“Then I’m going to make a report.” Monkey interrupted, “With the way things are unfolding, it looks like we’re probably going to temporarily moonlight as the two empresses’ bodyguards.”
“In other words, we can have a few more days of vacation.” Phoenix was very happy. She didn’t need to worry at all about the completion of the mission.
At the scene of destruction created from the fierce battle on the fifth floor, Qin Fen took this chance to ask Xue Tian, “What happened the terrorist you were fighting hand to hand?
“What do you think?” Xue Tian beamed as he fished out a portable video game console and started playing it.
Dead , Qin Fen could smell the fresh blood. The smell came from the katana at Xue Tian’s waist.
Qin Fen followed the direction Xue Tian took to get here, quickly moving into a sprint. The smell of blood grew thicker and thicker in the air until he reached the scene of the incident. Here, Qin Fen couldn’t help but take in a deep breath of shock.
There weren’t any corpses here. There were only minced chunks of meat. These chunks of meat, with moist veins still visible, were all cut perfectly square.
Qin Fen looked at the mincemeat on the ground. Then he looked at the footprints left behind in the dust, and an extremely fast yet extremely intense fight quickly appeared in his mind. Based on the locations where the body parts fell, Qin Fen could mentally complete the trajectories Xue Tian’s blade took when swung.
It was spicy! It was a blade technique that was as berserk as a raging river! Qin Fen’s eyelids twitched without end just by merely imagining it.
Mission: Protect the members of the female band, the Flying Hearts, from terrorist attacks. At the same time, eliminate the remnant members of the terrorist group and uphold society’s peace.
Qin Fen finished looking over the mission orders given by Iron Hand and was a bit puzzled. “The mission says that it will take three days for the Flying Hearts to arrive. During the meantime…?”
“During the meantime?” Iron Hand smirked. From last night to noon of this day, Qin Fen had been endlessly training and executing his military techniques. He endlessly struck at the old special forces soldier’s confidence. “What else can we do besides take a vacation! If you’re interested, you can first observe the terrain of the concert to better execute the mission. Anyway, just don’t appear in my sights for the next two days!”
Comparison was the thief of joy. Iron Hand was really scared of hanging with Qin Fen for three days. He had received a grave mental blow, causing all the confidence he gained from serving to be gone. He could easily run to go request retirement from the military if he wasn’t careful.
Qin Fen looked at Monkey, the second in command of this small task squad. He possessed an expression that spoke agreement with Iron Hand’s words. Monkey also had a feeling of powerlessness when he looked at Qin Fen. Their essence was absolutely one of super recruits among recruits, and the super recruits of former years always had decent prospects. These two recruits’ future growth should be boundless, right?
Monkey gave a furtive glance at Xue Tian, who was playing a video game not too far away. When compared to Qin Fen in terms of hard work, Xue Tian could only be described as a sluggard.
However! Watching such a sluggard casually train his strength was enough to make one smack his tongue. Perhaps this sluggard had more of a talent for being a soldier when compared to Qin Fen, but this fellow’s laziness was really incompatible with the requirements for being a soldier.
“You are all young. You should take a look around the streets of Seoul, now that you’re here.” Monkey happily talked. “This is one of the most prosperous entertainment places in Asia.”
Yeah, yeah! Quickly go and have some fun! You won’t die from not training for two days! But if you continue to stick around us for the next two days, we will be driven mad from you guys revealing abilities far exceeding what recruits should possess. The special forces soldiers all had the same thoughts in their minds.
“Go out, look around, and enjoy yourselves.” Butcher spoke as well now. Qin Fen’s training these past few days had truly been arduous. It was necessary to strike a balance between work and rest. A bowstring that was always taught was prone to snapping.
Phoenix nodded as well. “That’s right. Qin Fen, go take a look outside. You’ve been training with us every day these past days, giving Lin Jiaxuan a cold shoulder. It’s good to take this chance and buy a small gift to make her happy.
Lin Jiaxuan? Qin Fen’s mind went blank for a moment before he remembered that he had taught her his version of the Jade Girl Heart Sutra. It seemed like sister Phoenix thought that she was his girlfriend?
Qin Fen was suspicious. He wanted to open his mouth and ask for an easy explanation, but he was too late. Iron Hand and Monkey had tossed him and Xue Tian into the elevator.
“You’re not allowed to come back before time is up! This is an order!” Iron Hand stood outside the elevator and gave the bizarre order.
Qin Fen extended an arm to block the elevator door that was about to close. He asked something that he was extremely concerned about. “If we can’t come back, what about food and lodging fees….”
“As long as you properly keep the receipts, the federal government will pay it.” Iron Hand pushed Qin Fen’s arm back in the elevator.
The elevator door closed, and Iron Hand turned to look at Butcher. “Are you guys planning to help the East Asian Military Region reclaim face?”
Monkey and the other special forces soldiers became interested. Whether it was Qin Fen or Xue Tian, such super recruits were likely to have decent performances should they be dispatched to the Military Recruit Tournament. The face that the East Asian Military Region had lost for the past several years might really be earned back in a single go.
This was especially the case this year; even the African Military Region screamed that they would have the Asian Military Region be the lowest ranked military region. Such screaming words caused the big shots of the entire Asian Military Region to feel an utter loss of face.
“Never thought about it.” Butcher shook his head. “We have other plans in mind when it comes to cultivating this kid.”
“Oh?” Iron Hand’s eyes flickered with the light of curiosity. “So in other words, he’s not especially noted in the East Asian Military Region’s recruit files?”
“That’s right.” Phoenix nodded. “Participating in the Military Recruit Tournament is his own desire. Before the event occurs, we just want to give him a bit of training. Therefore, we don’t want too many people to know of these matters pertaining to him.”
“Understood.” Iron Hand nodded his head. The other special forces soldiers also nodded their heads.
Sometimes a formal pledge wasn’t needed in the military. A mere glance or a nod of the head was the most powerful pledge.
The elevator.
Qin Fen had no reason to object when it came to Iron Hand’s answer. If Song Jia were to find out that he came to the State of Korea for a mission but didn’t but any presents at all, then her cute eyebrows would probably furrow as her catchphrase, ‘I’m very displeased,’ ring endlessly in his ears.
A faint smile emerged on Qin Fen’s mouth when he thought of Song Jia.
“Bro, are you thinking of a girl?” Xue Tian jabbed him with an elbow.
Qin Fen gave an awkward laugh . Wasn’t this fellow playing a video game? How was he able to multi-task and have such careful observation skills?
“Looks like I’m right.” Xue Tian temporarily stopped playing his video game. He studied Qin Fen with great interest. “I really want to know, with you and your calm personality, what your girlfriend is like. How did that Lin Jiaxuan captivate you?”
“Lin Jiaxuan?” Qin Fen shook his head. “They misunderstood. I don’t have any relationship with Lin Jiaxuan.”
“Hehe….” Xue Tian rubbed his chin with a hand. He had a naughty smile on his face, his eyes clearly saying that he didn’t believe Qin Fen at all!
With the silent atmosphere broken, Qin Fen shifted the topic to something of his own interest. “About the net you used the other day.”
“Oh, that one!” Xue Tian shook his head in frustration. “It’s a failed piece of work. The capture duck was actually able to fly away. This matter needs to be kept secret. If my master finds out, not only will he skin me alive, he’ll probably make me do some special training.”
Master? Skin alive? Special training? Qin Fen had a sudden realization. Anyone with talent had to have guidance from predecessors. Xue Tian’s master was clearly ought to be a capable person, but it seemed like his master has some complaints about Xue Tian’s laziness.
“Speaking of which, that gun you assembled is not bad!” Xue Tian patted the blade at his waist. “Before I met you, I always believed that there aren’t any bullets under the heavens that my blade can’t cleave through. But now it looks like I have been a bit arrogant.”
Bullets that he couldn’t cleave? The aftermath of the fierce battle of that day reappeared within Qin Fen’s mind. The sight of the chunks of meat had been too shocking. Now that he thought about it again, it seemed like there were two cut bullets as well!
“Hey, so what do you plan on doing after you leave the military?” Xue Tian’s question was very unexpected to Qin Fen. They hadn’t spent much time together, why did Xue Tian just casually ask such a deep question? Plus, everyone was still a recruit. There was quite some time before retirement. Recruits normally would never think about such things.
“Never thought about it?” Xue Tian’s eyes, though surprised, spoke that he somewhat expected this. “After you retire from the military, become a mercenary with me!”
“A mercenary?” Qin Fen was even more surprised. This Xue Tian already wanted to become a mercenary having just entered the military?
“That’s right!” Xue Tian’s eyes radiated with an unprecedented yearning and spirit. He was very serious about this. It didn’t look like he was joking at all. “A mercenary! My dream is to become the strongest mercenary!”
“I’ll think about it.”
Qin Fen nodded very seriously. He would give ample respect for anyone’s dream. It didn’t matter what the dream was. It could be anything from becoming a president, a marshal, or even a street cleaner.
Xue Tian stared at and scrutinized Qin Fen’s face for a long while, and a smile, one that came from his heart, appeared on his serious expression. “Thank you for being able to respect my dream.”
Qin Fen’s mind went blank as he saw the typical smile on Xue Tian’s face disappear. Xue Tian’s gaze seemed to be immersed in something. Xue Tian said, “Everyone should have a dream. No! Everyone must have a dream! No matter how preposterous, laughable, or unrealistic the dream sounds to other people, one must not be afraid! Miracles will appear when one believes in their dream, walks firmly on the road ahead, and invests everything in one’s self.”
A shock ran through Qin Fen’s body. He had heard these words before. Qin Zhan had said similar words when he was very little. He didn’t know why his brother had spoken like that back then, but now that he thought about it, he began to realize that he knew nothing about his brother’s dream.
Could it be? Had his brother disappeared without a trace for the sake of realizing his own dream? Then what was his brother’s dream? Qin Fen had sunken into deep thought. Was his brother’s dream very dangerous? Otherwise, why didn’t he bring along Qin Fen, his little brother? Or…
Speculations of all kinds flooded Qin Fen’s mind for a time. Qin Fen’s reasoning ability had greatly improved these days from leaning psychology from Squad Leader Hao.
It was because of this that Qin Fen was able to think in far more directions than before. However, he was incapable of discerning the correct direction from the current information he had.
“Haha!” Xue Tian recovered from his deep thought and chuckled. He said, “What do you think? The words I said just now, weren’t they flashy? Unfortunately, I’m not the first person to come up with them.”