Chapter 110: Crisis

The cold wind began to rise, and winter was approaching.

On the training field of the boot camp, more than two hundred new recruits were running lap after lap around the field, dressed in thin black short sleeves.

It had been five months since the training began, and technically, they were no longer considered rookies. However, in a boot camp that only accepted one batch of recruits each year, as long as they hadn't stepped out of that gate, they would always be rookies.

The January weather was very cold. The morning dew had frozen into frost, and the cold air, like tiny snakes, crept into their skin, causing involuntary shivers.

BaiLi Pangpang rubbed his face, opened his mouth to exhale a puff of white mist, and sighed softly.

"In this cold winter, we still have to get up so early for training, it's really torture... I've already lost over ten pounds recently."

Lin QiYe stood upright, running silently. The icy air made the skin exposed on his body redden slightly, but his expression didn't change at all.

"BaiLi TuMing! Why are you rubbing your face while running?! Are you cold?!" The sharp-eyed instructor shouted at him.

BaiLi Pangpang's face changed. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Report! I... I'm a bit cold!"

"If you're cold, it means you're not running enough! After everyone finishes running, you'll stay behind and run five extra laps!" the instructor snapped.

"Yes!" BaiLi Pangpang cried out, his voice full of sorrow.

After five months of grueling training, BaiLi Pangpang had slimmed down considerably. If he had once resembled a soccer ball, now he looked more like a football.

It wasn't just him; this long period of physical training had brought about huge changes in all the recruits. Not only their physical fitness, but their mental outlook had also improved dramatically.

In the midst of the winter cold, the laziness and dullness in their eyes had vanished, replaced by unprecedented determination and clarity. Their energy and vitality were visibly growing.

They were like finely honed blades—starting from rough, unpolished edges to now, where they shone with sharpness. They had begun to take on the appearance of real soldiers.

"All disbanded, go eat!" the instructor's voice rang out.

The troops didn't scatter immediately but moved in a silent, coordinated manner toward the dining hall entrance, only separating into individual groups once they entered.

Out on the frost-covered training field, only BaiLi Pangpang was running with a sad face, sprinting like mad.

"Should we wait for him?" Cao Yuan looked at BaiLi Pangpang running desperately.

Lin QiYe shook his head. "No need. The more he sees us eating, the faster he'll run."

"That makes sense."

Since the winter began, the food in the dining hall had been getting better. Every time they entered, they were greeted with the tempting aroma of meat, making their mouths water.

As their physical abilities improved, their appetites grew as well. But the food in the dining hall always seemed to be just right, filling them up without overstuffing them. It could be said that the meal portions were perfectly calculated.

After a while, BaiLi Pangpang, drenched in sweat, hurried into the dining hall. "Meat buns, where are my meat buns?"

Lin QiYe pushed a steaming basket of buns toward him. "There are four left, saved just for you."

"QiYe, you really get me!" BaiLi Pangpang was ecstatic, grabbing a bun and devouring it.

Cao Yuan rolled his eyes silently.

"By the way, it's almost New Year's, should we get a break?" BaiLi Pangpang suddenly asked.

Lin QiYe paused.

Since coming to the boot camp, he had lost all sense of time. Five months had passed in the blink of an eye. If BaiLi Pangpang hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have realized that it was already February...

"We're in a closed training camp. There's no way we'll get a break. You're thinking too much," Cao Yuan shook his head.

BaiLi Pangpang sighed dejectedly. "I thought we might get a few days off. Honestly, I've missed my big villa at home, the soft beds, and the beautiful maids..."

"..."

"Hey QiYe, after the training ends, come with me to Guangshen. You know I'm the king of Guangshen, and I'll show you a good time. You'll never want to leave!" BaiLi Pangpang said eagerly.

Cao Yuan blinked. "What about me?"

"You? Go with your own group," BaiLi Pangpang waved dismissively.

"..."

"Guangshen, huh..." Lin QiYe muttered. "I've never been out of Cangnan City. I'd like to go if I get the chance."

"Ah, if we had a break for the New Year, I'd take you right away!"

"Forget it. I'd rather go home for a New Year's dinner..." Lin QiYe's hand paused briefly as he shook his head. "If I can't go home, I'll just have dinner with the team."

"The Night Watch team in Cangnan City? I heard the captain's name is... Chen Muye?" BaiLi Pangpang thought for a moment. "I've heard there are a lot of mysterious incidents in Cangnan. Wonder what they're up to... Probably dealing with some mysteries, huh?"

...

In the boot camp, at the instructor's office.

Chen Muye sat across from Yuan Gang, speaking seriously. "You need to let him take a break."

"..." Yuan Gang rubbed his forehead. "Captain Chen, I've told you already. We're in a closed training camp, and we don't take breaks during the New Year... You should know this since you came from here."

"Then just give Lin QiYe special leave. Let him go home for the New Year's dinner with me," Chen Muye said firmly.

"This isn't according to protocol..."

"I don't care." Chen Muye leaned back in his chair, calm and unhurried. "By the way, you probably won't believe it, but two of our team members are lying in wait outside your training camp. If you don't agree, they might start taking people."

"..." Yuan Gang took a deep breath. "Captain Chen... please don't make this difficult for me."

"How about this? If you won't let him go, you can let us come in and deliver meals during the New Year instead."

"..."

Yuan Gang frowned.

"Captain Chen, can you tell me what's going on? You guys from Team 136 have always been low-key. Why the sudden change?"

Chen Muye was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his gaze sharp:

"This time is different."

"Why?"

"...There are people targeting the recruits."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Gang's expression changed slightly. "What do you mean?"

Chen Muye met Yuan Gang's eyes, speaking calmly: "Recently, Cangnan City has been unstable... many rats have infiltrated."

"Rats?"

"I don't know which faction they're from, but we've been tracking them for a while, and we can almost confirm..."

Chen Muye's eyes turned fierce as he spoke, each word deliberate:

"Their target is this training camp."