An Enemy Appears, Crippled!

By the time the morning bugle at the Special Higher Police training base pierced the mist, Shen Yan had already completed three sets of dry-fire practice at the firing position.

The month-long, closed-door training course had entered its second half. This was the Empire's most elite training ground for agents in Shanghai, with a dropout rate of over seventy percent. Everyone who remained was a battle-hardened soldier or an elite operative. For Shen Yan, however, the course was more like a performance in carefully controlling his scores-he had to prove his value without revealing his trump cards too soon.

One: precision shooting, concealing his edge in accuracy, hitting every shot

The first exercise was combat precision shooting with the Type 38 Rifle and the Nambu Type 14 Pistol. The targets ranged from moving targets at fifty meters to stationary targets over a hundred meters away.

Most of the other trainees were soldiers who had distinguished themselves on the battlefield, and their performances were consistently solid. Shen Yan alone had gone from missing the fifty-meter stationary target by a hair with every shot at the start to hitting it every time, scoring between eight and ten rings with each shot.

When moving targets appeared, he neither chased nor hurried to catch up with them. He simply calculated his lead, fired, and dropped each target cleanly.

In the most difficult simulated alley battle, the other trainees were repeatedly hit by the instructors' cork bullets and yowled in pain. Shen Yan alone eliminated every instructor within three minutes without taking a single hit.

The chief instructor's pupils contracted as he watched. In his report to Kuroiwa, he wrote: "Rare shooting talent, exceptional physical and mental qualities, and immeasurable potential. No gun calluses on his hands, ruling out prior military training. It can only be attributed to extraordinary natural talent!"

Two: hand-to-hand combat and grappling, defeating enemies in one strike, holding back or striking at will

The fighting arena was home to the bloodiest subject. The trainees learned the Empire's agent combat techniques, every move aimed at breaking bones or killing.

Everyone at the training base except Shen Yan's roommates treated him as an imaginary enemy, scrambling to choose him as their sparring partner. Shen Yan happily accepted them all, beating up the little devils every day and earning Good and Evil Points until his hands were tired.

Two weeks later, however, everything had changed. Shen Yan became the trainee with the most time on his hands, and no one was willing to spar with him... ethnic hatred was one thing, but getting beaten black and blue and having their arms dislocated every day was pure masochism!

Finally, the chief instructor, a seventh-dan karate master, stepped into the arena himself. He too was defeated after a few exchanges, and promptly announced on the spot that Shen Yan was exempt from both training and testing in combat.

Three: intelligence decryption and counter-surveillance

The afternoon intelligence classes were a nightmare for most of the soldiers-codebreaking, map exercises, surveillance and counter-surveillance, and the analysis of traces at a scene.

The instructor produced a forged secret letter from the underground Party and gave them ten minutes to decipher it.

The other Japanese trainees, who knew little about Chinese culture, scratched their heads, unable even to work out the pattern of the key.

For Shen Yan, who had been put through the wringer of nine years of compulsory education and steeped in dozens of spy movies and television dramas, this was a piece of cake, but...

Shen Yan's public persona was that of a semi-illiterate who had barely attended school, so he could only resign himself to spending every night "studying hard" in the base library.

When Kuroiwa learned of this, he ordered a professor from the East Asia Common Culture Academy to give him daily remedial lessons, making life miserable for Shen Yan, who had wanted to slack off in the library.

Fortunately, his hard work paid off. During the final exam, Shen Yan scanned the instructor's ciphertext just three times before identifying it as a simple substitution cipher from the frequency of the characters and the code phrases used. He wrote out the full deciphered text in three minutes, accurately marking even the concealed meeting location.

During field surveillance training, an instructor played a "fugitive" hiding in an old alley in the French Concession.

Four trainees split up to track him, and all lost him. Shen Yan alone relied on his minimap and strolled right up to the instructor.

The instructor asked in surprise, "How did you know I was here?"

Shen Yan smiled innocently. "I just... thought you'd come this way."

The instructor's report read: "Powerful intuition! Suited to intelligence combat!"

Four: simulated interrogation and torture, calm as a blade, leaving no openings

The final training subject was a simulated interrogation. Shen Yan played the interrogator, and an instructor played a stubborn prisoner.

The man refused to yield and denied everything. Shen Yan remained patient, neither abusing torture nor making verbal threats. He caught signs of lies from the man's microexpressions, blinking frequency, and physical tension, hitting the mark with every sentence. In just five minutes, he broke down the "prisoner's" psychological defenses and made him volunteer the "intelligence."

Every Japanese military instructor present was shocked: he had a strong talent for interrogation and was extremely sensitive to detail.

Afterward, the instructor who had played the prisoner said, "It was as if he knew what I was thinking at every moment! I know it sounds unbelievable, but that's genuinely how I felt. His eyes could see into my heart!"

After this series of special training exercises, Shen Yan's overall ability had long since outstripped everyone else's by a wide margin. Yet he continued to wear the guise of an "honest fellow with good luck," making everyone feel his strength was reasonable while leaving them unable to guess just how strong he really was.

After training ended one day, the chief instructor brought in a new trainee from mainland Japan. He was a young man in his early twenties.

During his brief introduction, his tone was respectful and courteous, but a trace of killing intent appeared in his eyes when he glanced at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan frowned at the man, whom he had never met but who bore him deep hostility. The man's information appeared.

Name: Matsumoto Toru

Gender: male

Identity: Japanese army reserve second lieutenant candidate, specially recruited after graduating from a military academy in mainland Japan

Good and Evil Points: -40

Current thoughts: *Shen Yan! You killed my brother, Matsumoto Ichiro! I'll tear you to pieces!*

Shen Yan sneered inwardly. So he's the brother of that fake Communist I crippled. Looks like I'll have to find a chance to reunite him with his dead brother someday. Helping others is the foundation of happiness, after all!

Sure enough, after Matsumoto Toru joined, he competed with Shen Yan at every turn, trying to use the skills he had learned at the military academy to suppress him in every field. Yet Shen Yan only had to get a little serious to make him suffer setback after setback.

Near the end of the training course, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Main quest issued: graduate in first place!]

[Quest success: unlock the System Shop's vehicle section-all cars, motorcycles, and land and water vehicles will become available!]

[Quest failure: all Good and Evil Points will be deducted, and the high-tier shop will be permanently locked!]

A fierce glint flashed in Shen Yan's eyes:

He was determined to take first place.

On the day of the assessment, Kuroiwa Masao came in person to observe.

Shooting: Shen Yan no longer concealed his ability, earning full marks on moving targets, smoke-screen targets, and mobile sniping.

Combat: he defeated three elite trainees single-handedly, leaving them completely unable to fight without injuring any vital points.

Intelligence decryption: he crushed the entire field in speed, finishing in half the allotted time.

Combat simulation: he broke through the blockade alone and completed the simulated "decapitation" objective.

The final results were announced:

Shen Yan ranked first overall, far ahead of everyone else.

Kuroiwa Masao nodded repeatedly, unable to conceal the admiration in his eyes.

Just then, Matsumoto Toru rushed out of the ranks, dropped to his knees, and roared:

"Section chief! I refuse to accept this! I challenge Shen Yan to a duel to the death, with a death waiver!"

Kuroiwa looked at Shen Yan, his gaze carrying the deepest scrutiny. "Shen-san, what do you say?"

Shen Yan slowly stepped out of the ranks, his voice as heavy as iron. "For the honor of the training camp, I accept."

The death waiver was signed, and the two men faced each other on the fighting platform.

Matsumoto Toru slowly drew the katana at his waist and raised it over his head in both hands. Its blade gleamed coldly; it was clearly a sharpened weapon.

Holding a dagger, Shen Yan stood sideways and beckoned Matsumoto Toru forward with a finger.

"Baka!"

Provoked, Matsumoto Toru shouted and charged at Shen Yan with rapid, short steps, bringing his katana down like lightning.

Shen Yan made no unnecessary movements. He raised an arm.

Clang!

His dagger firmly caught the katana.

Matsumoto Toru pressed down on the blade with both hands and viciously said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Shen Yan, my brother was Matsumoto Ichiro, the Communist you interrogated to death! You're going to die today!"

Shen Yan smiled slightly and whispered in Matsumoto Toru's ear, "Thank you! You've given me the perfect reason!"

Then, before Matsumoto Toru could react, Shen Yan flashed behind him and raised a leg to tap the back of his knee.

Matsumoto Toru immediately fell to his knees. Shen Yan raised his hand like a claw and clamped it onto his spine, then squeezed!

Crack!

A vertebra protruded from Matsumoto Toru's back, and he collapsed on the platform like a lump of rotting meat. Although he was conscious, he would spend the rest of his life in bed.

Matsumoto Toru lay facedown, unable to move even a finger, and screamed frantically, "Kill me! You Chinese pig!"

The entire place fell deathly silent.

Kuroiwa Masao strode onto the platform and asked in a low voice, "Shen-san, the death waiver was signed. Why didn't you kill him?"

Shen Yan bowed, his tone sincere and calm. "Section Chief, during the duel, Matsumoto Toru told me himself that his brother was the Communist I interrogated. I believe his true identity is highly suspicious. He may be a mole the Communists planted among us! I spared his life so I could hand him over to the Special Higher Police for a thorough investigation, uncover all his hidden accomplices, and eliminate a future threat to the Empire!"

Kuroiwa Masao was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter and clapped Shen Yan hard on the shoulder. "Good! Your loyalty and courage are commendable, and your thinking is meticulous! You didn't indulge in reckless bravery, but kept the Empire's greater interests at heart. From this day forward, you are the Empire's most loyal warrior!"

[Ding! Quest complete! Graduated from special training in first place!]

[The System Shop's vehicle section has officially been unlocked!]

Shen Yan bowed and gave thanks, his mind perfectly clear.

He had crippled his mortal enemy,

taken first place,

unlocked vehicles as a trump card,

and, with a perfect "performance of loyalty," secured his position as a trusted confidant of the Japanese military's upper ranks.

Matsumoto Toru, lying paralyzed on the ground and howling in despair, was merely a perfect stepping stone on his path to the top.

Kuroiwa clapped his hands. "Everyone performed perfectly today! I'm proud that the Empire has such outstanding soldiers as you! You will surely become rising stars on the intelligence battlefield against China! You leave the day after tomorrow for your respective battlefields. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, I'll have a graduation gift prepared for everyone!"