The Favored Son of Heaven

A thousand meters… Two thousand meters… Three thousand meters… Three thousand and one hundred meters….

Jin Kui finally couldn’t hold on any longer. His heavy footsteps began to slow down, and a batch of recruits who were equally lacking in physical strength smiled in delight one after another. Last place was finally about to appear.

“I’m next!”

Du Peng slowed his pace. Jin Kui thought for a moment before firmly jumping onto Du Peng’s back. This action immediately stupefied the recruits behind them.

Had they gone crazy? Running while carrying someone? This meant that the person who would be second to last had appeared! The recruits in the back watched Du Peng with quite the shock, as he maintained a decent pace.

The seasoned veterans of Second Battalion were shocked by Du Peng’s actions as well. Even though Du Peng had the makings of a great soldier, it was impossible for him not to end up in last place when carrying Jin Kui.

After running for some distance, Du Peng’s face was drenched with sweath. His breathing began to grow heavier and heavier. Qin Fen silently calculated the distance to himself. If Du Peng were to pass Jin Kui to Qin Fen right now, they still might not be able to avoid last place, but Du Peng might not be able to hold out if he doesn’t pass Jin Kui.

“Allow me.”

In a split second decision, Qin Fen had Du Peng pass Jin Kui to him, and Du Peng’s complexion immediately took a turn for the better. Carrying someone in a long distance dash wasn’t easy, especially in a race against others.

Squad Leader Hao laughed. Relaying? These two super recruits really did believe themselves to be omnipotent.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Art instantly difused through his entire body. Qin Fen increased his running speed after putting Jin Kui on his back, further stupefying the recruits behind him.

Even if he did get first place in swimming, carrying someone to run the remaining distance was too ridiculous, right?

The last five hundred meters…. The last four hundred meters….

Qin Fen’s speed had already begun to drop. Even though he had pulled some distance away from the recruits behind him, there was still the last four hundred meters to go….

“I’m next!”

Deng Biao, who had been tossed by Qin Fen back on the ship, suddenly spoke.

“You….”

“Give him to me!” Deng Biao wiped the sweat off his forehead, “We’re one collective!”

After a brief moment of thought, Qin Fen passed Jin Kui to Deng Biao. The other recruits of Second Squad stuck closely beside Deng Biao, “Biaoster! Let us know when you’re tired!”

In this moment, the recruits who had been left in the dust understood that the two strongest recruits of Second Squad weren’t the only ones who were going to carry Jin Kui. The others would carry as well in this crazy run!

After snapping back to reality, the recruits had to ignore the weariness of their bodies as they swung their feet in a pursuit of Deng Biao.

Three hundred meters…. Two hundred meters…. One hundred meters….

Thud….

Zhang Xiangyang, the recruit who carried Jin Kui into boot camp, simply plopped to lie on the ground. Laughter of delight was staggered throughout his intense wheezing.

Six to last place! This was a very bad performance among two thousand recruits, but it was an achievement that made one incomparably delighted!

Qin Fen and Du Peng were the only ones of Second Squad, First Platoon, Third Company, Second Battalion who remained standing. The two had their hands on their knees, as their chests heaved up and down in equal intensity. Sweat trickled down their chin and the tip of their nose, dripping onto the cement ground.

It was very tiresome to carry someone in a long distance dash, and running on sandy shores was much more tiresome than running on cement ground. They managed not to be in last place thanks to Qin Fen crazily using his strength midway.

“Excellent, excellent.” Squad Leader Hao smied showed genuine happiness, “Though there is suspicion of cheating, I’m very happy! After you finish dinner, follow me to your living quarters for some rest.”

Recruit boot camp was much bigger than Qin Fen expected. Standing in the middle of it was akin to standing in the middle of a gigantic ancient city. Streets, buildings, and training fields could be seen all over, and steel-like roars could be heard coming from each of the training fields.

The Federation gathered recruits not once a year but once a month. Someone who reached of age could sign up at any time. There were quite a few recruits at the training fields who had arrived a few month earlier than them. Compared to their group of recruits who had just arrived, these recruits already possessed the bearing of seasoned soldiers.

Qin Fen listened to Squad Leader Hao’s introduction as they walked on the road to their living quarters. This was a large military camp, capable of housing fifty thousand people. There were a total of five camps like this one in Australia. There were smaller camps on other islands. The total people numbered nearly to a million.

The recruit camp’s living quarters were much larger than those on the transport ship. Of course, people weren’t divided into units of squads in them, but into units of companies. Nearly eighty beds were neatly arranged in living quarters similar to cargo holds.

These were the living quarters of Third Company, Second Battalion. The other squads, who had finished running earlier than them, had found already their designated beds.

Qin Fen soon found his bed thanks to his military card. Daily necessities of every kind, as provided by the Federation, were placed not far from the head of the bed.

All the recruits of Second Squad, First Platoon, Third Company, Second Battalion planted headfirst into their beds at practically the same time. Even Du Peng, who stood tall and straight all the time with his military bearing, could no longer keep up his appearance of a soldier. He too fell onto his bed.

Relaying and carrying Jin Kui wasn’t too tough of a task, but carrying him in an all-out dash was a totally different situation.

Qin Fen lay for a while before dragging his weary body into sitting up again. There was quite some time until dinner. There was enough time to perform one cycle of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art.

As a man, Qin Fen had the unparalleled thirst to becoming stronger. Because of his financial issues in the past, he couldn’t afford to set aside time for cultivation and had to save as much of his strength. He exchanged his time and energy for money to fill his stomach.

Now, he suddenly didn’t have to worry about food and clothes. The biggest burdens in Qin Fen’s heart had disappeared, he had seen just how powerful Squad Leader Hao was, and he had heard of his big brother’s deeds. His thirst for becoming stronger had grown even greater. He immediately began to carry out the cultivation method introduced by the figure of light.

The third stage of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art continued to circulate within his body as dryly and heavily as before. His weary body made performing the art even more difficult, and soon the living quarters began to echo with his drawn-out breathing.

Du Peng, who still lay on the bed, watched Qin Fen with shock. Qin Fen was the person who had ran the fastest and the longest while carrying Jin Kui amongst their squad. He should be the most tired one, yet he actually began cultivating!

Huff!

Du Peng suddenly sat up as well, soon engaging in weary cultivation just like Qin Fen.

The drawn-out breathings of the two undulated without end within the sleeping quarters. Their squadmates looked at one another before collectively sitting cross-legged. They copied the two and began to cultivate.

Jin Kui looked at his seven squadmates all sitting cross-legged. He whispered to himself over and over, “I just want to be a small businessman. I really don’t want to be some outstanding soldier….”