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At that moment, he quickly channeled his true energy, focusing his senses as he scanned the surroundings, trying to pinpoint the source of that dangerous aura. Fiona Tang, noticing Shawn Young's tense expression, immediately asked, "Uh—Shawn, what's wrong?'
Shawn Young shook his head, not answering her question, but instead carefully searched for that persistent, bone-chilling sense of danger. Suddenly, he sensed it coming from directly behind him. Instantly, he grabbed Fiona Tang and stepped forward, then spun around swiftly, gathering his true energy—
"Whoosh—" Suddenly, from the patch of grass behind them, a figure covered head-to-toe in weeds sprang up—a living "scarecrow"—and aimed a pitch-black gun barrel straight at Shawn Young's head. Without thinking, Shawn swept his arms—"Swish"—and quickly set up a defensive barrier between himself and Fiona Tang!
"Heh heh—not bad! Not bad! Kid, you sure react fast! But if I'd fired just now, you wouldn't have had time to set up that barrier!" The "scarecrow" suddenly spoke to Shawn Young.
"Oh come on—Hank Han, you jerk! Hiding here just to scare people! Seriously—" Fiona Tang recognized the voice of the "scarecrow."
"Haha, Team Leader Tang, you were talking plenty of smack about me on the way here! Got a problem with my training methods or what!?" The "scarecrow" laughed, lifting the "straw hat" off his head to reveal a square face smeared with camouflage paint.
Although Shawn Young couldn't see what the guy really looked like, the cold glint flashing in his narrowed eyes made it clear—this guy was dangerous, and his hands had definitely seen plenty of blood.
"There you go—the guy who's been tailing us is the 'Champion Commando' I mentioned earlier! He's also the captain of the Dragonforce Battalion—Colonel Hank Han," Fiona Tang introduced him to Shawn Young.
"Oh, so you're the 'Champion Commando'!—No wonder you live up to your reputation! If I were your enemy and you'd ambushed me just now, I'd be a dead man before I even knew what hit me!" Shawn Young looked at his camo-painted face, genuinely impressed.
"Haha—you sure know how to speak your mind! If you could sense me lurking nearby, and came here with Team Leader Tang from the External Affairs Division, you must be a real deal ability user or cultivator, huh? Heh—I'm Hank Han!" The "scarecrow" reached out his right hand to Shawn Young.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Shawn Young—" Shawn reached out to shake Hank Han's hand, but suddenly Hank squeezed tight, his grip like an iron clamp, almost threatening to crush Shawn's wrist.
"Damn, why do these army guys always love this move? Tyson Wang did this before, and now Hank Han too! If I don't show some backbone, they'll think I'm a pushover!" Shawn grumbled to himself, but didn't back down. He channeled his true energy, meeting Hank Han's grip head-on.
"Hmm—not bad!" Hank Han felt Shawn activate his energy, smacked his lips, and shook his waist and shoulders. Suddenly, a terrifying force surged into his right hand, multiplying its strength several times over! Even with Shawn's energy, it felt like his hand was caught in a fiery vise!
"Ugh—damn! This Champion Commando's got some skills. That burst of strength is insane! No way I'm letting him get the upper hand!" Shawn thought, taking a deep breath and pushing his energy to the max. A flash of invisible light shot from his mind to his right hand.
Hank Han immediately felt a strange counterforce surge from Shawn's hand, powerful and overwhelming. Startled, he jerked his right hand sideways onto a nearby rock—"Crack!"—splitting the hard stone.
"Hahaha—good stuff, kid! You really do have some skills! Welcome to the Dragonforce Battalion!" Hank Han finally laughed sincerely at Shawn Young.
"Hehe—Colonel Han, you love pranking our ability group members, but now you see there's always someone better!" Fiona Tang had been watching the show, and now teased Hank Han, seeing he hadn't gotten the upper hand.
"Oh, Team Leader Tang, you have no idea! Training those rookies every day gets boring. It's rare to meet a real expert, so of course I want to spar! This Shawn Young you brought has real skills! He looks new—is he a recent recruit to the ability group?" Hank Han asked.
"Uh—he's not officially in the national ability group yet. He's just my classmate from school, and also a fellow Taoist!" Fiona Tang blushed as she explained.
"Oh! That's rare! Team Leader Tang bringing a non-member into this place!? A fellow Taoist, huh? Heh—well, your friend Shawn really has some skills! Good eye!" Hank Han said, his tone sounding a bit flirtatious.
"Ugh—Hank Han, you never say anything nice! Shawn is someone Howard Tiger personally vouched for—he's got special status! You think I'd dare bring him here without permission?" Fiona Tang shot Hank Han a look, her face still red.
"Oh! Oh! Someone Howard Tiger personally vouched for! I wouldn't dare disrespect him! If Howard Tiger found out, he'd probably break my bones! Heh—Shawn, sorry for earlier, hope you don't mind! Want me to give you a personal tour of the Dragonforce Battalion's training?" Hank Han said, clearly a bit nervous at the mention of Howard Tiger.
"Oh! Haha, no worries—I've been wanting to check this place out anyway. Having the Champion Commando himself show me around? That's perfect!" Shawn Young liked Hank Han's straightforward style and nodded with a smile.