Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A designated area within the garrison fortress was allocated for the trainees participating in the reserve candidate selection.

The dormitories here were divided into two types: four-person rooms and two-person rooms, assigned randomly.

Bai Luming never had much faith in his luck, so he let He Yilan draw the room number on his behalf. To their pleasant surprise, they wound up with a two-person dormitory, and the room number was particularly auspicious—1314.

"From now on, we'll be 1314 too," Lu Ming said cheerfully, having collected the enlistment kit issued by the fortress as he arrived at their new accommodation. "When we get out of here, I’ll take you to buy lottery tickets sometime."

He Yilan placed his backpack on the other bed and glanced around the room, feeling unexpectedly satisfied. "It’s relatively clean this time."

What did he mean by "relatively clean this time"?

Bai Luming felt like he was being subtly criticized again and reminded him, "You’re the one who needs my protection. You might want to choose your words carefully when necessary."

He Yilan looked at him. "Do you need me to call you that again…"

The drawn-out tone carried a suggestive meaning, as if the word "bro" was about to slip out again.

Bai Luming suddenly recalled the fear of being kept awake that sleepless night and cut him off quickly. Without looking back, he began organizing his bed decisively. "No need."

The dormitory area was bustling with trainees who had just arrived that day. By the time Ji Xinghan showed up, the outside had already been lively for a while, with many people curiously gathering to catch a glimpse of this golden boy.

Bai Luming leaned against the dormitory doorway, holding a cup of water, sipping occasionally as he listened to the conversations around him.

"Was the recruitment drive this grand in previous years? I heard all the department heads came earlier?"

"They were all here for Ji Xinghan. With a guaranteed spot in the Four Great Armies, every department wants a piece of that glory."

"Ji Xinghan will probably join the Command Division directly, right?"

"Speaking of which, has there ever been a precedent for new enlistees joining the Command Division right away?"

"Well… no."

"Come on, people are different. As long as I don’t end up in the Logistics Division, any other department is fine by me."

Bai Luming listened with great interest.

It seemed this Ji Xinghan was indeed a hot commodity, which made him rather curious.

The annual conscription period might appear to be a selection process for new recruits, but it was actually the best time for the Four Great Armies to replenish their talent pool. As for Ji Xinghan, the Gold Army, in particular, had shown significant enthusiasm.

Should he go take a look at this favorite and see what the fuss is about?

Just as he was thinking this, a voice suddenly spoke up behind him: "You seem quite interested in that Ji Xinghan?"

"Pfft—! Cough, cough… cough!"

Bai Luming, caught off guard, spat out the water he had just sipped. He was about to say something when he turned and realized how close He Yilan was.

In that moment of losing balance and stumbling forward, Bai Luming saw He Yilan instinctively open his arms.

Reacting on instinct, Bai Luming quickly adjusted his falling angle. He supported himself with his arms against the ground, landing steadily on either side of He Yilan’s body without crashing directly on top of him.

The surroundings seemed to fall completely silent.

As the scene froze, the two of them were separated by mere centimeters.

Bai Luming’s disheveled silver-gray hair brushed against He Yilan’s face.

A subtle change flickered in He Yilan’s eyes, and his gaze drifted downward.

Bai Luming followed his line of sight and saw the entire front of He Yilan’s shirt, thoroughly soaked.

Clinging tightly to his body, the thin fabric clearly outlined the firm muscle lines beneath.

"…"

A thought flashed through Bai Luming’s mind—Thank goodness it wasn’t hot water in the cup.

Footsteps came to a halt behind them. Clearly startled by the scene, the newcomer finally spoke after a long pause, voice trembling slightly: "H-Hello, sorry to interrupt… Um, the training schedule for next week is out. P-Please take a look."

Bai Luming turned his head and saw a young man wearing a dorm administrator badge struggling to maintain an awkward smile.

Then, he heard the man beneath him let out a light, ambiguous chuckle.

Bai Luming: "…"

What the hell did he mean by "sorry to interrupt"?

Bai Luming swiftly got up from He Yilan, casually smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes, and naturally took the training schedule from the administrator. "Thanks."

After that, he watched as the young man turned and sprinted away without looking back.

Bai Luming fell silent for a few seconds before turning to close the door.

He Yilan had already gotten up from the floor and was calmly straightening his clothes as if nothing had happened before sitting at the head of the bed.

His legs were crossed elegantly, half-leaning against the pillow behind him. The pose was graceful enough to clearly show the soaked front of his shirt, almost as if he were deliberately reminding Bai Luming—the culprit—of what had happened.

Bai Luming had never been one to feel much guilt, but under He Yilan’s unwavering gaze, he eventually twitched his mouth and said, "Alright, I’ll wash your clothes for you."

He Yilan: "Thank you, but I can wash them myself."

Bai Luming was more than happy to let him refuse the offer. He walked over and sat down beside He Yilan, unfolding the training schedule to show him. "Oh, we’re starting with firearms training first."

According to the schedule, they were supposed to attend basic firearms training the next day.

Over the years, the basic training for new recruits had always consisted of the same few items. Once all the training was completed, a unified assessment would be conducted, after which department assignments would be officially confirmed based on everyone’s preferences.

Among these training items, shooting was clearly an indispensable course.

Even within combat-oriented departments, not everyone could master mecha piloting. Moreover, mecha were often limited by specific terrains and the types of Zerg they encountered. In many critical battles, humans themselves remained the decisive factor in determining victory or defeat—the core component of any army’s structure.

Bai Luming looked over the training schedule, occasionally stealing glances at He Yilan’s thoroughly soaked collar. He’d look at the schedule, then at the collar… When he glanced for the third time, he finally couldn’t help but ask, "Why don’t you change your clothes first?"

He Yilan glanced at the expression on Bai Luming’s face and obligingly stood up. "Sure."

*

The next day, at the shooting range.

As soon as Bai Luming arrived, he sensed something off about the atmosphere.

The new recruits for this intake were divided into four groups, each assigned to a different training area.

Bai Luming and He Yilan were in the innermost area, but compared to the group next to them, everyone here seemed noticeably more tense.

Bai Luming leaned closer to He Yilan and asked, "What’s going on?"

He Yilan glanced around: "Dunno."

"Whatever, wasn't counting on you to know anyway."

Bai Luming's tone was disdainful. Hearing someone call out in the distance, "Come get your guns," he turned and dragged He Yilan with him to assemble for roll call.

They'd barely left when a group of people entered the training ground, drawing frequent glances from those around.

Ji Xinghan's golden hair was particularly eye-catching, and walking in beside him was Pei Suqi. It was clear that this young master Pei truly admired Ji Xinghan—at least, he had never shown such sycophantic behavior when meeting Bai Luming before.

Although the attention wasn't directed at him, Pei Suqi still felt quite pleased. His gaze happened to drift up, and he caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd, widening his eyes slightly: "What's *he* doing here?"

Ji Xinghan looked over at him: "Who?"

"That mechanic from the lower city who helped me repair my mecha a while back. Not really an important figure." Pei Suqi muttered, unable to resist stealing a few more glances at Bai Luming's retreating figure, "Why is he here for the selection too? He'd close his shop to come here but still wouldn't sell it to me?!"

Ji Xinghan clearly paid no mind to the mechanic Pei Suqi mentioned: "Time to assemble."

On the other side, Bai Luming had also taken note of Ji Xinghan's arrival. Ever since he showed up, the atmosphere on the scene had noticeably changed—it was indeed hard to miss.

He collected two training guns, casually fiddled with them, and tossed one to He Yilan: "Here."

He Yilan watched how he handled the gun: "You seem very familiar with guns."

"Do I? Not really." Bai Luming blurted out without hesitation, "This is actually my first time properly attending a shooting class."

That was absolutely true. In the past, when the military was rebuilding everything from scratch, they had to figure things out on their own—there had never been such systematic basic training.

He Yilan looked at him, saying nothing, finally raising his tone meaningfully at Bai Luming's unwavering, confident expression: "Oh, I see. Got it."

"He's here! He's really here!"

Someone suddenly shouted excitedly, breaking their stare.

As everyone’s gaze collectively focused on the entrance, they saw a group of tall, imposing figures in officer uniforms walking in together.

The entire scene instantly erupted like a pot of oil suddenly heated to boiling point.

Leading the group was Cleon, the supreme commander of the garrison forces on this barren planet. Following him were the heads of various departments from the combat system—Starship Department, Infantry Department, Reconnaissance Department, Defense Department—and the logistics system—Medical Department, Mecha Department, Transportation Department, among others.

These individuals chatted as they walked and, under the awe-filled gazes of everyone, proceeded directly to the review platform.

Bai Luming finally understood what everyone had been so nervous about.

After all, who would have thought that these top brass from the garrison departments would get a whim to observe the training of these rookies who couldn’t even be called proper recruits yet.

Bai Luming sighed inwardly: They really have too much free time.

Moments later, a row of people stood lined up on the review platform, their shoulder insignias each with a more dazzlingly high rank than the last.

The shooting course officially began amid an extremely tense atmosphere.

The vast majority of people present were seeing such a spectacle for the first time. Under the gaze of so many high-ranking officials, many found it hard to control their limbs, leading to frequent accidental discharges. For a time, the entire scene resembled a large-scale fireworks testing ground, descending into chaos.

Supreme Commander Cleon’s gaze swept across the field and finally settled on the striking figure of the golden-haired young man in the distance.

At that moment, Ji Xinghan fired several shots in succession, his posture exceptionally graceful.

"That must be Ji Xinghan, right?" Cleon’s usually stern face rarely showed a smile, almost paternal. "Not long ago, people from the Golden Plume Legion came to ask about him. It seems this year we finally have someone who can enter the Four Great Armies."

He smiled and glanced at Sharon, the head of the Command Department beside him: "When the time comes, I’ll leave him to your Command Department."

Sharon replied: "You can count on me, sir."

Cleon remembered something and turned to look: "Liang Deng, didn’t you mention before that you found a promising recruit? Is he in this training ground?"

"Yes, I already saw him earlier. His name is Lu Ming, and there’s another called Yi Lan who’s also quite good." Seeing Cleon bring it up, Liang Deng immediately seized the opportunity to continue, "I genuinely like these two. You know the current state of our Mecha Department. How about we take advantage of today…"

Before he could finish asking for them, Xiao Nuoya cut him off promptly: "That Lu Ming is indeed quite good. I've got my eye on him as well."

Having his plans thwarted again, Liang Deng shot a glare at him.

If you didn’t speak, no one would mistake you for a mute!

Cleon was accustomed to the daily rivalry between these two but didn’t expect them to argue over a new recruit this time. His curiosity was piqued about this "Lu Ming."

Liang Deng was one thing, but now Xiao Nuoya was involved too. The recruitment standards of the Mecha Department and the Infantry Department were worlds apart—how could someone catch the attention of both department heads simultaneously?

After several hours of basic training on-site, the day moved into the assessment phase.

All recruits who had been training on their own were recalled to assemble, formed into lines, and underwent shooting evaluations one by one.

The rules were simple: each person had three bullets. After hitting the target, they would receive a corresponding score—missing the target scored 0 points, hitting the target earned at least 1 point, and the closer to the bullseye, the higher the score.

Since it was everyone’s first day of training, scoring above 3 points in three shots would be sufficient to pass.

"The rules are as explained. Everyone should understand clearly!" The instructor concluded succinctly after the brief introduction, "After the assessment, all trainees who fail must stay behind collectively and continue with additional training! You leave only when you pass. Understood!"

The crowd struggled to suppress internal groans: "Understood!"

Bai Luming echoed along with the others, sighing quietly to himself.

Just knew that slacking off was possible here, but not entirely. The military’s rules really are as clear-cut about rewards and punishments as ever.

The instructor clearly knew what the high-ranking officers wanted to see and arranged for Ji Xinghan to be evaluated first.

Ji Xinghan fired three shots accurately into the bullseye, smoothly achieving a perfect score of 30 points, which drew cheers from the entire hall.

However, the others who followed didn’t perform nearly as well.

One after another, recruits underwent evaluation, with the pass rate hovering around fifty percent.

Royce from the Reconnaissance Department frowned repeatedly: "This year’s recruits seem as poor as ever."

Someone next to him patted his shoulder and laughed: "This planet has been barren for so many years. I actually think it’s quite impressive already."

"Next, Lu Ming."

Hearing the familiar name, Cleon asked: "Is that him?"

Liang Deng glanced at the person stepping up to the shooting point and nodded: "Yes, yes, that’s him!"

As soon as Bai Luming stood steady at the shooting point, he felt several pairs of eyes from the review platform fix on him simultaneously.

Puzzled, he glanced in that direction and saw Liang Deng enthusiastically waving at him from afar: "..."

He Yilan stood not far away, watching as Bai Luming flexed his finger joints briefly before raising the gun.

From his angle, he could clearly see the taut lines of Bai Luming’s arm, smoothly aimed at the bullseye. If this pose were frozen in time, it would undoubtedly be a textbook-perfect shooting stance.

A gust of wind passed, his clothes ruffled slightly, but his stance remained completely steady.

Recalling Bai Luming's remark about it being his "first shooting lesson," He Yilan smiled inwardly.

Nine times out of ten, it was another word game.

The same scene also garnered unanimous approval from the observation deck, with even Cleon offering praise: "A very professional stance."

No sooner had he spoken, the report of a gunshot echoed.

Almost immediately after taking his position, Bai Luming fired without hesitation.

The motion from raising the gun to lowering it again was executed with fluid motion, as if he had practiced it countless times.

A moment later, the shooting results were announced: "Lu Ming, 3 points."

A brief silence fell over the observation deck, which had been closely watching.

Until Xiao Nuoya asked uncertainly, "How many points did he score?"

Liang Deng glanced at him: "3 points."

Xiao Nuoya: "..."

That can't be right. Could it be that this kid only has talent in mecha piloting?

The shooting target stood not far away.

Three bullet holes were clearly visible at the very edge of the target—just a hair's width from missing completely.

The two colonels who had been competing for him moments earlier fell silent in unison after glancing at the target.

It had to be said, his luck was unbelievable—a true master of edge-shots.

Bai Luming, however, was quite satisfied with his shooting score and smiled at the recording officer nearby: "Instructor, this should count as passing, right?"

Recording officer: "...I suppose so."

He had been responsible for recording the entire session. Among those who qualified earlier, there were some who barely passed, but most had missed one or two shots before luckily landing one above 3 points. This was the first person to score exactly on the edge three times in a row.

Bai Luming put away his gun with satisfaction, his accomplishment hidden from view.

Nothing special—just basic control, score control.

He stood to the side, eagerly awaiting He Yilan's performance.

He Yilan took his position at the shooting point.

His shooting posture was clearly not as by-the-book as Bai Luming's, but years of habit gave his movements a natural composure of those in command.

He Yilan thus methodically raised his training gun, carrying out the entire process from preparation to firing with measured calm.

Bang—! Bang! Bang!

Two shots missed, one shot scored 3 points.

Bai Luming raised an eyebrow slightly.

A completely expected score.

"Yi Lan, pass."

As he announced it, the recording officer couldn't help but shoot a glance at the two men, with a hint of envy in his eyes.

The trainees this year might not be particularly skilled, but they've got incredible luck!

Back in his own enlistment days, he had washed out countless times in shooting lessons due to lack of practice.