Chapter 197: Adaptation Period

"Report!"Everyone turned to look.

A sturdy-built male student had raised his hand.

His face still carried a hint of rebellious arrogance.

The scar-faced officer slowly turned around, his voice betraying no emotion. "Speak."

The young man seemed somewhat intimidated by the officer's gaze, but having spoken up, he steeled himself and raised his voice: "Sir! You said absolute obedience to orders! But if... if your orders are clearly sending us to our deaths! Meaningless sacrifice! Can't we resist? Must we execute them unconditionally? That doesn't make sense!"

His words actually voiced the doubts and fears in many students' hearts.

Immediately, many secretly nodded in agreement.

The scar-faced officer didn't speak, just started walking, step by step, slowly approaching the young man.

He stopped right in front of the student, almost face to face.

The intimidation from the height difference made the young man instinctively retreat half a step.

"Name. Academy."

"...Zhao Meng, Giant Strength Academy."

The young man's voice lowered slightly.

"Zhao Meng."

The officer repeated his name, then suddenly struck!

So fast that almost no one could see it clearly!

"Smack!"

A slap directly struck Zhao Meng's face!

The force was so powerful that it sent this sturdy young man staggering several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

His cheek instantly swelled red, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Complete silence fell over the area!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events!

The scar-faced officer didn't even look at the dazed Zhao Meng, his roar making people's eardrums ache:

"Sense!? You're fucking talking to me about sense!?

Do enemies talk sense with you!?

Do mist creatures talk sense with you!?

The battlefield situation changes rapidly, I don't have time or obligation to explain the reasoning behind every order to you rookies!"

The scar-faced officer pointed sharply at the scarred fortress wall: "Look there! Every mark there was fucking paid for with lives!

Sacrifice? Sacrifice is the most ordinary thing here! But every order I give is to hold this defense line!

To give the millions of ordinary people behind you rookies a fucking chance to talk sense!

Think an order is suicide?

Fine!

After the war, military court, you're welcome to file complaints against me!

But on the battlefield!

The moment an order is given! Your only choice is to execute it!

Execute it with every ounce of strength you've got!

Even if you all end up dead, you'd better die charging forward! Understood!?"

"Now!"

The scar-faced officer turned sharply to look at Zhao Meng, who had just struggled to his feet, and roared: "Answer me! Soldier Zhao Meng! Do you understand!?"

Zhao Meng covered his burning cheek, a wave of humiliation surging in his heart.

"You fight dirty! Ambushing! I'm not convinced!!"

Before his roar faded, spiritual energy erupted violently within him!

A wild power aura swept out.

His body muscles bulged dramatically, rock-like gray-brown patterns appearing on his skin surface, his entire frame seeming to instantly grow taller, emitting a heavy oppressive feeling!

His Life Soul was clearly biased towards strength and defense type.

"Damn!"

Zhao Meng's fist, large as a sand pot, carrying a whistling wind, smashed toward the nearby scar-faced officer!

This punch, fueled by anger, was terrifyingly powerful!

The surrounding students gasped in surprise - no one expected Zhao Meng to actually dare to attack directly!

Facing this sudden wild assault.

The scar-faced officer's face didn't even show a ripple of emotion.

Without using any Life Soul ability.

He sidestepped, advanced, and raised his hand!

His palm arrived later but faster, clamping onto Zhao Meng's wrist like steel pliers!

Zhao Meng's wild charging momentum came to an abrupt halt!

He felt like he hadn't hit a hand, but an immovable mountain!

His fist couldn't advance an inch further!

The next second.

The officer's hand gripping his wrist suddenly twisted downward, while his foot silently tripped him!

"Argh—!"

Zhao Meng let out a piercing scream, his entire body driven by an irresistible tremendous force, swung up violently, then smashed heavily onto the hard ground!

"THUD!!!"

A dull, heavy sound.

Zhao Meng lay collapsed on the ground, his whole body curled up, moaning in pain.

From eruption to subjugation.

The entire process took less than three seconds.

The scar-faced officer didn't even wrinkle his uniform.

He coldly glanced at Zhao Meng groaning in pain on the ground, looking at him like an ant.

"Drag him away, confinement, after he recovers, serve two months military service here."

The officer waved at the soldiers nearby.

Two soldiers immediately stepped forward and dragged away Zhao Meng, who had completely lost resistance ability.

Only then did the officer slowly turn around, his gaze sweeping across the entire area again.

This time, no one dared to meet his eyes.

All students instinctively lowered their heads or averted their gazes.

The scar-faced officer's voice sounded again: "Now, who else isn't convinced?"

Su Zhan also lowered his head.

Opposing the instructor on the first day of military service.

That only happens in those special forces king novels and military drama series.

Pure and simple - looking for death!

When you're away from home, it's better to keep a low profile.

He couldn't even clearly see this instructor's movements.

His strength was at least above Tide Realm, could slap them newbies to death with one hand.

The scar-faced officer nodded with satisfaction: "Finally starting to look a bit like soldiers.

Listen up, rookies.

The fortress won't really throw you blood-untested student kids directly to the frontlines to feed monsters.

The first month is adaptation time for you.

Your tasks are mainly familiarizing yourselves with border fortress operations, internal city patrols, fixed-point sentry duty, and some auxiliary defense works maintenance.

These tasks are far less dangerous than the regular army's defense zones and assault missions. Consider it a buffer for you."

Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

As long as they weren't going to the frontline to fight for their lives.

City patrols, sentry duty - these things were much safer than fighting mist creatures for survival.

But Su Zhan frowned slightly in his heart.

If they're not going to the frontline, what are they doing here?

But according to what he said, the first month is like this, the second month probably means going to the battlefield, otherwise there's no point coming here.

Forget it, adapt for one month first.

The scar-faced officer warned: "But, don't you fucking treat this as a field trip! This is the border! A battlefield! Accidents can happen anytime! Your lives are your own, if you don't take care of yourselves, don't blame heaven or others when you die! I've said all I need to say, whether you listen is up to you.

Daily specific tasks will be assigned to your squad leaders one day in advance, all of you stay alert, don't mess up!"

After speaking, he said no more, waving at the sergeant nearby.

The sergeant immediately stepped forward and began loudly announcing each squad's subsequent arrangements and temporary organization.

The students nodded one after another, complex emotions in their hearts.

The first month was a relatively safe adaptation period.

But everyone understood that this was merely the brief calm before the storm.

The real test was still to come.