Chapter 21

"This intimidating lecture really doesn't show any mercy," the fatty muttered to himself as he walked out of the battalion headquarters.

Just arriving at the battalion headquarters and getting a fierce scolding, the fatty was a bit annoyed. Was the battalion commander's face like a curtain, able to be rolled up and let down at will? It was really exasperating. Special Reconnaissance Battalion, did he mean that we also have to do the work of special forces? This job is not easy.

When he walked to his tattered mecha and looked up, he saw a stocky and powerful short lieutenant with a beaming face walking towards him.

"You must be the new vice - company commander, Lieutenant Tian, right? Welcome! I'm Rashid, the company commander of the 1st Company." The sturdy short man stretched out his muscular arm and grabbed the fatty's hand, shaking it vigorously.

If it weren't for the months of training in the gravity chamber, the fatty would surely have been shaken to pieces by this guy.

Pulling his hand out to salute, the fatty put on a big smile and said, "Thank you. I'm new here. In the future, please feel free to give instructions, and I promise to follow orders."

Seeing that the fatty remained calm and composed, Rashid secretly admired him. He laughed heartily, slapped the fatty on the shoulder, and said, "Once you're here, we're brothers who live and die together. What instructions? Don't take it to heart. The battalion commander is a straightforward person. This intimidating lecture is his only trick. Everyone who comes to the battalion has to endure it. Come on, let me show you around the company headquarters and get you familiarized."

Rashid was a forthright person. Without waiting for the fatty to speak, he grabbed the fatty's hand and started walking, chattering all the way, "I've long heard that our company is getting a new vice - company commander who has won the First-Class Merit. We've all been looking forward to it, and finally, you're here. There will be a battle here in a few days. Damn it, those imperial special forces bastards have been very unruly recently. They destroyed one of our forward outpost logistics stations. More than two hundred people, including civilian staff and guards, were killed or injured. They're extremely arrogant. Now, a large number of troops from both our side and the enemy are gathering here. If we can open the passage west of Kato, we can cut the imperial army in two. So, the higher - ups have given the order and chosen our battalion. We must find out the enemy's situation and, if possible, destroy two or three of their headquarters to dampen their arrogance."

"Destroying one headquarters is already very difficult, let alone two or three. These key institutions are heavily guarded. Not only are they dozens of kilometers away from the front line, but they're also surrounded by their own troops. A decapitation operation may sound easy, but it's not that simple to carry out," the fatty thought to himself as he listened.

"Our battalion is the only special reconnaissance battalion in the whole Federation. The successive division commanders of the 16th Division have put in a lot of effort to maintain this establishment. The military department has tried to revoke it several times, but our battalion is a heroic battalion that has been carried down from the War of Independence, so it has never been revoked. The reconnaissance companies under the several mecha brigades and the division - affiliated special forces battalion have long been jealous of us. The reconnaissance companies think we do the same work, but we have better equipment and treatment. The soldiers in the special forces battalion have always resented us for blocking their way. In other armored divisions, there are special forces regiments. In our 16th Division, because of the special reconnaissance battalion, the special forces establishment has always been kept at one battalion. If they can outdo us, they might be able to revoke the special reconnaissance battalion's establishment, and their special forces battalion can be upgraded to a special forces regiment. Bah, our battalion commander is even thinking about absorbing them. These arrogant idiots."

Rashid had no sense of being a grassroots officer at all. He spoke quickly and impatiently. In less than a few minutes after they met, he had told the fatty everything about the special reconnaissance battalion, making the fatty's head spin.

While they were talking, the two arrived at the 1st Company headquarters. The company headquarters was a small - scale camp, consisting of several rows of temporary barracks and two training grounds. All kinds of mechas and vehicles were parked around the camp, and there were even a few fighter jets. At the entrance of the barracks, the three reconnaissance platoon leaders had gathered the company soldiers and were waiting. Just as the fatty was about to enter with Rashid, the short man stopped him.

Rashid gave a strange smile and said, "We're special reconnaissance soldiers. There are some rules, brother, that you should know. You're the vice - company commander assigned by the higher-ups. On the battlefield, the lives of our brothers are in our hands. An incompetent general can exhaust his troops. You have to pass three tests. Without the qualifications, you can't enter this door. Please understand, brother." After saying this, he straightened his face, left Tian Kaiwen at the door, and walked straight over to stand with the three platoon leaders, looking like he was waiting to watch a joke.

"Damn it, this lousy special reconnaissance battalion, from the battalion commander to the company commander, are all bastards who change their faces faster than turning a page." The fatty felt a bit headache. Dealing with these guys who only recognize strength, being glib is useless. Only by getting their recognition can he earn their respect.

"All right, I'll accompany you to the end today. Set the questions." Since they didn't show any courtesy, he didn't need to hold back either. He had to show all his skills today. Otherwise, not only would he lose face by not being able to enter the door, but at a critical moment, these guys would definitely abandon him first.

A black platoon leader standing in front grinned, showing a row of white teeth, and said, "Brothers want to see the vice - company commander's unarmed combat skills first." After saying that, the platoon leader stepped forward, took off his coat, revealing a body of strong muscles. His black skin made his whole body look like steel.

Tian Kaiwen walked up to the platoon leader, pinched the rock - hard muscles on his arm, and exclaimed, "Your explosive power must be very strong." The black platoon leader grinned and said, "Vice - company commander, you have to be careful of my right - hand punch. The striking force of this hand is 500 kilograms. It won't be fun if it hits you."

The fatty let out another exclamation and asked, "So, your ability to resist blows is also very strong, right?" The black platoon leader grinned again and nodded.

"Slap!" The fatty suddenly jumped up and delivered a high - lift whip kick, hitting the black man's head hard. The black man was sent flying into the air, spinning 360 degrees like a windmill, and then crashing to the ground like a broken sandbag, falling unconscious.

The fatty patted his trouser legs, put on a simple - minded smile, and said, "Just a bit slow in reaction."

Although it was rather underhanded, this was one of the fatty's combat skills, so it wasn't against the rules. Moreover, this black platoon leader, Barak, was the number - one powerful figure in the free - combat rankings of the special reconnaissance battalion. No one had ever been able to knock him down with one move, not even with a sneak attack!

Besides, everyone knew that Barak's reaction was not slow.

It was just that the fatty was too fast, and his expression was too deceptive.

It seemed that this despicable fatty was not as easy to bully as he seemed. Some people even felt a sense of fear when they thought that this smiling but treacherous fatty would become their superior.

Two soldiers ran up and carried the unconscious black platoon leader away. Rashid and the remaining two platoon leaders looked at each other in dismay. It seemed that this new vice - company commander was not as incompetent as his chubby appearance suggested.

"Ha ha, brother, you really have great skills! That whip kick was as fast as a shooting star, fast, accurate, and ruthless! With this move, you deserve to enter the door of our special reconnaissance battalion!!" After a moment of silence, Rashid forced a laugh. This guy's ability to change his expression was truly unparalleled.

"Come on, let's go to the shooting range. Let these arrogant brats see your shooting skills, and let them know how to handle a gun." Showering the fatty with flattery, Rashid's words carried a hidden meaning. It seemed that he was quite annoyed by the result of the first competition.

He had originally wanted to teach the fatty a lesson, but the fatty had knocked down one of his men with a single kick. Although there was no deep - seated hatred, it still made Rashid lose face. He was determined to win against the fatty in the next two competitions. He couldn't let the fatty look down on the special reconnaissance battalion before he even entered.

On the open - air training ground, there were two tables piled with parts of various firearms. Two targets with a diameter of less than thirty centimeters were placed two hundred meters away. Looking from here, the bull's-eye in the middle was almost as small as a sesame seed.

This time, a short and thin corporal squad leader came out. The rules of the competition were simple. The parts of five types of firearms were mixed together. The contestants had to assemble the guns and then shoot with each of the five guns. The one who took the shortest time and shot the most accurately would win.

The one sent to compete with the fatty was Toric, the squad leader of the 1st Squad of the 2nd Platoon, who was the champion of this event in the last 16th Armored Division competition.

With a whistle, the competition started. Toric showed his fastest speed. In this field, he was confident that no one could be faster and more accurate than him. When he was almost done assembling the third gun, he suddenly heard five almost continuous gunshots. "Impossible!!" Toric suddenly looked up. The fatty, who had just fired the last shot beside him, was putting the gun on the table with a simple - minded smile.

The target - reporting soldier in the distance shouted in extreme surprise, "Five shots, all hit, fifty rings!"

All the soldiers in the 1st Company of the special reconnaissance battalion gasped. Was this fatty even human?

Rashid was a bit dejected. He had lost the event he was most confident in. What a disgrace. But then he thought that this monster - like fatty would become his partner in the future, and he felt a bit excited. He wondered what other abilities this seemingly simple - minded fatty had.

He glared at all the soldiers and roared, "Damn it, all of you scatter, you embarrassing brats." Turning his head, he smiled brightly at the fatty and said, "No more competition. Brother, you're really amazing. I admit defeat!"

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "Don't show off your meager skills. Let the special forces battalion help with the last event, the mecha combat."

Rashid and Tian Kaiwen's faces changed simultaneously. They suddenly turned around and saw a tall and handsome lieutenant - colonel leading a group of people coming over. Behind the lieutenant - colonel was someone familiar to the fatty.

It was Alice, who had been harassed by the fatty just now and was now looking at him angrily.