"An enemy attack?" Yuan Gang looked into the distance, his brow furrowed. A boundless-realm Mythical Creature had invaded Cangnan City not long ago, after all, so he had to take this seriously.
Checkpoints had been set up within ten miles of the training camp, with security on par with a military base. No one but recruits coming for training could get here.
The sudden noise was enough to put anyone on edge.
"Everyone, on alert!"
Yuan Gang pressed his black case. Once the Straight Saber sprang out, he drew it and charged toward the training camp.
Clang, clang, clang!
The ringing of blades pierced the sky as everyone rushed forward at full speed.
On the horizon, a figure sat atop the rubble, his posture straight and his fitted military uniform outlining almost perfectly sculpted muscles.
"Wang Quan?!" Yuan Gang froze, utterly bewildered.
"Hey, Gang... ahem, ahem... Instructor Yuan, good morning!" Wang Quan waved with a smile. In front of all these soldiers, he still had to let Yuan Gang save face.
"What happened here?" Yuan Gang gestured for the others to put away their Straight Sabers. With Wang Quan here, an outside invasion could be ruled out.
"Ah!" Wang Quan heaved a long sigh. After a moment of silence, he explained, "This dormitory wasn't built very well. It fell apart the moment I touched it."
As he spoke, he stood and turned his back to the others, advising them earnestly, "The recruits are the future of the Night Watchers, the torchbearers of our legacy. For their safety, I demand that the dormitories be reinforced."
"Ahem, ahem!"
"I'll be off, then!"
"Get this building rebuilt as soon as possible!"
"The notices are supposed to go out today, so recruits might start reporting in. Did you hear Chief Instructor Wang's orders?"
"Get rebuilding, now!"
Yuan Gang genuinely thought it was a construction issue. He turned and gave the group a thorough tongue-lashing.
"And bring me a copy of the recruit roster!"
"Yes, sir!"
Yuan Gang took the roster and hurried after Wang Quan.
Once he saw that no one else was around, Yuan Gang dropped his stern facade and said, somewhat exasperated, "You didn't knock it down yourself, did you?"
"Gang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want!" Wang Quan gave an awkward cough. "I swear it wasn't me!"
As he spoke, Wang Quan held three fingers together and began swearing an oath.
"Fine, fine!"
"Reinforcing the buildings isn't a bad idea anyway. Let's talk about this batch of recruits!" Yuan Gang changed the subject. He really didn't dare provoke this man. Anyone who had taken a beating from him would understand.
"Take a look at the roster first. Try not to get scared!" Wang Quan warned him.
"How many batches of recruits do you think I've trained already?" Looking unconcerned, Yuan Gang glanced down at the roster, and his brain nearly crashed. "Holy shit! What the hell is this?"
"The young master of the Baili family!"
"God's Agent Lin Qiye!"
"A successor of Upper Capital's Eight Trigrams Palm, a successor of the Hebei Mohist Spear, an active-duty special forces soldier..."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Three of them even have ultra-high-risk forbidden ruins."
That lineup made Yuan Gang's scalp tingle. No wonder the higher-ups had assigned Wang Quan of [Daybreak] as honorary chief instructor. Ordinary instructors might not be able to keep this bunch in line.
"Once everyone's here, how about you put the recruits in their place right away?" Yuan Gang suggested slowly, a wicked grin spreading across his face.
"I could, but I'm afraid I might get carried away and demolish the training camp!"
"Uh!"
"How about calling in a Special Squad to keep them in line?"
"It'd also let those recruits see one of the highest pinnacles of honor among us Night Watchers!" Yuan Gang's eyes lit up. He liked that idea.
More importantly, he really was afraid Wang Quan would demolish the training camp. Knocking down a few buildings was one thing, but blasting out a deep crater and changing the terrain? That was more than they could handle.
"Just step in enough to intimidate them. Whatever you do, don't go too hard," Yuan Gang stressed, still uneasy.
"Sure!"
"Let Wang Mian and the others handle the fighting. I'm happy to take it easy." Wang Quan nodded. He had no objections at all.
The commander had sent him here as honorary chief instructor largely for safety reasons. For this city, that boundless-realm Mythical Creature might have been nothing more than an appetizer.
Outside Jinnan Mountain.
A large SUV stopped just before a rugged trail. Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang each dragged two suitcases, quietly listening to the people in the vehicle fuss over them.
"We can't drive any farther, so this is as far as we can take you. Hope your training goes well!" Chen Muye said, glancing at the two of them.
"If anyone bullies you, just call us. We'll come over and cut them down!" Zhao Kongcheng said with concern. "This is our Squad 136's turf!"
"Uncle Zhao, we're not the mob. We're a legitimate organization!" Wen Qimo said with a wry smile.
"That's right. I'll back you two up when the time comes. Train hard!"
"Good luck!"
"Hope everything goes smoothly!"
"Got it!" Lin Qiye nodded.
"Thanks for taking care of me lately, everyone. If you ever come to Guangshen, I'll treat you all to something delicious!" The chubby boy was still a little reluctant to leave.
"Go on, go on!"
"Get settled in early!"
Chen Muye waved, urging them to leave.
"Qiye! Wait, could you take something to Wang Quan for me?" Hongying took a gift box from her backpack and quickly handed it to Lin Qiye.
"Sure!"
"It's not a love letter, is it?" Baili Pangpang asked curiously.
Hongying flushed at his words and shook her head furiously. "It's just lollipops!"
"He seemed to really like them!"
The moment she finished, Zhao Kongcheng began mimicking her with a mischievous grin. "He seemed to really like them!"
"Hongying, your Uncle Zhao wants some too!"
"Buy them yourself!"
"You little brat, siding with an outsider. Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Uncle Zhao, can you please shut up? Nobody will think you're mute if you stop talking!" Hongying rolled her eyes.
"Hongying and I made these lollipops together. I'm thanking him for helping us with our special training!" Si Xiaonan added.
"You don't like that handsome young fellow Wang Quan?" Zhao Kongcheng asked, puzzled.
"He's my idol!"
"My idol!" Hongying stressed. Her teammates teased her every day, and it was terribly embarrassing.
With that little interlude over, Lin Qiye and Baili Pangpang set off.
Twenty minutes later, facing a muddy mountain trail with no end in sight, Baili Pangpang complained nonstop.
"Qiye, let's rest a bit!"
"It's so hot!"
"I can't go on!"
"I feel like I'm about to die!"
Lin Qiye sighed. Though he said they weren't stopping, he deliberately slowed down and reached over to take one of Baili Pangpang's suitcases.
The moment he pulled it, his body sank under the weight. Irritated, he asked, "What did you pack in here?"
"Gold?"
"Luxury watches?"
Baili Pangpang chuckled at that, scratching his head. "Both!"
"Recruit training is the perfect chance to make friends!"
"Then what about your everyday essentials?"
"Someone will deliver those for me. Don't worry!"
Lin Qiye immediately dropped the suitcase. "Carry it yourself!"
"What kind of sane person brings gold to special training?"
"Qiye, help me out!" Baili Pangpang clung to one of Lin Qiye's thighs, pleading tearfully.
"I'm going to die of exhaustion!"
Meanwhile, at the military checkpoint outside the training camp, a soldier holding binoculars frowned, rather baffled by the complicated situation.
After a moment's hesitation, he picked up his radio and began reporting. "Report!"
"People spotted approaching up ahead!"
"Describe the situation!"
"A chubby boy is clinging to the thigh of a boy who looks like a high school student!"
At those words, an exclamation came from the other end of the radio.
"Huh?!"
Before you continue