Chapter 18: Confinement

"Yuqitian..."

Gu Chen looked at Yuqitian in surprise.

He didn't expect that Yuqitian, who had been competing with him these past days, would step forward now.

Yuqitian gave a light laugh,

"Don't think too much; I just can't stand seeing someone bully the weak and look down on our new recruits."

"Heh, what fine camaraderie among comrades."

Lei Chao laughed loudly while clapping his hands, his eyes full of mockery.

"But do you think you two alone can stop me?"

"What if we join in?"

Two other Fourth Stage Martial Trainee recruits exchanged a glance and then stood on either side of Yuqitian and Gu Chen.

The four exchanged smiles, and this atmosphere infected the other hundreds or thousands of Combat Soldiers.

The crowd, hearts surging, stepped forward one after another, shouting loudly,

"And us!"

Wave after wave of sound rose and fell in the training ground, the momentum terrifying!

These Combat Soldiers usually train together; although they aren't as close as brothers, their relationship is still decent.

Now, with Lei Chao as a common enemy present, they united against him, and their relationship became even better than before.

Although these Combat Soldiers are only third-stage, and some are even Second-stage Martial Apprentices.

But the intimidating presence of hundreds of Combat Soldiers shouting together made even Lei Chao unconsciously retreat two steps.

His Face Grim, he was filled with dread.

"Who is causing trouble?"

In the distance, several new recruit instructors who had been preparing to rest heard the rising and falling shouts and hurried over from afar.

Seeing these familiar faces, Lei Chao's expression changed slightly, and he respectfully saluted the several instructors,

"Greetings, instructors."

Instructor Deng Li furrowed his brow,

"Lei Chao? What are you doing here, fellow?"

New recruit instructors are only responsible for the six months of training when new recruits join the camp.

When Lei Chao last joined the camp, Deng Li also served as an instructor and often dealt with this troublemaker Lei Chao.

Lei Chao also didn't expect Deng Li to be here.

At this moment he was like a mouse seeing a cat, no longer possessing the aura he had when facing Gu Chen and the others.

"Li Xuan of the Logistics Camp has gone missing; I suspect it's related to the new recruits, so I've come specifically to inquire."

"Inquire? Heh."

Yuqitian, unafraid of Lei Chao, gave a cold snort, pulled Gu Chen to stand before Deng Li,

"Instructor, please look; if it's merely an inquiry, could Gu Chen's blood have been vomited up by himself?"

Although the blood on Gu Chen's body had dried, the stains still remained.

The new recruits' sparring training never reaches the point of drawing blood.

Deng Li immediately glared at Lei Chao with ill intent, his voice turning cold,

"What on earth is going on?"

At that moment, the memory of being punished by Deng Li for a mistake made in the new recruit camp flooded Lei Chao's mind.

Only to see his body shudder violently, spilling out everything that had happened and the other veterans' guesses in full detail.

The Combat Soldiers who had followed also shrank their necks, fearing Deng Li's wrath.

After Deng Li sorted out the details, he gave a cold snort,

"If something happens in the military camp, naturally there are dedicated investigators; when is it your turn to take private vengeance?"

"You, you, you, and you all—everyone must go up the mountain to hunt and kill a hundred first-star fifth-stage or higher demon beasts; if not finished by sunset, you will not be allowed to eat for three days."

Upon hearing this, everyone's scalp went numb!

Although there are many beasts in the mountains and forests, those nearby are mostly weak demon beasts.

Before sunset, merely finding a hundred first-star fifth-stage demon beasts is no easy task.

Let alone having to kill the demon beasts and bring back their corpses.

With so many Combat Soldiers setting out, we'd probably have to empty the nearby hills.

Seeing the Combat Soldiers still not moving, Deng Li said in a low voice,

"Why aren't you going yet?"

The Combat Soldiers scattered in panic, rushing toward the mountains and forests, afraid of being beaten to the punch by others.

Going three days without food is not something ordinary people can endure.

"Lei Chao, stand still for me."

Lei Chao also wanted to slip away into the crowd, but Deng Li stopped him.

"Why don't you hurry up and apologize to Gu Chen?"

Deng Li glared at Lei Chao, grabbed him, and brought him before Gu Chen.

Although Gu Chen's current strength is inferior to Lei Chao's, Deng Li can be certain that, barring accidents, Gu Chen's future strength will surely surpass Lei Chao's.

In this camp, Lei Chao was only barely among the top ten of the previous generation of Combat Soldiers.

But Gu Chen is a steadfast top-four contender, and now he has firmly secured the second-place seat!

As long as he trains step by step, he will surely have a chance to become a Deputy General in the future!

Deng Li is a Martial Master, far surpassing Lei Chao by two major realms.

Under Deng Li's control, Lei Chao had no power to resist; he could only droop his head and mutter a sentence to Gu Chen.

"Acting before clarifying the situation was my mistake."

Although Lei Chao apologized unwillingly, Gu Chen could clearly sense Lei Chao's resentment.

Lei Chao probably regrets only being caught by Deng Li, not his attack on him.

"It's fine; I have no other strengths besides being able to take a beating."

Gu Chen narrowed his eyes, and a hint of killing intent flashed in the depths of his gaze.

He knew that for some people, losing face is what angers them the most.

If Lei Chao got the chance to catch him in the wilderness, the other side would definitely not let him go.

Deng Li sighed helplessly, knowing that the resentment in both their hearts had not yet dissipated.

Before letting Lei Chao leave, Deng Li instructed in a low voice,

"Lei Chao, reflect in seclusion for a week; during this week you are not allowed to leave the Warrior Camp."

Lei Chao's steps halted as he understood Deng Li's meaning.

The Warrior Camp also has distinctions between new and old members.

Having him stay in the Warrior Camp means preventing him from causing trouble for Gu Chen.

Lei Chao asked without turning back,

"What about the matter of hunting a hundred demon beasts..."

"You don't need to do it; you just need to stay in the camp and not do what you shouldn't."

On those last few words, Deng Li clearly emphasized his pronunciation.

Lei Chao understood; this was Deng Li pointing at him.

He nodded, said "I understand," and then left without looking back.

Watching Lei Chao's back, Deng Li knew that Lei Chao had not taken his words to heart at all.

Deng Li could only look at Gu Chen and say helplessly,

"Gu Chen, if it's not necessary, you'd better not leave the camp in the short term."

"I cannot lock Lei Chao in the camp for his whole life."

This is the most Deng Li can do to mitigate the conflict between them to the greatest extent.

Gu Chen grinned,

"Don't worry, instructor, I understand."

Deng Li sighed inwardly and patted Gu Chen's shoulder,

"I have high hopes for you; you will surely surpass me in the future."

After Deng Li earnestly gave Gu Chen a few words of advice, he also turned and left.

Gu Chen thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Gu Lin behind him,

"Gu Lin, go to the Logistics Camp and tell Gu Han to try not to go out lately, lest Lei Chao become enraged and attack him."

"Okay."

Gu Lin wasted no words and immediately hurried away.