CR CH6

“Beep—Beep—”

A piercing alarm blared in his ears. Jiang Tianji clicked his tongue in irritation, burying his head under his pillow.

“Someone… turn off the alarm…”

His voice was slurred, but midway through, his body suddenly stiffened. He jerked his eyes open and sat bolt upright.

Wait.

His chaotic brain recalled the dream-like encounter from yesterday. Jiang Tianji scanned his surroundings, and the cold, sterile prison cell confirmed it was all real.

“Tomorrow morning, you will officially become a member of the Basic Unit. Report to the training base when you hear the assembly bell.”

“Ah!”

Before he could even process his thoughts, a sharp, tingling shock surged through his body. Jiang Tianji cried out, realizing that a “_/” expression had appeared on the small robot’s electronic screen, currently glowing a heated red.

“Trainee Jiang Tianji, it has been 1 minute and 24 seconds since the assembly bell. Xiao Tuan has been calling you for 1 minute and 21 seconds…”

“Damn it.”

Jiang Tianji didn’t have time to worry about this suddenly electrified AI. He scrambled into the washroom, where a cacophony of clattering sounds echoed, before he burst out like a whirlwind, struggling to fix his uniform while sprinting toward the exit.

The laser defense was already deactivated. Jiang Tianji ran blindly through the prison, but thankfully, the quirky AI had no trouble navigating the path.

Jiang Tianji charged into the training base like a lightning bolt. Suddenly, he felt a chill down his spine. He gasped for air, looked up, and realized that the entire training squad of District 1 had stopped to watch him.

Just as he stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do, a round of applause broke the silence.

Ling Kongmiao had tied his hair back into a sleek high ponytail. The blue lights on his smart goggles flickered as he clapped leisurely for him.

“Late on the first day…” He paused, waving the timer in his hand at Jiang Tianji. “4 minutes and 59 seconds.”

“Looks like you had a good night’s rest?”

Jiang Tianji couldn’t even catch his breath, let alone speak. His face turned beet red as he lowered his head and whispered.

“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

Ling Kongmiao gestured for the instructors to continue their drills and strolled over to Jiang Tianji.

“What are you mumbling about? Speak up.”

Jiang Tianji took a deep breath and roared: “SORRY—SIR!! IT WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN!!!”

His cry was earth-shattering, causing several nearby trainees to lose their composure and choke on their breath.

Zhao Hengyi laughed, nudging the instructor next to him with his elbow and whispering, “Where did this blockhead come from? Is he the one the boss dragged back yesterday?”

The instructor maintained a bit more decorum, tightening his stern expression before responding in a low voice.

“Focus! Do you want extra drills?”

Only then did he step back and reply, “University student. Probably thinks he’s still at orientation.”

Ling Kongmiao seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; even behind his smart goggles, the pressure of his gaze was palpable. The gossiping duo instantly turned serious, and Zhao Hengyi kicked a trainee in the front row who was maintaining a perfect posture.

“Didn’t you hear? Why are you distracted, damn it?”

Trainee: “I…”

He whispered, “I’ll treat you to dinner later.”

Trainee: “…Fine.”

Ling Kongmiao stood before Jiang Tianji, staring down at him.

Jiang Tianji was tall and used to looking down at people, but suddenly faced with a mountain-like shadow, he couldn’t help but look up.

Ling Kongmiao: “Since you have energy to burn, let’s start with 5 laps of frog jumps.”

As he spoke, he reached out, unhooked the black whip from his waist, and used the handle to draw a circle around District 1.

Jiang Tianji’s eyes followed his hand, and upon realizing the scale, his eyes went wide.

“5 laps?!”

A lap around the District 1 training base was about a thousand meters. This was going to cost him his life! Plus, he had to jump around the people training—was this a punishment or an improv performance?

Ling Kongmiao: “Any issues?”

“No, sir, it’s just that 5 laps is slightly…”

Before he could finish, Ling Kongmiao whipped the ground with a loud crack.

“Squat.”

“Yes!”

Jiang Tianji reflexively squatted and covered his head. The motion was so smooth and practiced, it was clear he was terrified.

My dignity was lost yesterday anyway, Jiang Tianji thought, abandoning all pride. Whatever, at least covering my head hides my face.

Ling Kongmiao nodded in satisfaction and pointed forward with his whip: “Begin.”

Is this really training, or is it some kind of obedience test and a spectacle of humiliation?

Jiang Tianji gritted his teeth, chanting to himself, “It’s okay, everyone is training, no one is really paying attention.”

He painfully took the first jump.

Just as he mustered some courage to finish quickly, that “Buddha” standing beside him wouldn’t stop offering commentary, whether out of malice or genuine observation:

“Not bad.”

“That’s it.”

“Don’t stick your butt out, pull it in.”

Even without a mirror, Jiang Tianji knew he was probably as red as a hot iron. He began to lose feeling in his fatigue and moved faster, just wanting this punishment to end.

If he had known his broken ears wouldn’t hear the bell, he would have stayed awake all night rather than being late.

“Good physique. Jumping this fast, is 5 laps underestimating you?” Ling Kongmiao wondered aloud, arms crossed as he followed him.

Jiang Tianji felt his vision go black. He stumbled and fell to his knees. He gasped for air, his earlier arrogance replaced by a pathetic rasp.

“Sir, this really is my limit.”

Ling Kongmiao laughed and gave his backside a light tap with the whip, urging him on.

“Limits are meant to be broken. Four and a half laps to go.”

“…”

His breathing grew heavy, and the sour ache radiating from his bones was unbearable.

“Sir, I really can’t.”

By the third lap, Jiang Tianji was collapsed on the ground, moving as slowly as a snail, only to be ruthlessly hauled up by Ling Kongmiao.

“Continue.”

By the fourth lap, his legs felt like overcooked noodles, completely unresponsive.

Ling Kongmiao crouched down with a smile, claiming he was “massaging the leg muscles,” but pressed down with such force that Jiang Tianji let out a scream that echoed across the base. He tried to protect his legs, but the power gap was too great, and he was held down for two full minutes.

His desperate cries circled the sky above the training base, causing even the stoic instructors nearby to glance over.

By the time Ling Kongmiao clapped his hands and stood up, asking if he wanted more massaging or more jumping, Jiang Tianji couldn’t even speak. He wiped away tears and crawled up to jump in silence.

It felt like a century had passed before Ling Kongmiao blew his whistle to signal the end.

At that moment, Jiang Tianji couldn’t lift a finger. He collapsed on the ground like an exhausted toad, too weary to fear the judgment of others.

The warmup was over, and it was time for a break. Ling Kongmiao shouted behind him.

“Ji Yandong.”

“Here!” A scholar-looking trainee stepped forward.

“Come here.” Ling Kongmiao beckoned, pointing at the person lying like a dead dog on the ground. “Your squad. Take him away.”

Ji Yandong: “…Yes.”

Jiang Tianji lay on the ground, his mind hazy, hearing the footsteps fade away.

“Boss!” Zhao Hengyi called out with a grin.

“Call me Captain or Sir at Z01. Don’t act like a street thug.”

“Fine~ Captain, where are you going?”

“Federal Center. There’s an A-to-S level mission. I’m going to check the situation.”

“Got it. Have a safe trip.”

The voices grew fuzzy, and Jiang Tianji slowly closed his eyes.

—The devil has finally left.

Something approached him, casting a shadow over his head.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ji Yandong seemed unsure how to help. “Can you stand?”

He looked to be about 1.7 meters tall, not particularly muscular. Jiang Tianji knew at a glance that he couldn’t lift him, and he murmured weakly, “It’s fine, don’t worry about me. Let me catch my breath…”

Ji Yandong checked the time, looking distressed: “We only have five minutes of break. Can you keep going?”

Jiang Tianji reflexively wanted to say no, but Ling Kongmiao’s face flashed in his mind, whip in hand, looking thoughtful.

“What should I punish him with next?”

Jiang Tianji jolted, instantly wide awake. He opened his eyes and reached out toward Ji Yandong with difficulty.

“Brother, mind giving me a hand?”

“This is our Captain. Who is your ‘brother’?”

Just as Ji Yandong reached out, a big man appeared behind him, hair buzzed short, glaring at Jiang Tianji with a foul expression. He seemed very dissatisfied that a “piece of trash” had suddenly appeared in his squad.

Still, he reached out and hauled the man up with ease.

“Sss…” Jiang Tianji’s expression distorted.

“Feng Huo!” Ji Yandong smacked him, frowning. “He just arrived; it’s normal he’s not used to the training. Don’t be so aggressive.”

The man named Feng Huo “Tsked,” leaned down, hoisted Jiang Tianji onto his shoulder, and threw him into their squad’s area.

Jiang Tianji didn’t feel offended; instead, he was fascinated by the fact that the man could carry him so easily.

“Wow, you’re really strong.”

“Obviously.” Feng Huo flexed his muscles in response, acting cocky. “You’re big, too. Train a bit and you’ll be like me.”

“I’m Feng Huo. What’s your name?”

He extended a fist—a straightforward personality. Jiang Tianji bumped his fist against it.

“I’m Jiang Tianji.”

Others in the squad gathered around, one of them playfully bumping his shoulder.

“Hi-hi, I’m Huang Qi… but you have a nice voice. Screamed like a phoenix.”

Jiang Tianji gave an awkward laugh, not knowing how to reply, but another person promptly slapped him.

“Don’t mind him, he’s a blockhead. I’m Li Cheng.”

“Qi Xiuyi.”

“Liu Zhaoxi…”

“…”

With about 7 people in the squad and a very short break, they only had time for a quick introduction.

When the whistle blew, the squad lined up for their daily quota of physical training. But because Jiang Tianji had missed the orientation period, he lacked the buffer of gradually increasing intensity. Combined with Chief Ling’s “special care” from earlier, his face was already turning pale.

Their instructor was a middle-aged man who looked like he might suffer from facial paralysis but was surprisingly understanding. He walked over to Jiang Tianji and said, “Your situation is unique. For the first three days, your movements can be slower than the others, but you must complete the tasks.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jiang Tianji was too exhausted to form an expression, responding in as strong a voice as he could manage.

The voices around him seemed to drift away. He stared blankly, moving mechanically in response to the commands. Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, the instructor hauled him out.

“Good physical fitness.” The instructor patted his shoulder, his expression softening. “Don’t be late tomorrow. You can stop here for today. That’s enough.”

Before Jiang Tianji could even sigh with relief, the instructor added:

“Next up is simulated combat training and weapons training.”

The man who was already gasping for air couldn’t handle it. His vision went black, and he plummeted forward, straight to the floor.

“Whoops.” A figure stepped forward, catching him mid-fall. Zhao Hengyi stroked his chin, evaluating him objectively, “Fainting only now? Your physical condition is better than I thought.”

The instructor was very polite to Zhao Hengyi: “It is quite good, Officer Zhao. So, now…”

Zhao Hengyi hoisted him up and headed toward another sector, waving casually to the others.

“I’m taking him to log his combat simulation directly. Might as well see how his comprehensive reaction time holds up.”

The trainees looked at one another, their eyes filled with shock and pity.

Ji Yandong watched their retreating backs, hesitating before speaking up.

“Instructor, he hasn’t even gone through basic combat drills. And in this condition… can he handle it?”

The instructor was silent for a moment before waving a hand.

“Officer Zhao should know what he’s doing.”

Regardless, one could only hope Zhao Hengyi realized he wasn’t carrying a specially selected reserve soldier.

He was carrying a pure-hearted university student who had just been dragged out of school yesterday.