Li Chonglou felt a bit surprised.
He had visited the camp twice before with escorts and hadn't encountered the Military Police. This time, alone, he ran right into them.
It seemed the Military Police had sharp eyes indeed.
Even without having served in the military, Li Chonglou had heard of the Military Police; they were responsible for maintaining discipline within the army.
He had just joined the unit and hadn't even been issued a uniform, nor did he have anything to prove his identity.
His only option was to state his name: "Comrade, I'm Li Chonglou, newly assigned to Group Four. I'd like to go out and buy some things, could you please be accommodating?"
Upon hearing "Group Four," everyone in the Military Police contingent burst into laughter.
"So you're from Group Four, no wonder you don't know the rules, not even wearing a uniform." The burly man with thick eyebrows leading them revealed his mockery, sneering, "A bunch of rabble, trash under the banner of our Eagles."
"You guys in Group Four are the shame of the entire Eagle unit, do you know that?"
"Chen Yong can't discipline his subordinates, so I'll do it for him."
"Come with me!"
The man's expression was cold, his face set in a grim line.
He signaled to his subordinates, indicating they should take Li Chonglou away.
Before they could step forward, Li Chonglou smiled faintly, "Apologies, I have other matters to attend to and no time to waste with you."
"If you have issues with Chen Yong, go bother him directly."
"I don't know him well either."
He said this and moved to step past them.
In this world, most things made sense.
Going out to buy something wasn't a crime, so why should he fear these Military Police?
Li Chonglou's thinking was that of an ordinary person.
He forgot that this was a military base.
If the Eagle Brigade were to choose a principle, it would be Fan Lei.
For everyone else, there were no principles, only obedience to orders.
Seeing Li Chonglou dare to disobey his command, the man with thick eyebrows' eyebrows shot up, his eyes turning cold.
He barked, "Take him down!"
"Yes!" A soldier responded, stepped forward, and lunged at Li Chonglou like an eagle.
With a flick of his wrist, he reached out to grab Li Chonglou's shoulder.
This was the Eagle Claw Hand, a mandatory skill for all Eagle Special Forces members.
It was a lethal technique created by Fan Lei, combining ancient martial arts with modern grappling.
Once caught by the claws on the shoulder bone and tendons, one would go limp and lose all combat capability.
Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed, and he leaned back slightly, taking a step back.
He narrowly dodged the grab.
He did not retaliate.
Earlier, when Chen Yong tried to hit him, Da Liu had held Chen Yong back, reminding him that private fights were strictly forbidden in the army.
Moreover, these were the Military Police, looking for an excuse to apprehend him. He wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.
"Good kid, you dodged that! Little Zhong, put some force into it, don't be too careless!" The burly man's eyes showed a hint of surprise as he shouted sternly.
He knew his subordinate's capabilities well. Although not top-tier in the Eagles, he was definitely a master in Group Four.
Besides Chen Yong, he could easily handle anyone else.
Especially this scrawny kid opposite him, who looked utterly incapable of even lifting a chicken.
To have dodged his move, it was probably just a fluke.
"Yes!" The soldier named Zhong blushed and roared.
He lunged forward and threw a straight punch at Li Chonglou.
This punch was fierce and direct, devoid of any fancy moves, but it aimed straight for the center line.
No matter how Li Chonglou tried to dodge left or right, he could instantly change his attack to pursue.
It was harder to dodge than the Eagle Claw Hand.
Little Zhong hadn't expected to be outmatched by someone as frail as Li Chonglou, and furthermore, to be embarrassed in front of his boss.
All his anger was channeled into this punch, and he secretly vowed to take Li Chonglou down with one blow.
"Is he serious?" Li Chonglou's eyebrows flickered.
He could clearly see that the force of Zhong's punch was entirely different from before.
His eyes, too, were filled with killing intent, like a soldier in battle.
If he were hit, even if his bones didn't break, he'd likely be swollen for days, delaying his plans.
He could dodge it with his speed.
But that would likely only further enrage the soldier named Zhong, escalating the situation.
Since that was the case, he might as well make him retreat openly.
*Snap!*
This time, Li Chonglou didn't dodge. Instead, to everyone's surprise, he took a step forward and his palm instantly caught Zhong's fist.
A sound like a muffled thunderclap erupted where fist met palm.
Zhong felt as if he had punched a steel plate; all his force was instantly repelled.
He immediately lost his balance and retreated four steps before stabilizing himself with his heel.
His face had turned a shade of purplish-red.
Li Chonglou, however, remained unmoved, calm and collected.
The other soldiers stared in shock.
The burly man's pupils contracted sharply, "This is impossible! When did Group Four get a master like you?"
"Kid, state your name."
An expert's move revealed their true skill.
Li Chonglou's movements were far faster than Zhong's, giving him a sense of effortless control.
This indicated that the other party wasn't even serious.
And Zhong had used his full strength.
One move had made Zhong retreat without a fight. With such skill, how could he be in Group Four?
"Li Chonglou." Li Chonglou replied, head held high and chest out.
However, such an answer clearly did not conform to military regulations.
It made the burly man's face darken as he asked, "You're new? Don't you know the rules? Address me as 'Sir'!"
He was the captain of the Military Police. Although he didn't know everyone in every group,
He had at least seen their faces.
This was the first time he had seen Li Chonglou, and the kid was showing him no respect.
His demeanor was arrogant, as if he owned the place, showing no regard for him at all.
This was undoubtedly a slap in his face.
He decided that no matter what, he had to teach this kid named Li Chonglou a lesson and make him behave.
"Sir? You don't deserve it." Li Chonglou shook his head, "It's more appropriate to call Fan Da sir."
"Say that again!" The burly man's eyes blazed with ferocity.
He lunged forward, closing the distance to Li Chonglou in a single step, and raised his hand to slap him across the face.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou remained still, but his eyes flashed with a cold glint.
His hand, as if by chance, formed a sword with his fingers.
This burly man intended to slap him in public. Even if it violated military rules, he wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
As soon as his palm dared to strike, this finger-sword would cripple him.
As for the consequences, Li Chonglou was never one to shy away from trouble.
He wouldn't provoke trouble, but if people pushed their luck, he wouldn't show any respect even to the Jade Emperor.
"Tang Ren, stop!"
Just as the burly man's hand was about to slap Li Chonglou's face, a roaring command suddenly came from afar.
Hearing the voice, the burly man froze instantly, his palm stopping less than three centimeters from Li Chonglou's face.
He turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A towering, strong man was running towards him. It was Fan Da's bodyguard, Zhuzi.
"Zhuzi? Why are you here..." the burly man asked, retracting his hand.
Zhuzi pointed at Li Chonglou, "Fan Da wants to see him."
"Li Chonglou? He's just a piece of trash from Group Four, why would Fan Da want him?" Tang Ren asked in disbelief.
"That's none of your business. If you want to know, go ask Fan Da yourself." Zhuzi's expression was serious, and he showed no leniency in his words.
This left Tang Ren momentarily speechless.
However, Zhuzi was not Li Chonglou; he was one of the eight masters in the army and Fan Da's bodyguard.
He couldn't afford to offend him.
Although he was annoyed that Li Chonglou was being allowed to leave at this moment, he had no choice but to obey orders.
He said with a cold face, threatening, "Kid, the tables will turn. Behave yourself from now on, and don't let me get my hands on you again."
"Get lost!"
Li Chonglou retracted his finger-sword, looked deeply at Tang Ren, and said nothing.
As they left with Zhuzi.
After walking a few dozen meters, Zhuzi spoke, "From now on, stay away from Tang Ren. If you see him, go around him."
"He's very vengeful and will definitely find ways to cause you trouble later."
His words carried a hint of concern.
Li Chonglou's heart stirred slightly as he replied, "Alright, I don't want to provoke him either."
"I just wanted to go out and buy some things, and he stopped me."
"I'll have to trouble you to escort me out later."
Zhuzi nodded, "After we see Fan Da, I'll take you."
"Thank you. Did Zhou Jiao put in a good word for me, which is why you're helping me?" Li Chonglou asked gratefully.
Zhuzi shook his head, "No."
Seeing that he was unwilling to explain the reason, Li Chonglou didn't press further.
He followed Zhuzi into Fan Da's office.
This was the second time he had been in this stone room.
Zhuzi did not follow him in, but stood guard outside the door. After closing the door, a hint of playfulness appeared in his eyes.
He murmured to himself, "The successor that Fan Da favors indeed has some courage."
Inside the room, Li Chonglou saw Liu Ping'er sitting beside Fan Lei, who deliberately maintained a stern expression. Li Chonglou guessed that Fan Lei might have asked him to come for Liu Ping'er.
"I heard that you got into a conflict with Chen Yong right after joining the unit, and you've scheduled a personal all-around match for the day after tomorrow?" Fan Lei asked calmly.
"Causing trouble is not my intention, but I never fear trouble," Li Chonglou replied.
"Kid, if Chen Yong loses to you, wouldn't I be wasting a good talent!" Fan Lei frowned slightly and admonished, "In this match, you cannot win, you can only lose!"
"As a condition, I'll make an exception and accept Liu Ping'er into the team, assigning her to the communications squad."
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou and Liu Ping'er both showed surprise.
"If I lose, I have to leave. Do you have other plans?" Li Chonglou couldn't understand what Fan Lei was thinking.
To go to such lengths to get him to join the army.
And now he wanted him to fake a loss, wasn't that contradicting himself?
"The plan has changed. I just received a mission notification from above." Fan Lei pushed the laptop on the desk towards Li Chonglou.
It clearly displayed information about an international artifact smuggling ring.
After Li Chonglou finished reading, Fan Lei continued, "Originally, I wanted you to gain experience in the army, but plans can't keep up with changes."
"I heard from Ning Lang that you are knowledgeable about antiques, and now you are my soldier."
"For this mission, no one is more suitable than you!"
"Therefore, I want you to fake a loss, to save Chen Yong's face, and it will coincidentally allow you to leave the base and carry out the mission."
"After you complete the mission, I will reinstate your status and give you a fair chance to prove yourself!"
Li Chonglou was dumbfounded by his words.
Then he flatly refused, "Find someone else. You want me to take the blame and risk my life, and then turn that blame into a reward."
"In my entire life, I've never met anyone as stingy as you!"
What a joke.
He wanted him to risk his life and fake a loss.
It seemed he was just a tool.