Beyond the Zenith

The next day was the recruitment briefing assembly, though it wouldn’t officially start until nine in the morning.

Dormitory 22 got up early and went down for breakfast. Nearly the entire cafeteria was staring at them. Both loud and whispered commentary filled the air.

A recruit who knew Han Qingyu got up to greet him. “The Gold Erasers, huh? If my platoon ever calls for help in the future, promise me you’ll get there fast.”

This wasn’t just a joke. Unexpected situations during actual combat were not uncommon on the front lines, and all six armies under the Only Witness Legion shared one common system called the rapid response unit system as backup for such scenarios.

The top ten platoons in each army served as both district platoons and rapid response units, essentially special operations platoons. Each had assigned helicopters that were ready to deploy for regional rescue at any time.

The legion’s regulations included a provision that if a district platoon ran into trouble or simply couldn’t hold on during a mission and called for help, all the credit and rewards for that mission would go to the platoon that completed the rescue.

That was precisely why elite platoons had such high combat rewards, merit bonuses, and ranking prizes.

In the Ninth Army, the two Color Eraser platoons were the most elite of the elite. Each had a roster of forty-eight members and had enormous coverage. Apart from the mandatory minimum of fifteen members on standby, the remaining personnel could provide simultaneous assistance to two or three districts at once.

In other words, they could handle two ordinary Sharpies with only about fifteen members on average. In special circumstances, when the top fighters or the platoon leader personally joined the rescue, a team of fewer than ten was often enough.

That was the strength of the Color Erasers. It was also why they were so wealthy, revered, and admired. It was also the reason few objected to their existence.

Some others also joined in with the teasing.

“Little Qing, looks like you’re joining the Gold Erasers already? Congrats.”

“Yeah, when we run into each other again out there, don’t pretend you don’t know us.”

Han Qingyu could only smile, then sit down to eat.

Wen Jifei took a detour during the meal line to ask around and came back looking slightly worried. “This is bad. Word about you rejecting the White Erasers yesterday seems to have gotten out. It’s no wonder so many people are calling you a Gold Eraser straight to your face this morning.”

“It’s not just that. The part about things possibly getting unpleasant spread, with people adding drama to the gossip. People are talking about it everywhere,” Liu Shiheng said as he sat down, frowning.

Their concern stemmed from the implications of this gossip. Han Qingyu had rejected the White Erasers in private, but as news spread, the situation became more akin to him publicly humiliating them in front of the entire army.

There was no fixed hierarchy among Color Eraser platoons. Gold and White competed every year in merit rankings and reputation, constantly trying to one-up each other. On top of that, the two platoons had always been somewhat at odds in their ideological stances.

“Well, I didn’t say anything to anyone,” Han Qingyu said between spoonfuls of porridge, looking unconcerned. His upcoming sparring match with Captain Qin Guowen from the Gold Erasers meant he couldn’t eat too much.

“Then it had to be the White Erasers or Qi Shantong... That doesn’t make sense either, though. Why would they spread something that makes themselves look bad?” Wen Jifei wondered aloud. “Could someone have overheard and deliberately put you in a tough spot?”

“Maybe not, but even if someone did it to mess with me, it doesn’t matter.” Han Qingyu paused, picking up some pickled vegetables to go with his porridge. “I just thought about it, and actually, the more people who know I’ve openly offended the White Erasers and Qi Shantong, the better. We’ll be safer and freer going forward. In fact, I wouldn’t even mind making it a bigger deal.”

Wen Jifei and the others exchanged glances, thought over the logic, and ate their meals with newfound peace of mind.

After breakfast, they headed for the combat simulation arena. The path was packed with people.

The strongest recruit in ten years, Han Qingyu, versus Captain Qin Guowen of the Gold Erasers.

There was no animosity or real stakes in this fight. This was obviously just a Gold Erasers veteran sizing up a newcomer, a teaching exercise. Still, it was a rare chance to observe true combat in this final stretch of the recruit period.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of recruits couldn’t get in. Not because the arena was closed to recruits as it had been during the Han Qingyu versus Lao Jian match, but because there were simply too many people.

The recruitment briefing assembly was also happening today, ?officially beginning at nine, and tomorrow was the day for mutual selection at recruit graduation. Platoon leaders and deputy platoon leaders from the front lines of various districts, as well as regiment commanders, advisors, and instructors from various regiments, had all converged on the combat training base. There were a staggering number of them.

These people alone took up the majority of the arena seating. Recruits couldn’t get in unless someone brought them in.

Even Han Qingyu, a participant of said spar, struggled to get Wen Jifei and the others inside. In the end, he found them a spot in a corner and got them seated.

As his eyes swept idly over the crowd, he noticed Regiment Commander Li and the rest of the Regiment 425 delegation sitting in the last row against the wall.

“Good day, Regiment Commander Li, Regiment Lead Advisor, Platoon Leader Lao...” It had been a while since he’d seen them, and he hurried through a round of salutes and greetings.

“Oh, good day to you too. Go on, then. Just make sure you do your best out there,” Regiment Commander Li said on behalf of the group, feigning magnanimity and forcing a smile as he delivered his “breakup blessing.” His heart ached.

“Yes, sir.” Han Qingyu saluted once more, then found an open spot to check his device.

Meanwhile, Regiment Commander Li was muttering from his corner, complaining to the people beside him, “I told you we shouldn’t have come, but you all insisted. Now look, we’re just torturing ourselves.”

“Give it a rest, Old Li. Stop trying to pin this on us.” The regiment lead advisor shot him a look. “You’re the one who wanted to come. You dragged us here, even though you keep saying you didn’t.”

“Forget it. We’re already here, so let’s just watch. It’s not just you. We all want to see how our 425th’s prodigy performs one more time,” another officer said.

“I—please. I’m here because I want to see him get his teeth knocked out. That would make me happy.” Regiment Commander Li was still putting up a front.

The people around him exchanged glances. Further exposing their commander’s true feelings would just be cruel, but trying to console him was pointless, so they just ignored him.

A little while later, Regiment Commander Li had He Tangtang brought over. Under the guise of concern, he asked about his plans.

“I’ll go wherever Little Qing goes. I want to be in the same platoon as him if possible,” He Tangtang said earnestly. “Unless they really don’t want me. My B+ rank is pretty strong too, you know, and I’ve been training with Little Qing this whole time. I’m not bad in actual combat either.”

The regiment lead advisor gave a pointed cough. “Won’t you consider staying with us at the 425th? Being our prized recruit?”

“I’ll go wherever Little Qing goes.” He Tangtang remained unwaveringly sincere.

Regiment Commander Li’s heart silently shattered into pieces once more.