Chapter 569: Chapter 569 Major Ye
“That’s a pity.” A few seconds later, the imposing General let out a long sigh full of regret, and Ye Shikai too felt an unwillingness in his heart. This man was Yan Kuan, the person in charge of the Dragon Teeth base and the direct leader of the Dragon Teeth Special Forces, as well as Ye Shikai’s former commander.
“Today you have returned to the base, not an easy feat. I’ll make an exception and give you a day’s treatment with military rank. How about that, Major?” Yan Kuan walked over to Ye Shikai, patted his shoulder, and spoke with earnest gravity.
“Thank you, sir.” Ye Shikai gave a standard military salute, since for the duration of this day, he was still a Major—naturally, he needed to act according to military standards.
“Alright, let me accompany you to look at the troops.” Yan Kuan stepped out of the office, and Ye Shikai closely followed behind, both heading towards the training field.
On this training field in the military camp, countless men have sweated for it. The motto ‘train more during peacetime, bleed less during war’ couldn’t be more apt for units like the Dragon Teeth Special Forces. Once an incident occurs, they are surely the ones rushing to the front lines.
“What do you think, does the current training meet your standards?” Yan Kuan stood with Ye Shikai on the commander’s platform, looking at the troops training in the distance.
“Mm, not bad.” Ye Shikai nodded. Weighted runs, shooting, hand-to-hand combat—those were the most basic skills for any soldier. What made the Dragon Teeth Special Forces formidable was their mastery of these seemingly ordinary skills to perfection, allowing them to apply them in actual combat. Of course, aside from those, special forces members also had to master many specialized skills to meet the needs of modern warfare.
“The army needs fresh blood. Since you left, the special forces team has been recruiting annually, and those elites from various military districts are not easy to tame,” stated Yan Kuan lightly.
“Iron camps with soldiers flowing like water,” said Ye Shikai with a knowing smile.
“The brothers who were with you are now old soldiers, and most of them are sergeants.”
“That’s what they deserve.” Ye Shikai spoke impartially. Speaking of the Dragon Teeth Special Forces, the old soldiers within were absolutely the backbone in war. With their proven strength and now experience, their promotion to sergeants was a certainty.
“Let’s go down and take a look,” said Yan Kuan as he descended from the commander’s platform, with Ye Shikai following.
“Sir, good day.” Upon seeing Yan Kuan’s arrival, Ouyang Feng immediately stood at attention and saluted, then, noticing Ye Shikai behind Yan Kuan, he cracked a small smile. The special forces members also put down their training equipment and stopped, waiting for Yan Kuan’s address.
“Comrades, do you recognize him?” Yan Kuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down, and then pointed at Ye Shikai behind him, asking the crowd.
The unanimous voices of the crowd left Ye Shikai somewhat confused. There were many new faces here, all supposedly new recruits, so how could they recognize him? Then he thought, perhaps those old brothers had mentioned his deeds to the newcomers.
“You, tell us.” Yan Kuan casually pointed at one of the members, who immediately stood up and firmly said, “Ye Shikai, former commander of the Dragon Teeth Special Forces, holds the rank of Major, and has broken seven military district records…”
“That’s enough,” Yan Kuan cut off the member before he could finish, waving his hand to signal him to sit down.
“You’re correct, it seems you know him well. Were you teammates before?” Yan Kuan asked the soldier with a smile.
“No, I heard it from… The squad leader,” the soldier replied somewhat sheepishly, while Ye Shikai keenly noticed a man in the lineup smiling at him. He had been teammates with Ye Shikai and was known as “Monkey”, now already a second-level sergeant major – he must be the “squad leader” mentioned by the soldier.
“Haha, no worries, today you’ll get to witness Major Ye’s skills firsthand,” Yan Kuan laughed. Hearing this, Ye Shikai’s expression changed—what, did he really have to demonstrate his skills?
“What, the former commander is going to show his skills?”
“That’s something to watch for sure.”
The crowd murmured among themselves, obviously very excited to witness Ye Shikai’s “performance”. Indeed, Ye Shikai was once a legend in the special forces, a legend that still lives on. However, there were also those who deliberately slandered him, especially when it came to his last operation, exaggerating and writing lengthy articles, pinning the failure of the operation on him.
But one point was indisputable: Ye Shikai’s unparalleled individual ability and excellent leadership skills, which no one could deny. Therefore, even with Ouyang Feng’s efforts to train the team diligently, their strength could hardly match the special forces of Ye Shikai’s era.
“What do you say, Major Ye, show the younger generation a trick or two?” Yan Kuan turned and spoke to Ye Shikai.
In truth, Ye Shikai’s skills were no less superior than before; since leaving the military, he had joined a mercenary group and then embarked on the path of cultivation. This ensured his skills didn’t wane.
“Of course,” replied Ye Shikai without refusal, but then he suddenly remembered that Ouyang Feng seemed to be a cultivator too. So, by extension, could all the members of the Dragon Teeth Special Forces be cultivators?
As Huaxia’s most elite troops responsible for the most difficult and dangerous missions, having cultivators in their ranks would greatly aid their tasks. Setting other aspects aside, a cultivator’s strength and speed certainly far exceed those of an average person.
But if they were not cultivators, then it wouldn’t be appropriate for Ye Shikai to openly display his Inner Strength. From a certain perspective, cultivators were a targeted group in Huaxia, and he was no longer an insider. If he exposed himself, could he become a target?
“Wait a moment,” Ye Shikai suddenly said. “Before I make a move, I want to see what this unit I once belonged to has become.” Ye Shikai thought it’d be better to test the members’ strength first; that way, he would know if they were cultivators.
“There’s a platform here. How about I find two members to arm wrestle? Any volunteers?” Ye Shikai pointed to a stone platform nearby.
In a moment, dozens of hands shot up in unison; all the members volunteered. As a cultivator, Ye Shikai could discern through observation whether the others were also cultivators.
“Alright, but I demand that both participants give their all, no holding back. Understand?” Ye Shikai continued.