Chapter 5

Time flies, and soon a month had passed.

Suddenly, a heavy rumble echoed outside an unremarkable valley. A massive military heavy truck, spewing thick black smoke, sped from the distance. There were no roads outside the valley, and the vast plain was dotted with natural gullies. However, the four pairs of enormous tires, each as tall as a person, overcame all obstacles.

The truck charged at full speed to the valley entrance, then came to an abrupt stop. The massive vehicle, like a giant beast, shook violently, skidding sideways and leaving a deep, curved mark on the ground before coming to a halt. The engine box in the truck's cab made a clattering noise, and the thick black smoke from the rear pipes stopped, replaced by a large puff of steam from a valve.

The truck's cab door opened, and a military man in his thirties looked out, then leaped down from the two-meter-high cab and placed a little boy on the ground.

The boy had delicate features, with soft black hair plastered to his forehead by sweat. His face was pale, and he looked like he was trying hard to suppress nausea, clearly having been badly shaken by the wild ride in the heavy truck. He swayed, steadied himself, and wrapped the black cloak around his body to ward off the howling cold wind.

At the valley entrance, a one-eyed man stood.

In the biting wind, he was bare-chested, with his hands behind his back, his feet shoulder-width apart. This basic military stance, when performed by him, exuded a particularly domineering and fierce presence.

He alone blocked all the paths leading into the valley.

The middle-aged soldier, carrying Qianye, stopped a few meters from the one-eyed man and said, "Long Hai, you're still the same."

Long Hai grinned, revealing a mouth full of gold and silver teeth, and said, "Shi Yan, you're three minutes late."

Shi Yan replied, "I encountered a squad of the dark races on the way. It took some time to kill them all."

Long Hai sneered, "A squad of the dark races can make you late? It seems your strength hasn't improved much over the years! Have you been a dog to the Lin family for too long, forgetting your skills?"

Shi Yan, however, did not get angry. He said calmly, "General Lin is a pillar of the empire. I am content to be his personal attendant. You wouldn't understand."

Long Hai grunted, not arguing with Shi Yan. His gaze fell on Qianye, and he said, "Is this the child they mentioned? He looks like a little girl! Can he be of any use?"

Shi Yan smiled and said, "He'll be under your training from now on. If you don't like him, you can do whatever you want with him."

Long Hai grunted again and said, "You should know that here, no matter who comes, no matter what their background, they are treated equally."

"Of course, I know."

"Then don't waste time. Let him come over!"

Shi Yan squatted in front of Qianye, his stone-like face barely showing a smile. He patted Qianye's head and said, "Go, follow Coach Long. Remember, first, whatever he tells you to do, do it immediately! Second, I hope to see you alive here a few years from now."

Qianye, though a bit bewildered, nodded heavily.

Shi Yan smiled; he had already grown fond of this little boy during the journey.

Qianye was a mostly quiet child, with a stubborn and almost obstinate personality. But once he made a promise, he would always keep it.

Long Hai's face showed a hint of surprise, and he said, "I've known you for twenty years, and I've never seen you smile so much!"

When he stood up, Shi Yan's face was already expressionless, and he said, "Seeing you, how could I possibly smile?"

Long Hai's temples bulged with thick veins.

A moment later, the heavy truck roared away, and Qianye followed Long Hai into the valley. The mountain path was rugged and long, and even after almost two hours, it seemed to have no end.

Qianye looked around and suddenly saw a row of bloody words on one side of the mountain wall: "Welcome to Hell!"

Qianye couldn't read all the words, but his gaze was drawn to them, unable to look away. As he walked forward, he gradually turned his head until he could no longer see the words. Though the words were out of sight, they were deeply etched in his young heart, each stroke dripping with blood!

The sky grew darker, and the valley seemed like a giant beast opening its mouth, waiting for Qianye.

By midnight, Qianye realized he was in a place even more terrifying than hell: the Huangquan Training Camp.

The clock's hands moved to twelve. At this time, most people should be asleep, but for the children in the Huangquan Training Camp, this was the beginning of a day of hell.

In a cold hall, Qianye and over a hundred children of similar age crowded together, listening to Long Hai's speech.

Long Hai walked back and forth in front of the children, occasionally stopping and scanning the crowd with a sinister gaze. "Here, you only need to remember three things: first, obedience; second, obedience; third, still obedience! Here, orders are given only once, and you only get one chance! Now, all of you stand against the wall. Do not move or speak until you receive new orders!"

The children pushed and shoved each other, eventually lining up against the wall. However, they did not receive further instructions.

Long Hai, hands behind his back, strode out of the hall and slammed the iron door shut.

For the first ten minutes, the hall was silent. But after another ten minutes, some restless children couldn't help themselves.

A little boy to Qianye's right looked at him and whispered, "My name is Liu Kai. My family does business in the Jianzhang Province. I heard this place is very scary. Let's be friends! My father said, two people are always better than one for survival."

Qianye, however, thought of Shi Yan's parting words: always listen to Long Hai.

Long Hai had just said, "Do not move or speak."

Seeing Qianye's lack of response, Liu Kai persisted, "Hey! No one is watching us! At least tell me your name?"

Seeing Qianye stand like a statue, not even moving a finger, Liu Kai muttered something in frustration.

Half an hour passed, and some children began to whisper and fidget, their legs aching from standing.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in a corner of the hall. A few children started arguing and quickly got into a fight, rolling and tumbling.

The noise was already loud, but no instructor appeared to stop them. The children became even more relaxed. After a while, the fighting children separated and returned to their original positions. More children started chatting, and the hall gradually became noisy.

At one o'clock, the iron door suddenly opened, and Long Hai strode in, followed by a group of fierce-looking men, each holding a whip.

The temperature in the hall dropped sharply, and the children, who had been playing happily, now had pale faces and were trembling.

Long Hai's single eye scanned the room, and he nodded. "Good! Very good! Some of you were fighting, and some were talking. I was worried that my impression on you wasn't strong enough, but now I see my worry was unnecessary!"

Long Hai's face suddenly darkened, and he pointed at the children who had been fighting. "Bring them out and show the others what happens when you disobey the rules!"

This sounded strange, and many children were still confused, but some clever ones suddenly understood and were almost paralyzed with fear.

Six fighting children were dragged to the center of the hall and lined up.

Long Hai suddenly grinned ferociously. "Here, the consequence of disobeying the rules is only one: death!"

A large man lifted a strange gun, aiming it at one of the children. The barrel was so large that a child's fist could fit inside!

The gun suddenly spewed a thick red light, and the loud gunshot echoed in the enclosed hall, almost deafening everyone!

The red light flashed, and the upper body of the little boy disappeared, leaving only his legs on the ground! Blood splattered over ten meters, even reaching the opposite wall.

The large man smiled cruelly, turned the gun, and aimed at the next child.

That child, who had been defiant, now panicked and shouted, "No! I don't want to die! My uncle is an imperial general! He..."

The gun fired again, cutting off his words.

"An imperial general? Heh heh, even the son of an imperial marshal would face the same fate if he enters here and disobeys the rules!" the large man sneered.

The gun continued to fire, and after six shots, the center of the hall was drenched in blood and flesh.

Long Hai then said, "Now, those who spoke, come forward, strip naked, and lie down! You're lucky; just three lashes will be your punishment. But if anyone tries to deceive me, they will face the same fate as those six children!"

The children looked at each other, and many, trembling, walked to the center of the hall, stripped naked, and lay down. Only about twenty children remained standing against the wall.

"Is that all?" Long Hai asked again.

Two children who had been standing against the wall timidly stepped forward.

Long Hai nodded and said, "You two, five lashes each!"

The two children's faces turned pale, but it was too late to regret.

Long Hai suddenly pointed at four children still standing against the wall, his tone turning icy. "Since you dared to deceive me, you will die."

The four crying children were dragged to the center of the hall, and four deafening gunshots rang out.

Thus, on the first night at the Huangquan Training Camp, Qianye clearly understood the consequences of disobeying the rules. On that first night, one-tenth of the new recruits were gone.

At three in the morning, Qianye and the other children were herded into a large room.

There were rows of bunk beds. Each child silently chose a bed and lay down to sleep. No one spoke, and no one cried.

Qianye, following his usual habit, lay down on his back but was suddenly jolted up by the intense pain on his back.

In the darkness, children's painful moans could be heard, but they were clearly suppressing their volume.

Qianye turned over and carefully lay on his stomach, avoiding the stimulation of the whip marks on his back.

Qianye also received one lash.

Only fifteen children, like him, had strictly followed the orders. These fifteen children received special treatment: they were only given one lash.

PS: I should still be on the plane. Greetings from the draft box. New author, new book, seeking collections, clicks, and red votes!

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