These guys were all elites under Mo Yuntian, the ace of the army. Their group acknowledging Nie Yan as their instructor was a testament to Nie Yan’s abilities.
Born into a military family, Nie Yan inherited some of his father’s values and, subconsciously, firmly believed in the supremacy of strength, pursuing personal strength with great tenacity. Previously, Nie Yan didn’t know exactly what level he was at, since those he had fought were all students, quite different from real martial artists. However, defeating Wang Duo today gave him more confidence, indicating that his strength was already no less than that of the military elites.
Nie Yan increasingly felt the changes brought by advancing to Shadow Dancer. What secrets did the title Shadow Dancer hold?
Unable to figure it out, Nie Yan stopped thinking about it for now and decided to focus on the task at hand—taking charge of these more than thirty people.
Wang Duo returned to the group, completely convinced of Nie Yan’s strength. His gaze at Nie Yan now showed a kind of fervor; he admired anyone stronger than himself. Nie Yan was much younger and already so powerful. If a few more years passed, who knew how strong he would become. Wang Duo had no objections whatsoever to the instructor Mo Yuntian had found for them.
With Mo Yuntian’s permission, Nie Yan stepped forward and solemnly said, “I know some of you might not be convinced. Why would General Mo assign someone under twenty, still a student, as your instructor? The military values strength, so my words are of no use. If any of you still have doubts, step forward, and we’ll settle it with strength. From today onward, until someone defeats me, I will be your instructor. Since General Mo entrusted you to me, I naturally have to give him a proper account.”
Although Nie Yan’s words sounded a bit arrogant, in the military, impressive words alone wouldn’t earn respect. Nie Yan understood how to tame these rebellious individuals.
The more than thirty soldiers straightened their posture. Nie Yan had already defeated Wang Duo, earning their respect, so they raised no objections.
“Now, start counting off.”
Nie Yan quickly got the number—thirty-six in total. To truly satisfy General Mo Yuntian, Nie Yan felt the weight of the task ahead.
“Introduce yourselves—names, ages, etc.” Nie Yan scanned the group. Since Mo Yuntian entrusted these people to him, he naturally needed to know their backgrounds.
Wang Duo and others glanced at Mo Yuntian. Seeing Mo Yuntian nod, Wang Duo stepped forward and reported, “Cadet Wang Duo, twenty-six years old, member of the 721 Mecha Special Unit, rank of Major General…”
Wang Duo introduced himself. Hearing the rank of Major General, Nie Yan was shocked. A twenty-six-year-old Major General from the 721 Mecha Special Unit—rumored to be an elite unit with outstanding achievements, where even an ordinary soldier was treated as a Major outside the unit.
Lei Su and Xiao Yu were stunned. They were from the 721 Mecha Special Unit, and one of them was a Major General!
“Cadet Lin Yi, twenty-five years old, member of the 275 Airship Special Unit, rank of Major General…”
“Cadet Luo Ye, twenty-six years old, member of the 721 Mecha Special Unit, rank of Major General…”
One after another, they stepped forward and introduced themselves. Among them, the highest rank was Major General, with three individuals, while the rest were Senior Colonels, aged between twenty-five and twenty-seven.
Unaware at first, upon hearing their introductions, Nie Yan was greatly shocked. These individuals were all from special units, so young yet already Senior Colonels and Major Generals, destined for bright futures. Mo Yuntian entrusted such a group to him for training, leaving Nie Yan feeling somewhat lost.
“They will participate in a military-wide competition next year. If they place well, they’ll join the 012 Mecha Unit. Originally, I only wanted you to help them connect with bioelectricity in the game during this year. But your strength exceeded my expectations, making you qualified as their instructor. This year, they’re under your charge,” Mo Yuntian said.
“I’ll do my best,” Nie Yan replied, inwardly sighing. These tough individuals were all people he couldn’t afford to offend!
Mo Yuntian smiled and said, “I believe in your strength. Have you ever considered joining the military? With your strength, as long as you pass the political screening, joining the 012 Mecha Unit wouldn’t be a problem. Your father served in the military and is now helping the country, so passing the political screening should be easy. If you join the military, I think your father would be very pleased.”
Nie Yan quickly shook his head, smiling bitterly. “Don’t put me in such a spot. I don’t want to join the military.” If Mo Yuntian mentioned this to his father, his father might really agree to his joining the military. Nie Yan didn’t want to be a soldier, considering himself content with family safety and peace of mind, having no ambitions beyond that.
Seeing Nie Yan’s strong resistance, Mo Yuntian sighed regretfully, “Since that’s the case, I won’t force you. If you ever change your mind, come find me anytime. You only have a year to decide. After this year, entering the 012 Mecha Unit will be difficult.”
No way, Nie Yan thought. He would never join the military. Doing so meant going into space, possibly not returning for years. That kind of life wasn’t what he wanted.
Hearing Nie Yan’s response, Lei Su couldn’t help but beat his chest in frustration. Didn’t Nie Yan know about the 012 Mecha Unit? He wanted to kick Nie Yan and remind him. The 012 Mecha Unit was an independent special force directly under the General Staff, above the three military branches. It was said to be equipped with the latest mechas, its status unimaginably high. He dreamed of joining such a unit, yet Nie Yan rejected it without hesitation.
Seeing Nie Yan unmoved, Mo Yuntian could only give up. “Then they’re under your charge.”
“Alright.”
“Hearing you have a guy named Dagger. How strong is he?” Mo Yuntian asked. Although Dagger was famous, Mo Yuntian had never met him and didn’t know if his strength matched his reputation.
“He’s at least as strong as me, maybe stronger. Fighting him, I can barely last twenty minutes,” Nie Yan replied truthfully. Even with his recent strength surge, he was still far behind Dagger, whose strength surpassed many top international assassins and mercenaries who were Nie Yan’s peers.
“Oh?” Mo Yuntian showed a trace of surprise.
Hearing Nie Yan say he could only last twenty minutes against Dagger, Wang Duo and others found it hard to believe, having witnessed Nie Yan’s true strength.
Nie Yan knew they might not believe him, but based on his understanding of Dagger, the latter indeed had such strength. Sometimes, Nie Yan even suspected whether Dagger had been a special forces soldier before becoming a mercenary.
Mo Yuntian stared into Nie Yan’s eyes. Nie Yan didn’t seem to be joking.
“So they’re under your charge, General Mo. Please rest assured. I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer.” A thought flashed through Nie Yan’s mind. Although he didn’t want to be a soldier himself, building good relationships with people in the military was definitely beneficial. Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others had bright futures. Building good relationships with them, regardless of whether they entered the 012 Unit, would be very helpful for him.
Mo Yuntian didn’t know that Nie Yan was already considering how to build his network.
“After entering the game, come find me at the Bull Man Tribe’s office in Carol City,” Nie Yan told Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others. “As for daytime, I’ll have Dagger train you.”
“Yes!” Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others immediately responded, standing straight.
Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others had already started treating Nie Yan as their instructor, and Nie Yan naturally accepted it. In the military, such superior relationships were easiest to be remembered. When Nie Yan’s father was in the military, he was once a squad leader. After retiring, many in his squad did well in the military system. Even after more than ten years, they still remembered him, calling him “Old Squad Leader” whenever they met.
To make Wang Duo and Lin Yi remember him, he had to earn their genuine respect! As for training soldiers, he had no experience and could only leave it to Dagger, while he himself would focus on the game.
Nie Yan said to the open space, “Dagger, come out.”
Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others were puzzled. Who was Nie Yan talking to? There was no one there. At that moment, a slightly thin figure appeared in the corner of the gym, where several small machines were placed.
Wang Duo, Lin Yi, Mo Yuntian, Lei Su, and others were shocked. They had been in the gym for so long yet never noticed someone hiding there. What kind of stealth ability was that! If Dagger wanted to kill them, no one in the room could survive! At such a close distance, with decent weapons, he could silently kill everyone in a short time.
“What a strong guy!” Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others thought inwardly.
Indeed, the name Dagger lived up to its reputation.
At this moment, Mo Yuntian couldn’t help but deeply envy Nie Yan for recruiting such an expert. If someone like Dagger were placed in the military system, what kind of storm would he create!
Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others finally believed Nie Yan’s previous evaluation of Dagger was true.
“From now on, he will train your combat skills,” Nie Yan told Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and others.
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