Chapter 26: Challenging Zhang Meng, a Plan Takes Shape

"Gulp..."

Ten minutes later, after listening to Li Yunfei’s account and assessment of last night’s game of cat and mouse, even this "titan" of the Southeast Military Region could not help but swallow hard, his face filled with astonishment.

In a situation where they were inferior to the veterans in numbers, equipment, and physical condition, that brat had actually managed to lead the new recruits in a counterattack, eventually even wiping out the veterans' command post!

Leng Qiangguo knew very well that even if he gave Li Yunfei ten times the courage, he would never dare to deceive him with such a story. This had to be more true than pearls.

"Old Li, hang in there. Once I finish the work on my desk, in a month at the latest, I’ll head over to deal with this kid myself!"

After a resolute reply, Leng Qiangguo hung up the phone and instinctively looked toward his home. Ever since Qi Tian had enlisted, his daughter had lost her appetite, spending every day clutching her phone to scroll through their old chat logs, losing several pounds in the process. Although Leng Qiangguo wouldn't admit it aloud, he knew in his heart that his precious daughter could no longer detach herself from this relationship.

"What kind of charisma does this kid Qi Tian have? Not only can he charm my darling daughter into being unable to live without him, but he can also earn such high praise from Li Yunfei. Could it be that I truly underestimated him before? But... that shouldn't be possible. According to the background checks, this kid was supposed to be nothing but a good-for-nothing street thug. This!"

Leng Qiangguo’s face was a mask of disbelief. As he finished speaking, he opened his phone again and sent a text to his deputy. The content was simple, less than forty characters, but the text was in red—signifying extreme urgency.

"Help me clear all non-essential meetings and activities. Accelerate all planned schedules. One month from now, I am going to visit the Iron Fist Regiment personally!"

...

Meanwhile, back at the Iron Fist Regiment, Qi Tian marched in with forty-eight new recruits, high-spirited and triumphant. As soon as they entered the gates of the Iron Fist training base, they saw more than sixty soldiers waiting quietly on the parade ground, all looking dejected. These were all new recruits from this year's intake.

"Deputy Squad Leader, Qi Tian, Zhang Meng, Song Wei—even you guys were captured by the veterans? My god, it looks like we new recruits are really going to be wiped out by the veterans this time!" A soldier from the Third Squad hurried over to them, his face filled with sorrow. He had hoped these formidable recruits would survive, preventing the new recruits from suffering a total humiliation, but seeing everyone reporting back before the game ended caused his last glimmer of hope to vanish.

The same thought weighed heavily on the hearts of the other recruits who had been captured early. A wave of sighs rippled across the parade ground, continuous and relentless.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Jiang Chong glared at the soldier and gave him a light cuff on the back of the neck. "We won! All forty-nine of us! We were victorious in the cat and mouse game, and Qi Tian even led us to take out the veterans' command post!"

"What? You won? And you took out the command post? Deputy Squad Leader, you can't joke about this!" the soldier exclaimed. His voice drew the attention of all the other sighing recruits.

"Deputy, did the veterans torture you until you’re delirious?"

"The game isn't over yet, and you’re already back—doesn't that mean you were caught red-handed?"

"Taking out the command post? Is that for real? It sounds like a fairy tale, and you don't seem like the type to brag, Deputy!"

The recruits, who had been suppressed all night, surged forward like a dam bursting, clamoring with questions. Jiang Chong cleared his throat, shouted for silence, and then sat down with everyone to recount everything that had happened since they met Qi Tian.

It wasn't until Jiang Chong reached the part where Xu Guoqing personally ordered them to return to the regiment to save face for the veterans and the officers that the early-eliminated recruits finally believed it: these forty-nine had not lost to the veterans; instead, they had whipped the veterans into shape and played them in the palm of their hands!

"Holy crap, that is so damn awesome!"

"Stealing weapons from the veterans and launching a counterattack—is that just how Qi Tian does things? I remember the company commander saying we shouldn't even dream of fighting back!"

"Winning an individual Third-Class Merit on the second day, and playing with an army of veterans on the third night before cutting off their command post—Qi Tian, you’re my idol from now on!"

"King of the Recruits! Qi Tian, you are the king of our year!"

Someone shouted the title, and the next second, over a hundred recruits gathered on the ground joined in, shouting at the top of their lungs: "King of the Recruits! Iron Fist Qi Tian!"

The commotion woke the veterans of the other three battalions who hadn't participated in the game from their sleep. Some cursed the new recruits' lack of manners, but others sensed something unusual.

"Shouldn't these recruits have been beaten to a pulp tonight? Why are they acting like they've been injected with adrenaline?"

"Qi Tian—that name again! Could it be that this kid did something earth-shattering?"

...

In the center of the parade ground, Zhang Meng nudged Qi Tian, pulling him back to reality. "Qi Tian, Qi Tian! The brothers have dubbed you the King of the Recruits—say a few words!"

Qi Tian stood up, stretched his limbs, and waved his hand with a smile. "Alright, I'll say a few words. In my eyes, you all did great! To those captured early, don't be discouraged. Without you stalling for time and disrupting the veterans' march to Cangshan, we could never have assembled and prepared for the counterattack. This victory isn't the work of one person, but our collective achievement. I believe that after tonight, those veterans won't dare to look down on us again. Who says that in the military, new recruits are necessarily weaker than veterans?!"

The last sentence was a roar that ignited the fighting spirit of every recruit present. They clenched their fists, savoring the words. Yes, they were all men—two shoulders and one head—what difference could there really be?

Feeling the surge of emotion, Qi Tian sat back down and looked at Zhang Meng. He had been distracted because the system mission had officially ended upon their return, and his "Elite-Level Combat Skills," previously limited to eight hours, had become a permanent reward. He had just been mastering the skill, and now, it was fully realized.

A new plan formed in his mind: "Since I’ve become the 'King of the Recruits' through their worship of the strong, can I use this identity to solidify that impression while leading them to meet the standards of a qualified soldier more quickly? Otherwise, how long would it take to get through those two-inch-thick regulations?"

With that thought, Qi Tian rose slowly and, under the gaze of all the recruits, gestured to Zhang Meng. Seeing the movement, the recruits realized what was about to happen, and their excitement reached a fever pitch.

"Zhang Meng, I've heard you're the best talent from the East Sea Sports University's martial arts program. How about it—wanna spar?"