Chapter 62: The Pigeon

Chapter 62: The Pigeon

At the checkpoint rest station in South City's 8-9 district.

In front of the guard's lounge, three soldiers who had followed Xu Qingran to clean up District 8 were chatting animatedly with their seniors.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingran was at a vending machine on the other side, picking out a drink.

He chose an orange-flavored one, inserted two Kai'an coins, and the bottle clattered out. Picking it up, he noticed it still had the familiar formula, including an MT Mental Energy Recovery Supplement.

This recovery supplement essentially artificially accelerates the restoration of mental energy, roughly by 3-5%.

It's quite helpful for those with a mental reservoir below B-level, but for those above, it's more of a minor boost.

Holding the bottle, Xu Qingran recalled the day he first arrived.

It felt like yesterday, yet so much had changed. His living conditions, the deepened mental reservoir increasing his mental energy reserves, and his unusually fast recovery rate as a D-type—all these changes were palpable.

Like that day when he drove from Tian Snake to Tian Dragon, resting only half a day to recover most of his expended energy.

The feeling of always having ample mental energy and quick recovery was exhilarating. He suddenly found the D-type quite appealing. Being a walking catnip or a supply pack was acceptable; he had the right to refuse.

Most importantly, thinking about future clean-up missions in disaster zones with Shen Tingyu.

When that guy was drained, he would still have plenty of mental energy reserves, allowing him to have Shen call him 'daddy' before replenishing his energy.

Just the thought made Xu Qingran's eyes crinkled with joy.

"...It's true! We checked later, and the area within a kilometer radius was completely clean, no traces of Class I devils!" The group at the lounge was getting more and more excited.

Hearing the commotion, Xu Qingran turned to see several guards approaching with messy, bird's nest hair.

They looked like they had just woken up.

"Newbie, did you bring in some high-tech weapon?"

They would rather believe that Xu Qingran, from a prosperous star system, had some tool that gives an unfair advantage to enhance cleaning efficiency than accept that he was genuinely capable.

Mainly because they hadn't seen it with their own eyes.

Xu Qingran drew his mental energy blade, his grip resembling that of an experienced killer.

He retorted, "Does this count?"

It was just a plain short blade.

Not as noble as the ones their district officers wore.

So, they decided to watch Xu Qingran's clean-up mission that night.

That night, they sent Xu Qingran to the area the three soldiers had been responsible for the previous day.

Because of the high-profile clean-up the day before, when they entered, the Class I devils that had been scattered in the bushes and soil were all hiding, only their high-frequency, insect-like chirping audible in the dark.

For the first time, the checkpoint guards were so united, almost all of them went out, leaving only one at the rest station.

But to them, the devil horde was an insurmountable threat, 'devils' that could gnaw at them if they weren't careful, so they all entered the disaster zone in a state of fear, huddling together, startled by every sound.

Only Xu Qingran strode ahead, as calm as if he were on a leisurely stroll.

The cold night wind swept through, making the leaves rustle.

The group watched Xu Qingran's movements from a distance, careful not to get too close.

As they ventured deeper without realizing, several red, snake-like Class I demons suddenly emerged from the surroundings, swiftly moving towards the gathered crowd. Everyone was instantly terrified and scattered in all directions. Those armed with guns pulled out their psychic guns, while the unarmed could only defend themselves with short daggers.

In fact, the psychic gun is the most suitable weapon for fighting demon hordes.

The source crystals on their bodies are small, making it best to hit them with a psychic gun from a distance. However, resources on Taiyue Star are indeed scarce. The entire border defense team has only one member equipped with a psychic gun.

Xu Qingran initially assumed the others didn't know how to use it.

After inquiring, he learned that the number of weapons was limited, so each district received a restricted allocation.

"Hey, new guy, aren't you supposed to be amazing? Do something useful already!"

The companions, harassed and anxious, spoke to him in a less-than-friendly tone.

Xu Qingran stood still, neither responding to their demands nor offering assistance.

The group of Class I demons that had invaded the area, perhaps finding Xu Qingran alone unappealing, only targeted the other guards. The guards, in a panic, only knew to slash wildly with their knives, not focusing on locating the key source energy spots.

However, upon closer inspection of their counterattacks and defenses, they at least had some basic skills.

Although they couldn't immediately kill the targets, their reactions and dodging were barely at the level expected of a trained soldier.

As Xu Qingran observed them, a shadow swayed on a tree, silently rushing towards him.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he turned to dodge the slender creature charging at him. It missed and crashed to the ground, flattening into a pancake shape, then quickly reformed into a human-sized bar and continued charging at its target.

A faint light flickered in Xu Qingran's eyes, clearly indicating the activation of his psychic power.

The others, entangled with other Class I 'offspring,' glanced in Xu Qingran's direction and noticed he wasn't attacking but only dodging. Panting, they kicked away the small Class I demons at their feet and muttered, "Ah, just like that, huh?"

At least they made an effort to fight.

Someone observing noticed the key point: "By the way, that one looks a bit like... their 'mother body'?"

They were referring to the group of Class I demons surrounding them.

In a large area, there can be many 'mother bodies' of varying sizes, each carrying source crystals.

Generally, the main ones have fewer dark brown spots and are easily distinguishable from their offspring.

The extent to which they can combine depends on the strength of the source crystal they possess.

They are creatures with a strong sense of territory, so once the main body finds a small area, it will absorb energy—such as through feeding—to spawn 'offspring' that act like soldiers. Then, like mold, they rapidly reproduce and gradually expand their occupied territory.

Some powerful offspring have the potential to develop source crystals. Once they have a source crystal, they can leave the group and develop their own territory in a new area.

In the large park they are currently in, there are several controlling Class I mother bodies, and the one attacking Xu Qingran is one of them.

"It feels like the new recruit is probing for the source crystal..."

Perhaps sensing a threat to the main body, the offspring temporarily stopped attacking the 'food' and returned to the main body's location to assist.

The group finally had some time to catch their breath and talk.

The captain of District 8 shook his head: "Indeed, a new recruit, with ambitions as high as the sky." "Class I are mid-to-high-level aliens; at least a double S-level is required to probe for source crystals. Moreover, source crystal probing is particularly dependent on talent. Even if he really has a double S-level, for a Class I of this size, it would take at least half an hour to screen and lock the position!"

How many people in the entire Imperial Military truly possess exceptional talent for source crystal detection?

Just a new recruit sent to the backward Dragon Galaxy and not highly valued—how much 'talent' could he possibly have?

In this remote Taiyue South Continent, with little connection to other prosperous star systems, almost no one knows about Xu Qingran's achievements at Grandis Academy. Most people only judge his capabilities based on their first impressions and the typical performance of new recruits.

The members of the 8th District team had long been dissatisfied with this seemingly arrogant new recruit, so when they saw all the sub-bodies surrounding him, they did not rush to help immediately. They wanted to see how this supposedly skilled sweeper would perform.

—After all, they were close by and could rescue him if needed.

With this thought in mind, they subconsciously felt a bit of tension for Xu Qingran as they watched.

But Xu Qingran seemed unfazed, his eyes still faintly glowing with psychic energy, his attention entirely on the mother I-class he was fighting. The mother I-class's reddish-brown, thick, elongated body brushed past his face, the residual wind gently lifting the hair on his forehead.

Another flash of light in his eyes, then a hint of a smile.

"Found it," he murmured softly.

His soft voice drifted away on the wind.

Just as the sub-bodies closed in on Xu Qingran and pounced, he raised his knife and, before the I-class devil darting past could land, stabbed a specific point on its tail.

The mother I-class seemed to have its vital point seized, its tightly interlocked body instantly disintegrating into countless small fragments scattered on the ground.

The airborne sub-bodies, now without their energy source, burst into lifeless scales that clattered to the ground.

Xu Qingran quickly sheathed his knife.

Looking back at the group of veterans who had accompanied him, their expressions had already shifted from doubt and disdain to stunned disbelief.

He raised an eyebrow and said casually, "Cut off the head, and the body dies. Just take out the mother body, right?"

The guards were speechless.

Did they not want to?!

No, they couldn't!

Everyone knew that as long as the mother body of the I-class devils was dealt with, the rest of the derived sub-bodies would quickly die as well.

But mother I-class devils were precisely the type whose source crystals were the hardest to lock onto; the more interlocked, the harder it got. Not to mention, their source crystal's position shifted constantly, so most guards could only clean up the sub-bodies.

Their strategy was based on data suggesting the mother body could spawn 100 sub-bodies daily, so they tried to keep their daily cleaning numbers around that average. If in good shape, they could clear a few more.

They didn't know about other star systems with experts, but in a place like Taiyue South Continent, being able to clear a few mother bodies in a year or so was already quite an achievement!

Xu Qingran took down a mother body in minutes—what did that even mean?

He was on par with Shen Tingyu and Su Wenming, top-tier psychic energy users! Was Silver Dragon Battalion really willing to send such a talent to the Dragon Galaxy?

They couldn't believe it, thinking it might be a fluke, so they followed Xu Qingran deeper. They watched as he ignored the sub-body I-class creatures and went straight for the mother body targets.

In cases where their size and source crystal energy were similar, he could basically take care of one within five minutes.

One solution, and a large area was cleared.

This time, the 8th District team was finally convinced.

They believed wholeheartedly, with tears in their eyes—was this really something their South Continent deserved?!

The people of Taiyue once hoped that the leaders dispatched to them would not only have high official ranks but also high capabilities.

However, all they got were lazy and incompetent individuals, which led to a strong aversion to high-ranking officials sent from other star systems. They knew full well that those sent by the Silver Dragon Battalion were just going through the motions, incapable of real work, and the reinforcements were nothing but rejects.

As the first star system to fall, Tianlong gradually lagged behind in progress compared to other star systems over the course of a century.

Entertainment activities, live streaming, and the like were virtually non-existent in Tianlong. This also meant that the dire situation in Tianlong couldn’t be effectively communicated to the prosperous star systems, and their grievances would go unnoticed by the public.

Before dawn, Xu Qingran had already cleared out a large area.

By the end, the Type I devil groups, sensing something was amiss, fled before he could step into their territory.

His teammates were nothing but stunned.

When the captain spoke again, his tone had changed: "Big... big bro, did you report to the wrong place?"

Xu Qingran played along with the silly question: "I don’t think so."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

In their hearts, they were shouting—who sent us this godlike reinforcement?!

Meanwhile, this 'kind-hearted person' was getting chewed out in the Silver Dragon headquarters' command office.

"Mu Ziyu, are you crazy?!"

"Or have you replaced your brain with paste? Did you even watch Xu Qingran's graduation exercise from the military academy? His top-tier source crystal perception talent is something you’d be hard-pressed to find in the entire empire!"

"The major disaster areas on the Silver Dragon frontlines are in desperate need of people like him who can help identify the largest Type I devils in the area."

"Fairy, Pegasus, and Cygnus—these three star systems all need commanders like Xu Qingran. Sending him to a chaotic place like Tianlong—are you trying to screw him over?"

Wang Jian stood in front of Mu Ziyu's desk, his face and neck red with anger.

Mu Ziyu pursed his lips and frowned, saying, "Vice Commander Wang, that's not quite right."

"Tianlong is a disaster area too. Since you say Xu Qingran is a rare talent, shouldn’t he be sent there?"

Wang Jian was too angry to speak.

True, Tianlong, as the hardest-hit disaster area, does need capable leaders. But in recent years, the Silver Dragon Battalion has clearly not been as focused on Tianlong as it has been to other star systems. Resources are only sent there after other star systems are taken care of, often sending leftovers or defective supplies.

Taking advantage of the rebel army’s inability to leave, they’ve been half-hearted in addressing their demands.

It’s no secret how tough the military situation in Tianlong is, especially in the south. The military forces in various districts are disorganized, each doing their own thing, and they don't follow orders. Without resources or personnel cooperation, even someone as capable as Xu Qingran would find it hard to achieve anything significant.

Without achievements, it would affect his merits and subsequent promotions.

By then, Mu Ziyu would have the reason and excuse to hold Xu Qingran back, preventing him from climbing up, and he might just rot in Tianlong for the rest of his life.

"You know what I mean," Wang Jian said after a long pause to suppress his temper. "Tianlong is a major problem now. To protect the empire and the defense lines of other safe star systems, the ones I mentioned earlier are the areas where Silver Dragon is currently focusing its control, striving to completely drive out the devil groups."

These disaster areas are not as severely affected as Tianlong, making them easier to handle, and the cost of transporting supplies is also lower. Therefore, Silver Dragon's current plan is to stabilize these three disaster areas and completely expel the devil groups before focusing on cleaning up the mess in Tianlong.

Thus, the elite forces are concentrated in these three star systems.

Even the high-ranking officials of Silver Dragon hope that the outstanding military personnel can be assigned to these places to accelerate the progress of their plans.

Wang Jian looked at Mu Ziyu with great disappointment: "You're in your thirties, having been the camp commander for so many years, yet you still can't distinguish the importance of matters. National affairs, and you're messing around because of personal grudges and emotions!"

"Mu Ziyu, you really don't deserve to be the commander of this battalion, let alone the future emperor of Kai'an."

It was the first time Wang Jian had spoken so harshly to Mu Ziyu face-to-face.

Mu Ziyu, who cared deeply about his reputation and had always felt inferior compared to his more successful siblings, was deeply stung by Wang Jian's blunt words. Furious and humiliated, he shouted, "Deputy Commander Wang, do you really think I don't dare to strip you of your position?!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his fists clenched tightly, resting on the table.

Wang Jian had been in a bad mood lately. He was utterly disappointed by Mu Ziyu's childish behavior. He said flatly, "You don't need to arrange anything. I can resign from my position as deputy right now. I don't want to stay in this role for another day."

"Oh, by the way, I came here today primarily to inform you of something else."

"After Xu Qingran graduated, you should be well aware of how many people in the military were eager to have him join their units. Many senior officers in the Silver Dragon Battalion are disappointed with your impulsive actions and have decided to resign, leaving the battalion behind."

Mu Ziyu remained silent, but his fists clenched even tighter, and his eyes flickered slightly.

"The resignation process is already underway. The resignation letters should reach you in a few days."

"I will also submit my resignation letter as soon as possible."

Mu Ziyu finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up angrily, slammed the table, and roared, "Xu Qingran again—it's always Xu Qingran! Is he the only one that matters?!"

"My Silver Dragon Battalion is so large, surely there are others who can match his talent! The Lius, Peis, and Jis... weren't they also the rising stars you once praised?"

"Why does it have to be Xu Qingran?! Are you all rebelling against me just for him?"

Perhaps after too much disappointment, one becomes calm in the face of everything.

Wang Jian paused for a few seconds before speaking in a calm tone, "You still don't understand."

"The disappointment isn't because you didn't properly place Xu Qingran, but because of your attitude."

These were all veteran officers who had served the Silver Dragon for many years. No matter how important Xu Qingran was, they wouldn't turn against the Silver Dragon just for him.

Xu Qingran was just the catalyst that made everyone realize how difficult it was to change the current situation, leaving them feeling utterly powerless. The greater disappointment was aimed at Mu Ziyu, an incompetent commander.

After finishing his words, Wang Jian saluted Mu Ziyu formally and left his office.

Only Mu Ziyu remained in the office, slamming the table in a burst of anger.

That day, after watching the live broadcast of Xu Qingran's graduation ceremony, his aunt, Mu Ningluo, called him.

Mu Ningluo had always harbored a grudge against Xu Qingran because of Feng Wei. Now that she saw him joining the Silver Dragon, she urged Mu Ziyu to give him a hard time, assigning him to the worst possible post.

Thus, the idea of sending him to the Southern Continent of Tianlong Taiyue Star was conceived.

Mu Ziyu, his eyes red, slammed the table again with frustration.

If he ignored his relatives' feelings, they called him heartless. If he considered them too much, they accused him of mixing personal and official matters. What was the right way to act?!

·

"Huh? Why did Brother Ma and the others suddenly change their minds and decide to attend the new colonel's welcome ceremony?"

Another new day.

It was past four in the afternoon, and most of the people in the lounge were awake, chatting noisily.

Someone was boiling water to make instant noodles: "It seems like someone in the camp came up with a stupid idea. Instead of making the new colonel feel awkward by not showing up, they decided to give him a big welcome that day, to teach him a lesson and show him that we Southern Continent people are not to be trifled with."

"You know, everyone loves to cause a stir, so they definitely won't miss out on such a lively event!"

"I heard the district leaders have already started planning how to embarrass that colonel. Too bad we low-ranking soldiers can't attend the welcome ceremony."

"No worries, I have a phone. I can call a friend later to get the scoop!"

Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Someone brought up what happened a few days ago: "You know what? I heard there's a real tough guy among our new recruits this year. On the first day of reporting, he burned down the colonel's office building!"

"Such a legend, he fits right in here in the South Continent!"

Xu Qingran, as usual, didn't join in their conversation. He sat alone at a quiet, nearly deserted rest stop outside.

District 8 and the neighboring District 9 were both heavily disaster-stricken zones.

Although the small train passed through during the day, except for those here on duty, almost no one would get off at the station.

Xu Qingran called on his communicator.

The other side picked up quickly, and a low, amused voice came through the communicator: "Finally decided to give me a ring?"

Xu Qingran shifted his position, crossing his right leg over his left, squinting slightly as he said, "Your partner's got big plans. He's always busy, so cut him some slack."

"Alright, boyfriend," Shen Tingyu chuckled on the other end. "You've been in a good mood lately, huh?"

"Looks like the South Continent isn't as bad as Xie Nanjun said."

"It's pretty bad," Xu Qingran said bluntly. "With your tough training style, if you were here—"

"By the time your training ends, the military district might be half gone."

Shen Tingyu laughed again.

Xu Qingran continued, "But I think a place where rules don't hold you back suits me just fine."

"I owe Mu Ziyu for sending me to this wild place."

"I know," the other person's low and gentle voice made his ears tingle a bit.

"I always thought the Heavenly Dragon was the perfect fit for you."

Xu Qingran raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Because you're driven."

It was nighttime in Golden Crow City on Fei Star.

Since Xu Qingran wasn't around, Shen Tingyu just stayed in the main camp office.

He leaned back in his comfortable chair, a slight smile on his lips, looking pretty pleased with himself.

After saying that, he added, "It's just that, no matter where, when, or how you live, you're not one to settle for mediocrity or waste your life."

Xu Qingran knew he had the ability, so he wasn't afraid to take on anything.

For him, failure was just failure—better than never trying.

That's why Shen Tingyu had thought that compared to the Golden Wings, a stable, unchallenging faction, Xu Qingran would prefer the precarious Silver Dragon. Either he would become the one to turn the tide and lift it back up, or if he couldn't, he would be the one to bring it crashing down.

He always prefers to live his life in such a dramatic fashion.

This is something Shen Tingyu especially appreciates. Watching Xu Qingran, he feels that Xu Qingran has accomplished everything he wished he could do himself.

"Shen Tingyu," the voice on the other end of the line was as clear and lively as always.

Xu Qingran said to him, "Do you know what I admire most about you?"

"It feels like you're in my head, always knowing what I'm thinking. Whether it's right or wrong, you always understand and accept it."

"You're the most compatible person I've ever met." When Xu Qingran said this, his eyes crinkled with a smile, filled with genuine joy.

At the South City 8-9 district checkpoint rest station, the small train slowly pulled into the station.

As expected, no one got off, and after a whistle, it slowly departed again.

As the noise faded, Shen Tingyu's muffled voice came through the communicator: "So how could it be zero percent?"

Xu Qingran couldn't help laughing.

He thought to himself, this guy really cares about that data.

He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe compatibility doesn't mean a perfect match."

"A true match is like a lock and the only key that can open it."

"And we're more like two pieces of metal with similar properties, both perfect for forging into strong locks."

After this, Shen Tingyu fell silent.

Xu Qingran continued, "Why are you worried? There are plenty of keys out there, but I still chose you as my lock."

Shen Tingyu thought for a moment and then cheekily asked, "So when will you like me a bit more?"

Xu Qingran glanced at his stagnant spiritual pool level and chuckled, "Then it depends on when you can manage that."

Shen Tingyu paused.

He wondered, does Xu Qingran mean he doesn't like him enough?

His affection has been quite restrained so far.

Mainly because he worried that if he were too indulgent, Xu Qingran, who was just starting to experience these feelings, might not be able to handle it. Besides, even though Xu Qingran said so, the 0% compatibility still bothered him.

It also remained a tough hurdle in his heart.

Not that he was unhappy with the data.

Mainly because if two souls with less than 10% compatibility wanted to connect more deeply in the future—

Such a process would inevitably release spiritual energy, but with such low compatibility, it could risk damaging the recipient's spiritual pool.

He didn't share this concern with Xu Qingran, only saying, "Then when I do good deeds, I should leave a name to boost my favor in your heart."

Xu Qingran asked him, "What? What have you done behind my back again?"

Shen Tingyu said, "Don't you think your journey from Tian She to Tian Long was particularly smooth?"

"Especially after you severely offended Mu Ziyue."

Xu Qingran was also quite smart and immediately understood his meaning: "Are you saying that Mu Ziyue once tried to send people to mess with me?"

Shen Tingyu indicated that the attempts had not ceased until Xu Qingran entered the territory of the Tianlong star system.

However, all those nuisances like flies had been intercepted by him.

Xu Qingran was silent for a moment and then asked him, "You are under the jurisdiction of the Golden Wing Battalion, aren’t you afraid that Mu Ziyue will cause trouble for you?"

Shen Tingyu laughed and said, "If I were afraid, I wouldn’t have dared to choose to join the Golden Wing Battalion after coming out of the Tower of Evil."

Xu Qingran thought, that’s true.

Moreover, with Shen Tingyu’s abilities, Mu Ziyue is at best a 3S-level operative and definitely no match for him in a one-on-one fight. Currently, it’s a crucial stage of confrontation between the Golden Wing and Silver Dragon, and before the throne stabilizes, Mu Ziyue probably won’t do anything to him.

"You’ve been working hard, boyfriend," Xu Qingran said, deliberately emphasizing the term, mimicking him.

This seemed to calm him down a bit, as Shen Tingyu’s low laughter carried a bit more joy.

They chatted casually for a bit until Xu Qingran heard the sound of someone entering Shen Tingyu’s office from the other end, realizing he had to get back to work, and then hung up the communication.

Just as he finished chatting with Shen Tingyu, the captain of their 8th district happened to walk by.

The captain glanced at him and said, "Hey, new guy... you must be pretty well-off, huh? You can even afford a communicator."

Communicators are different from phones in this world.

In this world, phones are limited to communication within the same star system. Communicators can cross star systems, and some specially designed models can even connect across nations—that is, with other empire alliances in the Glair Star Cluster outside the Kayan Empire.

Due to the special materials and circuits, and the extremely high maintenance costs, communicators are not cheap.

At least for people from the Tianlong system, it is very valuable.

Faced with such a comment, Xu Qingran responded with his usual serious tone, bluffing again: "Not really."

"This has been in my family for generations, passed down from my great-great-great-grandfather."

The captain of the 8th sector: "...?"

Xu Qingran glanced at the sky, stood up, and asked, "Is everyone awake?"

The captain looked confused: "They’ve been up for a while and already ate."

Xu Qingran grinned: "Good."

"Alright, let’s get to practice."

The captain looked puzzled: "Practice what? What are you talking about?"

Xu Qingran explained that he was unhappy with their lack of stamina and endurance, which left their cleanup efforts in disarray every time. So he figured they’d start by getting in better shape.

After hearing this, all the soldiers in the break room burst into laughter.

The veterans chuckled and said, "Kid, you’re hilarious."

"What do you think the purpose of sending helpers like you to our sector is? Now that you’re here, the cleanup is all on you guys!"

The speaker's laughter grew even more unrestrained: "And since you're so capable, our work will be much easier from now on! Maybe even Ah Qiang and the others can take turns resting. It feels like you alone can easily handle the daily workload!"

Xu Qingran watched them laugh coldly, waited until they were done laughing before speaking again: "Are you done laughing?"

"Once you're done, it's time to get to work."

The smiles on the faces of the people in the lounge gradually faded.

Realizing that Xu Qingran seemed serious about his proposal, the captain walked up to him with a menacing look and said, "Listen, rookie, don't get too full of yourself just because you have a bit of skill."

His tone was equally menacing: "Don't forget your place. In areas 8 and 9, I'm the captain."

"Now, as your captain, I order you to take full responsibility for tonight's cleanup mission in area 9 alone."

Xu Qingran glanced at him, and in the next second, he directly raised his hand and punched him in the face.

Then he said coolly, "I thought the Southern Continent didn't care much about rank and seniority?"

Even the colonel's orders are ignored, yet here in this small place, you're throwing your weight around.

How ridiculous.

The captain didn't expect him to start throwing punches without warning. He was stunned for a moment, then angrily swung his fist to retaliate.

But no matter how he swung left or right, he couldn't even touch a single hair on Xu Qingran's head. In the end, he was the one who ended up panting heavily from expending too much energy too quickly.

Xu Qingran even said kindly, "See? If you don't maintain your stamina, even a fight leaves you gasping for air."

The captain, now fuming with rage, shouted to the others in the lounge, "Hey, are you all just watching? Come and help me!"

Only then did the others snap out of it and step forward, ganging up on the bold Xu Qingran.

Of course, the outcome was the same as with the people from areas 6-7.

Their captain, who had been the most vocal, was beaten until his face was swollen and bloody, knocked out cold. Xu Qingran wasn't done with him yet; he walked over, lifted his foot, and gave the captain's chest a solid kick.

It wasn't enough to kill him, but he'd be out of commission for a while.

After this act, Xu Qingran gave the others a cold look, who were also bruised and battered: "You should know that the Southern Continent is practically a lawless zone, right?"

Life doesn’t matter. Death doesn’t matter. Criminals don’t matter.

"Just like you aren't afraid of death, I'm not afraid of accidentally killing you."

"Now, I'll give you two choices: either fall in line, or I’ll end you right here."

Unsurprisingly, everyone chose the former.

When it comes to not fearing death, they still value their lives.

Thus, around a dozen people were called by Xu Qingran to the open area of zone 9 before sunset for intense drills.

Until nightfall, they were given about half an hour to rest, then forced to enter the depths of zone 9 to start the cleanup mission. And true to his word, Xu Qingran stood back, watching coldly the entire time, neither helping nor offering guidance.

Only when the group was truly struggling, with some even being bitten and injured by Class I devils, did he step in to eliminate all the Class I devils in that area.

The immediate crisis was over, and everyone lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

Their faces were pale, and they were drenched in sweat.

Xu Qingran, on the other hand, didn’t even break a sweat after a round of cleaning.

His clothes were still neatly pressed, without a single wrinkle.

They couldn’t help wondering—

Who exactly is the new recruit here? How did he suddenly become their instructor!

Xu Qingran walked over, still wearing that sharp-toothed monster mask, so they could only see his eyes.

Then they heard him ask, "Is this the sorry state you all wanted?"

Everyone lay on the ground, panting, in silence.

Then he looked at one of them and said, "If I remember correctly, you mentioned your family is in Zone 12, right next to Zone 8?"

Then he turned to another who was lying motionless, "Your significant other is there too, right?"

He then pointed out several others, and except for those who were transferred from other star systems, all the locals were mentioned by him.

Everyone was stunned that he remembered every detail they had casually mentioned in their chats.

After pointing them out, he said, "They are counting on you to hold the front line, but if even you give up, who can they rely on?"

When Xu Qingran arrived, the buzz-cut man playing cards and munching on peanuts was one of the guards from another star system.

He often complained about his lack of success, feeling constantly looked down upon, and being sent to such a place after fighting hard for the Silver Dragon on the battlefield.

Xu Qingran looked down at him and said coolly, "I don’t know if others look down on you."

"But look at yourself now, isn’t it you who let others look down on you first?"

Xu Qingran bluntly and sharply criticized everyone on the field.

Finally, he hit them with a soul-searching question, "Do you remember why you put on this uniform?"

This left everyone speechless.

Some of the more emotional ones even teared up, their eyes brimming with defiance.

The guards of Upper South Continent initially slacked off and disobeyed orders mainly to express their dissatisfaction with the military brass and the Silver Dragon.

But what they feared most was that this act of defiance would turn into genuine slacking.

"If you really don’t want to wear it, just take it off. The South Continent army won’t miss you if you leave, nor will it change if you stay."

Xu Qingran’s voice was as cold as the moonlight.

As he spoke, he suddenly clenched his psychic energy blade, his eyes glowing with a cold, fierce crimson in the dark night, staring straight at them and saying, "Of course, the South Continent army doesn’t need worthless trash. If you don’t want to do it anymore, just say the word, and I’ll send you to paradise right away."

Everyone was so scared that they stopped resting and immediately sprang to their feet, ready for action.

At first, they didn’t realize how a mere soldier could say such things.

Xu Qingran didn’t ask them to continue practicing with the Class I demons. He said nothing more and just turned and left.

He left them with nothing but his cold, indifferent back.

They didn’t dare linger too long in the dangerous Zone 9 before dawn, so they quickly caught up to Xu Qingran, the only one present who could provide them with a sense of security, trailing behind him like guilty little chicks.

When they exchanged glances, they could see the guilt and shame in each other’s eyes.

Honestly... it shouldn’t have come to this.

They were just resentful—why should they be looked down on and mocked just for being a little poorer or less naturally gifted than others?

But looking back at their lives, they hadn’t really tried to change any of it.

·

It was hard to tell whether Xu Qingran’s words that night had any impact, or if his sheer intensity was just too overwhelming.

But after that day, the guards at the 8-9 Zone checkpoint started behaving much better.

They stopped shouting and complaining every day, and when Xu Qingran called them out for training, they didn’t dare hesitate and cooperated without a fuss. After two days, during the evening cleanup, Xu Qingran finally stopped letting them brawl mindlessly with the devil horde, occasionally offering a few pointers.

Before they knew it, it was the day of the welcome ceremony for the new colonel in East City.

To avoid disrupting work, the welcome ceremony was scheduled for the daytime.

Despite the leaders of each city agreeing to skip the event, the East City camp was unusually packed today.

Aside from North City, people from every other district had shown up.

They whispered about their plans, some even bringing props like small stones or rotten food, planning to hurl them at the new colonel during his speech. Others showed up in weird costumes, ready to stir up trouble.

Everything was set—they were just waiting for the guy to show up so they could wreck the event.

The welcome ceremony venue had never been this packed before.

Deputy Mao was both surprised and worried about how Colonel Xu would deal with the situation if he showed up.

After waiting over two hours past the scheduled start time, there was still no sign of their new colonel.

The front row, growing restless, started yelling at Deputy Mao: "What’s the hold-up?"

"Even the slowest ones before weren’t this full of themselves! Are you sure you confirmed the time with him?!"

The deputy felt unfairly blamed.

He had—he’d even confirmed it multiple times with Xu Qingran!

But outwardly, he kept his cool and said, "I’ll make a call to see what’s going on."

Meanwhile, Xu Qingran, who was supposed to be at the East City camp, was on a little train bound for the 6-7 Zone in South City.

He arrived at a familiar rest stop and pushed open the restroom door like he owned the place.

As soon as the door opened, he saw Sun Hongbing and others gathered around a table eating hotpot.

The main ingredient of the hotpot was the familiar tentacle meat.

Xu Qingran’s eyebrows lifted slightly. Well, well?

"Cough, cough..." Sun Hongbing choked, startled by Xu Qingran's sudden appearance.

He also felt utterly embarrassed.

Xu Qingran stood at the doorway, saying nothing, just smiling with his eyes curved.

But his smile said it all.

—Xu Qingran, who had earlier scolded them for killing and eating Ma Biao's pet, was now catching them in the act.

Who could say no to free seafood, after all?

Before Xu Qingran could say anything, his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and stepped into a quiet corner of the rest area before answering.

Deputy Mao asked hesitantly, "Colonel, where are you? I hope you haven’t forgotten today’s welcome ceremony."

Xu Qingran laughed lightly and replied casually, "Ah, I remember."

Meanwhile, back at the East City Military Headquarters.

Everyone watched as Deputy Mao stepped out to make a call, only to return looking stunned.

After a long pause, he picked up the loudspeaker and said, "...Thank you for your patience."

"The new colonel said he’s feeling a bit lazy all of a sudden and doesn’t want to bother with such a pointless event."

"He told me to... pass along his thanks to everyone who came."

Deputy Mao wasn’t sure how he felt as he delivered Xu Qingran’s message.

He was completely dumbfounded after hanging up.

...So that’s what he was up to!

It took the crowd a moment to grasp what had just happened.

Had the new colonel really stood them up?

Their faces instantly filled with disbelief.

—After waiting for hours, they got ditched just like that?!