Strongest Soldier King

"That's great," said the guardsman as he carefully drove the military vehicle, continuing, "Brother, I'm not trying to discourage you, but everyone who goes to the training is exceptional. You must not relax. I heard that the instructor is Blood Wolf, extremely capable but very strict and difficult to get along with. Many from previous sessions were left disabled, and some even died. I heard there are death quotas, so you have to be careful. I won't lie to you; you're the first person I've driven there, and I'm counting on you to make me proud."

"Don't worry, I'll make you proud," Luo Zheng said boldly.

"Really?" the guardsman said casually. Becoming a Special Forces soldier isn't easy, but he didn't want to dampen Luo Zheng's enthusiasm. Considering the Colonel's reminder, he felt like his task was accomplished. Unfortunately, this guy didn't seem to change his mind; he wasn't insistent and asked, "Brother, I'm Wang Yong, what's your name?"

"Luo Zheng," Luo Zheng replied, oblivious to the Colonel's good intentions, his mind had already flown to the training base, staying to become a Special Forces soldier had become his prime goal after the three-month training.

The guardsman glanced at Luo Zheng, not understanding why the Colonel wanted to cultivate Luo Zheng and generously let him go, nor why Luo Zheng was qualified for the training. Through their recent interactions, Wang Yong vaguely felt something exceptional about Luo Zheng, unable to pinpoint exactly what it was but maybe he really could become a Special Forces soldier. This thought made him envious; if you're going to be a soldier, be the best. Wang Yong was also a soldier with his own dreams.

At dusk, the two arrived at a valley surrounded by towering mountains, lush with tall green trees. The valley was not small, about a thousand mu in size, with flat terrain. Rows of neat tents were pitched, and three WZ-10s were parked on the square, where some camouflaged soldiers were being briefed. The group was small, only about thirty people.

The sentry at the gate, with a loaded gun, watched cautiously as the two men got out of the vehicle. Wang Yong jogged up, saluted, then presented his ID and a document explaining their purpose. The sentry glanced at Luo Zheng and waved them through. Luo Zheng clearly saw disdain and mockery in the sentry's eyes, which surprised him. He wanted to ask Wang Yong about it, but considering they were barely acquainted, he suppressed his curiousity.

"Brother, I can't go in. We'll meet again, and I await your good news," Wang Yong said passionately, saluted Luo Zheng and left alone in the vehicle.

Luo Zheng arrived empty-handed, unclear about what to do next. He looked at the sentry, who, without giving him a hard time, merely said coldly, "Follow me," and started walking inside.

"Hmm?" Luo Zheng couldn't figure out what he had done to offend the man, sensing something odd, but still quickened his pace to keep up. Seeing the sentry's indifferent expression, he scrapped the idea of trying to get friendly, silently following him to the square. After asking Luo Zheng to wait, the sentry ran off to report.

Soon, the sentry returned and, with a mocking sneer, said, "Go ahead." He didn't explain further and returned to his post, leaving Luo Zheng even more baffled. Not wanting to delay, Luo Zheng hurried forward, saluted the officer who was giving a briefing, and loudly announced, "Reporting, Luo Zheng is here to report. Please instruct."

"Are you the Connection Soldier?" the officer asked coldly as he looked at Luo Zheng.

"Connection Soldier?" Luo Zheng was startled and further confused. He felt a tremendous vibe of domination coming from the man, so he puffed out his chest to meet the officer's gaze silently, unsure of what to say until he understood the situation. Luo Zheng noticed the mocking and disdainful look in the officer's scrutinizing eyes. His own pride surged, having faced death and killed before; Luo Zheng carried an unusual aura.

"Answer my question." Seeing Luo Zheng challenge his patience, the officer became angry and shouted, "The last thing I respect is a Connection Soldier. I don't care what your background is or whose paths you've taken. Listen well: whether you come here or not is your business, but teaching you is my business."

"Reporting, I am not a Connection Soldier," Luo Zheng replied, extremely frustrated but still faced the officer determinedly. How could he stay here if he was branded like this right from the start?

"Not a Connection Soldier? Haha, good," the officer retorted angrily. "Look at them! Each one was selected from the military district competition. Although they're still trash, they are a hundred, a thousand times better than you, a border soldier. The training started three days ago, and you're just arriving; you must have been shoehorned in here through some upper-level contacts. If not a Connection Soldier, what are you then?"

"Hmm?" Luo Zheng was startled. Was his arrival really orchestrated by someone? But he was just an ordinary soldier, with a heritage of hunters, no power or influence. Could it be...? Luo Zheng suddenly thought of Lan Xue and was surprised.

"Got you, right? Hmph!" the officer jeered coldly. "Since you are a Connection Soldier here to gild your resume, don't cause me trouble. I don't have the time to teach you. You can watch the training, even participate. You can use every piece of equipment here; whether you train is up to you. Act as if you're not even a soldier here. When the time comes, I'll sign your form, saying you passed. How's that?"

Speaking these words before so many people clearly showed his unyielding stance. Luo Zheng was immensely anxious, his face turning livid. Thinking that an explanation would be pointless and a rebuttal would only worsen the situation—if his presence here was indeed arranged by Lan Xue and was not a special recruitment—Luo Zheng realized he indeed was a Connection Soldier. His pride surged up, and he coldly said, "Alright, that's settled then."

If he was to be labeled a Connection Soldier, as long as he could observe the training and use the equipment freely, it was fine. For the sake of a two-year promise, for Lan Xue, Luo Zheng was ready to go all in.

"Good. Since I've made it easy for you, I hope you can contribute something here. The kitchen is your responsibility. Any problems with that?" the officer said disdainfully.

Luo Zheng thought it over; willing to compromise to ensure he could train peacefully, he agreed immediately. The officer smiled, satisfied, and continued, "Good, that's the dining hall. There's a bed, settle down there. I'm the instructor here, but you're not one of my soldiers. You don't need to know my name. Anything you need, get from the storehouse. Dinner is in an hour; go there," he said, pointing in a direction and waving his hand dismissively.

"Hmm?" Luo Zheng endured the humiliation, saluted, and turned to leave. As he left, he saw the other soldiers looking at him derisively, their lips clearly curled in mockery. Luo Zheng's face turned blue with anger. With no grievance or cause, he couldn't understand why the officer refused to teach him. Unknowingly, he arrived at the kitchen.