Strongest Soldier King

The instructor turned around and, seeing the look of dissatisfaction in Song Yang's eyes, knew it was time to take a stand and show firmness in his decision. Once the choice was made, he had to follow through to the end; otherwise it would all fall apart, and he would be the one to suffer for it. With resolve in his heart, he immediately said, "Tell him that ammunition needs to be distributed uniformly, and if he wants to practice shooting, he can come to the training field."

"Yes, sir." The quartermaster replied, saluted, and turned to leave.

After the quartermaster left, Song Yang muttered under his breath in dissatisfaction, "Instructor...?"

Instructor explained, "Song, being too obvious with our actions is not in our favor. If he reports this upward and they send down a different instructor, we'll have trouble. Letting him come to the training field is fine; we'll just give him a few bullets to mess around with. What can he possibly achieve? Besides, with bullets flying all over the training field, accidents can easily happen."

A light flickered in Song Yang's eyes, and he smiled in understanding, "Instructor is wise."

"You're too kind, Song. I hope you'll continue to look out for me in the future," the instructor responded politely.

Song Yang humbly said, "You give me too much credit, instructor. Who doesn't know about your skills? Being a champion in both combat and shooting in the military region, no one can best you, and you're a standout among the more than two million soldiers nationwide. My dad can't praise you enough; I will certainly need your help in the future."

"You flatter me, Song," the instructor responded modestly with a smile. "Let's go, it's time for training."

...

Luo Zheng arrived at the storeroom, and seeing the quartermaster's uncompromising refusal, he knew the instructor had gone back on his word. He returned to the mess hall with a dark expression, ready to explode with anger. Whether it was Eye Sniping or Heart Sniping training, live ammunition was needed. Without bullets, he couldn't practice shooting. Arguing with the instructor would only bring humiliation upon himself. What to do?

He could endure not receiving training at the base, he could accept being told to cook, but not being provided ammunition for training stripped all meaning from his stay. After thinking for a while, Luo Zheng felt it was time to show some resistance. Checking the time and seeing it was nearly noon, he grabbed something to eat and went to the back mountain. As for the unit's lunch, that was someone else's problem.

Once in the dense forest of the back mountain, Luo Zheng continued to practice running around trees, navigating the obstacles that exhausted him the most. After half an hour, he started feeling weak and had to stop, sitting on the ground. Once his breathing eased, Luo Zheng tied a long cloth strip around his palms and began practicing his arm striking power against a large tree.

"Thud, thud, thud!" His fists hit the tree trunk, which remained immovable. The strong rebound effect numbed his arms, his blood surged, and his knuckles were painfully unbearable. Luo Zheng gritted his teeth and persisted for twenty minutes, but he had to rest. A week ago, he could only sustain this training for ten minutes. He wasn't very satisfied with his progress, but knew there were no shortcuts to this training; it all depended on perseverance.

With the exceptional recovery brought by Breathing Skill, in about ten minutes, Luo Zheng felt the pain in his finger joints disappear. He found an open area to practice military boxing, imagining attacks from an enemy. As there was no one to spar with, Luo Zheng could only fight himself, which was much more effective than blindly practicing.

Time flew, and as dusk approached, Luo Zheng rested for a bit before heading down the mountain along the mountain road, climbing through a window into the cafeteria. Almost immediately, a person rushed in and, upon seeing Luo Zheng, said discontentedly, "You finally show up. The instructor has been looking for you, at the training field. Get moving."

Without asking, Luo Zheng knew what it was about. He was prepared for it and followed the person to the training field. When the instructor saw Luo Zheng, his face turned steely as he demanded, "Where have you been? You lack organization and discipline. What do you think you're doing? Why didn't you cook? Do you want your brothers to starve to death?"

"Instructor, there's no need to label me and set me against everyone else. No one here is a fool; do you really think you can do whatever you want? Don't forget this is the military, not your house. What did you say on my first day? We agreed to non-interference. Why don't you allow me to take ammunition? We have no enmity, so why do you single me out?" Luo Zheng said coldly, giving no face.

"Insolent! How dare you address the instructor like that?" Song Yang said icily, "Showing contempt for your superiors is a serious offense."

"Song Yang, there's no need for you to throw your weight around. We still have our own scores to settle. What, feel like sparring?" Luo Zheng said coldly as he sneered at Song Yang. Initially disliking how Song Yang bullied his comrades, Luo Zheng had given him a beating, which led to his reassignment to the border outpost. Seeing Song Yang again, Luo Zheng felt the anger rise within him.

"Do you really believe this is the place to spar? This is the military. How dare you be so presumptuous?" Knowing he was no match for Luo Zheng in combat but unwilling to concede defeat, Song Yang said resentfully, a hint of venom flashing in his eyes. He glanced at the steely-faced instructor before adding, "As long as the instructor nods, I won't leave today without teaching you a lesson."

"Shut up." The instructor, his face still an iron blue, of course wouldn't agree to a duel and said coldly, "Do you wish to drop out of the Training Team?"

"Wrong, it's not that I wish to leave; you're the one forcing me out," Luo Zheng retorted. In the midst of a military camp out in the open, Luo Zheng didn't believe the instructor would dare to act rashly. If they truly intended to kick him out, he wasn't afraid. Better to find another place than waste time learning nothing here.

"Very well." The instructor's face darkened, as if he could wring water from it, surprised that Luo Zheng wasn't afraid of leaving. Considering the consequences of Luo Zheng's departure and the subsequent inquiries from superiors, he knew he would be the one to suffer and, begrudgingly, he calmed down, though it rankled to be bending to Luo Zheng's will.

Luo Zheng waited a moment and, seeing that the instructor hadn't made a decision, a sneer tinged with wariness appeared in his irritated eyes. He had gambled correctly and decided it was time to quit while ahead. "As long as the base provides the training facilities and ammunition, in return, I'll cook three meals a day for everyone. If anyone interferes with my training, sorry, I'll have to return to the district and report back. Frankly, if it weren't for the orders from the district, I wouldn't even care about training here."

These words hit the instructor like a thunderbolt, waking him with a start. With significant backing of his own, yet unable to do whatever he wanted, he knew if things went awry, his backers would abandon him without hesitation. The military was rife with internal factions, and without tangible benefits, pushing the matter to a confrontation would only hurt himself. He looked helplessly towards Song Yang, who stood not far away.

With a grim expression, Song Yang kept silent. The instructor, feeling cornered and sighing internally, realized once you're onboard, it's not easy to get off. After pondering, he said coldly, "Did I say you can't have ammo? Ammunition must be distributed uniformly, not just handed out because you say so. We're still doing dry fire exercises these next few days. Live fire training starts in three days, and you'll get your ammunition then. You disappearing without a word caused your brothers to go without food. How do you intend to settle this?"