Chapter 160 - Recruiting, What is Happiness, and Friends

A pillar of flame broke through the top of the rainforest, surging to the skies. The seasoned soldier had already successfully evaded the powerful blast zone of the grenade at the first instant. It was also in this instant that Lin Ling completely pierced through the encirclement net, which should have been firm and unbreakable.

Satan’s bullet struck below Qin Fen’s foot. This bullet represented that Satan had removed Qin Fen’s life.

Satan finally defeated this young recruit using the same level of strength, but not a hint of a smile came to Satan’s face. He had believed that Qin Fen would be the one to break out from the encirclement. He never thought that the true target to break out of this encirclement would actually be Lin Ling.

“Kid, would you really do things like this in a true life or death fight?” Satan wasn’t in a hurry to chase Lin Ling. Instead, he stood in place, open his mouth, and asked.

“I don’t know.” Qin Fen was very candid. “Perhaps I wouldn’t.”

“Excellent.” Satan waved a hand. “Annihilate the remaining people.”

For a time, the miserable shrieks of recruits rang out everywhere from within the jungle and mountains.

The surefire encirclement and annihilation executed by the seasoned soldiers had actually been broken through by one recruit. This made it so that when they made a move for reals, not a single one of the recruits that Du Peng had brought for the counterattack could escape the encirclement and annihilation this time.

This time’s encirclement and annihilation lasted until the depths of the night before stopping.

Finally, Lin Ling returned to the reporting location without even a hair of her body damaged. In a certain sense, she had prevailed over the seasoned soldiers, who hadn’t displayed their full strength.

Aside from Lin Ling, all the recruits had bloody noses and swollen faces as they stumbled to the reporting location. Even Qin Fen was unable to be an exception.

The dozen or so seasoned soldiers had joined hands to set about. Drill Instructor Satan had also joined in. Qin Fen knew that there wouldn’t be a chance for victory even if he used the Guardian Deity Raging Berserker Tide. He simply circulated his entire body with the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art, increasing his defense power to the maximum. This way, at least he could reduce some of the pain when the beatings came.

————-

The night of the rainforest was exceptionally calm.

Qin Fen lay on the ground. He quietly looked at the flickering stars in the night sky. Though he had been given a beating, his mood was incomparably relaxed and great. At the very least, he had learned quite a few things.

Du Peng and his ice-cold face, which would not change even in ten thousand years, really did have a happy smile on his face at this time. He had fought all out, and even though he had been given a wild beating by the seasoned soldiers, it had been a good venting.

Of Snake Head and his team of three, Snake Head and Big Rock were smiling as well. Today had passed with quite the happiness and enjoyment. If training was like this every day with the beatings, that wouldn’t be too bad as well.

Mute sat atop of a branch. He leaned against the large tree. He raised his head and looked at the stars in the sky. A faint aura of grief radiated from his body.

Big Rock saw this scene, and he gently sighed from his lips. “Oh man! Mute…”

Snake Head raised a hand to pat Big Rock on the shoulder. He sighed as well. “Man, just let him reminisce. Though the memory becomes more painful every time he reminisces, wouldn’t he be even more in pain if he doesn’t reminisce?”

Big Rock’s eyes carried the same sorrow. “But if he were to continue on like this, he might really go crazy.”

“That’s impossible.” Snake Head gently shook his head. “If he goes crazy, he should’ve gone crazy five years ago.”

Five years ago… Mute’s ears gently twitched, and the intent of hatred quickly spread and diffused in all directions in an instant. The recruit who slept on the tree next to him was startled awake by this ice-cold intent of hatred.

Qin Fen turned his head to look at Mute atop the tree. Just what was it that could cause Mute to have such an intent of hatred?

Du Zhanpeng moved his exhausted body and crawled up from the ground. He walked, not in a hurry, toward Mute’s direction.

Splat…

With the foot, Du Zhanpeng stepped on Du Peng, who lay on the ground, in the belly. It was as if Du Zhanpeng hadn’t felt anything at all. He continued walking onward.

“You….”

Du Peng forgot about the pain of his fatigued body for a time. He immediately stood up.

“Oh? Did I just step on you?” Du Zhanpeng turned around. The expression on his bloodied and swollen face couldn’t be read. There is only that shunning voice of disdain. “Then why aren’t you apologizing to me? Forget it. I won’t lower myself to your level.”

“You….”

The corners of Du Peng’s eyes twitched over and over. He fiercely treaded a step forward, looking intently at Du Zhanpeng.

“Me?” A sneer could finally and barely be read from the expression on Du Zhanpeng’s face. “What did I do? Do you want to fight with me again? On what basis? You are too weak. And you want to fight with me? Okay, you need to first think of a way to become stronger, then. I am not that interested in bullying a rookie.”

The series of questions caused Du Peng to stand blankly in place. The difference in strength made him dumbstruck and unable to reply.

Du Peng stared as Du Zhanpeng slowly left, and Du Peng’s body trembled without end. His fury had awakened him, and it made him hate himself even more for his lack of strength

“Become stronger. Become stronger…”

Du Peng sat back to the ground. He repeated to himself in a whisper, over and over, as if he were demonically possessed.

Du Zhanpeng climbed the tree that Mute was atop on with some strenuous effort. He sat on a different that branch. “Can we chat?”

Mute acted as if he hadn’t heard Du Zhanpeng’s words. He continued to stare blankly at the stars in the sky.

Du Zhanpeng saw Big Rock and Snake Head stand up nervously. He continued talking. “You have two very good companions.”

A hint of a lively glow flickered in Mute’s sluggish eyes.

“I don’t know what happened five years ago to you.” Du Zhanpeng completely ignored the fury that gradually swelled up in Mute. He continued to his own rhythm. “However, since you want to enter the special forces, you can find me after this training is over.”

Mute stiffly turned his neck. He placed all his attention onto Du Zhanpeng’s body.

“There are many different special forces teams in the Federation. For example, Sharp Sword, Heavenly Punishment, Grim Reaper, Spark, Dragon…” Du Zhanpeng countered his fingers. “But not every special forces team can participate in counterterrorism combat.”

Mute’s eyes immediately radiated with light. As an ordinary soldier without much background, wishing to enter a special forces team that often had chances to engage in counterterrorism combat was an extremely difficult thing to do. Even the chances of being dispatched after entering such a team were smaller as well.

“It looks like you understand the matter very well.” Du Zhanpeng pointed at his own nose. “I can help you out. I have this ability.”

Mute didn’t reject this point. This was the grandson of the Viper King and the son of General Du Yu. It wasn’t particularly hard for this person to bring someone into some special combat force.

“Conditions.”

Mute opened his mouth at last. He didn’t believe that someone could be a saint like Santa Claus, deliberately running over to satisfy someone else’s desires. Santa Claus wouldn’t come today anyways, because today wasn’t Christmas.

Du Zhanpeng shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t have any conditions. Just remember that you owe me a favor, and that will be fine.”

In this world, the most difficult things to come by in this world for many people was money. However, for people who placed importance in relationships, the hardest thing to come by was friendship and favors.

“Okay.”

Mute gave an easy-going smile. The price really wasn’t small, but it was extremely worth it.

Du Zhanpeng rummaged out a card covered in mud from his clothes. “My phone number is on this. Remember to find me after training is over.”

Bought! Everybody who truly possessed power and influence would always have their own batch of subordinates.

Du Peng knew that this was something the Du Family did extremely often. They would make friends with whatever soldiers who they saw showed promise. It will give them a helping hand in what they needed assistance in the most.

“If you have any needs, you can give me a call.”

As Du Zhanpeng past by Qin Fen, he earnestly delivered a card to Qin Fen with two hands.

Qin Fen quietly stared at the card in Du Zhanpeng’s hands. Perhaps it would be easier for him to find his older brother if he were to rely on the Du Family’s influence, which was likely to be extremely tremendous. It was just that…

To abandon his friendship as a means to find his older brother… will he still have the face to meet his older brother then? Would he able to tell his older brother that he had abandoned a friend to find him? What sort of expression with his older brother look at him with?

“There is no need.” Qin Fen very calmly pushed the card back. “Du Peng is my friend. He probably won’t like it if I take your card.”

“What does that matter?” Du Zhanpeng pushed back the card with both hands using force. “He doesn’t have the qualifications to get involved in matters between us.”

“I have very few friends.” Qin Fen began to use force with his arm as well. This time pushing back the card. “Therefore, I really treasure my friendships. Since this matter has involved my friend, he has enough qualifications.”

Du Zhanpeng was rather shocked at Qin Fen’s strength. It was the purest, and it exceeded what he imagined by quite a bit. He had no choice but to use the combat breathing technique of the Seven Stars of Immortal Thunder Art in order to contend with Qin Fen’s brute force, which was beyond expectation. “We can become friends as well.”

“Let’s just forget about it. I’m thinking that my other friends probably won’t like you very much.” Qin Fen’s Dragon Elephant Prajna Art channeled through his arm. His brute force increased once more by quite a bit. “After all, I can’t give up an entire forest just for the sake of you, a single tree, right?”

Quite a few recruits had burst out in laughter by now. This Qin Fen was quite naughty. He actually used the method of a man refusing a woman to refuse Du Zhanpeng’s invitation. Clearly, he was mocking him.

Just when everyone believed that Du Zhanpeng would get angry because of this, Du Zhanpeng casually put away his card. “A single tree sometimes can be a tree of gold. Since you pay such importance to friendship, then just properly stick to your ‘friends’ who don’t have noteworthy personalities.”

Du Zhanpeng walked out two steps before stopping his footsteps and turning around to look at Qin Fen. “Kid, I welcome you to come look for me at any time. That bastard never had a friend before. It doesn’t know what friendship even means, let alone what must be invested between friends. When you regret it, we can continue to become friends.”

Du Zhanpeng walked away, and Du Peng didn’t go looking at Qin Fen. He just stared idly at the ground. “He spoke correctly. I really haven’t learned the interactions that ought to go on between friends. You probably really will regret it in the future.”

Qin Fen lay back onto the ground. He gazed at the starry sky. “The way how friends interact isn’t something that can be learned through study. It is revealed through sincere emotions between two people, and sincere emotions are something that can be learned. The ways between friends that can be learned are all fake, collapsing at the first blow.”

Du Peng didn’t speak a word. He also lay back to the ground. Upon arriving at Happy Paradise Island and seeing Du Zhanpeng, he practically didn’t experience any feeling of happiness since then.

Perhaps… Du Peng watched the leaves sway and shake. The soft sounds told him that perhaps he really didn’t know what happiness really was. What did true happiness ultimately feel like?

The training grounds sunk into a state of silence once more. Everyone was far too tired. They all needed to properly rest for a while, to replenish the great amount of physical strength they had used up.

The moon shifted bit by bit, and the stars that filled the sky had yet to disperse when Satan raised his metal rod. He yawned as he walked out from his cozy room. He lifted his wrist to look at his watch there and said, “It is already four-thirty? It’s so late, and this group of trash is actually still sleeping?”