16: Chapter 16 Military Competition: Dare You?

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

The scorching sun of midsummer had never shown the slightest mercy, roasting the entire university student military training camp into a giant steamer.

In the air, the salty stench of sweat, the fragrance of soil, and a faint scent of blood mixed together to form a unique atmosphere, known as "Cruelty."

The naivety on the faces of the surviving freshmen had long been stripped away by the scorching sun and blood and sweat.

Over this past month, the casualty lists from the military training camps of major Military Regions across the country had been refreshing the trending searches on the internet every day.

There were those who led rebellions and were executed on the spot by cold gun barrels and even colder discipline.

There were those who, during extreme training, reached their physical or mental breaking point and perished on the spot.

There were also those who met their end due to accidents during various military training exercises.

Death, a word once distant and abstract, had now become a sharp sword hanging over the head of every freshman.

Even the squad that Qin Feng had once led was not spared.

Sun Zhengyi.

He was timid, had poor physical fitness, and, combined with high myopia, became the target of isolation and bullying among the freshmen.

Finally, on a quiet night, he committed suicide by swallowing a gun.

The gunshot tore through the dark night, but that silent despair was more heart-wrenching than any loud noise.

When Qin Feng received the news, he just silently wiped his service pistol, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"What a pity."

He whispered in his heart.

In his past life, he had seen even more tragic deaths.

But watching these teenagers, who should have been squandering their youth in ivory towers, wither away in such a manner still made him feel a trace of unbearable sorrow.

War, after all, is a ruthless meat grinder.

And now, this was merely the warm-up.

Fortunately, those who remained were all growing at an astonishing speed.

"Brother Feng! Brother Feng! Wait for me!"

A panting shout came from behind, and a sturdy figure chased up; it was Zhao Hu.

Beside him followed two lean men, Li Lang and Liu Wei.

The once very fat Liu Wei had forcibly shed over ten pounds of fat in this month.

From a round ball, he had turned into a solid, smaller-sized ball.

"Brother Feng, are you sneaking in extra training again?"

Liu Wei held his knees, gasping for breath.

"Leave a way for us brothers to live. If you keep training like this, I'm going to become as thin as a bolt of lightning."

Qin Feng stopped, glanced at them, and a faint smile curled the corners of his mouth.

"You? At most, a ball lightning."

"Pfft..."

Li Lang couldn't hold it in and laughed out loud.

Zhao Hu, with a look of fanaticism, leaned in front of Qin Feng, his eyes filled with the star-struck look of a minion meeting his idol.

"Brother Feng, that breathing technique you taught me last time is simply divine!"

"Today, during my five-kilometer armed cross-country, my time improved by thirty minutes! Thirty minutes! The instructor's look at me was completely different!"

He was so excited he was dancing around, wishing he could lift Qin Feng up and throw him into the sky.

"Brother Feng is awesome! You are simply my god!"

Qin Feng just gave an indifferent "Hmm," his heart completely calm.

That was merely the most basic Tidal Breathing Technique, capable of squeezing out an extra 20% of stamina in an extreme state.

If you were to see real battlefield physical techniques, wouldn't you have to kowtow to me on the spot?

He patted Zhao Hu on the shoulder and said indifferently, "It's just a basic maneuver, don't make a fuss."

Zhao Hu, however, took this indifference as the demeanor of an expert, and his inner admiration grew even stronger.

Brother Feng is simply a bug!

Qin Feng's "bug" behavior was naturally not just seen by Zhao Hu alone.

The entire freshman military training camp, and even all the instructors in the Military Region, had long heard the name Qin Feng like thunder.

A loser who had repeated for two years before getting into university was excelling in every area during this special university student military training.

Physical fitness, shooting, combat, tactics...

He was like a hexagonal warrior with no weaknesses, crushing many of his peers.

It even made many instructors marvel; they asked themselves if they could have done as well as Qin Feng when they were new recruits.

A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.

Qin Feng, who had stolen all the limelight, naturally attracted countless jealousy and envy.

"Isn't he just a loser who got lucky? Still doing extra training, what's there to be arrogant about?"

"I heard he was a 'simp' for a girl for three years back in high school, just to get into the same university. Hilarious."

"What's the use of being good at military training? He looks like a bean sprout, a gust of wind could blow him over."

The sour remarks in the camp never ceased.

Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore.

Qin Feng just knows how to show off; even if he does extra training, he's still a loser.

"Qin Feng!"

A tall freshman with an arrogant look stood out; his name was Wei Kai, a top-hundred scorer in the province in the college entrance exam, a favored son of heaven.

Behind him followed several other "scholar-soldiers" who were also outstanding in their respective fields.

"A few of us want to spar with you."

Wei Kai's voice was not loud, but it instantly attracted the attention of many freshmen.

"Spar?"

"There's a good show to watch!"

"Wei Kai and the others are going to challenge Qin Feng!"

The crowd instantly became rowdy, everyone gathered around, their faces full of excitement.

Zhao Hu was the first to step out, blocking in front of Qin Feng.

"Wei Kai, what do you want? Nothing better to do?"

Wei Kai glanced at Zhao Hu with contempt.

"A defeated opponent, you have no say here. Go cool off somewhere else!"

"Qin Feng, do you dare? We won't bully you; we'll just compete in our respective best events."

"Shooting, combat, obstacle course, three events."

"Do you dare to accept?"

The few people behind him also started jeering.

"Exactly, whether you're a mule or a horse, let's take you out for a walk!"

"Don't be a coward, Soldier King, aren't you supposed to be so awesome!"

The words "Soldier King" were emphasized heavily, full of sarcasm.

The atmosphere of the entire training ground was instantly ignited, everyone looked at Qin Feng, waiting for his answer.

Qin Feng slowly walked out from the crowd, his face still maintaining that calm expression.

He didn't even look at Wei Kai, but instead looked up at the duty instructor not far away.

The training camp prohibited private fights, but never prohibited military skill sparring within the rules.

Several instructors looked at each other; instead of stopping it, they showed interest.

They also wanted to see if this Qin Feng dared to accept.

An instructor cleared his throat and said loudly, "Military competition is allowed, but stop at the limit, no hurting people! Whoever dares to fight dirty will be sent directly to the confinement room!"

This was equivalent to tacit approval.

A smug smile appeared on Wei Kai's face.

He looked at Qin Feng's slightly thin build, and compared to his own sturdy companions, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"Did you hear that? Loser, can you give a straight answer?"

The surrounding jeers grew louder.

"Hahaha, look at his small build, compared to Wei Kai and the others, it's like an elementary student versus a college student."

"I'll bet a pack of pickled vegetables that he won't dare to compete!"

"Need you ask? His grades must have been cheated; if he really competes, he'll definitely be exposed."

"If he can win, I'll eat shit on the spot!"

"I heard he is that famous simp Qin Feng? Tsk tsk tsk, such a person can actually steal the limelight, the world has really changed."

Countless jeers and expressions of contempt merged into a muddy torrent, rushing toward Qin Feng.

"You guys are talking bullshit!"

Zhao Hu was so angry his face turned red and his neck thick.

"Is Brother Feng's strength something you can question?"

Liu Wei also puffed out his belly to join in.

Still, their voices were weak.

Their voices were quickly drowned out by the more surging waves of sound.

Qin Feng remained silent throughout, only a cold light flashed in his eyes that were as still as an ancient well.