Chapter 22: Chapter 22 – The Young Man, Yu Kuangtu
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“There are so many people here in this secluded place. When they shoot all of us dead, there wouldn’t even be a need to follow the routine for the disposal of the bodies.”
Everyone’s face turned grim as they turned around in a bid to find out who had made such a disparaging remark. However, no one could identify the person who had made the comment as the sun had already set and the sky was dark. Moreover, everyone had just met and were not yet familiar with one another. They had no choice but to just let it pass.
“Come over here!” one of the men who were clad in black vests shouted. He ushered everyone into the training camp and said, “Head over there to have your dinner! After you have finished eating, come back out to the parade square and line up in your respective groups to wait!”
It was only at the mention of food that everyone realized that they were famished. Even those who had eaten their lunch at 2 p.m. would have finished digesting their food since it was already more than 6 hours since they last ate.
Furthermore, the long bus journey was physically and mentally draining at an extreme level, and everyone was now at an unfamiliar location that they had never been to in the past. Eating food was the perfect way to destress.
They were brought into the large dining hall of the training camp in several groups of thirty people. They retrieved their own plates and proceeded to collect their meal which included two vegetable dishes, one choice of meat, and a bowl of soup at no cost. They had to help themselves to the rice. The atmosphere felt just like a school canteen.
There were already many people eating in the dining hall. Amidst the incessant chatter and bustle in the dining hall, Ren Suo figured out that some of the people did not look like typical civil servants. Instead, they had tanned skin and moved in the style of…soldiers.
Ren Suo was naturally inclined towards having his meal with Qiao Muyi and Li Qingxuan. However, Qiao Muyi and Li Qingxuan had already opened up with each other for some reason, and both of them had sat down together at a table in a corner of the dining hall. When Ren Suo finally found them, a few other guys were just about to sit down together with the two beautiful ladies. Ren Suo swiftly stepped forward to put down his plate and said, “Hello, what a coincidence!”
What coincidence…The guys looked woefully at Ren Suo who had appeared out of nowhere and then had no choice but to resort to sitting down elsewhere to eat instead.
Li Qingxuan smiled unnaturally at Ren Suo while Qiao Muyi continued eating silently. Ren Suo tried to initiate a conversation and started, “I hope we are not here for military training! Just look at this dining hall and the entire training camp…Tsk tsk tsk.”
Ren Suo needed to find a way to get Qiao Muyi to fall asleep and let her guard down so that he could maintain physical contact with her for a good two minutes to retrieve the key he needed. Although he still had no such opportunity, he figured that it would be a good move to get into her good books first.
Li Qingxuan was slightly disheartened. She said, “To be honest, I am already regretting my decision to come here. I had thought that, at the very most, I would be coming here to study, but if it’s a military-style training…”
“It’s only five days though,” Ren Suo said.
“Five days is troublesome enough. I didn’t bring my skincare products along… ” Li Qingxuan lamented.
Suddenly, Qiao Muyi said, “Actually, I feel that this would be a turning point in our lives.”
Ren Suo and Li Qingxuan looked at her. She continued mysteriously, “However, the turning point could either be for better or for worse…”
Ren Suo was stumped by her words and remained silent. After they finished their meal, they proceeded to the parade square to join their group. All three of them were in group 8. There were large, noticeable signs in the parade square, and Ren Suo saw that there was a total of only nine groups.
Based on the assumption that each group consisted of thirty people each, there would be a whopping 270 civil servants at the training camp!
Although there were thousands of civil servants in Lianjiang City alone, and possibly hundreds of thousands of civil servants in the entire Lian Province, the people at the training camp were all the youngest of the lot and would have had to pass the ‘special requirements’ set by the Ministry of State Security.
These people included those from other government domains, such as personnel from the Security Bureau and Adjudicative Body. Ren Suo had also found out that Xie Qiansi was actually a section member in the Civil Division of the People’s Court when they had a discussion earlier on.
It was a rare one in ten chance to be able to be at the training camp.
What exactly happened that required them to come all the way to train in a secluded area, away from the outside world?
A short while after 8 p.m., the last group of people finished their dinner and emerged from the dining hall. The man in the black vest called a few people over to organize the entire crowd into their groups and in no time, everyone split up into their respective groups and separated themselves by gender. After all, they were civil servants and no longer playful students.
“I am Zhao Jingzhong, and I will be your instructor for the next five days!” a man said, who was standing in front of Group 8, similarly clad in a black vest. He continued in a loud voice, “After five days if you are still unable to meet the training criteria, we will naturally not meet again. If you pass, we will unlikely meet again either. Those who pass will be sent back to your respective cities and take on more important roles!”
“During the next five days, I do not require all of you to be as sharp and disciplined as soldiers in the military. However! Rules are still rules, and commands that are given must still be followed! Keep quiet when you are to be quiet; eat when you are told to eat; be in position by the time you are told to gather; and don’t fall behind when the group is moving!” Zhao Jingzhong commanded.
He continued, “We will now be heading to the main auditorium, where all your questions will be answered. I’m sure that by the time all of you step out of the auditorium, your anger will be appeased and instead be replaced with a strong determination to press on and give your best efforts!”
Suddenly, a thunderous voice boomed from the crowd, “Fight onward for the rise of Xuan Nation!”
“…”
The crowd was speechless.
Everyone turned their heads to find out who had been interjecting such absurd remarks at the most appropriate of times since the afternoon, but they still had no clue as to who it was.
In an orderly fashion, everyone headed towards the main auditorium in their groups. After walking for nearly ten minutes, they finally reached it. There were no chairs in the auditorium, and everyone had to sit cross-legged on the floor.
A short moment later, another young man who was similarly clad in a black vest but looked more mature walked onto the podium.
All of a sudden, Xie Qiansi, who was sitting beside Ren Suo, felt a tremble coming from beside him. He turned to look at Ren Suo and saw that he was actually drooling while looking at the man on stage. The intense look on Ren Suo’s face and his unblinking eyes reminded Xie Qiansi of his poodle at home. He felt a chill down his spine as goosebumps formed on his skin.
Ren Suo seemed to have noticed his unsightly state and hastily wiped his saliva off from the corners of his mouth. However, not once did he shift his eyes away from the young man on the podium whom he had been ogling at.
If Qiao Muyi had caused Ren Suo’s heart to palpitate in trepidation, then the young man on the podium would have caused Ren Suo’s heart to race so fast and vigorously that he would have collapsed!
Ren Suo felt an enormous desire to rush forward immediately to hug the young man but had fortunately curbed that craving with all his energy.
Without a doubt, the young man was also a key, and this key would definitely be of a very high level, for the extremely delectable attraction he felt towards the young man far surpassed what he felt towards Li Dan and Qiao Muyi!
“Silence,” the young man commanded monotonously.
The entire crowd in the auditorium fell silent.
The young man had a commanding yet respectable presence which was felt by the audience in the auditorium, and they complied with the young man’s instructions without question.
However, to Ren Suo, the young man had instantly turned from an already delicious cake into an even more mouth-watering strawberry-topped cake!
I really want it…I really, really want it…
Xie Qiansi nudged away slightly from Ren Suo as a shiver ran down his spine. It was as if he could hear Ren Suo’s thoughts.
“I am Yu Kuangtu, the Deputy Director of the 18th Branch of the Ministry of State Security of Lianjiang City,” the young man said solemnly. “At the same time, I am currently a Second Rank Practitioner, the strongest individual soldier in the whole Lian Province!”
Strongest individual soldier? Practitioner? Second Rank?
The young people below the stage would have thought that Yu Kuangtu had simply read too many online novels and was a serious chuunibyu who had a strong desire to act.
However, in Yu Kuangtu’s authoritative and powerful presence, no one dared to make a noise and continued listening silently, although they did not believe him.
“I know that only seeing is believing, so…” Yu Kuangtu continued.
He lowered his body while retracting his right fist and used his left palm to cup his right fist.
“We will now prove it all to you… Li Dan!” Yu Kuangtu exclaimed.
Yu Kuangtu punched upwards into the air!
Suddenly, following a resounding crackle in the air, a fireball emerged from Yu Kuangtu’s fist. The crowd watched on as the fireball rapidly grew bigger in size. Within seconds, it was hovering above their heads. The radius of the fireball was already as long as a dumper truck and glowing almost as bright and as blinding as the sun!
“Understood!” shouted Li Dan.
Ren Suo watched as Li Dan, who had been standing at the side, jumped upwards all of a sudden as he punched towards the enormous fireball!
In an instant, the fireball dispersed into the air just like the fleeting first snow melting rapidly in the sun. A cool breeze rushed into the auditorium and it felt as if it was piercing through everyone’s heart and soul.
Yu Kuangtu looked at the amused crowd and tapped the microphone beside him. When he had everyone’s attention again, he said, “This, this is the power of the Practitioners.”
“And all of you, are the civil servants who have qualified to be one of the Practitioners,” he concluded.