Chapter 615: If You

In Weixing Village, the combatants didn't receive today's mission assignments, but learned that the Yama Corps had departed alone on an external operation—both elated and distressed.

They were elated because final team divisions were finally happening; after division, structured training would begin, and resource allocation would differ.

Most were confident they'd secure spots in the elite teams.

They were distressed because why had the Yama Corps abandoned them to go off on their own? "Damn it, Lao Wu, do you think the Yama King looks down on us?!"

Wu Baokang chewed on some bubble gum he'd somehow acquired, glaring at the distant convoy receding along the highway, his face sour with annoyance.

"Well, we're not members of the Yama Corps—just follow orders."

Wu Daqiang remained calm; such things were routine for him.

"Hey, have you heard? The Yama King plans to establish an elite unit beneath the Yama Corps, with the weakest sent to reserve status. Do you think anyone might get directly promoted into the Yama Corps today?"

Zhang Xin's face wore an expectant expression; he seemed to be asking a question, but sounded like he was talking about himself.

"Maybe, but damn sure not you!"

Wu Baokang bluntly shot back at Zhang Xin—he'd long resented this connection kid; now that everyone was part of Tianma Yu, the Yama King hadn't given him special treatment, so no more coddling.

Zhang Xin was momentarily speechless, but didn't get angry; he chuckled and said, "As long as someone does, I know my limits—I won't make it in anytime soon. I'm just here to watch. Let's see which big brother's got the guts. If I get into the elite unit, I'll be satisfied. Hehe."

"I'm definitely getting stuck in reserve."

"I'm not much better—what do we do? Come on, let's cram!"

"Yeah, sharpen the blade at the last minute—hurry up and sharpen!"

Hearing Zhang Xin's words, some combatants with weak abilities began to panic…

While people chatted, the Yama Corps convoy arrived at Beidong Town.

The main road in Beidong Town remained unrepaired, still pitted and uneven; traffic now used the western side road and the front courtyards of shops. The convoy had taken this route days ago—convenient and trouble-free.

The personnel setting up the communication base station had placed a repeater on the roof of Beidong Town's only four-story building, equipped with a large battery for patrol duty and special insulation. According to theoretical estimates, it could operate continuously for eighteen to twenty days; to ensure absolute reliability, the battery needed replacement every two weeks.

Continuing south, they soon saw the elevated railway bridge. A high-speed train sat silently on its tracks, heading east to west, eight carriages stretching about two hundred meters, its pantograph disconnected from the overhead wires—the entire vehicle looked as if it were asleep.

Dust coated its body, dulling its original paint and amplifying its desolation.

Zhang Su pulled over beneath the railway bridge; the vehicles behind him stopped one by one, and everyone disembarked, weapons and tools in hand.

"Boss Zhang, we can't even get up there…"

Wu Lue frowned at the bridge piers.

Before reaching the bridge, he hadn't thought much about it—he'd assumed it wasn't very high and that stepping on the vehicle roof would suffice. But now, standing beneath it, he realized: though short compared to bridges spanning canyons or rivers, it still stood ten meters off the ground—taller than a three-story building! Several others had similar thoughts; some female members scanned the surroundings, searching for a climbable spot.

Zhang Su smirked. "You damn fool—you told me we'd fix the high-speed train, yet you didn't even do your homework? Wait, didn't you guys put walkie-talkie repeaters on the bridge a few days ago? Didn't you climb up then?"

Wu Lue pointed to a tall tree on the other side of the bridge. "Look—right in that bird's nest!"

Back then, they'd considered the bridge's complex conditions and the risk of someone passing by and sabotaging the equipment, so they'd opted to use the abandoned nest.

Zhang Su nodded. "Luezi, see that maintenance platform? That's how you get onto the bridge."

"But… that platform isn't meant for us to climb—it's got a protective net installed precisely to stop people from climbing! Why not call Xida Ying Village and send a digger to lift us up?"

Wu Lue pointed toward Xida Ying Village.

After days of effort, several large machines had been transported to the banks of Haihe River, including a repaired excavator. "You still have time to wait for a digger? Da Kun—show them what real skill looks like! Get us a path up that bridge!"

"Got it, Uncle!"

Pang Dakun beamed, shoved his pliers into his backpack, and under Wu Lue's confused gaze, opened the minivan's trunk to pull out a telescoping ladder!

"Son of a bitch…"

Wu Lue immediately snapped: "Having a ladder isn't skill—that's just having legs!"

"You say that…" Pang Dakun shot Wu Lue a resentful glance and pointed at the ladder. "You wanna try?"

Classic: "If you're so good, you do it."

"Fine, I'll do it!"

Wu Lue was young; though usually timid, he couldn't let himself be humiliated in front of everyone. He stepped forward, hoisted the ladder, and marched toward the base of the maintenance platform.

"It's just setting up a ladder—acting all tough. Who can't do that…"

Wu Lue muttered under his breath—but when he fully extended the ladder, he froze.

The bottom of the maintenance platform was still five to six meters above ground; the ladder fell short by about half a meter. Worse, the modified ladder had hooks clearly designed to latch onto the platform's edge—but the platform was surrounded by protective netting, so even if he held the ladder up to reach the edge, he couldn't hook it.

"This… Boss Zhang, the ladder's too short."

Wu Lue turned back helplessly, realizing everyone was staring at him oddly—his face flushed crimson.

"Hmph, guess I'll have to do it!"

Pang Dakun, unwilling to let Wu Lue suffer further embarrassment, stepped forward and took the ladder from him. He looked up, nodded, and looked utterly confident.

"Brother Kun, how are you doing this? Need us to hold it?"

Wu Lue, relieved as if freed from prison, eagerly offered help.

"No, no—don't hold it. Ganma, Uncle Zhu, lend a hand."

Pang Dakun turned to Zhao De and Tan Hua.

Wu Lue felt even more humiliated—they clearly didn't trust him. He had no choice; his reputation was poor. He slunk back into the crowd, vowing silently: never again show off.

No one actually held a grudge against Wu Lue; everyone knew their own roles—he simply wasn't someone who could shoulder major tasks.

"Hehe, now you see how reliable Ganma and I are, huh!"

Zhao De strode forward confidently—the feeling of being trusted was wonderful.

"Lao Zhao, hold it steady—don't drop my godson!"

Tan Hua, seeing Zhao De laughing, worried he'd slack off.

Pang Dakun shook the ladder—it held firm. He grinned. "Uncle Zhu, Ganma—thanks to you. I'm going up!"

Tan Hua and Zhao De steadied the ladder as Pang Dakun scrambled up swiftly. At the top, he pulled out his pliers and swiftly dismantled the protective netting.

The three worked in perfect sync—no mistakes.

(End of chapter)