46: Chapter 46 Solved with One Hand

The training ground was deathly silent.

Everyone's gaze was frozen on the inconceivable scene in the middle of the field.

Wang Hu, the ace of the 1st Battalion, an 8th-rank Martial Master, and a formidable fighter who ranked highly throughout all of Fortress No. 7, had just been forced to his knees by one hand.

There was no earth-shattering eruption of blood energy, nor any flashy collision of techniques.

It was just like an adult pressing down on a three-year-old child.

Effortless, casual, without the slightest hint of exertion.

Wang Hu's face turned the color of a pig's liver; he felt that what was pressing on his shoulder was not a hand, but a mountain.

He frantically channeled all his blood energy, his muscles knotted, veins bulging, attempting to stand up.

But that hand remained motionless.

All his strength was like a clay ox entering the sea, disappearing without a trace.

"You..." Wang Hu squeezed out a word through his teeth, humiliation and shock making his body tremble.

Li Zhengyang looked down at him, his tone still flat.

"When I am speaking, I do not like people interrupting."

After letting go.

Wang Hu lost that pressure, his body went limp, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He propped himself up on the ground, gasping for breath, and the look in his eyes when he gazed at Li Zhengyang had shifted from disdain and provocation to pure fear.

Li Zhengyang turned around, facing the formation once again.

"Does anyone else have an objection?"

Hundreds of troublemaking soldiers were silent as the grave.

The few old rogue soldiers who had been full of malice just a moment ago were now all hanging their heads, wishing they could bury their faces in their crotches.

What kind of joke was this?

Subduing Wang Hu in one move—what kind of strength was this?

Even Battalion Commander Zhao Meng would have to fight dozens of rounds to determine a winner when sparring with Wang Hu.

Just what kind of monster was this new Deputy Battalion Commander?

Battalion Commander Zhao Meng stood on the side, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

He was glad he hadn't chosen to resist forcefully back at the command post.

He finally understood why Commander Han Tieshan had foisted this deity onto him.

This wasn't causing trouble; this was sending him a mountain-crushing titan!

"Very good, it seems everyone has no objections."

Li Zhengyang scanned the entire field, very satisfied with the effect.

He didn't like empty talk, nor did he like playing mind games.

In a place like the military camp that worships violence, the simplest and most direct methods are often the most effective.

"I am announcing three rules."

"First, my orders must be executed unconditionally. If you have questions, ask them after you are done."

"Second, training is doubled. Those who cannot complete the training quota can go to logistics to receive their punishment."

"Third..." He paused, his gaze becoming somewhat playful, "I am a rather straightforward person. From now on, when going on missions, I will take twenty percent of all spoils. You all can split the rest."

Regarding the first two rules, although everyone was complaining internally, no one dared to refute them.

But as soon as this third rule came out, a commotion immediately broke out in the formation.

Going on missions is a life-or-death affair, and the spoils obtained are what everyone risked their lives for.

Previously, it was distributed based on merit, and now this new Deputy Battalion Commander just opens his mouth and wants to take twenty percent?

This is daylight robbery!

"What? Do you have an objection?" Li Zhengyang's gaze became sharp once again.

A soldier standing in the front row gritted his teeth, bit the bullet, and stepped out.

"Report, Deputy Battalion Commander! We risked our lives for these things, and you want to take twenty percent with just one word—this is not according to the rules!"

This was a 6th-rank Martial Master, also an old soldier, with a hideous scar on his face.

Li Zhengyang looked at him and nodded.

"That makes sense."

Everyone was stunned.

He was compromising just like that?

"How about this." Li Zhengyang extended one hand and held up an index finger, "I will give you all a chance. Your entire battalion can come at me together. As long as one person can touch me once, let alone twenty percent, from now on, I won't take a single cent of any spoils."

"If you cannot touch me..."

He looked around, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.

"From then on, I will take forty percent."

The entire training ground instantly exploded into chaos.

"Did I hear that right? He wants to challenge our entire battalion by himself?"

"Too arrogant! Who does he think he is? A Martial King?"

"Brothers, he is courting death himself! With hundreds of us, one spit from each person could drown him!"

Even Battalion Commander Zhao Meng became anxious; he quickly walked to Li Zhengyang's side and lowered his voice: "Deputy Battalion Commander Li, don't be impulsive! These brats don't know how to hold back; with hundreds of Martial Masters and Martial Practitioners attacking together, even a 9th-rank Martial Master would be exhausted to death!"

"Battalion Commander, do you think they can touch me?" Li Zhengyang countered.

Battalion Commander Zhao Meng was choked for words.

He remembered that pressure in the command post that had made him unable to breathe.

Perhaps they really couldn't touch him?

In the formation, Wang Hu, who had just been pressed to his knees, struggled to stand up. He wiped the cold sweat from his face and roared: "Brothers! He said this himself! Today, let's let him know that the 1st Battalion is not a place where he can run wild!"

"Take him down!"

"Attack together!"

The ferocity of the hundreds of people was thoroughly ignited.

They quickly dispersed, forming a huge encirclement, surrounding Li Zhengyang in the very center.

The sounds of various weapons being unsheathed were incessant; blood energy surged, aura rose, and the air in the entire training ground became hot and dry.

"Deputy Battalion Commander Li, we won't be polite!" Wang Hu roared and was the first to lead the charge.

Behind him were dozens of company and platoon commanders who were equally fearless of death.

Further behind were hundreds of soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers.

The crowd was like a sea, surging from all directions toward that solitary figure in the center.

Battalion Commander Zhao Meng subconsciously retreated dozens of meters, watching the field nervously.

He knew that this battle would completely determine Li Zhengyang's status in the 1st Battalion, and even in the entire Fortress No. 7.

Li Zhengyang stood in the center of the encirclement, his face devoid of any expression.

He didn't even take out his dragon gall golden spear.

He just stood with his hands behind his back, watching the crowd charging from all directions, as if looking at a group of running ants.

When the first person, Wang Hu, charged to within three meters of him.

He moved.

Startling Cloud Step.

After advancing to a Martial King, this movement technique had been comprehended by him to a whole new realm.

His figure left a faint afterimage in place.

The next instant, he appeared behind Wang Hu.

Wang Hu's punch hit empty air; before he could react, he felt his nape go numb, and his whole body lunged forward.

Li Zhengyang's figure did not pause in the slightest, like a ghost weaving through flowers and trees, shuttling through the attacks of hundreds of people.

His speed was too fast.

So fast that everyone's attacks landed in thin air.

So fast that they could only see blurry shadows flashing through the crowd.

"Bang!"

A soldier was poked in the ribs by his finger and collapsed to the ground.

"Slap!"

Another soldier's back of the head was lightly patted by him, his vision went black, and he fainted.

He did not deal heavy blows, just caused everyone who rushed up to lose their combat effectiveness.

Ten minutes.

The entire training ground, except for Battalion Commander Zhao Meng standing on the periphery and Li Zhengyang standing in the center.

There was no one else standing.

Hundreds of elite soldiers of the 1st Battalion lay scattered all over the ground, with groans of pain rising one after another.

They hadn't even clearly seen how Li Zhengyang had made his moves.

Li Zhengyang brushed the non-existent dust off his hands, his gaze falling on the face of Battalion Commander Zhao Meng, who was completely petrified.

"Battalion Commander, please count the number of people."

"From now on, when going on missions, I will take forty percent of the spoils."