Chapter 79: Military Camp
The Slave Soldiers’ dormitory was a row of temporary prefabricated huts, just thin structures of wooden planks clad in sheet metal. Inside were bunk beds, a single iron-barred window, and a tightly locked iron door. Each room was barely forty square meters yet crammed with ten people. Still, it was much better than the ship’s hold, and they even had clean bedding and clothes.
The slaves came from all over the territories of the Human Race. The ones with dark complexions were wastelanders from the South Sea Islands, while the paler ones were remnants from the Northern Icefield. These regions were all extremely barren, and the people living there were still in a primitive, tribal stage of development, making them easy targets for raids.
As soon as the soldier left, a few of the stronger slaves immediately claimed the best bunks, glaring menacingly at the others. Two of them refused to yield to each other, staring one another down like fighting cocks for a long time before finally grappling and tumbling to the floor.
This gave Luo Kai the feeling of being back on Nanya Island. Unfortunately, his current body wouldn’t allow him to contend with these slaves, and he couldn’t be bothered to argue with them anyway. So, he simply spread his bedding on the floor in a corner and started snoring away.
Among slaves, status could only be settled through violence. A tall, broad-framed slave defeated all who dared to challenge him and became the boss of their little group.
The tall slave sat smugly on his bunk and announced loudly, "My name is Dom. From now on, we’re all brothers. If anyone from another group dares to bully us, just come find me!"
The slaves were well-adapted to this law of the jungle, where might makes right. Forgetting the recent unpleasantness, they gathered and began to chat animatedly. They were unaware of the cruel fate that awaited them. Their long years as slaves had cut them off from almost all outside information. All they knew was that this place wasn’t bad—it had food and shelter, which was much better than their previous lives as homeless wanderers.
...
This military camp was located in Jinlan Prefecture, the capital of the Xingma Kingdom. It was the garrison for the Tiger Soul Army. The Tiger Soul Army was the direct lineage force of the Great Lord, Duke Yin Wen. Now that the Tiger Soul Army had been fully deployed to the front lines, this place had become a training ground for new recruits. Besides the Slave Soldiers, there were also large numbers of regularly enlisted soldiers and Government Army troops sent as support from various County Mansions. After a brief period of integrated training, they too would be sent to the front.
As more and more soldiers arrived, the entire camp grew lively. Slogans thundered across the training grounds every day. The new recruits’ training was grueling. Outside of eating and sleeping, they were almost constantly in motion. Every morning began with a five-kilometer weighted cross-country run, followed by a full morning of formation drills—rows and columns. The afternoons were for firearms training and basic combat practice, which continued until ten at night.
For the time being, this rigorous training had nothing to do with the Slave Soldiers. They were too weak. Most of them were skin and bones, the type to be blown over by a gust of wind. Forget training—some of them even had trouble walking for extended periods. Luo Kai was one of them.
The military naturally wasn’t going to let them work to death before they could be of any use. So, the Slave Soldiers’ first task was to quickly recover their strength. Every day was spent just eating and sleeping. Luo Kai had originally been thinking of finding a chance to slip away, but now he was reluctant to leave. The food here was unlimited, and he needed vast amounts of both food and sleep.
Batches of slaves were continuously brought in, totaling over a thousand. They were officially formed into an unofficial Slave Soldier Camp.
Early one morning, soldiers with guns herded all the slaves onto the training grounds. Five officers in brown uniforms were standing there. Once the slaves had straggled into formation, the lead officer boomed, "My name is Kang Cheng. From now on, I am your highest-ranking officer and the commander of this Slave Soldier Camp. The Commander-in-Chief of our Tiger Soul Army, General Chang Yuan, also came from a slave background, so I will not discriminate against you in any way. You can all earn military merits and rewards, and even become officers. Aside from not having an official designation, your treatment will be the same as the new recruits!"
Kang Cheng paused, noticing the gazes of the Slave Soldiers below him turn fervent. He smiled in satisfaction and continued, "Starting today, you will undergo the same rigorous training as the other new recruits. I will give priority consideration for positions to those who perform well. You have only half a month. Fifteen days from now, I will lead you to the battlefield!"
Luo Kai stood at the back of the ranks. He saw many of the Slave Soldiers clenching their fists, their eyes shining and their breath growing heavy. The commander’s words had clearly moved them. He couldn’t help but purse his lips. ’Kang Cheng means we only have a chance to get ahead if we earn military merits. But earning merits depends on winning the war, and a war with cannons and guns is just a meat grinder. How many of these people will even live to see victory?’
He sighed to himself. He had no interest in becoming an officer and even less desire to fight and die on a battlefield. It was just that his body was still in terrible shape, and he wasn’t confident he could escape this heavily guarded military camp.
The Slave Soldiers’ training officially began. It started with physical conditioning: long-distance running, sprints, obstacle courses, pull-up and parallel bars, and climbing. For Luo Kai, who had regained some of his strength, none of this was difficult. He went through the motions casually, using any free moment to secretly scout the camp’s guard post layout.
One day, Luo Kai was in the mess hall, wolfing down his food. He swallowed everything without chewing. His digestive system had been gradually recovering during this time, and he could digest food extremely quickly. The crucial thing was that the soldiers only had half an hour to eat.
As he was eating, the noisy mess hall suddenly fell silent. He couldn’t help but look up, and his eyes immediately became fixed. A few female soldiers had appeared at the entrance. Unlike the big, brawny female soldiers one might imagine, these women were all very beautiful. This was especially true for their leader. She wore a light green uniform, her short hair reached her ears, her skin was fair, and her features were exquisite. Her almond-shaped eyes radiated a heroic aura, bringing a particular phrase to Luo Kai’s mind: heroic and dashing.
The female soldiers got their food without a sideways glance and left. The mess hall was quiet for a moment before erupting into a flurry of discussion.
"Damn, they’re gorgeous!"
"I think they’re female soldiers from the Physical Martial Arts Academy! I heard the Physical Arts Schools in every County Mansion send students to the front lines for experience."
"Oh, then there’s no chance!"
"Heh, brother, you’re dreaming. Those people are the chosen ones, far too noble for the likes of us."
Luo Kai quickly finished his meal and made it to the training grounds just in time for assembly. Today, they would begin learning the fundamentals of firearms and shooting. For him, this was all second nature, but he didn’t want to reveal his true abilities. He casually achieved a Middle Level score and then slacked off at the edge of the field.
Over these past few days, Luo Kai had actually grown to like military life. Every day was scheduled to the minute, making it feel very fulfilling. ’No wonder so many people in my past life used to say: regret joining the army for three years, regret not joining for a lifetime. Self-discipline is an extremely important habit, and this is a place where it’s easy to build it.’
Late at night, the camp, so noisy during the day, fell silent. Pale moonlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, dappling the ground below. A dark figure darted through the camp—it was Luo Kai. He had recovered some of his strength and was preparing to leave.
He had already figured out the dense network of guard posts, and he bypassed them one by one with practiced ease. Just as he vaulted over a wall, a figure suddenly rushed toward him from the opposite direction. Both were moving extremely fast, and they collided before either could react.
Luo Kai jumped in fright. Although his body was weak, his Perception was still sharp. He could clearly hear the heartbeats of the soldiers in the nearby guard post, yet he hadn’t sensed this person appearing right in front of him.
He instinctively reached out to grab the person’s neck. His hand met soft, smooth skin. At the same time, he felt the soft, fragrant body in his arms. It seemed to be a woman.
The other person reacted just as he did: first with a start, then by throwing a punch at him. But they weren’t as fast. With their throat seized, they had no choice but to give up resisting. They hissed in a suppressed, angry voice, "Let go of me!" The voice was delicate and crisp—it really was a woman.