Cosmic Demon

Chapter 247 Qin Shi on the Road, Baiyang Fortress City!
[Ah Niu: Someone's coming in! Is that our boss?]

[Ama: We're still short an artilleryman. Captain, could you find someone? If not, I can fill in, just pay me double!]

[Not hard work, but a miserable fate: You can't even identify enemy positions; last time you almost blew up a friendly fortification. Give it a rest.]

[It's not hard work, it's tough: Our support team must maintain our reputation and strive to make a name for ourselves in the industry! Give us your support!]

[Not just hard work, but also a miserable life: Welcome, queue, ready!]

When the user with the username "Not Hard-working, But Bitterly Fate" appeared and quickly sent out a few messages, the group chat room instantly displayed the message "Welcome, Boss! Warmest welcome!"

The more Qin Shi looked at them, the more he felt that these people were a bit of a joke, not like a "regular army," and quite different from the information provided by Ying Huang.

The latter confidently asserted that Xuyang Heavy Industry was familiar with the industry and that the support team they selected and hired was absolutely reliable.

[Qin's Time: Hello everyone. Soybean smiling face.JPG]

[Qin Shi: I believe you all already know my message. If you received this, please reply with 1.]

[Not hard-working but with a miserable life: 1]

[Ah Niu: 1]

[Ama: 1]

They truly are a "miserable ox and horse" combination.

Qin Shi smiled; this familiar classroom atmosphere was indeed quite pleasing to the eye.

[Qin Shi: I hope we can all get along well in the days to come.]

Before putting away his mobile device, he pondered for a moment and then transferred two hundred Void Coins to the support team account, which resembled a "mercenary" team.

Recently, Super Xiao He has been diligently mining, and his accumulated assets in Entropy Bank have continued to rise.

Earn when you should earn, spend when you should spend!
Qin Shi, who once worked as a corporate slave, felt that the best way to deal with cattle and horses was to give them money.

These days, people don't like empty promises; they prefer tangible benefits.

[Qin Shi: A little something, consider it a raise.]

[Ah Niu: Long live the boss!]

[Ama: The boss is so generous!]

[Not hard work, but a miserable life: Boss, do you need the backyard team to provide bed-warming service?]

The crowd was in a frenzy!
These guys, like penniless bastards who'd never seen money before, started wailing and howling.

Qin Shi shook his head and casually closed the group chat.

The main role of these guys is to provide logistical support, replenish supplies, and eliminate enemy units when he needs manpower.

In ancient empires, this was a privilege reserved for nobles.

Regardless of the generation, the Eastern Xia dynasty always valued martial virtue.

Even those from distinguished noble families need to go to the battlefield to gain experience in order to solidify their hereditary titles and earn prestige.

But weapons are indiscriminate, and no one can guarantee 100% safety.

Therefore, scions of prominent families usually joined the army with a large retinue.

It is said that the heirs of feudal lords and princes could even build a fully-equipped private army to establish military exploits and merits.

This gave rise to many outstanding figures in history who, despite bearing the title of "family soldiers," eventually became kings and were granted fiefdoms.

This ancient system of "servant soldiers" has been preserved for countless years.

They just changed the name to something nicer, such as "support team" or "security list".

Qin Shi himself was included in the "protected sequence" of the court, so he did not actually need a support team for personal protection.

However, this is classified information, and even Yinghuang cannot access it;

On the other hand, the court only provides ultimate rescue in life-threatening situations, ensuring the survival of those in the protected sequence, but does not guarantee the integrity of their bodies.

In short, as long as one is barely clinging to life, it doesn't matter if one loses a hand or foot or is otherwise disabled.

While letting his thoughts wander, Qin Shi tidied up the bed.

Although his character is that of a privileged young master with connections, there's no need for him to pretend to be a spoiled brat who can't take care of himself; that would be overdoing it.

Soon, the large room was gradually filled with young faces.

Qin Shi crossed his arms and leaned quietly against the headboard, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, not participating in any discussion.

This fits his persona as a "connected person + pretentious guy".

The roommates on the left and right were quite active. The first few batches of "new recruits" who were conscripted into the Great Expedition had a rather complex composition.

Top-tier universities like Qiguang Hengda University and Jiakai University of Science and Technology, whether it's the martial arts department or the spiritual energy department.

Those top students couldn't be sent directly to the battlefield, and no matter how extravagant the governor's office was, it wouldn't treat the future of Hengzhou as a consumable.

Therefore, in accordance with the conscription policy, apart from the first batch, those selected from the army were reorganized into vanguard battalions and dispatched to the front line.

The later batches of "new recruits" mostly came from eligible college students from some technical colleges, as well as children of employees who met the conscription requirements.

Qin Shi did not show much personal emotion about this.

War is a violent machine for carrying out wills and achieving goals.

Fairness, justice, and humanitarianism are more about the strong showing pity and charity to the weak, and depend entirely on the mood of those in power.

It cannot be treated as a standard requirement that must be followed.

"None of them have a lifespan exceeding twenty. No wonder they need to undergo reorganization and training... Sending them directly to the contaminated area to carry out operations would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

Qin Shi's spiritual power spread out, his aura indiscriminately covering everyone. Faint points of light appeared in his mental vision, like fireflies at dusk, not bright but still flickering.

"I heard that the advance on the western front is lagging far behind that on the eastern front."

The "neighbor" on the left is a kind-looking young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

“Highly contaminated areas are not easy to clean up, so we can only use the most basic firepower to cover them. We’ve already deployed heavy artillery on the eastern front, but on the western front we’re still digging trenches and setting up machine guns. We haven’t even deployed many armored tanks.”

The "neighbor" on the right is about the same age, has a short buzz cut, and speaks in a very casual manner.

He greeted Qin Shi very familiarly:
"Hey buddy, where are you from? I'm from Zhoucheng, my surname is Gao, and my given name is Pao."

Qin Shi opened his eyes and introduced himself in a nonchalant manner:

"Central City, Qin Shi, the 'Shi' in 'returning lost property'."

The carefree young man raised an eyebrow and said something that seemed to have a hidden meaning:
"So you're the young master from the central city. My apologies for not recognizing you."

The young man with the buzz cut who claimed to be wearing a tall robe didn't initiate any further conversation, but instead started chatting with the honest-looking young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

"My name is Song Ping, I'm from Yancheng, and I graduated a year ago..."

The young faces in the room were all introducing themselves in this way.

For most of them, this was the first time leaving their familiar hometowns and coming to a completely unfamiliar environment.

Driven by the human instinct to stick together, they began to integrate into new places.

During the Qin Dynasty, he became an outcast.

He spent the first night alone, amidst the chatter of voices.

The management at the recruitment office is relatively lenient; it's not as cold and inhumane as the recruit camps are rumored to be.

The next day, Qin Shi still got up early alone to wash up, make his bed, and eat.

The news that he was a young master from the central city who came here to enhance his resume spread like wildfire.

In the "Poor Ox and Horse" group on the mobile terminal, the support team is taking credit.

[Ah Niu: Boss, how's my announcement going?]

[Ama: If you're not satisfied and feel it lacks a bit of story, we can add some sensational scoops like illegitimate children of wealthy families later!] Qin Shi's lips twitched, he casually offered a couple of compliments, and stopped these two blockheads from adding fuel to the fire.

On the third day, seven or eight military trucks drove into the recruitment office.

Following the order of registration, rows of young faces lined up neatly, taking turns jumping into the back of vehicles with different numbers.

"High robes! Car number four! Get in!"

"Song Ping! Car number four, get in... Qin Shi? You stay in the passenger seat."

When the officer receiving the new recruits read out Qin Shi's name, he paused for a moment and then said...

"Pah! Even joining the army requires connections! It's disgusting!"

Gao Pao sat inside the heavy-duty truck and muttered to himself.

"They are from the earliest pioneering family in Hengzhou, probably the young master of the Qin family."

Song Ping scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

He was older than the others and had experienced the harsh realities of society, so he deeply understood that "connections" were everywhere.

At least this young master Qin Shi was just gilding his resume; he did not endanger the interests of others or cause any harm.

The roll call wasn't completed until noon, when the sun was beginning to set.

Several fully loaded military heavy trucks lined up in a long queue, driving on the not-so-wide road. Sitting in the passenger seat, Qin Shi looked out the window and saw vast stretches of barren and desolate sky and land.

The orange afterglow shone on the lifeless wilderness, reminding him of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China.

No matter how long you drive or how far you go, all you'll see are weeds, gravel, and choking dust blown up by the wind.

The night was like a thick, spreading ink, and military trucks were parked in the rest area marked on the map.

Many "new recruits" who had not yet completed their enlistment sat around the campfire. The officers who had escorted them were armed with guns and found sniper positions for long-range observation and assigned guard teams to patrol posts.

This professionalism inspired both admiration and longing in the new recruits.

"Currently, there are three completed defense systems on the western front. We are heading to the largest fortified city in the vicinity, codenamed 'Poplar'."

You greenhorns will be assigned to three training camps: Camp One is 'Fire Scorpion', Camp Two is 'Iron Fist', and Camp Three is 'Yellow Springs'.

Pray you won't be assigned to 'the Underworld,' where new recruits are mainly responsible for 'line-filling babies,' participating in high-intensity advance missions.

The lieutenant, sporting two black sword-shaped epaulets, munched on a nutritional supplement while chuckling:
"After two months of training, the iron blanks are smelted into steel, and then thrown into a large furnace to be burned. If you can persevere, you will become the material for sharp knives."

If you can't hold on, fall where you are and be buried there. That's war; it's not a child's game.

Gao Pao, chewing on an energy bar, heard the lieutenant's words and instead of being afraid, he felt a sense of anticipation.

For new recruits like them, who were in the third batch of conscription, it was already very difficult to get through the most common promotion channels.

The Hengzhou Development Movement, while allowing some "young masters" to gain prestige and rise to positions of power, also created numerous opportunities.

"Report, sir!"

Suddenly, Gao Pao shouted and raised his hand.

"Not bad, at least he knows to report before speaking, he's not a greenhorn."

The middle-aged lieutenant grinned, exuding a dangerous aura like a predatory beast.

"Otherwise, I'll send you on patrol tonight. This area is teeming with corrupt jackals; you'll wet several pairs of pants."

A chill ran down his spine. He had indeed seen pairs of green, beastly eyes in the pitch-black night.

"Let it go if you fart."

After the middle-aged lieutenant finished his scare, he laughed again:

"As the first recruit to dare ask me a question, I can give you an extra serving of nutritional paste. This stuff is very filling. For the next two days, your tactical rations will consist of five energy bars and a can of water."

Learning how to endure hunger is the first lesson I'm teaching you.

Young people are easily encouraged by the praise they receive.

He stood up, his back ramrod straight:
"Sir! I'd like to know what we're supposed to learn at training camp?"

The middle-aged lieutenant squinted and said, word by word:

"Broadly speaking, it boils down to two words: survival. More specifically, it's about the techniques to ensure one's survival, the means to improve one's abilities, and the overall qualities to adapt to the battlefield."

Judging from your level of vitality development, I estimate that not many of you can break through 20 points, or even have a chance to reach 30 points.

Without this great pioneering movement, you might have spent your entire lives working in workshops or mines.

After all, to travel on a spaceship, one must be proficient in multiple languages ​​and possess basic survival skills.

So make the most of the opportunity; the training camp's supplies are quite generous, including the option to exchange for level 5 energy liquid, if you're eligible.

The many new recruits, who were originally uneasy, were instantly energized by the middle-aged officer's words.

Qin Shi sat quietly in the corner, maintaining his aloof and unsociable image.

Under the influence of the life magnetic field, the one with the highest vitality in the entire room should be that middle-aged lieutenant.

He is around the eighth dan level, which is close to Zhou Yuanchen's level.

However, he knew very well that battles on the battlefield were not simply about health points.

Tactical training, combat drills, and even psychological qualities are the key factors that determine life and death.

If Old Zhou hadn't used a move like "Borrowing the King's Fist," even if their lifespans were roughly equal, this middle-aged lieutenant would most likely have been able to cripple Zhou Yuanchen's hands with half his life.

"Finish your meal quickly! Get in the car and rest!"

The middle-aged lieutenant roared.

His voice echoed like thunder in the wilderness, yet it did not attract the covetousness or prying of any corrupt creatures.

"Boy."

Qin Shi returned to the passenger seat and noticed that the middle-aged officer was staring at him.

"Is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Your vitality shouldn't be too weak, right?"

Qin Shi's disguise was very thorough. Apart from the subtle changes in hairstyle and appearance, his life magnetic field kept his aura stable at around fifty points.

"It's alright, sir."

The middle-aged lieutenant grinned and said in a seemingly friendly manner:
"Gilding is one thing, but unless your parents have extraordinary connections that can make phone calls to the poplar fortified city thousands of miles away, you should keep a low profile. The ones who die the most on the battlefield are the new recruits who think they are capable."

In the Qin Dynasty, silence reigned. In the army, a collective melting pot that values ​​ability, those with connections were naturally not well-regarded.

Presumably, Old Chen chose this identity for him in the hope that he would neither receive too much attention nor truly remain unknown.

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, sir."

Qin Shi nodded, lowered his body, tried to find a comfortable position, leaned back in the passenger seat, and began to rest.

The middle-aged officer was taken aback, surprised that the young man with the words "Young Master" etched on his forehead was so calm and adaptable.

The two-day journey passed in the blink of an eye.

The billowing smoke and dust rose up like a churning yellow dragon.

On the third day, the sun rose, and the morning light fell on the fortified city that stood like a giant on the earth.

Seven or eight military trucks were inspected before entering the vehicle in single file.

Through the lowered car window, Qin Shi saw a striking slogan—

"Youth dedicated to border defense, blood forged into boundary markers!"

"For all mankind, for the spark of civilization!"

(End of this chapter)