Chapter 318: Airborne? The Struggle for Military Ranks!

"Captain? That's indeed quite high......"

Lu Jing smiled, recalling the ranking of military ranks in his mind.

Ordinary Martial Artists who join the military start as regular soldiers.

Then come junior sergeant, intermediate sergeant, and senior sergeant.

Above that are second lieutenant, lieutenant, and captain.

Only after surpassing these ranks does one reach the major rank.

If an ordinary Martial Artist lacks talent and background, even with repeated feats, it is hard to rise to second lieutenant, let alone a colonel‑level rank.

"Actually, there is a reason you were given such a high rank."

Zhuang Junchu's tone was somewhat sighing as he exhaled, "The military is severely understaffed, especially lacking geniuses like you. In recent years, Grade B and above caves have been appearing more frequently, causing heavy personnel losses, consuming vast resources, and producing very few talents......"

"If this trend continues, we may have to seek aid from other nations to defend Huaguo's territory in the future."

Lu Jing understood.

No wonder Situjun has always focused on him; he's afraid he'll run away.

Situjun's actions do have selfish motives, but they are mostly for Huaguo's sake.

After all, if we truly have to ask other countries for help, Huaguo will lose its prestige and be at the mercy of others.

Time flew by during their idle chat.

Zhuang Junchu suddenly stopped speaking, tugged the fighter's control stick, and said seriously, "We're arriving soon; I'm lowering altitude to prepare for landing!"

The fighter pierced the clouds again; Lu Jing looked down and saw terraced fields and houses below. If it weren't for the black chasm in the middle, resembling East Africa's Great Rift Valley, the view would still be quite beautiful.

"The fissure below is a Grade A Cave; it appeared less than a month ago."

Zhuang Junchu noticed Lu Jing's curious expression and explained.

"Hmm, this fissure's area is much larger than the Grade B Cave I saw last time."

Lu Jing nodded, gazing down at the fissure like a wound on Mother Earth.

Ssh—

Soon, the fighter stopped on the runway, and the cockpit was opened.

"Lu Jing, you can report to the base first; I'm going to brief Lord Seat on the situation."

"Alright."

The Grade A Cave in Wei Province stretches for hundreds of miles.

Beasts could burst out from any spot at any time to attack humans.

To ensure the safety of nearby civilians, the military ordered the evacuation of local residents and implemented secrecy measures.

Although caves symbolize bloodshed and slaughter, being brutal battlefields, the military base near the caves has set up many entertainment venues for soldiers to relax.

These venues are mostly opened by major families and corporations, cooperating with the military.

Soldiers can use their military points to consume here for free.

Of course, those who usually spend aren't ordinary soldiers; military points are valuable, and using them here is a bit of a waste.

Lu Jing walked along the neon‑lit, wine‑scented path, moving forward.

The place is filled with the aroma of wine and a strong hotpot scent; any ordinary citizen who wandered in would never guess that a battlefield where humans clash with beasts lies a few hundred meters away.

In a pavilion at the corner, several middle‑aged men and women in military uniforms were drinking.

They come from powerful families, never worry about lacking military points, and because of their elders, they are most likely not assigned to the front lines.

That gives them time to drink and chat.

Occasionally someone bent over to hand a fruit platter and snacks for the group to enjoy.

Then they quietly retreated, not daring to disturb the lively conversation.

Soon, after a few bottles of fine wine, the people in the pavilion became spirited, their remarks growing vigorous.

Not far away, within the cave fissure, countless Martial Artists are fighting beasts to the death, accompanied by blood and smoke, while these carefree drinking officers seem to be in a completely different world.

The middle‑aged man sitting on the north side was thin, his complexion a bit pallid, clearly showing a deficiency of yin.

His uniform bore three dazzling red stars, indicating the rank of captain.

Listening to his friends' laughter, the man lifted his cup, took a small sip, and after the alcohol numbed his tongue, he said:

"Have you heard? Situjun has recommended someone to the higher‑ups; they should arrive soon."

The few around instantly paid attention.

Some listened curiously, others who knew details echoed along.

"Lu Xinyuan is right; there's a parachute drop, seems capable, and greatly favored by Situjun."

"Indeed, we often hear Situjun mention this person; he seems quite young and recently broke through the Martial Artist Realm..."

"A Grandmaster? This is a Grade A Cave; even a Grandmaster would just be a foot soldier here, not much use!"

Lu Xinyuan smiled faintly: "This Grandmaster is not ordinary; he's very young, seems just turned adult. What rank do you think Situjun gave him?"

"Give him a rank right away?"

Someone asked in confusion: "A Grandmaster is just a sergeant, or maybe a second lieutenant; it can't be higher than that."

Lu Xinyuan shook his head, "You're too conservative; Situjun applied for a major rank for him!"

At his words, the pavilion fell silent.

Everyone was startled.

"Lu Xinyuan, what did you say?"

One of the women with a sharp crew cut sprang up, "I asked why the Promotion we applied for last time was knocked down; turns out the slots were pre‑assigned all along, damn it!"

The crew‑cut woman's face flushed bright red as she tipped the cup and drank it in one gulp.

"Yang Zixin, you still have the heart of a dead Promotion at the colonel level; you still need to accumulate several more years of merit before you can make it."

Lu Xinyuan snorted and said: "Even without an airborne deployment, the lieutenant colonel's position wouldn't be left for you."

Oh? I know my limits, but you don't need to act calm here. If you don't care, why bring it up first?

Yang Zixin gave a cold snort, showing no weakness, and said contemptuously: "I was knocked down, aren't you the same? You've been hanging around the military district for years and you're still just a captain, thanks to your family pulling strings for you..." Biquge

You're really asking for a beating!

Lu Xinyuan heavily exhaled a mouthful of alcohol, his face instantly darkening.

He suddenly flipped the table and threw a punch at Yang Zixin across from him.

Yang Zixin's pupils contracted slightly; she hadn't expected the other party to resort to violence over a disagreement, and unable to dodge in time, she could only block the punch with her arm.

Boom—

The shockwave surged.

The pavilion was smashed to pieces by that punch.

A figure was flung backward.

Yang Zixin's body spun in midair, her head about to hit the concrete ground.

Even if one's strength is great, the back of the head, such a vital spot, is still very fragile.

Fortunately, a passing boy reached out and tugged her, changing her direction so she landed steadily on the ground.

Get lost!

Yang Zixin didn't even glance at the boy, and in her anger she directly slapped him.