Chapter 17: 16 New recruits fight veterans, the more they fight, the younger they get (Bonus chapter 13 for Alliance Leader Zi Longy

Paper cannot wrap up fire; Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng, having returned from a meeting abroad, still learned about the matter regarding Qi Ming.

"Letting a foreigner with unknown origins join the Victory Force? How absurd!" He felt it was utterly ridiculous, believing that Moroboshi Dan and Kiriyama had simply gone mad.

The TPC, after all, is a quasi-military organization, practicing strict discipline from top to bottom.

The entrance examination for the Victory Force, as an important department, is even more rigorous; they only want the elite of the elite.

"This is his file." Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng's subordinate, a woman named Zuo Bo Lijia, handed the paper file to him.

Upon seeing Qi Ming's photo, Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng's expression paused slightly: "Is this... retouched later?"

Zuo Bo Lijia: "No."

"Then... then this." After scrutinizing Qi Ming's photo carefully several times, his skepticism toward Moroboshi Dan immediately diminished significantly:

"He must have had plastic surgery, but it's a miracle he could be fixed up like this; it looks quite natural."

"Finding someone with a good image to join the Victory Force is indeed beneficial for increasing national support for us, but..."

Zuo Bo Lijia: "But after all, he hasn't undergone specialized training or the entrance examination. Rashly participating in operations could very likely cost him his life, which would be a great loss."

"Correct, that is exactly what I mean." Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng nodded hurriedly:

"We should first transfer him to the News Force and blur his nationality to be our news spokesperson."

"If he still has the desire to enter the Victory Force, we can cultivate him properly during his spare time."

"Let's go, let's go to the Command Room and have a talk with Captain Moroboshi Dan."

…………………………

In the Victory Force Command Room these past few days, the atmosphere has not been harmonious.

Although Qi Ming was called out by the Captain for a talk, there seemed to be no movement, which left Soldier Shan Zhong and Kishida, who were prepared to watch him make a fool of himself and dampen his arrogance, somewhat disappointed.

The most infuriating thing was that he had absolutely no self-awareness of being a team member.

While they were doing daily training, driving cars through streets and alleys searching for the Zuluk aliens, he stayed in his room blowing the air conditioning and could collect the same salary as them; who could stand that?

Their prejudice against Qi Ming deepened significantly. When they discussed him in the Command Room and spoke harshly, Moroboshi Dan would reprimand them for such "disunifying words."

And if it was just some snide remarks, Moroboshi Dan, acting on the idea that "blocking is not as good as dredging," would let them bring up "opinions and suggestions."

"This guy, what is he acting so high and mighty about all day? Those who know understand he's just a mercenary; those who don't would think he's the representative who came to accept Japan's surrender decades ago!" During today's patrol, Qi Ming naturally skipped out again, which led Kishida to complain.

Emi had not returned yet; she was outside helping Qi Ming search for clues regarding "Ji Shi Zhun."

"Don't, I, a fine man like Xiao Feng, how could I be mentioned in the same breath as that kind of person." Qi Ming, who happened to walk in, heard this and became unhappy instead.

Does that person who "bowed and bent" while accepting the surrender document deserve to be compared with him?

"Yo, Team Member Qi Ming has arrived. You've come at a truly opportune time; we've finished all the work that needed doing." Soldier Shan Zhong said sarcastically: "The Command Room is a bit dirty; why don't you clean it up."

Qi Ming found a place to sit down: "It will be clean once you go out."

"You!"

Kishida, who was on the same side as Soldier Shan Zhong, stood up: "Do you think you're very remarkable, is that it?"

Qi Ming had a puzzled expression: "Can't anyone with eyes see that?"

Moroboshi Dan wanted to stop them, but at his side, Xi Tiao made a gesture, asking him not to give Qi Ming special treatment this time.

She stood up, her cold and sharp gaze fixed on Qi Ming, her aura even more intense than the two males, Soldier Shan Zhong and Kishida:

"During the last operation, because of your self-willed behavior, the plan deployment was disrupted, nearly causing a major disaster."

"And you, acting like nothing happened, do you think the matter is just over like this?"

"Don't you realize the resentment other team members have toward you? They don't want to experience another incident where the danger level increases and the disaster expands because of a megalomaniac."

Qi Ming was unaffected by this oppressive aura and refuted point by point:

"When you formulated the plan, did you consult my opinion? I never agreed to your plan." "And after you reviewed it, didn't you notice that if you had followed me into the mountains to take out the two monsters at that time, the situation wouldn't have evolved into the four monsters gathering together later?"

"Finally, I don't want to stay with you three clueless guys either. Why don't you quit the team?"

Xi Tiao became even more furious: "Is this how you talk to your seniors? Haven't your parents taught you to follow local customs and respect local etiquette?"

In Japan, there is a great emphasis on "hierarchical etiquette." In most cases, what a senior says, a junior must unconditionally obey.

If they don't like you and give you a head-on scolding, you cannot show dissatisfaction; otherwise, getting beaten up is a small matter, and you will be isolated, excluded, or even lose your job by the team.

If a senior goes out drinking and doesn't return until late at night, as a junior, you must sit upright in the room waiting for the senior to return before you can sleep.

And Qi Ming, up to now, not to mention bowing and using honorifics, even openly defies the authority of his seniors. In Japan, this is "great disrespect."

Qi Ming felt nothing: "They taught me the principle that 'an envoy from a superior nation does not bow to the ruler of an inferior state.' As for you, Deputy Captain Xi Tiao, barking wildly in public like a mad dog, could it be..."

Qi Ming's tone paused. He originally wanted to say, "Could it be that your parents died early, leading to a deficiency in your personality development?" But then he thought...

Xi Tiao's mother really seems to have died!

In the original series of "Ultraman Nexus," she witnessed her parents being killed by a "Space Beast," which also caused her to develop a reclusive and cold personality.

Attacking like that would exceed humanitarian standards, so forget it.

But the evaluation of "mad dog" was enough to make Xi Tiao furious. She rushed forward, spun 360 degrees, and delivered a whip kick, aiming straight at Qi Ming's face: "I have to teach you a lesson today!"

Qi Ming was overjoyed: "Well come! It should have been like this long ago!"

He is not a good boy like Gu Men; there is no such thing as "being knocked to the ground after stopping the Deputy Captain from shooting at Ji Shi Zhun, and still having no complaints."

He easily broke it with a crouching sweep kick, and then countered with a high sweep kick.

Xi Tiao's physical technique is not bad. After hugging his leg in close quarters, she prepared to use her elbow to strike Qi Ming's right leg heavily, intending to break his knee.

Qi Ming immediately bent his knee to brace against it, using the triangular stability to break this attack.

Actually... braced against my offensive?

Xi Tiao, who didn't believe in evil, became even more ferocious in her offensive, almost going for the kill.

She turned to open up the distance, and then a smashing elbow went straight for Qi Ming's crown.

Qi Ming, with extremely fast reactions, side-stepped and took advantage of the momentum to perform a one-handed "White Ape Holding the Peach," his right palm striking Xi Tiao's jaw fiercely.

The jaw is very rich in nerves. After being hit, Xi Tiao immediately fainted.

"Deputy Captain!"

"What are you doing! Are you rebelling!"

Seeing Xi Tiao fall, Kishida and Soldier Shan Zhong hurriedly rushed toward Qi Ming as well.

But only Xi Tiao could exchange a few moves with Qi Ming here. Against them, Qi Ming used one high whip kick and one left hook, easily knocking Kishida and Soldier Shan Zhong to the ground.

"How can we protect the Earth by being with such vermin!" After beating the three of them until they couldn't get up again, Qi Ming looked at the dumbfounded Moroboshi Dan.

Is this what you meant by "the fastest way to resolve contradictions is to intensify them"?

Everything happened in the blink of an eye; Moroboshi Dan couldn't have stopped it even if he wanted to.

He didn't even notice that the door to the Command Room had been silently open for a while.

Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng, who saw all this, stayed for a while, then turned and left.

Zuo Bo Lijia: "Aren't you going to talk to Captain Moroboshi Dan about the transfer method for the new team member?"

"No need." Staff Officer Counselor Quan Teng thought about the sharp moves Qi Ming used just now to take down three veteran team members in an instant of "subordinate rebelling against superior": "He has already passed the examination."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====