Chapter Fifteen: Enlistment
The crowd suddenly fell silent.
Some were bewildered.
Others glanced left and right, curious whether this person had committed a crime or was somehow connected to the military.
“Is Du Huaishan here?”
The young soldier called out again.
“I’m here!” Du Huaishan raised his hand from the back of the crowd.
Hearing the shout, everyone turned to see a handsome youth, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, possessing striking black-red pupils.
He was carrying a demon spirit!
The refugees were instantly shaken, shrinking back like quails, instinctively clearing a path for Du Huaishan.
Tan Hai remained in place.
He wasn’t worried about Du Huaishan getting into trouble. That night, he had seen with his own eyes the special military vehicle bringing Du Huaishan back—clearly, the boy had some military connections.
No wonder Brother Huaishan was determined to join the army; it had all been planned from the start.
“Hao, that’s the kid!” In the crowd, a skinny youth in green narrowed his triangular eyes, gloomily watching Du Huaishan’s back. “What’s his story?”
Xing Zhenhao crossed his arms over his chest and glanced sideways. “Doesn’t matter, don’t cause trouble for now.”
Jiangcheng Sports Academy.
He’d never even heard of it; obviously a small, obscure institution.
Normally, he’d have asked his master to intervene, but after the New Tun City incident, his master and brothers had all perished on the road. The Eagle Claw School was now little more than a name.
To wipe away the humiliation, he could rely only on himself.
He had to find a way to become stronger!
...
The young soldier eyed the approaching youth. “Are you Du Huaishan?”
“Yes,” Du Huaishan nodded.
Even now, he didn’t quite understand why the soldier had suddenly called for him; when he first heard his name, he thought he must have misheard.
Could it be Chang Sui’an or Fat Zhang?
After thinking it over, Du Huaishan realized he only knew those two higher-ranking officers in the Yingzhou Army.
“Come with me. I have something to discuss with you on behalf of someone else.” The young soldier beckoned, leading Du Huaishan outside the camp.
The other soldiers produced documents and began implementing the government’s refugee resettlement measures.
---
“It’s like this: Captain Chen asked me to find out if you have any intention of joining the army,” the young soldier got straight to the point, his tone now much friendlier than before.
“Captain Chen?”
“Yes, Captain Chen of the First Squadron, Reconnaissance Regiment, First Cavalry Brigade.”
Hearing this, Du Huaishan understood. It was Chang Sui’an’s unit—he must have reported Du Huaishan’s situation to his captain.
Given the way Chang Sui’an and Yan Xiaoman had examined his demon spirit guardian, Du Huaishan must have made an impression.
He pondered this. Having someone looking out for him in the army was a good thing. “I’m willing!”
“That’s great!” The young soldier instantly smiled, clearly feeling the pressure from Captain Chen. “You don’t need to go register for the test; I’ll handle your enrollment directly.”
“May I bring someone else to register?” Du Huaishan suddenly thought of Tan Hai.
If they could be assigned to the same dorm during basic training, it would be much more convenient. That kid’s massage and stretching techniques were indeed good.
“Of course, no problem!” The young soldier, having completed his task so easily, was in a good mood.
So, Du Huaishan beckoned Tan Hai over.
“Show me your household registration cards,” the young soldier said, pulling out a notebook and a Hero fountain pen from his uniform.
The registration card was Chiyu Empire’s version of an “ID card”—a grayish-white sheet opened by Tan Hai, displaying the head of household’s name, age, place of origin, occupation, years of residence, and bearing the official seal of the New Tun City police bureau.
“Um, I lost mine...” Du Huaishan admitted. The first time he prepared his gear and donned armor, he had checked his belongings and found nothing.
“Lost it?” The young soldier was taken aback, but recalling the turmoil of the New Tun City incident, he quickly continued, “No problem, just tell me your information.”
“Du Huaishan, age sixteen, from Fenghou, occupation: martial arts apprentice, residence: New Tun City, Kangqi Street, thirteen years.”
After chatting with Tan Hai these past days, Du Huaishan had learned much about New Tun City.
As a satellite city of Fenghou, New Tun had only been established fifteen years ago, most residents having migrated from the main city or nearby settlements.
So, by age, his place of origin couldn’t be New Tun.
As for making things up, Du Huaishan wasn’t worried. From the books of Four-Eyed Qiao, he’d learned that the Chiyu Empire’s registration system was still primitive—handwritten records stored locally.
---
Think about it.
New Tun City had been destroyed by demon spirits; the police bureau was long gone, not to mention any documents kept in cabinets.
The young soldier wrote down the information, took Tan Hai’s registration. When he saw the occupation listed as “Big Teapot,” he hesitated, but still recorded it.
“All right, your information will be reported to the Military Academy. Here are your tickets—five days from now, board the military train 103 at Fenghou Station at seven in the morning. Don’t lose them; you can’t board without a ticket!”
“Understood!”
“Thank you, sir! Safe travels!” They took the tickets. Tan Hai, ever slick, raised his ticket to his nose and inhaled the scent of ink, exclaiming, “I can’t believe it, Huaishan! I’m really going to be a soldier!”
“Stop sniffing it, hurry up and get in line for food. Training continues today!”
“But my arm...”
...
Thanks to Chang Sui’an’s special care, Du Huaishan and Tan Hai got their meals quickly that day, since most refugees were busy registering.
Ordinary registration was a hassle: not only did soldiers check for illnesses and physical fitness, but a few simple tests had to be completed on the spot—a tedious process.
For the next four days,
Du Huaishan trained daily in the tent. Since he wasn’t a beginner, he’d already mastered the muscle memory for all moves in sanda, and had practiced half the fundamentals of Chinese wrestling.
His leg ligaments stretched from an initial one hundred thirty degrees to one hundred fifty degrees—faster than he’d expected.
He estimated another week would bring him to full flexibility.
As for Tan Hai, his quick-wittedness hadn’t gone to waste; he’d already learned punch-kick combinations.
On the last night,
Du Huaishan lay sleepless in the tent.
He hadn’t expected to fulfill his dream of service not in university, but in another world. He wondered if training at the Yingzhou Three Provinces Army Academy would be different from modern military schools.
He was intrigued by the rapid-moving grappling cable on the left arm of the elite cavalry.
But most important of all,
He would soon, through the army, come into contact with the core of this world:
Red marrow.
And demon spirits!