"I can see you’re doing this on purpose!"
Eldest Brother Su sprang up from his seat, face full of anger. "Wade 'Tiger Fang' Wei, I picked this guy ages ago! How did you snatch him? Sean, how can you be so shameless!"
Eldest Brother Su nearly slammed the table, itching to flip the whole conference table over.
"What’s this about? You say you picked him—on what grounds? He hasn’t agreed to join your squad yet, and now you’re scowling at me to snatch him? If you want him, fine! Heal Ray Thunderhawk’s injuries back to how he was before the birthday banquet, and hand over that kid so I can teach him a lesson!" Sean Chen pressed his advantage, voice fierce.
"Silence!"
Bang!
Gavin Yue’s face darkened as he slammed the white ceramic teacup, tea splashing everywhere. Eldest Brother Su and Sean Chen instantly fell silent.
Major Hugh Hu shook his head slightly, feeling a bit regretful. He’d gone to the birthday banquet, but hadn’t seen the legendary Young Master—never mind seeing him smack down Ray Thunderhawk with one palm, or force Nathan Lin of the Lin family, wielder of the Southriver Sword, to kneel.
"Do you know why Wade 'Tiger Fang' Wei left the Tiger Special Forces, Sean Chen?" Gavin Yue’s tone turned unusually serious.
He stared at Sean Chen, his gaze unwavering.
"I know—he broke military discipline. During a special forces drill, he went way too far and crippled two elite operators. That’s why Tiger Special Forces forced him out." Sean Chen nodded.
"Good, so you know. Wade 'Tiger Fang' Wei is a major troublemaker. It was just a routine drill, but he snapped their arms and legs. Those two soldiers are still in rehab now. If you use him right, he’s a top asset—use him wrong, he’s a disaster!" Gavin Yue swept his gaze around at the other officers, who were all looking indignant. "Anyone here actually confident they can control him?"
Nobody said a word.
Even Major Hugh Hu quickly shut his mouth.
Gavin Yue looked at Eldest Brother Su, who was still standing. "What about you?"
Eldest Brother Su’s face flickered with uncertainty. After a long moment, he sighed and shook his head, not daring to make that promise.
"I can do it!"
Sean Chen grinned, stood up, and glanced at the others. More than a few faces showed curiosity.
Guys like Wade 'Tiger Fang' Wei are basically tyrants in the barracks—damn near impossible to control. Anyone tough enough to get into Tiger Special Forces isn’t some pushover, so trying to keep him in line with rank or position doesn’t work at all.
Seeing nobody else speak up, Sean Chen looked at Gavin Yue. "Commander Yue, if I can get him to listen to me, can I have him?"
Gavin Yue nodded. "Alright, I have the final say—he can join your squad, but only if you prove you can actually keep him under control."
After speaking, Gavin Yue looked at the others. "Anyone got a problem with that?"
Nobody objected—though plenty didn’t believe Sean Chen could really handle Tiger Fang.
"Since nobody’s against it, I’ll prove it right now." Sean Chen grinned and clapped his hands.
Right then, someone pushed open the conference room door.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at the door.
By the door, a man strode in—camouflage uniform, about five-foot-nine, a stalk of dogtail grass in his mouth, buzz cut, and a face that screamed defiance.
A tiger-head tattoo twisted menacingly on his arm. The moment he walked in, everyone’s expression changed.
"Tiger Fang!"
Eldest Brother Su’s eyes narrowed, his face stiffening. He hadn’t expected to see Tiger Fang here.
The sheer force of Tiger Fang’s presence made a lot of faces in the room turn serious.
The guys from Tiger Special Forces always get the most dangerous missions. They’re some of the top fighters in the whole Jinnan Military District—when it comes to solo combat, they’re insane.
And Tiger Fang? He’s the best of the best. That kind of killer vibe—like he crawled out of a mountain of corpses—can shake anyone to their core.
"Reporting, sir! Former Tiger Special Forces operator, Wade 'Tiger Fang' Wei, reporting in! Requesting to join Flying Eagle Company!"
Tiger Fang’s voice was deep and gritty, his gaze razor-sharp.
Sean Chen was all smiles, but Eldest Brother Su went pale, his eyes flickering with defeat.
He’d been hoping to get Master Lin to train his own squad, so Knife-Edge Company could finally beat Flying Eagle in the next team drill or solo showdown.
But now, Flying Eagle just picked up Tiger Fang—the guy fresh out of Tiger Special Forces...
Eldest Brother Su let out a long sigh, looking completely defeated. Major Hugh Hu glanced over and couldn’t help feeling a bit sorry for him.
If Knife-Edge doesn’t shine in the drills, Eldest Brother Su—still just a lieutenant colonel—might never get promoted. Meanwhile, if Sean Chen keeps pushing, he could end up in the general’s circle in a few years.
Sean Chen smirked, lips curling up, and looked over at Eldest Brother Su. "Old Su, the next drill and solo competition are gonna be worth watching."
"I heard you got special approval to bring in some kind of instructor, right? That so-called master? I’m looking forward to seeing if your mighty ‘Master’ can actually help Knife-Edge beat my Flying Eagle even once!"
Eldest Brother Su clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms, but he didn’t feel a thing.
Out on the track, Frank Xu and the others were still running laps.
This was their fifteenth lap—fifteen kilometers down.
Of the five, Frank Xu wasn’t too tired, but the guy Evan Lin had smacked away at the start looked awful. Still, he kept on pushing.
"Come on! Don’t think about how many laps are left—just focus on running a little further each time. That’s a win!"
Frank Xu looked at the others, cheering them on.
He was at mid-stage internal strength, so he could recover as he ran and keep going.
The rest, though strong for regular soldiers, weren’t cultivators. Eventually, they’d burn out—their stamina just couldn’t keep up. It might be autumn, but it was still afternoon, the sun blazing, and the thirst from all that water loss would only get worse. They were at real risk of collapsing.
Frank Xu gritted his teeth and glanced over at the stone bench, where Evan Lin was calmly sipping tea Blade had brewed for him, expression unreadable.
Not far from the track, a bunch of male and female soldiers had gathered.
The female soldiers looked sharp and heroic in their uniforms, while a few of the guys wore smug grins—after all, the badge on their chests was a soaring eagle!