"A-rank?"
The moment Zhao Mu heard those words, his brows furrowed slightly.
This year, among all the newly admitted cadet soldiers, only two had been evaluated as A-rank.
One was his roommate, Lu Yan.
The other…
Was Mo Guanguan.
Zhao Mu instinctively slowed his pace.
A faint sense of unease crept into his mind.
Turning his head, he looked toward the source of the commotion.
What he saw made his expression darken.
A member of the Discipline Department stood there, dressed in dark green camouflage, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. His posture was rigid, his aura cold and oppressive.
At his feet—
Mo Guanguan lay on the ground.
The heavy stone she had been carrying had rolled to the side.
Her face was pale, beads of sweat clinging to her skin. Her breathing was uneven, her body trembling slightly from exhaustion.
After being scolded harshly, her fists clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white.
Her expression was filled with unwillingness.
She tried to push herself up—
But her legs refused to cooperate.
The Discipline Department member looked down at her from above.
There was no sympathy in his eyes.
Only cruelty.
And something else—
A faint, undisguised excitement.
His boot lifted.
Then—
It came crashing down toward her calf.
"Get up!"
"Is this what an A-rank looks like? Pathetic!"
"You can't even run properly, and you still dare call yourself elite?"
His voice was sharp and mocking.
"You must be some pampered young lady from a wealthy family, huh?"
"If you're so delicate, why join the army at all?"
"Why didn't you have your rich father arrange a comfortable position for you?!"
His actions were brutal.
Unrestrained.
Around them, the other cadet soldiers reacted in different ways.
Some showed anger.
Others turned their heads away, unwilling to watch.
But none stepped forward.
Because they understood one thing very clearly—
This was normal.
In the military camp, especially during boot camp, new recruits were often "disciplined" by older soldiers.
And resistance?
That would only bring worse consequences.
Most of them were already struggling just to complete their own twenty-kilometer run.
No one had the strength—
Or the courage—
To intervene.
Some even muttered under their breath.
"Hmph… A-rank?"
"So what?"
"Enjoying special treatment, but can't even handle basic training…"
Another kick landed.
Mo Guanguan's body trembled.
Her face turned even paler, but she bit her lip tightly, refusing to cry out.
Not a single sound escaped her.
Seeing this, Tian Hu—the Discipline Department member—smirked.
His expression grew even more twisted.
"Oh? Still trying to endure?"
"Do you think lying there will solve anything?"
"Get up!"
Another kick.
And another.
He seemed to deliberately aim at the same spot, repeatedly striking her already injured calf.
Mo Guanguan gritted her teeth.
She forced her arms to push against the ground, trying desperately to stand.
But her body had already reached its limit.
The earlier twenty-kilometer Qi-enhanced run had drained her strength.
Then came the additional five kilometers under load.
Her spiritual energy was completely exhausted.
Now—
She was running purely on willpower.
And even that was beginning to falter.
Tian Hu sneered coldly.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a woman!"
"On the battlefield, do you think the enemy will spare you for that reason?"
His gaze lingered on her face.
Her sweat-dampened hair clung to her pale cheeks.
Despite her exhaustion, she still looked strikingly beautiful.
A dark glint flickered in Tian Hu's eyes.
"Or what?" he said mockingly.
"Are you planning to rely on your looks to gain sympathy from the enemy?"
"Heh…"
"That might work somewhere else—but not here."
As he spoke—
His foot rose again.
This time, with even more force.
The surrounding recruits couldn't bear to watch.
Some closed their eyes.
Others clenched their fists silently.
But still—
No one moved.
And then—
A figure stepped forward.
"Bang!"
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the air.
Tian Hu's foot—
Stopped.
Blocked.
For a brief moment, silence fell over the training ground.
Tian Hu's expression shifted slightly.
He felt a faint pain in his leg.
Someone had intercepted his attack.
All eyes turned.
Mo Guanguan also raised her head, stunned.
Standing there—
Was Zhao Mu.
In one hand, he still held his own stone.
And with his leg—
He had blocked Tian Hu's kick.
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.
"He… is he insane?!"
One cadet whispered, his voice trembling.
"To go against an Assistant Instructor during boot camp… does he have a death wish?!"
Even the other assistant instructors in the distance noticed the scene.
They didn't intervene.
Instead—
They watched.
With interest.
With amusement.
"Heh… looks like we've got a troublemaker this year."
"And it just happens to be Tian Hu's turn?"
"Lucky him."
"A free punching bag."
In Qingfeng Camp, discipline was strict.
Conflicts between soldiers were normally forbidden unless supervised.
But during boot camp—
There was an exception.
A loophole.
New recruits could be "trained."
Or more accurately—
Beaten.
Tian Hu stared at Zhao Mu.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
But his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Zhao Mu."
His voice was low.
Cold.
"You dare interfere with an instructor's disciplinary training?"
"Are you tired of living?"
Zhao Mu didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
He bent down.
Helped Mo Guanguan to her feet.
Then casually picked up her fallen stone.
Mo Guanguan's face flushed slightly.
Whether from exhaustion or embarrassment—it was hard to tell.
She turned her head away.
"I… don't need your help," she said softly.
"I can get up on my own."
Zhao Mu shook his head.
"I share some responsibility for this," he said calmly.
"If I hadn't pushed you earlier, this wouldn't have happened."
"You don't owe me anything."
Then—
He turned.
Facing Tian Hu directly.
His expression became serious.
"The rules don't say that helping others is forbidden."
"So what I did…"
"Doesn't violate any regulations."
"Am I wrong?"
Tian Hu narrowed his eyes.
Zhao Mu wasn't wrong.
But that didn't matter.
A faint, savage smile appeared on his face.
In his eyes—
Zhao Mu was already nothing more than a target.
"Before speaking," Tian Hu suddenly roared,
"You will say 'Report'!"
At the same time—
Killing intent erupted from him.
Without warning—
He threw a punch.
Spiritual energy surged, condensing around his fist.
The sheer intensity of it made the surrounding recruits feel suffocated.
This—
Was the strength of a veteran soldier.
Something no new recruit could easily withstand.
Zhao Mu saw it coming.
And yet—
He didn't retreat.
The moment he stepped forward—
He had already made his choice.
To watch silently?
To endure?
To pretend nothing happened?
He couldn't do it.
"Condense!"
Zhao Mu activated his spiritual energy instantly.
All of it—
Focused into his left arm.
"BOOM!!"
The two forces collided.
Tian Hu's punch slammed into Zhao Mu's arm with terrifying power.
The impact exploded outward.
Zhao Mu was sent flying backward—
More than ten steps.
The stone slipped from his hand.
His feet dragged across the ground, carving deep marks into the earth.
But—
He did not fall.
He remained standing.
Mo Guanguan's eyes widened.
"Stop!"
"If you want to fight, fight me!"
Tian Hu glanced at her, unimpressed.
"Don't worry," he said coldly.
"I'll deal with him first…"
"Then it's your turn."
Above them—
High in the sky—
Giant eagles circled.
Their sharp eyes captured everything below.
The instructors were watching.
Every movement.
Every decision.
And yet—
They did nothing.
Zhang Biao laughed loudly as he observed the scene.
"This Zhao Mu…"
"I like him."
His grin widened.
"But this time…"
"He's going to suffer."
On the training ground—
The tension thickened.
The battle—
Had only just begun.
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