The Breath of Chaos!

After a month of intensive training.

Annas has adapted to all kinds of training, while Ross initially struggled during training but is now gradually able to keep up with the later movements.

Gunfire continued throughout the camp at night.

Ross lay prone in the snow with a bolt-action rifle, continuously firing at a 100-meter target. The powerful recoil caused his body to tremble violently with each shot.

Enduring the soreness in his shoulder, Ross turned to look at Annas beside him, only to see that Annas was completely focused, hitting the target at 100 meters with every shot.

"Hey, Annas... are you hungry?"

Hearing Ross's voice, Annas turned his head. "Hmm?"

Ross reached into his pocket and pulled out a hard piece of bread. "Leftovers from lunch, want a bite?"

Annas rolled her eyes. "You eat it yourself."

After saying that, Annas turned his attention back to the target.

"The Empire's bolt-action rifles have an effective firing range of 100 to 500 meters, but 500 meters is the limit of the effective range, so the final test will only be targets between 100 and 300 meters."

As Annas was calculating, he pulled the trigger, but the rifle jammed.

Seeing this, Annas immediately turned over, took out a pig bristle brush and a box of solidified lard, and began to unclog the gun barrel.

"I really miss modern fully automated systems."

Each person has a sidearm during training and cannot change it midway.

However, bullets are only issued during training, because ammunition supplies are quite tight here due to the need for combat.

The sergeant major stood behind them, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching them quietly.

Tobacco was brought here by the Golden King, and it is now grown in various countries. Cigarettes have long since spread to all social classes and have even become a secondary military resource.

The sergeant major looked at Annas while exhaling smoke.

This child was different, because it didn't seem like he was handling a gun for the first time; his marksmanship was very accurate.

Besides his proficiency with firearms, Annas was also excellent in other areas, and the sergeant major specifically collected his information.

It was eventually confirmed that Annas's father was an Imperial soldier who died in a border conflict.

Therefore, the possibility of espionage has been temporarily ruled out.

After training, the sergeant asked Annas to come see him alone, and they talked about some strange things.

They asked about things like Annas using guns.

Annas explained his past by saying that his father was a soldier who had trained him.

Why do you want to join the army?

Faced with the sergeant's questioning, Annas answered without hesitation, "Because my father was a soldier of the Empire, and he taught me from a young age to dedicate my life to the great cause of the Empire!"

"To die for the great cause of the empire is the highest honor for every citizen of the empire!"

That's obviously a lie.

Annas didn't want to die; he just wanted to live a better life and gain more power, which was his reason for joining the army.

Of course, these words can't be said out loud.

The sergeant nodded, seeing the determination in Annas's eyes.

That concludes today's discussion. The awareness has been demonstrated. Now, we simply await the end of the six-month training period.

Five months later.

At night, Annas and Ross sat by the campfire, drinking vegetable soup and eating dry bread from their metal lunchboxes.

Tomorrow is the final assessment.

Ross looked at Annas, "Tomorrow's test shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

"But it's a bit difficult for me. I hope everything goes well."

The tests consist of three parts: close-quarters combat, 100-meter shooting, and political ideology.

These three points are not a problem for Annas, it's just... never mind.

"Keep it up tomorrow."

The test began the next day.

Close-quarters combat is effortless for Annas; he can take down even an adult in a few moves. No one here is his match.

Next up is the 100-meter shooting.

Annas hit the bullseye with all three shots, and the sergeant smiled faintly at this.

"Increase it to 200 meters."

Increase the difficulty?

This was expected.

Annas had anticipated that the sergeant might ask him to shoot at the 200-meter target on short notice, so he had prepared accordingly.

Just like in the 100-meter dash, all three shots hit the bullseye.

The sergeant major came to his side and said, "Continue, 300 meters."

Are you coming again?

Annas was sweating bullets. The first two shots hit the bullseye, but he deliberately missed the third shot.

Seeing this, the sergeant major smiled and shook his head.

"Next item."

The last item is political ideology.

This was still a piece of cake for Annas. He sincerely expressed his loyalty to the Empire, saying that he was willing to go through fire and water for it. He was very emotional during the conversation, and even went a little overboard.

Several sergeants conducting political reviews were persuaded and gave Annas an A rating.

Unsurprisingly, Annas also received an A rating in both combat and shooting.

After the training session concluded, the sergeant major informed Annas that he could return home.

Annas obeyed orders to return to the orphanage, but on the way he encountered enemy soldiers who had crossed the border and tied him up in a bunker.

Annas was tied to a chair, and in front of him were several men with guns, as well as an Imperial soldier who was also tied up.

The Imperial soldier was covered in cuts and bruises and had fallen into a coma.

"Tell me your name," a man holding a pistol asked.

Annas remained silent, and then a soldier next to him lashed out with a whip across his back!

Snap!

The whip struck Annas hard, and the pain of his skin being torn open surged through him. Annas gritted his teeth but did not cry out.

"Kid, if you keep pretending to be mute, I'll blow your stupid head off and let that Imperial dog next to me taste your brains. So, I'll ask you a question, and you answer. Got it?"

Annas: "No."

The man who asked the question suddenly fell silent. "Which idiot arrested him? What could a little brat possibly ask?"

"It's collapsed."

Upon hearing this, the soldier beside him quickly whispered a few words in the man's ear.

"Um?"

"... So, this kid does have some use after all. Hey, kid, how about serving the Eagle?"

Annas looked up at this and said, "Interested."

Upon hearing this, the man who asked the question frowned, handed his pistol to the soldier beside him, and then made a gesture.

The soldier then approached Annas, handed him a pistol, and guided his hand to point the gun at the unconscious Imperial soldier.

"You agreed so readily, but how can I trust you?"

"Pull the trigger and kill this imperial dog, consider it your pledge of allegiance."

Upon hearing this, Annas pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet blew directly into the head of the Imperial soldier.

Seeing this, the people present were stunned for a moment. So decisive?

"Untie."

Upon hearing this, the soldier next to him untied Annas's ropes, and the next second, Annas pointed his gun directly at the man in charge.

The man sneered, "You could have lived."

The instant Annas raised his gun, all the soldiers beside him raised their guns and pointed them at Annas's head.

Annas remained unfazed. "The Empire's Hounds will not betray their masters. If you think I would beg for mercy from the enemy, you might as well believe that the Empire will surrender unconditionally."

After saying that, Annas pulled the trigger, but no bullet was fired.

There was only one bullet left in the pistol.

Seeing this, the man in front of Annas laughed, "Hahaha, not bad, congratulations, Corporal Annas Leonard, you've passed."

It was indeed a test.

Previously, Annas had extracted a piece of information from a sergeant.

If all three criteria are met at the end of the training and the score is B or above, then there will be an additional test.

The sergeant didn't say what the test was.

Now it seems that this was indeed a test, but there were quite a few flaws, and the empire still has a lot of room for improvement.

Annas put down his pistol and pretended not to know anything.

He then inquired about the Imperial soldier next to him, only to be told by the person in front that the man was actually a spy from the enemy country.

Annas passed the test and was promoted directly to corporal.

As night fell, Annas returned to the orphanage. The next morning, he was brought over in an Imperial military uniform, along with the gun he used during training.

Annas changed into his military uniform and put on his hat, then walked out of the orphanage in front of a group of children.

As for Ross, Annas never saw him again after that day.

"Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has never ceased to wage war and slaughter. Ross, the peace you yearn for will never come."

"Only war can end war."

After saying that, Annas took out a piece of paper from his pocket and casually slapped it onto the mailbox next to him.

There was a pattern on the paper.

The pattern is a standard circle with a red dot in the center, and eight black lines connecting the red dot.

This is the seal of the Chaos Splitter.