Beat the Small, Here Comes the Big

"What a load of bullshit!"

Despite being outnumbered, Ma Tie was enraged by the other side's shameless behavior.

"When Gu Han fought Green Wolf earlier, Green Wolf wasn't injured at all. Stop putting on an act—you're just trying to steal our spoils!"

The burly man Fang Yan's gaze turned cold.

"And who the hell are you? Did I give you permission to speak?"

Relying on his numerical advantage, Fang Yan snorted coldly and kicked straight at Ma Tie's chest.

"Daring to lay hands on my people? Quite the nerve!"

Gu Han's eyes chilled. After hunting Wild Beasts together this past while, he had come to acknowledge Ma Tie and the others in his heart.

Seeing the other side make a move, he immediately closed the distance in three quick strides, arriving after the fact but striking first. He planted a kick on the burly man's rear thigh.

"Ahhh!!"

Fang Yan screamed, collapsing to the ground, clutching his leg and writhing in pain.

His face pale, he never expected that even with their numbers advantage, the other side would dare to retaliate!

Wasn't the other party afraid of losing control of the situation?

Enraged and humiliated, Fang Yan roared with a twisted expression, "What the hell are you standing around for? Beat this bastard to death for me!"

The few exchanged glances, malice rising in their hearts. They grabbed their weapons and charged at Gu Han with roars.

Far from being afraid, Gu Han felt a surge of eagerness.

Hunting Wild Beasts and fighting people were completely different sensations.

The challenge only excited him more!

One of them was closer and reached Gu Han in a few strides.

He wielded a wooden staff nearly as tall as a man and swung it with full force at Gu Han's knee, clearly intending to shatter his kneecap!

Such viciousness made Ma Tie and the others' faces change drastically.

Ma Tie shouted in alarm, "Gu Han, watch out!"

He rushed forward to help, but it was too late.

"You're asking for death!" Gu Han said coldly.

Since the other side struck first, he wouldn't hold back!

As the staff swept toward him, Gu Han leaped into the air with both legs, dodging the blow cleanly.

Then, he swung his long blade straight at the man's neck!

Panic flooded the man's eyes. Unable to dodge, he raised his shoulder to block the strike.

A piercing scream tore through the forest, drawing the attention of those nearby.

Gu Han's merciless blade sank into the man's shoulder, and when he pulled it free, a chunk of flesh and blood came with it!

Seeing the bloody scene, those who hadn't yet reached Gu Han felt a chill rise within them.

The soft feared the hard, the hard feared the ruthless, and the ruthless feared those who didn't care about dying.

They had initially tried to seize the Green Wolf corpse by relying on numbers, hoping to bully the weak.

When Gu Han refused to give in, they planned to get rough.

But they never expected him to be this vicious!

In an instant, he had cowed them!

Even Ma Tie and the others, standing on Gu Han's side, swallowed hard, their hearts wary.

They had never imagined that their first day of military service would be this intense!

Gu Han's gaze was sharp. Instead of retreating, he advanced, charging straight at the eight men!

Every one of them had intended to attack him.

Since he had the upper hand, Gu Han wasn't about to let them off!

His blade clashed with one man's weapon, producing a harsh metallic ring.

The man staggered, feeling his hand go numb.

Gu Han, however, stumbled back three or four steps before steadying himself.

Seeing this, the man's face lit up with joy.

"Brothers, this kid's strength isn't much—we can take him!"

"Heh heh, after today, you'll be stuck in bed for a while!"

Four of them held off Ma Tie and the others, while the remaining four swiftly surrounded Gu Han alone.

Earlier, seeing Gu Han's astonishing speed, they had assumed he was a Second-tier Martial Apprentice playing the pig to eat the tiger.

Now that someone had probed and found Gu Han was only fast, with nothing else distinguishing him from a First-tier Martial Apprentice, their numerical advantage meant they could surely take him down!

"What's the point of wasting words with this guy? We need to make an example of them today, let them know who calls the shots on this mountain!"

One of the more hot-tempered Logistics Soldiers cracked his knuckles viciously.

"Daring to steal our Green Wolf, I'd say he's got a death wish."

In wartime, the battlefield belonged to War Soldiers.

But when there was no war, it was the assessment time for us Logistics Soldiers!

Hunting more valuable prey earned rewards from above, and with those rewards came the chance to become a War Soldier.

Since being sent to the border was already a done deal, most still hoped to make something of themselves, return home in glory, and even bring honor to their ancestors!

With that, he swung his broadsword and charged at Gu Han.

The blade whistled through the air, arcing toward Gu Han's throat—clearly aiming to take his life outright.

The others didn't stand idle either; they brandished their own weapons and flanked Gu Han.

Gu Han chose not to meet force with force.

The attributes he'd extracted from the Great Gray Rabbit and Green Wolf corpses were mostly speed points.

In terms of raw strength, he held no advantage over these men.

He had to leverage his speed to the fullest if he wanted to overcome the four-man assault.

Just as the blade was about to land on Gu Han, he suddenly ducked, causing the strike to miss.

At the same time, his own chopping knife lashed out, cutting into the man's thigh.

With a tearing sound, crimson blood gushed from the wound.

Blood flowed like a torrent!

Gu Han didn't press the attack; instead, he rolled on the spot to dodge the others' strikes, though one man's staff still grazed his back.

Gu Han grunted in pain, stung by the blow.

The wound from the Green Wolf earlier hadn't healed yet, and with this added injury, Gu Han was far from comfortable.

But once he broke free of their encirclement, he could easily toy with these men using his speed!

"Damn it, this kid's only a First-tier Martial Apprentice too—how is he so fast?"

Watching Gu Han move as if wind were beneath his feet, effortlessly leaving them in the dust, the men were shocked and cursed under their breath.

Gu Han glanced back, and when the three had spread out a bit, he traced an arc with his steps and suddenly spun around.

His lithe body, like a leopard pouncing on prey, lunged at the nearest man with lightning speed.

The man's face twisted in alarm, but he only managed to swing his staff once before Gu Han was already in front of him.

Gu Han cleaved through the staff with his knife, then drove a powerful kick into the man's chest.

Crack!

The man felt as if a giant hammer had smashed into his chest, his bones seemingly splintering.

He let out a miserable scream, and his body flew backward with a thud, crashing to the ground.

Gu Han licked his lips, still hungry for more.

Since arriving in this world, he'd never experienced such an exhilarating fight.

"No wonder I always read in novels about martial maniacs—turns out beating enemies feels this damn good!"

Gu Han chuckled and charged at the next man.

That smile, in the man's eyes, looked like a demon emerging from hell!

When there were four of them, they could still pose some threat to Gu Han, but with only two left, Gu Han easily knocked them both to the ground.

Seeing their comrades fall, the men still locked in a scuffle with Ma Tie were startled.

Four of them together couldn't even handle this kid?

"Time to scram!"

Their faces drained of color, and they turned tail and ran, abandoning any thought of dealing with Ma Tie.

"Pah, a bunch of scum, but they sure can run fast!"

Ma Tie spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground, glaring venomously at their retreating backs, then turned his gaze to Gu Han.

"Gu Han, are you hurt?"

Gu Han shook his head.

"I'm fine. Are you guys okay?"

Ma Tie grinned, baring his teeth.

"Not bad. At least I didn't come out on the losing end."

At first, Ma Tie hadn't wanted to get serious with these people.

But the other side showed no restraint, and that lit a real fire in Ma Tie. By the later stages, he held nothing back.

Even without lifting his clothes, he knew his body must be covered in bruises, black and blue all over.

"Which son of a bitch dares to lay a hand on my men?!"

Just then, a furious roar erupted from not far away.

A man in armor, his face twisted with rage, strode over from the distance.

When he saw the Logistics Soldiers groaning on the ground, his anger exploded.

He'd only been gone a short while, and the new Logistics Soldiers he'd been leading were already beaten—some even had half their shoulders hacked off, flesh and blood a mess!

If he'd returned any later, these Logistics Soldiers might have died at the enemy's hands!

The veteran Logistics Soldier Li Xuan swept his gaze over Gu Han and the others still standing.

Though they all wore Logistics Soldier uniforms, their faces were unfamiliar.

Adding in the Green Wolf corpse on the ground, he quickly pieced together the cause and effect.

They must have tried to snatch prey from other Logistics Soldiers and then struck without mercy!

"To attack your own comrades, showing no mercy at all!"

"Then let me teach you a lesson on behalf of your Platoon Leader!"

Li Xuan let out a fierce roar, kicked off the ground, and charged straight at Gu Han and the others.

His speed was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, he was nearly upon Gu Han.

Even Gu Han's pupils sharply contracted.

After absorbing the Green Wolf's speed, his own had already surpassed the limit of a First-tier Martial Apprentice.

His speed now reached 23 points, not far off from an ordinary Second-tier Martial Apprentice.

Yet even so, he felt a crushing pressure from the man before him.

He might not even be faster than this opponent!

"You all retreat now. Go find Li Lei."

With that, Gu Han drove his blade into the ground, kicked up a spray of dirt, and flung it straight at the man's face.

Ma Tie and the others exchanged glances, then spoke urgently, "Alright, Gu Han, hold on. I'll find Li Lei as fast as I can."

Knowing they couldn't help, the four quickly turned and fled.

Li Xuan's expression shifted slightly. He raised his arm to shield his face, blocking Gu Han's dirt attack.

But when he opened his eyes again, Gu Han had vanished.

"Damn it. Let's see where you can hide!"

Li Xuan's gaze darkened as he swiftly began searching through the forest.

He'd been a Logistics Soldier for years, never leaving even after his compulsory service ended.

All that time hunting in the woods had made him an expert at tracking prey by the faintest traces!

Before long, Li Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Found you."