Chapter 247

【Aniu: He's in! Is he our Boss?】

【Ama: We're missing an artilleryman, Captain, can you round everyone up? If it really doesn't work, I can fill in—just pay me two salaries!】

【Bu Hard Work Mingku: You can't even tell friendly units from enemy positions; last time you almost blew up our own fortifications. Give it a rest.】

【Bu Hard Work Mingku: Our Support Team needs to guarantee its reputation and make a name for itself in the industry! Get pumped!】

【Bu Hard Work Mingku: Welcome the squad, stand ready!】

When the user named "Bu Hard Work Mingku" appeared and fired off several messages in rapid succession, the group chat instantly typed out in unison: "Welcome Boss, warmly welcome."

The more Qin Shiyue looked, the more he felt this bunch was a bit comical, nothing like a "regular army," and far from the data Ying Huang had provided.

The latter had slapped his chest and given a guarantee, claiming Xu Yang Heavy Industry was familiar with industry rates and that the support squads they selected were absolutely reliable.

【Qin Shi: Hello everyone. Yellow bean smiley face. JPG】

【Qin Shi: I believe everyone has already seen my information; if received, please reply 1】

【Bu Hard Work Mingku: 1】

【Aniu: 1】

【Ama: 1】

Truly a well-deserved "hardworking cow and horse" combination.

Qin Shi smiled; this "office worker vibe" was indeed very familiar.

【Qin Shi: I hope that in the coming days, everyone can get along well.】

Before putting away his mobile terminal, he thought for a moment and sent two hundred Void Coins to an account similar to a "mercenary" support squad.

Recently Super Xiao He had been diligently mining, and the cumulative assets in Entropy Sea Bank continued to rise.

Earn what should be earned, spend what should be spent!

Qin Shi, who had once been a corporate slave, felt the best way to deal with cows and horses was none other than to pay them.

These days, people don't like eating painted cakes; they prefer actual benefits.

【Qin Shi: A small gesture, consider it a salary increase.】

【Aniu: Long live the Boss!】

【Ama: The Boss is generous!】

【Bu Hard Work Mingku: Boss, does the Backyard Squad need to provide a bed-warming service?】

The group was stirred!

These guys were like poor ghosts who had never seen money, starting to cry and howl.

Qin Shi shook his head and casually closed the group.

The main role of these guys was that when he needed manpower, they were responsible for logistical support, material replenishment, and clearing out enemy units, etc.

In the Ancient Empire, this was an exclusive treatment for nobles.

No matter which era of Dongxia, they emphasized abundant martial virtue.

Even those born into noble families had to go to the battlefield to gild themselves before they could stabilize their hereditary titles and win fame and prestige.

But blades and spears have no eyes; no one can guarantee one hundred percent safety.

So scions of great families usually brought a large number of attendants when joining the army.

It was said that the heirs of princes and royal bloodlines could even field a fully equipped private army to establish war merits and great achievements.

From this arose many legendary figures in history who bore the name "Household Troops" and eventually became kings and carved out territories.

This ancient "Servant Soldier" system, having endured countless ages, was still retained.

It just changed to a more pleasant name, such as "Support Squad" or "Security List."

Qin Shi himself was listed in the Judgment Court's "Protected Sequence," so he actually didn't need a support squad as personal protection.

On one hand, this was confidential information; even Ying Huang couldn't access it;

on the other hand, the Judgment Court only provided ultimate rescue for life-threatening situations, ensuring the Protected Sequence survived, but did not guarantee the integrity of the body.

Simply put, as long as half a breath remained to cling to life, it was fine; missing hands or feet or missing limbs didn't matter.

While letting his thoughts wander, Qin Shi tidied up the bed.

Although his persona was that of a well-connected young master, there was no need to pretend to be a spoiled rich person who couldn't take care of himself; that was trying too hard.

Very quickly, the whole large room gradually filled up, with one young face after another appearing here.

Qin Shi crossed his arms, quietly leaning against the headboard, as if cultivating his spirit with closed eyes, not participating in any discussion.

This fit his "well-connected + pretending to be a big shot" persona.

The "roommates" on the left and right were quite active; the first few batches of "conscripted recruits" drafted into the Great Expansion Movement had complex backgrounds.

First-rank academies like Qiguang Heng University and Jia Kai University of Technology, whether martial arts or Shen Neng Xi.

Those top students could not be sent directly to the battlefield; no matter how extravagant and wasteful the Governor's Mansion was, it wouldn't treat Hengzhou's future as expendable material.

So, according to conscription policy, except for the first batch, they were selected from the army, organized into the Vanguard Battalion, and sent to the frontline.

The "new recruits" of the following batches mostly came from eligible university students at some technical colleges, and children of employees who met conscription conditions.

Regarding this point, Qin Shi did not show too much personal emotion.

War is a violent machine that implements will and achieves goals.

Fairness, justice, and Rendaoyi are more like the pity and charity of the strong toward the weak, entirely depending on the mood of those in power.

They cannot be required as a standard line that must be executed.

"Life force hasn't exceeded twenty. No wonder they're undergoing reorganization training... If sent directly to the Pollution Zone for operations, it would be sending them to their deaths."

Qin Shi's Spiritual Field Power spread out, his Qi Life Force indiscriminately covering everyone, and faint light points appeared in his Spiritual Vision, like fireflies at dusk, not bright but flickering.

"The advance speed of the Western Front Battlefield is said to lag far behind the Eastern Front."

The "neighbor" on the left was a sturdy young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

「Highly contaminated zones were never easy to clean up; only the most basic firepower could be used for coverage. The Eastern Front had already deployed Divine Machines, while the Western Front was still digging trenches, setting up machine guns, and had committed only a few armored tanks. 」

The "neighbor" on the right was about the same age, with a short buzz cut, and spoke in a blunt, straightforward manner.

He was very familiar and greeted Qin Shi:

「Bro, where are you from? I'm from Zhou City, surname Gao, name Pao. 」

Qin Shi opened his eyes and, in an indifferent tone, introduced himself:

「Center City, Qin Shi, the 'Shi' of picking up gold without keeping it. 」

The blunt young man raised an eyebrow and said something with an inexplicable meaning:

「So you're a young master from Center City, my apologies, my apologies. 」

The buzz-cut young man who called himself Gao Pao stopped initiating conversation and instead began chatting with a burly young man with thick brows and large eyes.

「My name is Song Ping, from Yincheng, graduated just a year ago……」

The young faces in the room were all making such self-introductions.

Most of them were leaving their familiar hometowns for the first time, arriving in a completely strange environment.

Based on the human instinct to huddle together, they began to integrate into the new place one after another.

Qin Shi became the existence that did not fit in.

On the first night, accompanied by the sound of everyone talking at once, he spent it alone.

The management at the conscription office was relatively loose, not as cold and heartless as the legendary new recruit camp.

The next day, Qin Shi was still alone getting up to wash up, make his bed, and eat.

The news that he was a young master from Center City who had come to gild his résumé spread without legs, circulating everywhere.

In the "Miserable Cow and Horse" group on the mobile terminal, the support team was taking credit.

【Aniu: Boss, how did I spread this news?】

【Ama: If you're not satisfied and feel it lacks some story, we can later add some explosive juicy details about rich family illegitimate children!】

Qin Shi's mouth corner twitched, he casually praised a couple of sentences, and stopped these two blockheads from adding oil and vinegar.

By the third day, seven or eight military cargo trucks drove into the conscription office.

According to the registration order, one young face after another lined up neatly, taking turns jumping onto the rear beds of vehicles with different numbers.

「Gao Pao! Vehicle Number Four! Get on! 」

「Song Ping! Vehicle Number Four, get on……Qin Shi? You wait in the passenger seat. 」

The officer accepting new recruits called out Qin Shi's name, paused for a moment, and then said:

「Pah! Even joining the military has connections! Truly disgusting! 」

Gao Pao sat into the cargo truck and muttered softly:

「They say they're one of Hengzhou's earliest pioneer families, probably a young master of the Qin Family. 」

Song Ping scratched his head and smiled honestly.

He was older than the others, had been beaten by society, and deeply understood that "connection households" were everywhere.

At least this young master Qin Shi was just gilding his résumé and did not endanger others' interests or cause calamity.

From noon until the sun gradually slanted west, all the roll calls were finally completed.

Several fully loaded military heavy trucks formed a long queue, traveling on a not-so-spacious road; Qin Shi, sitting in the passenger seat, looked through the window and saw vast stretches of barren and impoverished sky and earth.

The orange-yellow afterglow shone on the wilderness without a shred of vitality, reminding him of the Gobi desert in the great northwest.

No matter how long they drove or how far they went, it was always wild grass and gravel, plus choking dust and sand kicked up by the strong wind.

The night was like thick ink spreading out; the military cargo trucks stopped at a rest area marked on the map.

Many "new recruits" who had not yet completed enlistment sat around the campfire; the officers escorting them were fully armed, searching for sniper positions for long-range observation, and assigning guard groups for patrol posts.

This professionalism made the new recruits both admire and long for it.

「Currently there are three completed defense systems on the Western Front; we are heading to the largest fortress city nearby, code-named 'Baiyang'. 」

「You bunch of new recruits will be assigned to the Three Major Training Camps: Number One 'Fire Scorpion', Number Two 'Iron Fist', Number Three 'Yellow Spring'. 」

「Pray you aren't assigned to 'Yellow Spring'; the conscripted recruits who walk out of there are mainly responsible for being 'line fillers', participating in high-intensity advancement missions. 」

The lieutenant with two black sword-shaped shoulder epaulets chewed nutrient paste while saying cheerfully:

「Two months of training, tempering raw iron into steel, then throwing them into the great furnace to burn; those who persist will become material for sharp blades thereafter.

Those who can't persist fall where they fall and are buried where they fall. War is like this; it's no housekeeping game. 」

Gao Pao bit into an energy bar; hearing the lieutenant's words, he was not afraid but instead felt longing.

For conscripted recruits like them in the third batch, it was inherently difficult to walk the most common promotion path.

The Hengzhou Great Reclamation movement, while allowing some "young masters" to gild their way up, also created a large number of opportunities.

「Report, sir! 」

Gao Pao suddenly shouted, raising his hand.

「Not bad; you know to report before speaking, not a greenhorn. 」

The middle-aged lieutenant grinned, releasing a bit of dangerous breath like a predatory beast.

「Otherwise tonight I'll send you on night patrol; corrupted jackals roam in groups in this territory, enough to make you piss your pants several times. 」

Gao Pao shivered; he had indeed seen pairs of green beast pupils in the pitch-black night curtain.

「Speak if you have something to say. 」

After scaring them, the middle-aged lieutenant smiled again:

「As the first new recruit daring to ask me a question, I can reward you with an extra portion of nutrient paste. This stuff fills you up; in the next two days' itinerary, your tactical rations are five energy bars and a pot of clear water.

Learning how to endure hunger is the first lesson I teach you. 」

Gao Pao, praised, puffed out his chest; young people are always easily stirred emotionally.

He stood up, his posture ramrod straight:

"Sir! I'd like to know, what do we need to learn at the Training Camp?"

The middle-aged Lieutenant narrowed his eyes, speaking word by word:

"Broadly speaking, just two words: survival. More specifically, it's probably the arts to ensure your own survival, the means to improve your own abilities, and the comprehensive qualities to adapt to the battlefield."

"Judging by your Life Force Development levels, I'd estimate that not many of you can break through twenty points, or have hope of reaching thirty points."

"If it weren't for this Great Expansion movement, you might spend your whole lives doing workshop work or Mining Area operations."

"After all, even riding a Spaceship requires mastering multiple languages and possessing basic Life Force requirements."

"So, seize the opportunity well. The supplies distributed by the Training Camp are quite luxurious—Level 5 Energy Liquid is available for exchange, if you're qualified enough."

The many recruits, originally nervous and uneasy, upon hearing the middle-aged Lieutenant's words, instantly became as if injected with chicken blood.

Qin Shi sat silently in the Corner, maintaining his unsociable, aloof image.

Under the coverage of the Life Magnetic Field, the one with the highest Life Force in the whole venue should be that middle-aged Lieutenant.

Professional rank around Amateur Eighth Rank, close to Zhou Yuanchen's level.

But he knew very well that battlefield slaughter wasn't simply about Life Force numbers.

Tactical training, hand-to-hand combat, and even psychological quality—those were the keys to determining life and death.

If Old Zhou didn't use moves like Borrowing King Fist, even with Life Force being nearly equal, this middle-aged Lieutenant would probably be able to cripple Zhou Yuanchen's hands at the cost of half his life.

"Hurry up and finish eating! Get on the vehicle to rest!"

The middle-aged Lieutenant roared.

His voice reverberated like thunder across the Wilderness, yet attracted no coveting or spying from any Corrupted Creature.

"Kid."

Qin Shi returned to the Passenger Seat, sensing the middle-aged Lieutenant locking his Gaze onto him.

"Is there something, Sir?"

"Your Life Force shouldn't be weak, right?"

Qin Shi's disguise work was well in place; apart from minor changes to hairstyle and appearance, his Life Magnetic Field even stabilized his Breath at around fifty points.

"Not bad, Sir."

The middle-aged Lieutenant grinned, seemingly friendly:

"Gilded is gilded, but if your family doesn't have parents capable of making a call to Baiyang Fortress City a thousand li away, keep a low profile. On the battlefield, the ones who die the most are recruits who think they're capable."

Qin Shi remained silent; in a great melting pot like the military that values ability, those with connections were naturally not well received.

Presumably Old Chen chose this identity for him, hoping he would neither attract too much attention nor end up completely unknown.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Sir."

Qin Shi nodded, sinking his body, trying to find a comfortable posture, leaning against the Passenger Seat, and began to rest.

The middle-aged Lieutenant was stunned for a moment, surprised that this kid with "Young Master" written on his forehead was actually so calm and adaptable.

The two-day journey passed in a flash.

Rolling dust and smoke were kicked up, like a surging yellow Dragon.

On the third day, the rising sun cast morning light upon the Fortress City standing on the earth like a giant.

Seven or eight military cargo trucks underwent inspection, then filed in one by one.

Through the lowered Window, Qin Shi saw the conspicuous slogan—

"Youth dedicated to border defense, hot blood forging boundary markers!"

"For all humanity, for the spark of Civilization!"

(Chapter End)