[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Wang Zhiqiang, however, let out a gloating laugh:

"Haha, now you finally know how gentle I am."

Although he was quite strict back then, he never actually punished you physically.

You exclaimed, "Is there not a single gentle and easy-going instructor in this world?"

Wang Zhiqiang snapped his fingers: "Wake up! If you do that, you're not being my instructor, you're being my mother."

You continue to wail: "Destroy, world!"

Wang Zhiqiang joked with a smile, "Let's eat first, Sister Destruction."

You patted your face to try and refresh yourself, but ended up slapping your burned cheek, which stung again.

"Fuck!"

You rarely swear, and suddenly a piece of bread is stuffed into your mouth.

Wang Zhiqiang withdrew his hand: "Girls shouldn't be swearing."

You protest: "You won't tell me?"

He said with an upright expression, "I won't say."

You looked at him, your face full of disbelief.

"Hey, Zimo, you're here."

Two men in combat uniforms walked over.

Wang Zhiqiang saw them and offered his congratulations:

"Looks like I should congratulate you on returning unscathed."

Then he stood up and introduced:

"This is YN, a new recruit from China."

"Blizzard, also a recruit, an American."

Then they introduce you and Blizzard to them, starting with a masked man wearing sunglasses.

"Horangi, a Korean."

The man suddenly spoke up: "It's Tiger. You can just call me Tiger."

You nod and extend your hand to him: "Hello, Tiger."

After you shook hands amicably, Wang Zhiqiang introduced the next person, a man wearing a fang mask. His eyes were exposed, and he had two small moles at the corner of his left eye.

"oni,...Japanese."

After Wang Zhiqiang finished his introduction, he gave you a look.

You know the importance of things, but you can't help but murmur his name aloud.

"Onii...unnie...chan?"

Chapter 12: Little Devil

Oh no! You immediately cover your mouth.

I used to watch too much anime, so it became a subconscious habit.

Wang Zhiqiang's eyes widened as well: "Sis, why do you call everyone 'brother'?"

You explain, "No...it's his name, I'm sorry..."

As you spoke, you apologized to Oni.

However, he seemed used to this cultural difference and patiently explained:

"In Japanese, 'oni' means evil spirit, and the only difference between 'oni' and 'brother' is that the 'oni' is a drawn-out sound. It's a cultural difference, so it's not your fault."

So that's how it is. One pronunciation can actually have different meanings, but you're still a little curious.

"What is that sauce? I see you often call others that."

Oni continued her explanation: "'Jiang' is an interjection used to express affection, similar to your Chinese 'xiao' or 'bao'?"

You're embarrassed: "So, didn't I just...?"

Blizzard chimed in, "Yes, you call him Little Devil~"

You cover your face. Last time you told a ghost he was handsome, and this time you're calling someone else a little devil.

You really... how can you cause so much trouble? You said you'd be careful last time.

Seeing your awkward expression, Tiger quickly tried to smooth things over.

"YN, don't worry about it. A magnanimous man wouldn't mind these things, right, Oni?"

As he spoke, he nudged Oni's shoulder.

Oni nodded immediately.

After exchanging greetings and the two men leaving, you remarked to Wang Zhiqiang in Chinese:

"I didn't expect that these Koreans and Japanese would have such nice personalities."

Wang Zhiqiang nodded, but then said to you earnestly:

"Sis, there's something you have to remember! In the base, and even when fighting alongside other organizations, you must abandon your personal feelings and opinions and befriend everyone on an equal footing. They are your comrades, and being on good terms with them will only benefit you; otherwise, you'll have to be constantly on guard against someone shooting you in the back."

You know, he's talking about the shared historical issues you all have in mind.

You nodded: "I understand. I won't make enemies with others unless someone challenges my bottom line."

A person can't be without any temper; otherwise, others will only look down on them more.

Wang Zhiqiang nodded, then advised you, "Now that you know, don't talk about ghosts so casually anymore. He was just doing his job. He's actually a very good person. You can try to learn from him and befriend him."

You suddenly realize that you were so upset that you only thought about complaining that you ignored these things and didn't consider whether they would affect you.

It seems you really need to pay more attention to this aspect.

Blizzard, who was standing to the side, couldn't understand what you were saying and thought you were whispering to each other. She looked at you and Wang Zhiqiang with a maternal smile.

After giving his instructions, Wang Zhiqiang also sensed something was wrong and asked Blizzard:

"Blizzard, why are you laughing like a drunkard?"

Blizzard, chin in hand, still smiling, uttered a startling statement.

"I just feel happy, you two are so sweet."

You were startled and your heart skipped a beat. You quickly covered her mouth.

You quickly explain to Wang Zhiqiang, "She's been obsessed with love lately and isn't thinking straight."

Then he whispered a plea to Blizzard: "Good sister, I beg you, please stop!"

She winked at you, indicating that she understood.

You're speechless. No, you don't look like you understand at all, my sister!

For the next few days, you continued the same training.

However, after Wang Zhiqiang gave you some pointers, you stopped complaining and started training with an even more serious attitude.

Because you often ate with Wang Zhiqiang, you also became familiar with Hu and Oni.

Tiger is curious why you and Blizzard aren't with the other recruits, since training together should foster a better bond.

You were stumped by the question and didn't know how to answer it for a moment.

Blizzard, however, was quite nonchalant: "Because YN doesn't like boys fawning over her."

Tiger laughed heartily: "It seems that YN is quite popular. It's not surprising, after all, there aren't many Asian female soldiers in the base."

Blizzard continued, "And they smell so bad after training that it's really unpleasant to eat with them. I like eating with you guys because of this; Asians are so naturally odorless."

You tugged at Blizzard and advised her, "Blizzard, you should keep your voice down."

There are so many people in the cafeteria, it wouldn't be good if others heard us.

Blizzard, used to being casual, didn't care much: "It's no secret, we're all used to it."

Tiger nodded in agreement: "That's true, but Blizzard, you don't have a noticeable smell on you. It seems you take good care of yourself in that respect."

Blizzard's eyes lit up, and they perked up.

"It's all thanks to YN! I had some symptoms before, but YN told me about the care methods and gave me dietary advice, which helped me gradually improve!"

Then she took your hand and excitedly recommended:

"But yn is really amazing. Not only does it have no smell, but it also has a pleasant fragrance."

Then she sniffed your hand and commented, "A faint fragrance with a hint of floral scent, just like... just like the scent of the tea you often drink, YN!"

She was referring to the jasmine tea you gave Ghost before, which you often brewed and drank in your dorm, and occasionally shared with Blizzard and Vita.

Wang Zhiqiang exclaimed in curiosity, "It even has a fragrance? I've never seen anything like it in my life!"

He joined the army at a young age and had little contact with girls. When he did have contact, it was always within appropriate social distance.

Blizzard saw that you two already had a close relationship, so he simply took your hand and handed it to him.

"Come on, take a sniff, it will broaden your horizons."

Seeing that you didn't seem to mind, Wang Zhiqiang lowered his head and sniffed the back of your hand.

Then she looked up, her eyes shining: "It's actually true!"

Tiger also became interested: "Let me smell it!"

He took your hand, and you didn't feel uncomfortable because he was wearing gloves.

He took another deep sniff and then concluded, "It's real! And it doesn't smell like perfume, Oni, smell it."

As he spoke, he extended your hand to Oni, who hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head as if to fit in.

Then he blurted out, "It's not perfume, it's a woman's natural scent."

You watch their actions and can only sigh in exasperation.