Chapter 14: If You're Upset, Just Deal With It

The big oaf hurried in from outside, moving at quite a brisk pace. Anxious to deliver the files to the registration office, he paid no attention to the two men about to clash just outside the queue.

As fate would have it, when the big oaf passed by the line on the right where Xiao Long Xing stood, he turned and promptly collided with Yanbing Wang.

Having suffered a covert loss at the hands of Morning Light He, Yanbing Wang was already feeling the strain. He was just worrying about how to bow out gracefully, when the big oaf’s sudden appearance gave him the perfect scapegoat.

Seizing the opportunity, Yanbing Wang yanked his hand free and, to disguise his own weakness, shoved the big oaf, sending him staggering. He bellowed furiously, “Are you blind, you idiot?”

The big oaf looked dull-witted, but even a clay figurine has a bit of temper—let alone a man over six feet tall. He immediately demanded in a loud voice, “Why did you push me?”

“So what if I pushed you? Hell, I feel like hitting you too,” Yanbing Wang snapped back. He couldn’t handle Morning Light He, fine, but now even the big oaf dared to talk back? His pride wouldn’t allow it. Enraged, he lifted his leg and kicked at the big oaf.

Morning Light He couldn’t stand to see someone bully the honest sort. Instinctively, he reached out and grabbed Yanbing Wang by the shoulder.

That single pull threw Yanbing Wang off balance. His kick, meant for the big oaf, missed and landed squarely on Xiao Long Xing’s thigh—who had been ready to watch the show and hadn’t been paying much attention.

“Damn you! Are your eyes crooked?” Xiao Long Xing exploded. He’d already been annoyed when Yanbing Wang called him crazy. Now, as an innocent bystander, he suddenly took a kick for no reason.

Without hesitation, he shoved the big oaf aside and delivered a swift kick to Yanbing Wang’s abdomen.

“Oh, so you two are ganging up on me, huh? Don’t think you can push me around. Even if I die here today, I’ll take you both with me!” Yanbing Wang, convinced that Xiao Long Xing and Morning Light He were working together—one kicking, one pulling—couldn’t hold back his fury. Shouting, he prepared to go all out.

“Enough! Stop right there!” Just as the brawl was about to erupt, a sharp and commanding voice cut through the chaos. A captain in military uniform strode over, face dark with displeasure.

He swept a stony gaze over the three men. Seeing that they still held aggressive stances, he barked again, “What do you think you’re doing? Got nothing better to do? Attention!”

Xiao Long Xing, a veteran, and Morning Light He, who had been raised under his grandfather’s strict military discipline, responded instantly to the captain’s order. Both snapped to attention—heads up, chests out, stomachs in, legs together, eyes straight ahead—in perfect military posture.

Only Yanbing Wang, a streetwise small-time hood who’d dabbled as a vendor, remained slouched with a scowl of rage on his face, clearly still burning with anger.

The captain glanced at Xiao Long Xing and Morning Light He, clearly satisfied with their flawless stance—after all, few civilians could stand at attention so well. But when he turned to Yanbing Wang, his brow furrowed. “What’s your problem?”

“Reporting!” Yanbing Wang stomped the floor hard, venting his rage in a thunderous bang. Then, slouching and listless like a caricatured invader, he replied carelessly, “I’m here for the physical exam.”

The captain suddenly laughed. Reaching out, he brushed aside the long bangs on either side of Yanbing Wang’s forehead, speaking with a double meaning: “You’ve got style, you’re handsome. Welcome to the army. Soon, I’ll make you even more unique—and a lot cleaner.”

With that, he turned briskly and strode away.

“What the hell? Am I dirty or something?” Yanbing Wang lifted his shirt to his nose and sniffed hard, clearly not grasping the captain’s meaning.

Morning Light He played along, leaning over as if to smell him. Instantly, he pinched his nose with his paperwork, as though assaulted by a foul stench, and retreated to the front of the line with a look of exaggerated disgust.

Having just landed a kick on Yanbing Wang, Xiao Long Xing felt his anger had dissipated. Unlike Morning Light He, he didn’t bother to act out any further theatrics. He simply shot Yanbing Wang a victor’s smirk, then returned to his spot.

“Sorry about that, it’s my fault you got dragged in. Are you alright? That kick was meant for me. If you want, I could wash your pants for you?” The big oaf, instead of rushing off to update his paperwork, followed behind Xiao Long Xing with a look of sincere apology.

“No need, it’s nothing. And as for washing my pants, let’s skip that. Don’t you think it’s a bit weird for one grown man to wash another’s pants?” Though the big oaf was a bit slow-witted, he seemed good-natured. Xiao Long Xing, not one to mind making a new friend, joked with him. “My name’s Xiao Long Xing. What’s yours?”

“I’m Erniu Li. Used to work in construction. You’re taller and stronger than me, and you’re very easy to get along with. From now on, I’ll call you Brother Long…”

A small commotion had broken out in the registration area, but order was quickly restored under the captain’s authority.

Meanwhile, in an office behind the registration area, a middle-aged officer bearing a colonel’s insignia arrived. He went straight to the desk of the regional recruitment team’s chief, pulled four personnel files from the stack, and set them aside.

“Chief of Staff, is there an issue with these recruits?” the recruitment officer asked curiously.

“I need you to do me a favor,” replied the colonel with a wry smile—it was none other than Tianlei Fan, the one who’d previously instructed Xing Feng to sign up.

“If I remember correctly, your Special Operations Brigade doesn’t directly recruit new soldiers,” the recruitment officer said, puzzled.

Tianlei Fan tapped his fingers on the files, smiling. “We don’t—but just put them together in one unit.”

“Which unit?”

“The 81st Group Army. Iron Fist Regiment.”

Through the office window, Tianlei Fan watched the four young men he had handpicked, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

Xiao Long Xing, Yanbing Wang, and the other two had no idea that they were already “fully arranged for.”

A custom-tailored military path lay open before them.

As for why Tianlei Fan had gone out of his way to have Xiao Long Xing and the others assigned to the Iron Fist Regiment—what was his true purpose?

The four of them, each with their own distinct personality, had nearly come to blows in the hospital before even setting out. What kind of chemistry would spark between these new recruits as their military journey began?

What sort of life awaited them in the army?

No one could say for sure.

But the answer would be revealed soon enough.