August 6th, 889 of the Black Iron Calendar, Black Flame City, Iron-Blood Battalion headquarters...
Compared to when he arrived five days ago, the Iron-Blood Battalion's encampment was more than ten times more lively when Zhang Tie came back this time.
Zhang Tie put his sharp, handsome dark red lieutenant uniform back on, tucking the cuffs of his trousers into his shiny boots. The low brim of his military cap gave Zhang Tie a sharper look. With a long sword at his waist, Zhang Tie showed his identification and entered the Iron-Blood Battalion's encampment. All sorts of soldiers passing by him couldn't help but scrutinize him.
This morning, Staff Officer Visi picked him up in his car. Staff Officer Visi's car turned around and left at the gate of the Iron-Blood Battalion. As he left, Staff Officer Visi couldn't help but mutter to himself, "How come Zhang Tie seems to have become much more powerful after only five days?"
Little did Staff Officer Visi know that in the past five days, since leaving him that day, Zhang Tie's mental strength had tripled again after consuming a Fruit of Radiance. And last night, Zhang Tie consumed another Flawless Fruit, and the radiance of the fourth Bright Point on his spine had turned yellow. If nothing unexpected happened, by this time next month, after igniting two more Bright Point, Zhang Tie would have entered the ranks of Level 5 Battle Soldier.
The speed at which the Flawless Fruit Bright Point in the early stages is frighteningly fast, so much so that Zhang Tie was already considering whether it would be better to be more discreet when he entered the military camp. He should leave a few ripe Flawless Fruit on the tree, so that if he were to encounter a situation like last time where he was bled out and his vital energy was severely depleted, each Flawless Fruit on the Little Tree would be like a spare first aid kit for him.
Zhang Tie thought about it more and more and felt that this method was feasible. When he was about to reach the headquarters building of the Iron Iron-Blood Battalion, Zhang Tie decided that he would not pick the Flawless Fruit for the next four weeks of this month. He would leave a few first-aid kits for himself on the Little Tree first. He was not familiar with the 39th Division and the Iron-Blood Battalion yet, so it would not hurt to keep a low profile.
Tang De once said that every army, no matter where it is, has its own special rules. These rules are not written down, but they affect everyone and require everyone to abide by them. Sometimes, even the words of superiors are not as effective as these rules. To truly gain the acceptance of one's colleagues in the army is not something that can be solved by simply giving you a position or an appointment from above.
Just now, when Visi Officer Visi left, he also reminded Zhang Tie to be careful of those scoundrels in the Iron-Blood Battalion. If they were to go to Colonel Leibniz to complain about every little thing, it wouldn't be a good thing.
Knowing that there must be people who didn't like him, the newly promoted second lieutenant platoon leader of the third platoon of the fifth company in the Iron-Blood Battalion, Zhang Tie was actually prepared to be harassed today. But what Zhang Tie didn't expect was that the harassment would come so quickly.
"So you're that lucky pretty boy who got struck by lightning?" Zhang Tie noticed that just as he was about to enter the camp's office area, three burly men with their arms crossed were standing in front of him, sneering at him.
Zhang Tie habitually glanced at the ranks of the three men; they were all sergeants. In the Iron Horn Legion, sergeants were generally experienced Level 5 Battle Soldier, and these guys usually served as squad leaders under platoon leaders. They were the backbone of their respective platoons. However, the term "backbone" referred to the role they played when you could control them. If you couldn't control them, these guys had another name—troublemakers or scoundrels!
"Shouldn't you salute your superiors first?" Zhang Tie asked calmly.
Upon hearing Zhang Tie's words, the three men, the shortest of whom was at least half a head taller than Zhang Tie, exchanged glances and then burst into unrestrained laughter, as if they had encountered something hilarious.
"Kid, do you know where you are? This is the Iron-Blood Battalion of the 39th Division. The casualty rate of the Iron-Blood Battalion of the 39th Division ranks among the top five in the entire Iron Horn Legion. The only person we salute here is Boss Reinhardt. You expect us to salute you? Are you even grown up yet?"
The group burst into laughter again, each looking at Zhang Tie with disdain.
Zhang Tie rubbed his face helplessly, looking at these audacious fellows. "Alright, since it's the Iron-Blood Battalion's rule, I won't make an exception. Also, since you asked, I can tell you that my pubic hair has fully grown. However, since you're not women, I'm sorry, but I can't show you Xiao Qi's pubic hair. But then again, even if you three bastards were women, with your looks, I still wouldn't let you see my pubic hair!"
"Pfft..." Upstairs in the Iron-Blood Battalion headquarters, where Zhang Tie was confronting the three rogue soldiers, a large group of unscrupulous officers were watching the spectacle from behind the blinds. Zhang Tie's words reached their ears without being missed, and many of them couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Boss, this kid's interesting..."
"In the entire 39th Division, this is the first time I've ever seen anyone dare to openly insult those guys' looks!"
"I've looked at this kid's file and records in Black Flame City. I found him to be quite eloquent, able to turn white into black, and not a bad person at heart. I find him quite agreeable. If he can't make it in the company, I might as well transfer him to my General Affairs Section. Let him spend all his time arguing with that Xu bastard from Headquarters and Logistics Department, so he won't die on the battlefield..."
Zhang Tie, who was below, was unaware that just because of his one sentence, many people upstairs had actually developed a liking for him and started talking all over him.
The relationships between people are so mysterious. Sometimes, you don't even need to see the person; just hearing them speak can make some people like you. Of course, there are also times when the opposite is true...
Standing by the window was a burly man in his forties with blond hair. He had a stubble beard, a large cigar dangling from his lips, and wore a lieutenant colonel's uniform casually, with none of the buttons fastened and several buttons undone on his shirt. If it were anyone else, they would look like a drunken, disheveled slob, but this man exuded a natural, powerful, and heroic aura. This man was none other than Reinhardt, the leader of the entire Iron-Blood Battalion.
Looking at Zhang Tie below, Reinhardt smiled slightly—this little fellow Leibniz had sent this time was at least more interesting than those bastards who came to the Iron-Blood Battalion to get their credentials...
The unscrupulous officers above burst into laughter upon hearing Zhang Tie's words. The three men blocking Zhang Tie's path, however, turned a deep purplish-red.
"Kid, do you know the consequences of insulting us?" The three men stepped forward and surrounded Zhang Tie, their fingers cracking loudly.
"Is being honest with you an insult?" Zhang Tie asked, feigning surprise. Then, he looked at the three men seriously. "Well, excuse me. I take back what I said earlier. You three are actually very beautiful, really, very beautiful. There are so few men as beautiful as you. If you were women, I would definitely show you my pubic hair..."
The unscrupulous officers above were already laughing hysterically, many of them clutching their stomachs and squatting on the ground, tears streaming down their faces. Even Battalion Commander Reinhardt's facial muscles were twitching uncontrollably...
"Damn it, Beckham, I can't take it anymore! Even if I have to be locked up, I'm going to beat this kid up today!" A tall sergeant standing to Zhang Tie's left shouted angrily, and then without hesitation, he threw a punch at Zhang Tie's head.
"Beat him up!" another guy yelled. Almost simultaneously, they attacked. "Just don't kill or cripple him!"
Zhang Tie didn't use any hidden force; he relied solely on brute strength. He grabbed an incoming fist with one hand, then raised his foot to exchange a kick with another guy who was kicking him. The guy who exchanged kicks with Zhang Tie was sent flying two meters away with just one kick. The two guys whose fists Zhang Tie Zhang Tie grabbed had just changed their expressions when they felt an irresistible force strike their hands. They watched helplessly as Zhang Tie pulled them together by the hand, slamming them to the ground, leaving them dazed and confused.
The battle ended almost instantly. Those who had been watching the spectacle from above stopped laughing and their expressions turned serious as they looked at the three people who had been subdued by Zhang Tie in an instant.
"No hidden force was used!" an officer said.
"You know your limits!" another officer nodded.
"He's incredibly strong!" A burly officer looked at Zhang Tie with a hint of eagerness.
"He has a wealth of combat experience; the Iron-Blood Divine Fist kick he used to send Beckham flying was very skillful!" Another officer nodded.
"Judging from his combat performance, he is capable of serving as a second lieutenant platoon leader in the third platoon of our company!" Another officer nodded to Reinhardt.
"It seems Leibniz wasn't wrong this time!" Reinhardt chuckled, tapping his cigar down below. " Guderian, go down and call the men up. Tell them to stop causing trouble..."
Upon hearing this, a lieutenant went downstairs.
Just as the officer named Guderian walked away, Reinhardt turned around through the window, looked intently at the men in the conference room, and said in a very serious tone, "Who among you is willing to try being struck by lightning? If you're lucky, you might even develop Iron-Blood Battle Qi, and that battalion commander position will be yours!"
Reinhardt's tone was full of incitement and persuasion, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. If anyone else had said this, everyone would have thought the officer was joking, but coming from the mouth of the Iron-Blood Battalion's commander, everyone knew that their leader was serious and not joking at all. Anyone who dared to nod at this moment would surely be tied to a kite and sent flying into the sky by Reinhardt the next rainy day, or directly hauled to the airship with a steel cable and suspended under the clouds with the most lightning.
The battalion commander is absolutely capable of doing something like that!
Faced with the battalion commander's expectant gaze, all the officers hurriedly stuck their heads in their crotches...
After glancing around the conference room, Reinhardt realized that no one was willing to volunteer, so he sighed in great disappointment.
Below, the instant he had just knocked down those three bastards, Zhang Tie felt himself suddenly locked onto by many murderous auras. The originally noisy Iron-Blood Battalion suddenly fell silent, and then more and more guys grabbed the weapons around them and ran towards him. All sorts of people, whether they were in formation, training, or just strolling around, seemed to suddenly turn their cold gazes toward him.
Seeing the seventy or eighty people who suddenly appeared around him with unfriendly expressions and surrounded him, and more and more people running towards him, Zhang Tie finally understood what it felt like to have stirred up a hornet's nest.
"This is the second lieutenant platoon leader of the third platoon of the fifth company of the Iron-Blood Battalion, who was just appointed by Colonel Leibniz..." Just as Zhang Tie was preparing to start a battle, a lieutenant officer who ran down from the Iron-Blood Battalion headquarters saved Zhang Tie from his predicament with a single sentence.
"Ha... so it's one of our own..." Upon hearing this, those who were about to attack immediately stopped in their tracks, then chuckled and dispersed.
"Those three Beckham guys provoked their superiors, they deserved to get beaten up, hahaha!" A group of people who had just been preparing to avenge Beckham and his friends burst into laughter, mocking the three guys' pathetic state.
This sudden change made Zhang Tie immediately feel the team atmosphere of the Iron-Blood Battalion, an extremely united team that would not allow its members to be bullied by outsiders.
"Come with me, Boss Reinhardt is upstairs!" The officer who had just helped Zhang Tie Zhang Tie upstairs beckoned him.
Seeing that some readers still think the story takes place on Earth, Tiger is spitting blood on the spot. Here, Tiger solemnly reminds you that the story takes place on a very vast planet. If anything that happens there reminds you of Earth, it is just a coincidence, a one in a billion coincidence in the universe.