Chapter 204: Watch Your Tone

The imposing rebel army had retreated.

But it wasn't just a simple retreat—they had actively fallen back, abandoning all the territory they had previously occupied.

For the regular army, this was nothing short of a miracle. After all, they had been losing ground consistently. Taking back territory like this had never happened before.

As they watched the rebels retreat, their attention turned to the advancing Hound Legion, which had carved its way through enemy lines, attacking anyone who stood in their path. The rebel forces seemed to avoid direct confrontation with this fearsome unit, scattering to make way.

The regular army forces, who had been entrenched in their bunkers and defensive positions for so long, could only gape in astonishment.

It wasn't until Qin Ming and his Hound Legion broke through the lines and arrived in front of them that they finally snapped out of their daze.

Hastily, someone was sent to confirm the unit's credentials and identity. Once their status was verified, Qin Ming's group was finally allowed to enter.

The soldiers surrounding them stared in shock at the hundreds of armed men swaggering in, carrying an array of weapons and marching confidently.

Their amazement grew as they noticed the tank platoon and armored vehicles leading the way, many of which were loaded with gear and supplies looted from the enemy.

The moment of disbelief reached its peak when they spotted one of the vehicles filled to the brim with enemy officer insignias and flags—a massive pile that spoke volumes about how many enemy officers had been killed.

At the front of the procession, Qin Ming sat atop a Metal Slug Tank, wearing sunglasses and scanning the scene.

In just a brief glance, he identified at least six adventurers scattered among the regular army forces, all holding officer positions.

Though their ranks weren't particularly high—the most senior being a sergeant—it was clear that these adventurers had integrated themselves well into the military structure.

As Qin Ming silently observed the area, the sound of footsteps drew his attention. The crowd parted, and the highest-ranking officer at the base finally arrived: Major General Collins.

Dressed in a major general's uniform and adorned with numerous medals, Collins appeared surprisingly young—no older than his early thirties.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Collins approached, accompanied by several high-ranking officers.

When his gaze fell upon the trophies and spoils displayed by Qin Ming's unit, his eyes flashed with a brief glimmer of interest. After a moment of silence, he composed himself, putting on a stern expression as he spoke.

"May I ask, who is the commanding officer of this brave unit?"

Hearing this, Qin Ming, who had been sitting on the tank smoking a cigarette, finally looked up.

"That would be me," he said casually.

"Oh? And may I ask your name and rank?"

"Hyena. Third-class private."

The moment those words left Qin Ming's mouth, the entire area fell silent.

Major General Collins' eyes widened in disbelief, and his expression froze.

"Third-class private?"

"Yeah. Is there a problem?"

"Is there a problem? Of course, there's a problem! Who gave you, a third-class private, permission to wear an officer's uniform?! And during earlier communications via telegraph, why did you ignore direct orders from command? Don't you know disobeying orders can delay operations? If you'd followed instructions, the battle would have been over long ago!"

Before Collins could continue, one of the officers standing beside him—a man with the rank of captain pinned on his chest and clearly one of Collins' trusted aides—suddenly stepped forward and shouted angrily.

"Who gave you permission to sit up there?! Don't you know proper military protocol? Get down and salute your superior officer, third-class private! Get down!"

As he spoke, he even pointed to the ground in front of him.

Clatter!

The moment his words ended, the soldiers of the Hound Legion began dismounting their vehicles.

However, they seemed to take his order a bit too literally. Not only did they dismount, but they also raised their weapons as they stepped down.

Rifles, submachine guns, and heavy machine guns were all lifted and pointed directly at the officers in front of them.

The officers, stunned by the sudden turn of events, froze in place, their eyes wide with fear.

The soldiers who had been spectating the scene earlier immediately panicked when they saw the Hound Legion soldiers raise their weapons. Scrambling in confusion, they grabbed their own firearms in a rush.

As they lifted their weapons, more of the Hound Legion troops followed suit, raising their rifles and machine guns. Some of the soldiers standing on vehicles even mounted heavy machine guns on the roofs, while the tanks' turrets turned ominously to aim at the surrounding soldiers.

The standoff escalated quickly, and the atmosphere became suffocatingly tense.

The officers of the regular army, now surrounded and at the mercy of countless rifles and machine guns aimed directly at them, began to sweat profusely. Nervous gulps were audible as they stood frozen in place.

At the forefront, Major General Collins, who had several guns pointed at his face, felt his eye twitch uncontrollably.

Glancing at Qin Ming, still seated atop the Metal Slug Tank, casually smoking and watching the scene unfold, Collins then looked at the menacing soldiers surrounding him, their weapons raised and expressions fierce.

Taking a deep breath, Collins forced himself to speak in a cold, steady voice.

"This is a military camp. You're just a group of a few hundred men, while we have over thirty thousand soldiers here."

The moment those words left his mouth, Beta—Qin Ming's adjutant, who was holding a pistol pressed against Collins' chin—arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Want to test that theory? Let's see if your thirty thousand soldiers can stop this bullet, hmm?"

"You!"

Collins' face turned pale with anger, but before he could respond, another of Qin Ming's adjutants, Shuke, who was holding a rifle aimed at Collins, interjected with a frown.

"Major General, we don't know if we can beat thirty thousand soldiers, but we can guarantee one thing: if this fight breaks out, you and everyone here will die. And after we're done with you, we'll break out of here, just like we broke through the rebel lines earlier. Do you believe me?"

Hearing this, the soldiers surrounding them froze.

They vividly remembered how this Hound Legion had smashed through the enemy's lines with unstoppable momentum, even forcing the rebels to step aside and avoid direct confrontation.

If a battle broke out now, they couldn't be sure if the Hound Legion could escape. But one thing was certain: everyone here was as good as dead.

Even the soldiers could figure this out, and so could Collins. His expression turned ghastly pale.

Before he could open his mouth, Shuke added in a deep voice:

"So, when addressing our commander, please speak with a little more respect, Major General."

As he spoke, Shuke lowered his weapon and gestured for the soldiers to do the same.

Seeing this, the Hound Legion soldiers exchanged glances before lowering their guns in silence.

Beta, however, ignored Shuke's actions and turned to look at Qin Ming.

When he saw Qin Ming nod from atop the tank, Beta reluctantly waved for his men to lower their weapons as well.

Witnessing the scene, Collins' face shifted unpredictably between anger and calculation. After a brief two-second pause, he suddenly broke into a wide smile.

Raising his hand to signal the surrounding soldiers to lower their weapons, he spoke cheerfully:

"Misunderstanding! This is all just a big misunderstanding! Commander Hyena, we've always admired heroes like you and your men. How could we ever think of fighting you?"

"But," Collins added, his tone shifting slightly, "you are still a third-class private wearing an officer's uniform and commanding troops, which is... not entirely in line with military regulations. How about this? I'll use my authority to promote you to corporal for now. I can't go any higher than that without approval from the government. But I'll immediately send a report to the government, recommending you and your men for commendation. I'm certain they'll grant you a rank worthy of your achievements!"

It was clear that Collins, having climbed to the rank of major general, was no ordinary man.

After quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, the same Collins who had been staring down the barrel of a gun just moments ago now exuded warmth and enthusiasm, as if the standoff had never even happened.

(End of Chapter)