The "Accident" and the Unexpected Guests

The incident of Captain Hoang Nam having his "leg accidentally broken by a student" on his very first day of teaching caused quite a stir at Tran Hung Dao High School. A military ambulance was called immediately, taking the "unlucky" PE teacher away amidst the astonishment of the entire student body.

Lam Minh, as the "one who caused the accident," had to write a detailed report. He described the incident with extreme "sincerity" and "remorse," emphasizing that it was all an unfortunate accident caused by his "slow reflexes" and the teacher's "excessively fast and unexpected attack."

The report was sent to the school board, and from there, it was forwarded directly to Blacklight headquarters.

In his office, General Khang read the report over and over, then watched the security footage of the entire incident. He said nothing, only the corner of his mouth twitched occasionally.

Quynh Nhu, who was also present, couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha... The teacher who went to 'flex his muscle' on a student ends up having his leg 'accidentally' broken by the student. If this gets out, Captain Hoang Nam will probably never be able to show his face in public again."

"Be quiet!" General Khang snapped gently, but a hint of amusement also flashed in his eyes. "He really is an old fox in sheep's clothing. It was clearly intentional, but he made it look like a perfect accident. There's not a single loophole to find fault with."

He looked at Quynh Nhu. "I assigned you to keep a close eye on this kid. What's your assessment of his strength?"

Quynh Nhu recalled the feeling of punching Lam Minh as if hitting a wall, and her expression turned serious. "Sir, he... is very strange. His defense and damage resistance are practically limitless. His strength is hard to gauge, but his combat skills and adaptability are... on a completely different level. Captain Hoang Nam's loss was not unjust at all."

"I think so too," General Khang nodded. "Perhaps our 'muscle-flexing' plan backfired. Instead of making him fear us, we just made him more cautious."

He pondered for a moment then made a decision. "Alright. From now on, cancel all surveillance or testing plans for Lam Minh. Let him develop naturally. Quynh Nhu, your mission from now on is not 'surveillance,' but 'befriending' and 'supporting.' Try to build a good relationship with him. He is too great an asset for us to lose."

"Yes, General!" Quynh Nhu replied, an indescribable joy in her heart. "Befriending" would surely be more interesting than "supervising" a walking rock like Lam Minh.

After that "accident," Lam Minh had a few peaceful days at school. No other PE teacher dared to give him a hard time. He returned to his life of dozing off in class and occasionally being dragged out for snacks by his two close friends.

One afternoon, just after school let out, he received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello, is this Lam Minh?" a deep, warm male voice asked.

"Yes, it is. Who is this?"

"It's Khoa, Lieutenant of the 9th Reconnaissance Squad. Do you remember me?"

Lam Minh immediately remembered the deputy commander he had met at the field training base. "Ah, hello Lieutenant. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing major," Lieutenant Khoa laughed. "Me and a few of the guys from the squad are on leave in the city. We heard you just 'caused some trouble' at school, so we wanted to invite you out for a few drinks, just to catch up. Are you free?"

Lam Minh thought for a moment. He had a pretty good impression of these straightforward soldiers. Building a good relationship with them wasn't a bad thing.

"Sure. Where and when?"

"Great! 7 p.m. tonight, at the 'Warrior' Goat Hotpot restaurant in District 5. See you there."

That evening, Lam Minh arrived at the hotpot restaurant on time. It was a common beer-and-food joint, with a very lively atmosphere. He saw Lieutenant Khoa and about four or five other soldiers, including Sergeant Toan who had "sparred" with him, sitting at a large table.

"Lam Minh! Over here!" Lieutenant Khoa waved.

Lam Minh walked over. Immediately, all the soldiers stood up and gave him a serious military salute.

"Greetings, brother!"

Their actions made Lam Minh a little flustered. "Everyone, please don't be so formal. Just call me Lam Minh."

"No way!" Sergeant Toan, the tallest of them, clapped him hard on the shoulder (which felt like a mosquito bite to Lam Minh). "You're our squad's benefactor. If it weren't for you that day, we might have been in real danger. Tonight, no one goes home sober!"

They pulled him down to sit. Beers were poured to the brim. Hot, steaming goat meat was brought out.

The atmosphere of the gathering was extremely relaxed and sincere. They didn't ask him about his secrets or his power. They just told him stories about the battlefield, about their fallen comrades, about fierce battles. Lam Minh also listened quietly, occasionally raising his glass with them.

He could feel the optimism, the indomitable spirit, and the strong camaraderie of these soldiers. Despite facing an enemy many times stronger, they never gave up.

"To be honest with you, Lam Minh," Lieutenant Khoa, now a little tipsy, slung an arm around his shoulder. "At first, we didn't really believe in you. But after seeing what you did, we were all completely won over. You have the 'makings' of a true soldier."

"That's right!" Sergeant Toan chimed in. "After you graduate, you have to join our reconnaissance squad! We brothers will go to battle together, tear those Madakaros to shreds!"

Lam Minh just smiled, making no promises. But he felt a warmth in his heart. In his past life, he had also had comrades like these, drinking together, fighting together. This feeling was truly precious.

The gathering lasted late into the night. When it was time to leave, everyone was drunk, except for Lam Minh. He had to call taxis to get each of them home.

When he was alone on the deserted street, he looked up at the night sky. For the first time, he felt that he was no longer alone in this war.

Besides his family and close friends, he now had comrades, new brothers.

"Life in this lifetime... is so much better," he murmured, then smiled and walked into the night.