"You!"
At this moment, all of Xiaolin's rationality and composure were burned away by her fury.
This was humiliation!
Blatant humiliation!
"Ah!"
She roared, scrambling out of the mud like a madwoman, covered in mud and water, and lunging at Qin Qian with bared teeth and claws.
However, before she could get close to Qin Qian, a dark figure flashed in front of her.
It was Team Zhao.
He was expressionless, his eyes as still as an ancient well, as he simply raised his arm and, facing the charging Xiaolin, threw a punch.
"Bang!"
A dull thud echoed.
Xiaolin felt as if she had crashed into a bronze wall and iron barrier, and she was sent flying backward even faster than she had charged forward.
"Plop!"
She fell heavily back into the mud, splashing a large amount of sludge, and choked, coughing violently.
The entire training ground was dead silent.
All the members of Thunderbolt Commando Unit, including Lei Zhan, watched this scene, dumbfounded.
Qin Qian didn't even look at Xiaolin struggling in the mud; he simply adjusted his collar and spoke indifferently.
"Here, I am the rule. Either obey, or get out."
After speaking, he turned and left with Team Zhao, without looking back.
Only the members of Thunderbolt Commando Unit remained, exchanging glances, cold sweat running down their backs.
Old Fox leaned close to Lei Zhan, lowering his voice, his face filled with worry.
"Captain, this... this is going too far, isn't it?"
"He hit the Instructor and even threw away the appointment letter. If this gets reported, we'll all be in deep trouble!"
Lei Zhan's gaze was fixed on Qin Qian's retreating back, his expression extremely complex.
He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"Everyone, snap out of it."
"This Chief Instructor... is not simple."
"From now on, keep your eyes open and your ears perked up, don't make trouble for yourselves!"
In the mud, Xiaolin coughed heartbreakingly, turbid muddy water choking from her mouth and nose, looking utterly disheveled.
She propped up her almost-broken body, struggling to stand from the sludge, her beautiful face twisted by the anger and humiliation that filled her.
"Lei Zhan!"
She pointed at the expressionless Thunderbolt Commando Unit captain not far away, screaming in a hoarse voice.
"Are you just a bunch of watchdogs?! Are you just going to stand there and watch him humiliate me, humiliate the Military Region's appointment?!"
Lei Zhan didn't even bat an eyelid; he had no interest in responding to such impotent rage.
"Instructor Tan."
His voice was as cold as ice.
"I advise you to go and clean up this mess you've made of yourself first."
After speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to a row of barracks not far away.
"The showers are over there; don't make a fool of yourself here."
As his words fell, Lei Zhan ignored her, waving his hand at the team members behind him.
"Fall in!"
"Yes!"
The Thunderbolt Commando Unit members responded in unison, stepping in neat formation, turning and leaving with Lei Zhan, not even sparing Xiaolin another glance.
Only Xiaolin was left standing in the center of the mud, dripping with filth, trembling with rage.
She clenched her fists tightly, her fingernails digging into her flesh.
Qin Qian!
She remembered that name!
...
On the other side, Qin Qian and Team Zhao were walking side by side on the base's concrete road.
"Team Zhao, do you have any training suggestions for this new batch of female soldiers?"
Qin Qian asked casually.
Team Zhao looked straight ahead, his voice steady and without fluctuation.
"Reporting, Chief Instructor, I suggest adopting the 'Anxiang Corps' preliminary screening plan."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Qin Qian became a little interested.
"Anxiang Corps was a training program in my former unit specifically for cultivating female super soldiers."
Team Zhao explained.
"The preliminary screening includes extreme physical fitness, willpower destruction, and live combat confrontations with a ten percent elimination rate."
Qin Qian paused in his steps.
"Elimination rate? Is it elimination from the camp, or..."
"It's a mortality rate."
Team Zhao calmly added.
"Survival of the fittest is the most basic rule of the battlefield."
Qin Qian rubbed his chin.
Dead people were not the outcome he wanted.
These female soldiers were the key for him to complete system tasks and unlock higher-level permissions; even one death would be a waste.
"The mortality rate is too high."
He shook his head.
"This batch of soldiers has too poor physical quality; they can't withstand such torment."
He pondered, perhaps he could add some "ingredients" to their bodies.
Exchanging some basic biological gene agents from the system mall to strengthen their physiques should significantly reduce the mortality rate and also make the subsequent training more exciting.
Just then, the roar of a car engine grew from distant to near.
A military truck full of female soldiers, kicking up dust, stopped beside the training ground.
The door opened, and a captain company commander was the first to jump out, quickly running to Qin Qian and saluting him with a standard military salute.
"Reporting to the commander! Fire Phoenix Training Camp should have one hundred forty people, one hundred thirty-nine arrived!"
The captain company commander's voice was loud, but his eyes held a hint of embarrassment.
"There's one more person... on the way, perhaps... deserted!"
Qin Qian didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
"Understood, you may leave."
"Yes!"
The captain company commander felt as if he had been granted a great pardon, not daring to stay, and immediately got into the car and left this strangely atmospheric place.
The tarp on the back of the truck was lifted, and a group of chattering female soldiers jumped down.
They curiously looked around at everything, full of fantasies about this legendary special forces training base, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere on the field.
"Wow, is this the Fire Phoenix's training base? It looks so cool!"
"Look, everyone, there are so many handsome guys standing over there! Are they our Instructors?"
"The tallest one, the one with the best figure, must be the captain, right? He's so stylish!"
They gathered in small groups, pointing and excitedly discussing, just like a group of female college students out for a picnic.