Chapter 10: Draw

Liu Xiaotian dared to swear an oath to the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder; he absolutely intended to concede sincerely.

But just as he thought, in others' eyes, this was "noble and upright conduct".

But in the army, especially in the eyes of superiors, this is not a good virtue.

Not striving for merit is called noble integrity; but not wanting to win, isn't that just "a soldier who doesn't want to be a general"? Before Kang Lei could speak, He Zhijun stood up, face darkened, and shouted: "Liu Xiaotian! What are you messing around? Do you think this is kindergarten—playing eagle catching chicks?"

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaotian had already begun untying the bindings of his boxing gloves.

Hearing He Zhijun's words, he quickly came to attention and loudly said:

"Report to the Brigade Commander! I truly can't beat He Chen Guang; being able to hold on until now is pure luck; moreover, my stamina no longer allows me to fight another round!"

I don't know if it was to match his words, but Liu Xiaotian's face turned red in a flash, and large beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead.

He knew He Chen Guang's skill; although he might not lose, if he wanted to win, the probability would never exceed twenty percent.

At one, one look `no, one mistaken version%！'

He damn... never intended to let him! But without the system's boost, going up would just be a beating; that's asking for suffering.

He Zhijun didn't say anything else, but the anger on his face showed no sign of dissipating; he resentfully sat back down in his chair.

He Zhijun froze, then a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

It seems the theory that "in the army, strength is supreme" truly holds up under scrutiny.

In the morning, the thirteenth group's combat assessment all ended.

Although Liu Xiaotian's performance just now shocked everyone, many people still couldn't accept this reality in the short term.

The incident is understandable, and Liu Xiaotian's tone was firm; he even agreed to a rematch, which shows it wasn't intentional concession.

Wang Yanbing bared his teeth and shook his head, his eyes somewhat eager to try, but in the end he still honestly withdrew.

Moreover, over the past half month, Peng Donghai has reported his daily performance promptly; do you think he lacks ambition?

But Liu Xiaotian is not like that.

After all, even horses can stumble; a small mishap in a match is quite normal.

But he also knows that at this point, explaining is absolutely superfluous; no one will believe it, especially He Chen Guang.

"Brigade Commander, I think Liu Xiaotian isn't pretending; think about it, otherwise why would he fight all three rounds? If he conceded in the first round, it would be over."

"Ah, is that kid really that strong?"

Kang Lei checked the time, then sought instructions from He Zhijun and Fan Tianlei, and announced that at 1:00 p. m. sharp, the second item—shooting assessment—would be held at the range.

"Then we should definitely decide a winner!"

Even, most of the watching soldiers unanimously thought: might as well just move on to the next item; it's not interesting anyway, we're all bored to death……

And He Chen Guang was the complete opposite.

Upon hearing this, He Chen Guang's furrowed brow finally relaxed.

And in the Sixth Company cafeteria, Liu Xiaotian finally felt what respect is.

Therefore, when Kang Lei gave Liu Xiaotian a quick check and then announced that Liu Xiaotian couldn't fight another round in overtime, He Zhijun did not intervene.

So he changed his wording: "Yesterday I guess I ate something bad, my stomach suddenly cramped with pain; this time doesn't count, next time I'll find you to fight, I'll definitely win!" "Report to the Regiment Commander! Liu Xiaotian is feeling suddenly unwell, so I don't count it as a win; please judge it a draw and give us a chance to rematch."

He Zhijun was farther away, but Kang Lei saw it very clearly.

After lunch, Wang Yanbing sneakily approached He Chen Guang, who was sitting off to the side in a daze, and whispered:

Others didn't hear it, but Kang Lei beside him heard it clearly; he couldn't help but feel a bit more fond of this recruit who had never been looked highly upon: not to mention, the kid's emotional intelligence is pretty high! He patted Liu Xiaotian's shoulder, He Chen Guang stood up straight, and loudly said to Kang Lei:

This result, although He Chen Guang won't feel comfortable inside, is much better than losing.

Have to say, the feeling of raising one's brows and exhaling is great! As for the afternoon shooting assessment, he isn't worried either.

After hearing Fan Tianlei's words, He Zhijun's anger subsided a little, but his tone still carried dissatisfaction.

Fan Tianlei laughed and said in a low voice:

Even being slow by just 0.1 second could lead to a loss in a match.

Those who used to look at him with a hint of contempt and scorn have now all changed to a hint of friendly flattery.

Naturally, Kang Lei could not refuse this.

He walked straight up to Liu Xiaotian, ostensibly out of concern, to check on Liu Xiaotian's condition, but actually, when he leaned close to Liu Xiaotian's ear, he quietly asked: "Why let me?" Heaven knows, at that moment Liu Xiaotian felt utterly wronged.

He, Wang Yanbing, and Li Erniu three, although their growth experiences differed, their performance has always been far ahead.

He isn't afraid; he just lacks a bit of confidence.

If He Chen Guang loses this time to Wang Yanbing, Li Erniu, or another soldier whose training scores have always been decent, that would also be acceptable.

With Liu Xiaotian and He Chen Guang setting the example, the later matches obviously became just a foil.

Indeed, from the day he fought Liu Xiaotian and joined the Iron Fist Group, his training scores in all subjects have remained at the bottom.

This weakness is absolutely not something that can be faked.

As expected, besides He Chen Guang drawing with Liu Xiaotian, Wang Yanbing and Li Erniu each won by KO in the first round.

He Chen Guang didn't even lift his head, just threw out "Go try it yourself," then got up and left.

He Chen Guang losing to Liu Xiaotian will likely leave a deep shadow in his heart.

Upon hearing Kang Lei announce his own victory, He Chen Guang's expression was not good.

Upon hearing this, Fan Tianlei's smile grew wider, but he suddenly changed the topic: "Do you want He Chen Guang to lose?"

Liu Xiaotian for the first time wanted to thank that system which, since its appearance, has constantly annoyed him.

He took a few steps to Liu Xiaotian's face, listened to him for a few seconds, then turned toward He Zhijun and gave a slight nod.

Although he's still clear-headed knowing he can't rely on the system's help for everything, the show has begun; he must carry on! At 1 p. m., the entire regiment will assemble promptly at the range.

At this point, most people's eyes are already focused entirely on Liu Xiaotian.

To be precise, it should be a sense of anticipation.

This is like the plot in a film or drama where the long-suffering male lead suddenly turns the tables and sweeps away all the villains.

After all, compared to a salted fish turning over, a carp leaping over the dragon gate is definitely more interesting, isn't it? (End of chapter)