Chapter 2587: Captain Gu
Chapter 2587: Captain Gu
"I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t even slightly nervous," Mei Xiaoyun admitted. "But I should be fine."
She turned to look at his unconcerned face and continued, "If I were in your shoes, I’d be a little worried."
Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why?"
"Because this trial’s true purpose is to put us in our place so we don’t become too arrogant. You’ve done nothing but show off for the entire recruitment, so they will definitely prepare someone special for you...someone who will be able to defeat you."
"I wouldn’t say I was showing off..." Yuan remarked. "If anything, I held back as much as I could."
"You were holding back?" Mei Xiaoyun muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
The other recruits around them also looked at him with dazed expressions, wondering whether he was telling the truth or just bragging.
Time passed quickly as the soldiers continued beating the recruits. However, not everyone received the same treatment. Those from influential families or with connections in the military were beaten far less severely than those from ordinary backgrounds.
Eventually, Mei Xiaoyun was called onto the stage.
"H-Hey! Isn’t that Sergeant Lin, an elite soldier?! Why is she getting onto the stage? Don’t tell me she’s going to fight that recruit?"
The soldiers were shocked when an elite soldier entered the stage, as they only appear for special occasions, and the last time such a thing happened was several decades ago.
"Who is that recruit?" One of the soldiers there asked aloud, hoping someone knew her.
"I think that’s General Mei’s daughter, Mei Xiaoyun. I’ve seen her participating in the recruitment when she was much younger, but she’d never participated in the final trial."
"Does this mean she’ll be joining the military for real this time? How exciting!"
On the stage, Mei Xiaoyun narrowed her eyes at Sergeant Lin and asked, "Did my mother send you?"
Sergeant Lin smiled and replied, "I don’t know what you’re talking about, but consider this an honor, as not many people get the chance to fight an elite soldier on this stage."
Mei Xiaoyun did not respond and readied herself.
"Whenever you’re ready." Sergeant Lin beckoned to her.
A moment later, Mei Xiaoyun acted, moving to close the distance between them.
"Nice movements," Sergeant Lin whistled.
Once Mei Xiaoyun was close enough, she struck without hesitation, her fist tearing through the air with speed and intensity.
However, Sergeant Lin casually caught her fists.
"!"
Mei Xiaoyun immediately prepared for the counter, but it never came.
Instead, Sergeant Lin released her and said, "I’ll give you a few more tries."
Mei Xiaoyun did not respond and immediately went for a second strike...then a third...and a fourth.
However, no matter how much she tried, she was unable to even get close to hitting Sergeant Lin.
"Not bad. With enough training, you’ll definitely become an elite soldier within twenty years," Sergeant Lin said.
"Unfortunately, we don’t have all day, so I’m going to start attacking now."
After saying those words, Sergeant Lin stopped being defensive and went on the offense, quickly overwhelming Mei Xiaoyun.
A punch in the guts. A kick to the sides. A chop behind her neck. A slap in the face. Xiao Meiyun was struck in nearly every part of her body, and while Sergeant Lin wasn’t hitting her as heavily as the others, it was still quite brutal.
Despite the beatdown, Mei Xiaoyun did not give up, nor did she make any noises.
The match ended after several minutes, with Mei Xiaoyun barely able to remain conscious by the end.
"Oh? I’m surprised you managed to stay awake. I wanted to knock you out, at the very least," said Sergeant Lin.
"If you hadn’t gone easy on me, I would have," said Mei Xiaoyun.
Sergeant Lin shrugged and said, "Well, it’s not like I can beat the General’s daughter too badly in front of so many people. You can come find me for a rematch whenever. However, I won’t go easy like I did today."
Afterward, Sergeant Lin left the stage, her eyes stopping at Yuan for a split second.
Mei Xiaoyun slowly exited the stage shortly after.
One would expect the recruits to receive medical treatment afterward, but most of them received no help and had to naturally recover, and only those who were beaten to the verge of death were treated.
By now, only a few people had not yet taken the stage, and they were all recruits who had shown impressive results during the trials.
Naturally, Yuan was one of them.
One...two...three more matches later, only Yuan and another recruit were left, and he was the one who finished second during the first trial.
"Number 7,441!"
"Here!"
Number 7,441 suddenly turned to look at Yuan and said, "Just you watch! I will be the first to defeat a soldier today!"
He entered the stage with enthusiasm the next moment, hoping to fight an elite soldier like Mei Xiaoyun, even if it would drastically lower his chances of winning.
However, his opponent turned out to be an ordinary soldier, leaving him disappointed and bitter.
A few minutes later, number 7,441 was beaten until he was unconscious and had to be carried off the stage.
Once Yuan was the only one remaining, every soldier present turned their attention to him.
Almost everyone there had witnessed Yuan’s performance during the trial, so they were aware of what he was capable of.
"Number 42,011!"
Hearing his number, Yuan entered the stage and calmly waited for his opponent to appear.
"Who do you think will fight him?"
"Surely, it has to be another elite soldier."
The soldiers mumbled to each other while they waited.
Suddenly, a massive silhouette leaped onto the platform.
"Heavens!"
The soldiers exclaimed in shock upon seeing the figure, who stood nearly twice Yuan’s size.
However, it wasn’t the man’s size that shocked them.
Rather, it was the man’s identity.
"C-Captain Gu?!"
"No way! Are they going to make a Captain fight a recruit?! This is unprecedented!"
After all, the soldier standing on the stage was not just a mere elite soldier but someone who commanded them!