20: Chapter 20 The Suspicious Qin Shan

"It is I," Su Bai replied calmly.

"The General has ordered that only you may enter."

Su Bai turned his head and glanced at Ma Lie and the others.

Ma Lie immediately understood. He cupped his fists and said, "Rest assured, Squad Leader. We will wait outside the tent!"

Su Bai nodded, then stepped forward, lifted the heavy tent flap, and walked inside.

The heavy tent flap fell back into place.

Su Bai's vision darkened for a moment before he adjusted to the lamp light inside the tent.

The furnishings inside the tent were simple.

A massive sand table occupied the center, and beside it stood a weapon rack holding a pitch-black heavy lance.

Directly in front, a man sat on a large tiger-skin commander's chair.

He wore dark armor and had a swarthy complexion, with a hideous scar stretching from his left temple down to his jaw.

This was the supreme commander of the New Recruit Camp.

The Black-Faced General, Qin Shan.

The moment Su Bai stepped into the main tent, Qin Shan's gaze fell upon him.

Instantly, an invisible pressure surged toward him like a tsunami.

It was not merely an Aura, but Killing Intent honed in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. For those without a firm Heart-Nature, even meeting Qin Shan's gaze was a luxury.

Su Bai stood still.

He allowed the Killing Intent radiating from Qin Shan to wash over his body.

He stood just like that, like a solitary pine rooted on a cliff face; no matter how the fierce winds howled, he remained immovable.

Time flowed by slowly.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Ten breaths.

A flash of surprise finally appeared in the eyes of Qin Shan, who sat on the commander's chair.

His eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly.

"Interesting."

Ordinary recruits, let alone standing before him, might find their legs turning to jelly just by being glanced at from ten zhang away.

Yet this youth before him, who looked quite delicate and not particularly sturdy, could actually remain composed under his fully released Killing Intent.

This kind of Heart-Nature was not something an ordinary person could possess.

The tsunami-like pressure quietly dissipated.

Qin Shan looked Su Bai up and down with great interest, then said:

"You are Su Bai?"

"Yes."

Su Bai answered calmly.

Qin Shan leaned forward slightly, resting his thick arms on his knees with his fingers interlaced. He looked at Su Bai with a burning gaze and said:

"Speak. What did that old fox Zhou Zheng send you here to do?"

Zhou Zheng was the real name of the Military Governor.

By calling him by his name, it was clear that Qin Shan had little reverence for his superior.

Thoughts raced through Su Bai's mind.

He had long anticipated that while this letter would allow him to enter the New Recruit Camp, it would inevitably cause resentment toward a soldier who had used connections to get in.

Su Bai thought for a moment, then spoke cautiously:

"Replying to the General, the Military Governor said that the border is bitter and cold, and it is precisely the place for a man to build his career. This humble one is untalented, but I am willing to serve in the army, to share the burden for the Commander, and to contribute a meager effort for the Human Race."

Su Bai's words were watertight.

Upon hearing this, Qin Shan let out a cold snort and said with some disdain:

"Share my burden? Contribute to the Human Race?"

"That sounds better than a song! Kid, in front of me, Qin Shan, put away those official platitudes! I'm asking you, what do you rely on?"

He slammed his hand on the armrest and shouted at Su Bai like a thunderclap:

"Do you rely on that pretty face of yours? Or do you rely on that scrap of paper from Zhou Zheng?"

Su Bai raised his head, met Qin Shan's scrutinizing gaze, and said word by word:

"I rely on the fact that my name is Su Bai. And that I can stand here and speak with you, General."

The fierce look in Qin Shan's eyes intensified.

He had not expected this seemingly weak youth to have such a tough backbone.

"What a Su Bai!"

Qin Shan nodded slowly and continued bluntly, "Do you think your mediocre skills can escape my eyes? Just because you knocked down those trash under Squad Leader Pang at the camp gate, you think you're someone special?"

Su Bai understood in his heart.

As expected, he had been noticed by this General the moment he entered the camp.

He was also clearly aware of the situation regarding Ma Lie and the others.

"The General's observation is keen."

Su Bai did not deny it, nor did he offer excuses. He cupped his fists respectfully and said, "In the army, the strong are respected. If I had no strength, let alone sharing the burden for the General, I fear I would struggle even to protect myself."

"The strong are respected?"

Qin Shan stood up, looked at Su Bai, and said.

"Boom!"

The next second, an even more violent Aura erupted into the sky.

Qin Shan's burly body was like a volcano; no one could tell exactly how much more power was waiting to erupt.

He walked up to Su Bai, looked at him almost face-to-face, and said, enunciating every word:

"Kid, do you understand what it means to be strong?"

"Have you killed more people than you've eaten meals? Or have you crawled out of a pile of corpses seven or eight times?"

"You haven't been to the battlefield, you haven't smelled the stench of intestines spilling all over the ground, and you haven't heard the mournful cries of comrades breathing their last in your ear. And you talk to me about being strong?"

Qin Shan's spit almost sprayed onto Su Bai's face.

Su Bai continued to look at Qin Shan calmly.

At this moment, he was clear about one thing: in the military camp, any flowery language was pale and ineffective.

Only strength and merit could win Qin Shan's respect.

That was the only thing that was truly real.

"The General is right," Su Bai admitted frankly. He gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "I haven't been to the battlefield, and I haven't killed anyone. Everything I know comes from books and the accounts of others. That is why I came here."

"I want to see with my own eyes what the battlefield you speak of is really like."

These words exceeded Qin Shan's expectations.

There were no excuses, just a direct admission of his own inadequacies.

A real man knows when to yield and when to stand tall; this was likely it.

This forced the stomach full of scolding that Qin Shan had prepared to be swallowed back.

Staring at Su Bai for a long time, looking into Su Bai's clear eyes, it was Qin Shan who became a bit confused.

Since when did Zhou Zheng have such an outstanding person under his command?

Moreover, with such an outstanding person, how could Zhou Zheng bear to place him in his hands?

Qin Shan held the introduction letter written by Zhou Zheng in his hand and paced back and forth in the main tent.

Su Bai waited quietly.

He was not anxious, nor did he urge him; he just waited quietly like that.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but finally, Qin Shan sat back down in the commander's seat.

He picked up a black iron token from the desk, tossed it casually toward Su Bai, and said:

"Take this."

Su Bai reached out and caught it steadily.

The token felt icy cold in his hand; the front was engraved with the character "Squad" in seal script, and the back featured a fierce tiger.

A Squad Leader token.

Qin Shan looked at Su Bai, suddenly grinned, and said to Su Bai with a somewhat sinister tone:

"Since you want to see the battlefield, I will give you that chance. In the New Recruit Camp, there is a place that most resembles a battlefield, where people die every day."

"The Third Battalion, Seventh Squad, known as the 'Mad Dog Camp.' From today on, you are their Squad Leader."

"Mad Dog Camp?"

Su Bai chewed on the name and instantly understood Qin Shan's intention.

This was clearly an attempt to borrow a knife to kill someone.

He wanted those old veteran ruffians to teach him a lesson and make him retreat in the face of difficulties.

Thinking of this, Su Bai sneered.

In fact, when it came down to it, it was still because General Qin Bei did not trust him.

If he were to die there, even the Military Governor would have nothing to say.

Brawls in the army inevitably led to casualties; if he lacked the ability, he couldn't blame anyone else.

What a brilliant move to borrow a knife to kill someone!