Chapter Thirteen: The Ember

There was a heavy silence for a full two seconds.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Jianwei suddenly spoke, his voice deep as he repeated the word three times. As the last word left his lips, he set down his teacup and wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes with a single gesture.

He stood up, the heels of his boots snapping together, his back ramrod straight, and saluted Captain Chen with unwavering attention.

Those dark blue eyes, bloodshot and bulging, now held nothing but an unwavering resolve for death.

To descend to the underworld and summon his old comrades;

To rally a hundred thousand banners and cut down the King of Hell!

He would rebuild the Third Reconnaissance Platoon, return to the battlefield at Xintun, strip the skins from the demon spirits, chew their flesh, drink their blood, and thus offer sacrifice to the twenty-three soldiers of the Yingzhou Army’s Third Platoon who had fallen in the underworld!

Watching Zhao Jianwei, who remained silent, Captain Chen seemed to know exactly what was on his mind. With a wave of his hand, Zhao Jianwei bowed his head in thanks, adjusted the brim of his military cap, and left without a backward glance.

As he watched his departing figure, Chang Suian’s thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous night.

It truly had been a brutal and bloody battle.

“All right, the two of you go back and get ready as soon as possible. Later, discuss with the battalion command; aside from essential duties and training, you can spend the rest of your time teaching at the Martial Academy.” Captain Chen finished the last sip of his tea, making his position clear. “Remember, you represent the face of our First Company, Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment. Make me proud and recruit some promising talents! Off you go!”

Zhou Zhongai rose to take his leave.

Unexpectedly, Chang Suian walked up to the desk.

“Something else?” Captain Chen questioned, seeing he hadn’t left.

“Captain, for this winter recruitment, will we be conscripting from the Xintun City refugee camp?” Chang Suian asked directly after a moment’s thought.

“Of course.” Captain Chen organized his papers. “To be blunt, this winter recruitment is mainly to solve two problems: filling the gaps in the 68th Brigade’s roster and resettling the refugees from Xintun City.”

“I expect the regimental headquarters will send someone over the next day or two to handle it. Why, do you have a relative in there you want me to look after?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Chang Suian’s pupils contracted as a vision of a young armored boy surfaced in his mind. “I’ve found an outstanding prospect—calm, bold, meticulous, and skilled.”

“The key point is, he’s already undergone his first strange-spirit fusion, and it’s a very rare plague-type hybrid!”

“Oh?” At these words, not only Captain Chen but also Zhou Zhongai showed great interest.

“For you, the infamous King Chang, to go out of your way to praise someone—now you’ve really piqued my curiosity. Tell us more!” Captain Chen put down his papers, his eyes shining as he picked up his teacup again.

So Chang Suian recounted in detail how he had found Du Huaishan in the forest on the way to the Xintun battlefield, and everything that happened up until the moment before they went to support the Third Platoon.

“Hmm… from what you say, if he really managed his first fusion within an hour, this kid is no ordinary talent. Just from the level of integration alone—he’s a genius!” Captain Chen set down his teacup, looking out at the soldiers training in the yard, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. “Suian, Zhongai!”

“Yes, sir!” The two straightened their backs and answered in unison.

“I don’t care what methods you use—do whatever it takes to bring this kid into our company!”

“Yes, sir!”

“All right, Zhongai, you head out first. I have a few words for Suian.” Zhou Zhongai saluted, glanced at Chang Suian, then turned and left.

“Suian, I was going to tell you this later,” Captain Chen said after the other left, taking a sip of tea. “Old Qi from battalion HQ is about to be transferred.”

“Congratulations in advance, Captain!” Chang Suian wasn’t foolish—he understood that Old Chen was about to be promoted to battalion command.

“After I leave, I plan to give you command of the First Company. Wait, let me finish.” He raised his hand as Chang Suian was about to speak. “Jianwei is experienced, but he’s too sentimental. Zhongai performed well in the Xintun incident, but he lacks decisiveness in critical moments. After considering all options, you’re the most suitable! Sigh…”

Captain Chen leaned back in his chair with a long sigh. “You and I both know—the most effective weapon against demon spirits is another demon spirit.”

“Whoever is best at controlling and merging with demon souls will go the farthest. In our company, you have the highest talent. That’s why I want you to secure this kid. It’s also to leave a spark in your Second Platoon after you become company commander!”

“After all, your Second Platoon is our company’s ace!”

“Thank you for your confidence, Captain! I promise I will not let you down!”

...

“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”

The Xintun City refugee camp.

In the afternoon, after lunch, Du Huaishan began his workout. He assumed a fighting stance, palms and feet touching the ground, sliding forward and backward, throwing shadow punches in quick combinations, followed by two mid-to-high kicks.

After his demonic strengthening, his strength and stamina were formidable. Though he was only fifteen or sixteen, his physical capabilities were already superior to those of his previous life.

His only regret was that his ligaments weren’t fully stretched.

Throwing mid-level kicks was beginning to get a bit difficult!

Du Huaishan had thoroughly tested the capabilities of his new body, gradually merging his memories with his physical self, forming new muscle memory.

Back in university, while studying Kinesiology, his professor had explained:

Muscles possess memory.

When the same movement is repeated many times, the muscles develop a conditioned reflex, allowing you to react forty percent faster than normal, though the process is very slow. However, once achieved, it’s hard to forget.

But this has its pros and cons.

During the formation of muscle memory, it’s vital to practice the correct motions. If you train with the wrong ones, it becomes extremely difficult to change them later!

That’s why he had Tan Hai serve as his coach to help correct his form.

Although Tan Hai had no formal training in martial arts or scientific methods, he had a natural gift—he could master anything as long as he applied himself.

As long as Du Huaishan demonstrated the correct movements a few times, Tan Hai would memorize them and help compare and correct them during practice.

“Huaishan, what’s the name of this style you’re practicing?” Tan Hai asked, watching Du Huaishan sweat and move with tiger-like grace, his own curiosity piqued.

“Sanda, or you can call it free fighting,” Du Huaishan replied, exhaling as he finished a set and paused to drink some water. “Strictly speaking, it’s mainly for fighting people. But this system was created by countless martial artists, scientists, and kinesiologists, combining a wealth of martial techniques and sports data into a scientifically structured combat method.”

“I see it as the foundation for all stand-up fighting. Even if it can’t be used directly against demon spirits, it will help tremendously when learning military battlefield weapon techniques in the future. At the very least, it will double the results with half the effort!”

“Wow! That sounds amazing!” Tan Hai’s eyes lit up. “Hey, Huaishan, do you think you could teach me free fighting?”