Chapter 537: Chapter 330: Secretariat
The latter turned around without warning, precisely catching Xiao Hong’s unretracted gaze amid the crowd.
In an instant, Xiao Hong felt as though submerged under a soundless sea, drenched in cold, clammy liquid, a suffocating sensation rising quietly from the depths of his chest.
Just as despair was about to spread, the officer maintaining order barked a cold command.
Xiao Hong snapped back from his suffocation, like a drowning man hauled from the water, drenched in perspiration despite standing amidst a crowd.
"You’ve got some nerve, staring at a Tier One Evolver."
A low chuckle came from behind, each syllable carrying the metallic clink of colliding steel.
Xiao Hong glanced down at the ground, two towering shadows practically enveloping him.
At the base of the shadows, there were two pairs of black combat boots, one in front and one behind. A little further up were the grey-green hem of uniforms. Without needing to look further, he could confirm the identity of the visitors—train military officers.
Zhijin may have many factions, but only the armed train could afford to issue standard uniforms to everyone.
Especially that iconic trench coat, whose market price had been inflated to a month’s worth of rations, yet remained unobtainable. Only a select few had the qualifications to redeem it.
The train’s resource exchange required not just "money," but qualifications.
The latter often proved to be more important than the former.
Xiao Hong swept a glance at the lieutenant insignia on the two men’s uniforms before slowly lifting his head.
The man on the left was burly, his neck almost as wide as his head, dressed in a black vest. The dip at his lower back contrasted with his broad, crab-shell-like back, full of tension.
The man on the right had a shaved crew cut, his trench coat sleeves rolled up to the elbows, with sharp eyes.
Seeing Xiao Hong’s motions, he suddenly laughed and said, "Still observing the two of us, definitely a promising recruit."
Lao Er followed suit with a smile, "Then why don’t you take him back first, I’ll go after those two troublemakers."
With one stride his expression turned fiercely cold, and he strode menacingly toward Bomb and the other person.
The trio definitely held high positions within the train.
Earlier on, some had thought the trio gained their positions through connections, pushed up by the train captain, with mediocre abilities.
Now, they needn’t say a word for others to know they were blood brothers, each capable of handling a role independently on the train.
Lao San was clever, well-connected, to some degree second only to He Jie. Boss self-taught and turned into a researcher, while Lao Er, lacking the brains, stuck to earnest training, hardening his physique.
Although he couldn’t compare to Liang Kuan above, or the mongoose below, in the pre-tier stage, be it training or actual combat, he was a benchmark of the battalion.
As for exceptional prowess, he truly didn’t possess such.
But Lao Er’s fundamentals were solid to the point that even He Jie gave him a thumbs-up.
Whether it was individual military skills or tactical coordination training, however many rounds the recruits practiced, he practiced just as many, accompanying each batch through cycles of training.
Until everyone was thoroughly convinced by him.
Thus, when Su Huan promoted him from the combat group to head drill instructor of the new recruits, no one questioned it; the transition was smooth and seamless.
Right now with Engineer Zhen needed onsite, as head drill instructor, naturally he had to be present to oversee all recruits who passed the first round sent into the camp for further training, then grouped and promoted based on train requirements.
But so many recruits arrived that even Lu Xiao was called in to assist.
"How old are you, joining the army?"
Lu Xiao, arms folded, watched the commotion, while observing several Tier One Evolvers among the crowd.
Though the probability of encountering a wild Tier One Evolver was minuscule, with enough people around, a few were bound to appear, and preventing them from causing trouble was part of his responsibility.
"You son of a bitch, sneaking up on me! If you’ve got guts, let me go, and I’ll fight you one-on-one!"
"I’m from the Black Star Convoy!"
"..."
"Bam bam bam!"
"Fifteen." Xiao Hong watched as Lao Er kicked Bomb and another young man over, dragging them along like dead dogs, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Where are we headed?"
"He’s your drill instructor at the recruits camp, where do you think you’re going?"
Lu Xiao’s face bore a sardonic smile.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hong silently prayed for Bomb lying on the ground.
Sadly, the Lord did not respond to this less than devout believer.
Bomb and his companion were directly hung out at the recruits camp entrance, while Xiao Hong’s task was to watch them, ensuring they didn’t escape.
The recruits camp was at an old school campus, buildings generally low, with a large park-like open space in the middle. After dismantling basic facilities and tidying up, it served as a temporary recruits camp.
And the spot where Bomb and his companion were hung was at the community entrance.
There was plenty of foot traffic, causing little harm but holding immense humiliation.
Several sentries came and went frequently, each time chuckling before leaving.
Soon, the area saw increased traffic, with patrollers, sentinels, and even cooks taking their rounds.
Among the crowd, there were bound to be familiar faces from the Black Star Convoy.
Bomb, unable to bear this humiliation, thrashed defiantly, his angry shouts echoing through several blocks surrounding the recruits camp.
Xiao Hong’s head buzzed with the noise, wishing he’d introduced Bomb to some genial sisters before heading out to dispel some of that boundless energy.
Suddenly, the shouting ceased.
Xiao Hong looked up, surprised to see a woman approaching in a grey sports outfit, wearing a grey baseball cap, her ponytail swaying behind her, looking somewhat young. But with Xiao Hong’s experience interacting with women, she ought to be old enough to be his mother.
