Lena Xu’s tone was sharp, her brows arched. Raised in a military aristocratic family, she’d grown up seeing everyone show the utmost respect to her grandfather.
But now, looking at the guy who’d just walked in, she saw zero respect in his eyes. It made her uncomfortable, especially seeing Deputy Commander Su hold the door for him. To Lena, that was just plain bizarre.
Hearing Lena Xu’s words, Ethan Xu didn’t respond. He simply picked up his tea and took a sip.
Major General Gavin Yue and the others sized Evan Lin up from head to toe, all a little surprised by how young he looked.
Deputy Commander Su’s face turned awkward. He coughed and introduced, “This is the miracle doctor who fixed up First Blade and Second Blade.”
“The military hospital basically said they’d never serve again, probably crippled for life. Luckily, the miracle doctor stepped in.”
As Deputy Commander Su spoke, he noticed Gavin Yue and Ethan Xu’s brows twitch ever so slightly, and he felt a bit uneasy himself.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes—Master Lin healing First Blade and Second Blade’s injuries, fixing Eldest Brother Su’s stubborn illness, and curing Molly Su completely in just a few days—Deputy Commander Su would’ve thought it was all nonsense too.
“Well, he is a bit young, but China’s always had young heroes. In a land full of talent, a teenage miracle doctor isn’t all that rare.” Gavin Yue nodded.
That’s what he said, but everyone could hear the half-hearted tone. Clearly, Gavin Yue still doubted Evan Lin’s miracle doctor rep.
“I heard the two who got hurt were taken out by Tiger Fang, the guy who left the Tiger Special Forces?” Ethan Xu glanced at Deputy Commander Su.
“That’s right.” Deputy Commander Su nodded without hesitation.
“In that case, what do you think?” Ethan Xu turned to Grant Yuan, who was standing off to the side.
Grant Yuan’s gaze was sharp as a blade, locked on Evan Lin. His voice was a little rough: “The only move in Tiger Special Forces that can shatter someone’s hand and kneecap is the Bone-Shattering Hand, which I created. It basically grinds the bones to dust. You say you healed those injuries? Sorry, I don’t buy it.”
Grant Yuan kept his eyes on Evan Lin, his tone steady but heavy.
Evan Lin shot him a look. Their eyes met, and the air got tense.
“Grant’s from a family of martial artists. If he says it, it’s gotta be true. I think your ‘miracle doctor’ rep is just hype. The only reason you ‘healed’ those two is they probably weren’t that badly hurt.” Lena Xu backed Grant up, pressing hard.
She finished with a snort, clearly unimpressed by Evan Lin’s ‘I-don’t-care-about-anyone’ attitude.
“Alright, since you’re the miracle doctor, why don’t you sit down and watch the Single-Soldier Showdown with us? No need to argue. Grant wasn’t easy to get out of Tiger Special Forces, and I trust his word.” Ethan Xu smiled.
The old man was all authority, but he grinned. He’d had Eldest Brother Su call Evan Lin over just to see what this so-called miracle doctor was really about. Now, after getting a look, he was honestly disappointed.
Young and cocky, trying to act deep—he was still just a kid playing at being cool. The only thing worth mentioning was how he could stay so calm with all these big shots around.
But a mindset with zero strength behind it is just a piece of paper—poke it and it falls apart.
Ethan Xu shook his head slightly, sighing to himself.
Eldest Brother Su took it all in, feeling awkward and stifled. He glanced at Evan Lin, saw he wasn’t mad, and quickly found him a seat.
Colonel Sean Chen, on the other hand, was loving it—feeling smug as hell.
Deputy Commander Su was his biggest rival for promotion. Now, seeing Ethan Xu’s attitude, it was obvious things weren’t going Su’s way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken shots at the miracle doctor Su respected so much, right in front of everyone.
Everyone’s attention quickly shifted away from Evan Lin and back to the ring.
“Next up: Vulture from Flying Eagle Company versus Fifth Blade from Knife-Edge Company!”
Someone below announced the next match, loud and clear.
“Flying Eagle Company, huh? That’s your squad, right, Uncle Chen?” Lena Xu turned to Colonel Sean Chen when she heard the announcement.
“Yeah. Vulture ranks fifth in our squad for combat power—he’s seriously strong. There were a few times in the Regimental War Games where he soloed an entire five-man squad.” Colonel Sean Chen nodded.
“Flying Eagle Company’s strength is obvious to everyone. On the other side, Knife-Edge Company is led by Deputy Commander Su, and they’re no pushovers either.” Major General Gavin Yue chimed in with a smile.
Up on the ring, one side had a burly, muscular fighter; the other, a thin, almost fragile-looking guy who seemed like he could get knocked out with one punch.
The burly fighter was Vulture; the skinny one was Fifth Blade.
“Uncle Su’s Knife-Edge Company, huh. Oh well.” Lena Xu glanced at Deputy Commander Su, and thanks to how Eldest Brother Su treated Evan Lin, she now looked at Su with a bit of disdain too.
Deputy Commander Su could only force a bitter smile. He glanced at Evan Lin, who looked totally calm, and had no idea what to say.
“Grant, what do you think—who’s stronger?” Ethan Xu looked at Grant Yuan, who stared at the ring for a moment before saying, “Vulture’s footwork and aura are way more solid than Fifth Blade’s. If you ask me, Fifth Blade won’t last more than three rounds.”
As soon as he said that, Colonel Sean Chen started laughing. “Coach Grant’s got a good eye! Vulture’s been through intense training since he was a kid—his physique and fighting skills are top notch.”
Then he turned to Evan Lin beside Deputy Commander Su and said, in a weirdly mocking tone, “I heard this miracle doctor also filled in as Knife-Edge Company’s instructor.”
“So, Coach, what do you think about your own Fifth Blade? How long do you think he’ll last against Vulture?”
With just a few words, Colonel Sean Chen put Evan Lin right back in the spotlight.
Deputy Commander Su’s face changed. Sure, the Blade team’s five guys had gotten stronger thanks to Evan Lin’s training, but it had only been seven days.
That’s way too short—a week’s training can only do so much.
It was obvious Colonel Sean Chen was trying to stir things up.
Before Deputy Commander Su could step in, everyone heard Evan Lin’s calm, confident voice.
"One minute."