground.

“Our superior has said that I am the person in charge of First Bunk. That means I have to be responsible for everyone. You don’t have to listen to my orders, and you can be unconvinced of my authority. You can leave as long as you defeat me. Furthermore, if you manage to do so, I will report to the superior and relinquish my duties as the person in charge of this bunk.”

The fatso who had just crashed to the ground roared as he leapt to his feet and charged at Huo Yuhao once more.

Huo Yuhao didn’t move at all. He placed his feet at shoulder-width and squatted down a little in a horse stance. Huo Yuhao let the fatso slam against the side of his body.

The fatso was quite heavy, and adding in his forward momentum, the impact was relatively forceful. However, the moment that he slammed against Huo Yuhao, he felt as if he were slamming into a wall, and he bounced out after their collision. He rolled across the floor several times before he could stabilize himself, and knocked himself so dizzy that he looked like he couldn’t get up at all.

Huo Yuhao didn’t even look at him. “Who else wants to try?”

The other recruits stared at him with slightly different expressions after this display. Quite a few soldiers were thinking to themselves, This fellow can wear leather armor… he is quite different from the others!

Huo Yuhao wasn’t hasty at all, and just waited there quietly.

The calm youth that Huo Yuhao had paid attention to before this stepped out and came in front of Huo Yuhao. He said, “I agree with how you’re getting us to work together. However, I want to try you.”

“Come!” Huo Yuhao nodded at him.

This youth growled as he took a quick step forward. His movements were very agile, and when he was right front of Huo Yuhao, he bent down and punched at Huo Yuhao’s abdomen. This soldier moved at lightning speed, and his actions were very smooth.

Huo Yuhao extended his right hand and blocked the fist. The youth pulled back very quickly, but Huo Yuhao was faster. His fingers were like an iron claw that locked the youth’s fist inside his palm. Huo Yuhao shook his right arm a little and threw the youth into the air.

The youth felt as if his entire body was going soft, and all the strength in his body was about to be shaken away by Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao lifted his left leg and pushed lightly on the youth’s waist. He released his right hand, and the youth returned to his original posture, sore and unsteady. He couldn’t use any strength at all, and only barely regained his balance after swaying a little and his lost strength gradually returned to him.

This youth cupped his fists and said, “I’m convinced. My name is Wang Xiaodian, and I will listen to you in the future.”

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly and nodded in his direction. Even though this youth didn’t have any soul power, he was very agile, and his physique could be considered relatively impressive among normal human beings.

After these two episodes, everyone else’s expressions were conspicuously different from before as they stared at Huo Yuhao. Those recruits who were indifferent and a little disdainful before this withdrew their expressions. Even though their appearances subtly revealed that they were still a little unconvinced, nobody expressed their thoughts.

Huo Yuhao suddenly wanted to laugh, because these recruits reminded him of how things had been when he had just entered Shrek Academy. Back then, he and Dong’er were class monitors. Weren’t they the ones leading their classmates to train and cultivate every day?

“If nobody has any more objections, let’s go eat. Form up, and let’s go.” Huo Yuhao finally turned as he spoke, and was the first to leave the room.

The recruits were intimidated by his formidable display, and they actually listened to him as they streamed out of the room one by one. Huo Yuhao briefly arranged them in formation outside the room, and they stood in three rows as they marched neatly towards the army canteen.

The military’s dining area was unsheltered, and the logistical soldiers responsible for food delivered the meals they had prepared to every respective large team. Every large team had a place where they were supposed to eat together.

When Huo Yuhao brought First Bunk’s other twenty-nine recruits to the canteen, there were already many soldiers eating there.

Large Team Two seemed to only have these three hundred recruits. The other auxiliary soldiers from before weren’t here, and quite a few soldiers had already finished their meals and were enjoying some fruits and desserts.

The food was quite good. There was steaming meat soup in a giant metal wok that resembled an enormous vat, with vegetables and steamed buns.

The large team leader Zhuang Tian was standing behind the counter. He was personally serving his recruits, and the recruits were very quiet with him around. The other three officers in chainmail armor were standing by his side, helping him.

Huo Yuhao nodded with approval when he saw this. The Star Luo Empire’s military is quite high-quality! Their recruitment process from before was great, and now the large team member is personally serving food for his recruits, and that’s great too. These commanders are showing grace and a firm hand at the same time.