Chapter 108 - Mutual Selection

The news that Bai Ji had a year of experience with the White Erasers had leaked, and there were already quite a few people spreading and gossiping about it.

The White Erasers had evidently prepared for this outcome, though.

Bai Ji adopted an aggrieved but helpless demeanor as he produced a hospital bill covering nearly a year’s worth of treatment. “I just want to spar a little, that’s all. Why did it turn out this way? But it’s fine. All he needs to do is put up with it for a while longer, and the title of strongest will stay his.”

If he puts up with it, he’ll stay the strongest?

Those words cut deep.

The reason Bai Ji said this was twofold. Part of it was to fulfill the task that the White Erasers had assigned him: to restore the platoon’s image and public reputation. The other aspect, however, had to do with him coveting the title of strongest for himself.

He had witnessed Han Qingyu’s prominence at the combat training base for himself. As a fellow youth and former prodigious recruit, he couldn’t help but feel resentful and frustrated at the opportunities he had missed because of his injury.

There was no way he could compete in merits and honors. This, of course, only fueled his desire to win against Han Qingyu. Bai Ji wanted to use the end of Han Qingyu’s glorious recruit days to elevate himself to the pedestal he had once regrettably missed, stealing all the fame and glory in one fell swoop.

The greater Han Qingyu’s accomplishments, the more wonderful the prospect of defeating him became.

Bai Ji’s thirst to win had quickly surpassed even the platoon’s demands, and he found himself increasingly restless when Han Qingyu didn’t rise to the bait.

In truth, he was slowly starting to step out of line, but the White Erasers didn’t stop him.

To be young is to be reckless! Having a well-matched rival to compete against—that healthy fear of being surpassed—will actually be better for his future growth!

This was the general stance of the White Erasers, and it wasn’t without merit. It actually aligned rather well with their existing logic and conduct.

Han Qingyu had yet to respond to any of this.

Dormitory 22, unable to bear the situation, asked Wen Jifei about it. It wasn’t Wen Jifei’s place to reveal the truth, so he could only say that he had told Han Qingyu not to fight.

“That guy’s been training with the White Erasers for almost a year! Little Qing is only just graduating from recruit training. How the fuck is he supposed to fight him?” Wen Jifei scowled.

This was the truth, but that didn’t mean everyone would believe it.

There were several thousand recruits in this batch. It was only natural that some would believe that Bai Ji had only just returned after a year of being hospitalized.

The dazzling presence of a lonely genius had marked their entire training period for these recruits. They were fanning the flames of gossip because, deep down, they just wanted to see a true clash of geniuses.

They wanted to see someone go head-to-head with Han Qingyu.

Many people pressed Liu Shiheng for answers during this time, and he couldn’t resist defending his friend. “Is there a need for him to fight? Little Qing’s achievements and honors speak for themselves. Who does Bai Ji think he is? Also, we’re just about to graduate. What if one of them gets injured? Will that mean another six months of being bedridden, just to carry around a hospital bill next year?”

These words soon reached Bai Ji’s ears.

Avoiding the topic of the hospital bill, he retorted, “The Coalition has always encouraged sparring and competition. Even if you get injured while sparring, one day, when you’re standing before a Sharpie, you’ll come to realize it actually benefited you in the long run. I don’t care if I end up bedridden for another year, because the experience of being injured is part of my growth. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before the two of us face off. I’m joining the White Erasers, and they spar with the Gold Erasers every year.”

This response toed the line between tactful and aggressive.

Bai Ji’s declaration that he would join the White Erasers also made the rivalry between him and Han Qingyu all the more pointed. That way, even if the fight never happened, the two prodigious talents of the 1990 recruit batch would still go down in the Coalition’s history as legendary rivals, even if only in stories.

***

The mutual selection part of recruit graduation took place on the training grounds. The twenty platoons authorized to select recruits across regiments stood gathered on the command platform.

All the other platoons bordered the grounds.

The recruitment areas for each regiment were set up like market stalls, with most recruits at the head of these lines being from that stall’s regiment. There was internal competition among platoons of the same regiment as well.

Also on site was a separate group standing in military formation. This formation was based on evaluation scores. Most recruits standing in it had an integration level of B or higher and had met the corresponding training standard for that level. However, there was also a significant number of outstanding C-rank recruits and even three exceptional D-rank standouts as well.

In fact, quite a few B-rank or higher recruits had simply failed to meet expectations during the training period, and just as many managed to excel despite being C- or D-rank.

Han Qingyu stood in the formation, with He Tangtang next to him. The two were chatting casually when He Tangtang’s legs suddenly went weak, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“What’s happening?” Han Qingyu asked, hurrying to catch him. “Why are you...”

He Tangtang straightened up with a smile. “I’m fine. Coughing up blood isn’t a big deal in our 425th Regiment, right? I’m okay. I’ve just been training too hard lately, that’s all.”

Despite his words, his face was ashen.

“What’s really going on?” Han Qingyu asked seriously.

He Tangtang didn’t respond, afraid that this was a battle Han Qingyu couldn’t win.

A familiar face from the 429th Regiment, Cheng Qinrui, gently patted Han Qingyu on the shoulder. When Han Qingyu glanced back at him, he said, “Don’t you know? Not long before we assembled, He Tangtang went to the combat arena. I guess he just couldn’t stomach what that Bai guy was saying about you.”

Han Qingyu turned to face He Tangtang.

Avoiding his gaze, He Tangtang chuckled bitterly. “I was just itching to try fighting him myself, but that son of a bitch is pretty strong.”

“It wasn’t just a matter of him being strong,” Cheng Qinrui chimed in. “He went all out against He Tangtang. I tried to step in, but he wouldn’t listen.”

As long as the people involved avoided using their full strength and didn’t overdo it, the act of sparring itself wasn’t actually all that dangerous. He Tangtang had a resilient constitution. For him to have been hurt to the point of internal injuries could only mean one thing: Bai Ji was aware of He Tangtang and Han Qingyu’s friendship.

According to Cheng Qinrui, after Bai Ji had sent He Tangtang’s blade flying, he had tossed his own blade aside and switched to punching and kicking.

“He even prevented He Tangtang from losing or leaving the ring by bracing his arm to keep him from falling flat to the ground,” Cheng Qinrui explained.

Han Qingyu’s typical indifferent gaze filled with murderous intent. Looking around, he searched for Bai Ji in the crowd, but failed to spot him.

“I think he’s already met up with the White Erasers,” said a recruit standing nearby. “Little Qing, aren’t you going over to the Gold Erasers?”

Han Qingyu shook his head and glanced back at He Tangtang. “Once this is over, I’ll challenge him to a match.”

“Don’t do it. That guy’s stronger—he’s really strong,” He Tangtang hastily corrected. In truth, he had already concluded that Han Qingyu couldn’t beat Bai Ji, and had judged the rumors about the latter being a veteran to be true. “It’s my fault for refusing to go down. Honest. You know what I’m like.”

“I know.” Han Qingyu smiled at him.

“He’s really strong. Even you might not...” He Tangtang didn’t finish his sentence.

“Actually, none of you have ever seen my full strength.”