Captain Colin's Reward

Zhang Tie's words left everyone in the classroom completely silent. Something special was flowing through their hearts, accompanied by a faint sense of being moved. What is so-called camaraderie, what are brothers, if not those guys who, knowing you are doing something stupid, can jump out without hesitation and curse you until you're blue in the face? It turned out everyone had misjudged this guy, though the way he cursed really made one want to beat him up.

Captain Colin stood in silence, a different light appearing in his eyes as he looked at Zhang Tie.

"We seem to have met in the Small Woods last week. I remember you were called..." Captain Colin scratched his head. The face before him suddenly seemed much clearer, reminding him of a few things.

"Zhang Tie!"

"I remember now, it's Zhang Tie. Your words just now were spot on, because I was once a bastard worse than a pig myself!" After giving Zhang Tie a deep look, Captain Colin turned his head, took a deep breath, and suddenly roared like a lion at the animals on his left, making the entire teaching building tremble with his shout. "You bastards, worse than pigs, do you know where you went wrong? For the rest of the class, each of you will run twenty laps around the playground and shout 'I am an idiot worse than a pig' one thousand times before you're done. Today's Survival Class is to make you remember: sometimes, recklessness does not mean courage, and running away does not mean cowardice. On the battlefield, facing any enemy, your only task and goal is to keep yourself alive while making the enemy suffer and die. No matter what you do, you must achieve at least one of these two goals to be considered a qualified Warrior; otherwise, you are just trash that should have been buried underground from birth..."

For the rest of the class, Zhang Tie and his classmates were outside. A bunch of animals ran around the school playground, shouting, "I am an idiot worse than a pig," "I am an idiot worse than a pig," "I am an idiot worse than a pig." The shouting was earth-shattering, attracting the attention of all the teachers and students in the school, who watched the spectacle happily during their break.

Captain Colin sent the fatso Barry and Shavin to the playground to act as overseers, counting whether those guys had shouted enough, while he called Zhang Tie over to him.

"Ahem... ahem... Your performance in the Small Woods last time left a deep impression on me. It's rare to see a student as tough as you!"

Zhang Tie gave a dry laugh, knowing that the excuse he'd used last time wouldn't fool the sharp-eyed One-Eyed Dragon. The One-Eyed Dragon was rough in appearance but meticulous in mind; he wasn't so easily deceived. It wasn't a big deal, he just couldn't be bothered to haggle with a few students. "That... it was just playing around... just playing around. We're all good friends, nobody was really using any force!"

Watching Captain Colin stroke his beard with one hand, Zhang Tie felt a sense of foreboding. This was an experience gained through the blood and tears of countless predecessors at the school: when Captain Colin pretended to be deep in thought while stroking his coarse, stubbly beard and speaking in an authoritative tone, it was highly likely that someone was about to have a stroke of bad luck.

"Ha... ha... don't be modest, student Zhang Tie. I saw you all beaten black and blue, full of vitality, very full of vitality! Young people should be like that, they should be like that..."

"Not at all, not at all!" Zhang Tie's heart was already drumming; he couldn't figure out what kind of misfortune Captain Colin was about to dump on his head.

"Your theory of running away today gave me a new understanding of you. You are not only tough, but you also know how to protect yourself when facing danger. This kind of breed... ahem... ahem... this kind of quality is too rare. You are a rare talent."

"Not at all, not at all!" Zhang Tie was already wiping away cold sweat. Another blood-and-tears lesson from the Seventh National Boys' Middle School was that when Captain Colin started stroking his beard and praising someone in an authoritative tone, the probability of that person having bad luck was no longer a possibility, but a certainty. "Captain Colin, if there's nothing else, I'll be going. I'll go over there and watch them run, so they don't slack off!"

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave. I have a reward tailored specifically for you that I haven't given you yet!"

"Ah, no, thank you Captain Colin, how could I possibly accept your reward!"

"Ahem... ahem... you must, you absolutely must. Am I, Captain Colin, the kind of person who doesn't keep his word? Student Zhang Tie, are you questioning the integrity of the upright Captain Colin?" As Captain Colin spoke, his two fan-like hands pressed onto Zhang Tie's shoulders, pinning him in place. One eye, filled with 100% sincerity, leaned in close to Zhang Tie's face. "I'm introducing you to a part-time social internship. It's a rare gig; not only is there money to be made, but the pay is high. Outside of work, you can exercise, and you'll get to meet many wealthy and influential people, broadening your horizons. If you do this job well, your strength will also improve significantly. The workplace is even filled with beautiful women; if the opportunity arises, you might even have the chance for intimate contact with some pretty girls! Many people have begged me, but I didn't agree. Besides you, I don't think there is anyone more suitable!"

Zhang Tie was astonished. Could the predecessors' experience be wrong? Was there really such a good thing in this world, or had his luck just exploded these past few days, with one good thing after another falling on his head? Could a job that paid well, allowed him to meet big shots, was surrounded by beauties, and even offered the chance for intimate contact with them, really have fallen into his lap?

Zhang Tie was only slightly moved, considering whether what Captain Colin said was true. Before he could even nod, Captain Colin's hand was already patting his shoulder, and he impatiently stuffed a piece of paper into Zhang Tie's pocket. "You agree, that's great! This is my letter of introduction. Report to 18 Mingguang Street after school today. Just show this letter, and someone will arrange the rest for you..."

Mingguang Street? It really was Mingguang Street. Upon hearing this, Zhang Tie immediately believed five parts of what Captain Colin said. That was the golden district of Black Flame City, the place with the highest land value, the playground for the rich. The value of the goods in any random display window there was a commoner's annual salary. It was the essence of Black Flame City. Owning an apartment on Mingguang Street was a symbol of status in Black Flame City...

Could he have misunderstood Captain Colin? The words "Mingguang Street" made Zhang Tie's eyes sparkle. Instinctively, he gripped the letter of introduction tightly, looked at Captain Colin with gratitude, and said earnestly, "Thank you."

Captain Colin was truly a good man. Zhang Tie was filled with gratitude toward him.

"Ahem... ahem... don't thank me. Don't let down my expectations of you, just work hard!" Captain Colin rarely blushed, then laughed it off and left...

"I am an idiot worse than a pig"

"I am an idiot worse than a pig"

"I am an idiot worse than a pig"

Watching those guys on the playground running and shouting, Zhang Tie was suddenly filled with a sense of superiority. He took out the letter of introduction and flicked it with his finger, his heart filled with anticipation for after school—I, your brother, am about to go mix it up on Mingguang Street, to taste the flavor of intimate contact with high society. You bastards, envy me...

At noon, Captain Colin fulfilled the "reward" for Zhang Tie and the four guys including the fatso Barry. When they were getting their food, he had the cafeteria add a meat dish for them. Looking at the fragrant braised pork on their trays, Doug and Baghdad were so envious that their mouths watered. Doug reached out with his spoon to scoop from Barry's tray, but Barry fiercely struck his hand with a fork. After a scream, he finally behaved.

Baghdad had a bit more self-control; he just closed his eyes while eating his Potato, muttering to himself, "This is braised pork, this is braised pork..." It left people speechless.

Sista and Light sandwiched Shavin between them on the bench, their eyes fixed on the fragrant items on Shavin's tray. With shameless faces, they called out affectionately, "Shavin..."

No sooner had the words left their mouths than they saw Shavin spit the half-chewed braised pork directly into the pile of meat on his tray, mixing it around with his spoon. Then, looking at the twitching faces of Sista and Light, Shavin blinked and asked innocently, "Is something the matter? Oh, right, do you two want some braised pork? Come on, it's delicious. We're all good brothers, don't be polite, have a little bit each..." Shavin made a move to share his half-digested "second-hand" braised pork with them, scaring the two so much that they covered their trays and ran far away. Within seconds, the two bastards were betting on the braised pork on Shavin's tray, wagering a silver coin on who would dare to eat a piece, the two of them arguing endlessly...

"By the way, I clearly saw you this morning with one foot ready to step to the left, why did you pull it back and stand still?" Zhang Tie, happily chewing on his braised pork, remembered a question and asked Barry while they were eating.

The fatso was silent for a moment, then cleared up Zhang Tie's confusion. "When I wanted to move my leg, I looked at Captain Colin again. I suddenly realized that the smile on Captain Colin's face was exactly the same as the one he had two years ago when he caught me climbing over the wall into school. I was scared sober instantly..."

Caught climbing the wall into school by Captain Colin—Zhang Tie mourned for the fatso. He didn't ask how Captain Colin had dealt with him later, because he knew without asking that the incident would forever be an indelible, dark memory for the fatso at the Seventh National Boys' Middle School. However, through this, Zhang Tie was amazed by the fatso's ability to read people. To be able to avoid disaster just by observing the expressions on others' faces—Zhang Tie asked himself how he could never learn such a high-level talent skill...

Looking at these lovely bastards of the Airplane Brotherhood, Zhang Tie realized that every one of these guys was a damn talent!

"By the way, I think I saw Captain Colin call you aside and give you something!" the fatso Barry said vaguely and nonchalantly while eating. As soon as Barry spoke, all the bastards of the Airplane Brotherhood pricked up their ears.

Zhang Tie gave the fatso a fierce slap on the shoulder, making him wince and nearly spit out the meat in his mouth. "You guy, if you want to ask, just say it. Why be so hesitant? Is it interesting? Here, this is what Captain Colin gave me. It's a letter of introduction. He said he got me a part-time job after school at 18 Mingguang Street..."

Rubbing his shoulder, the fatso laughed embarrassedly. Baghdad, who had been muttering about braised pork, had a strange expression on his face when he heard "8 Mingguang Street," and nearly choked on his Potato.

Zhang Tie didn't notice the strangeness on Baghdad's face, but was there, boasting proudly with a sense of vanity. "Captain Colin said this reward was tailored for me, that others weren't suitable. The incident in the Small Woods last time left a deep impression on him. He said this part-time job has high pay and good benefits, and I'll meet many wealthy people and big shots. Not only can I exercise, but I can also improve my strength. Oh, right, maybe there's even a chance for intimate contact with beautiful women! Sigh, actually I didn't want to go, but Captain Colin insisted. You know, my biggest weakness is that my heart is too soft; I can't stand seeing others in a difficult position. After Captain Colin begged me for a long time, I finally reluctantly agreed. It's all because my character is too good, I've done too many good deeds, there's no helping it. Even things like getting paid to have intimate contact with beauties fall on my head, and I can exercise too! Although I usually don't have other thoughts when encountering such things, there's no guarantee what those women might think of me. Sigh, you guys say, what if a beauty wants to force herself on me? Should I agree or not? It's truly a happy trouble. This kind of part-time job really tests one's willpower, and I happen to be someone without much willpower. Hey, hey, don't walk away, I haven't finished yet..."

The final response to Zhang Tie was a row of middle fingers raised by the bastards of the Airplane Brotherhood as they turned away...