Chapter 154: Well-Connected

What kind of clothing is this? The design looks so peculiar! Gu Mengyan was the most curious and least able to keep things to herself among everyone present. The moment she saw Chen Xiaolong pull out the items, she rushed over to ask.

It was only then that Chen Xiaolong realized so many people had gathered around him, and he couldn't help being startled. Oh my goodness! There are still people here!

The crowd was speechless. Did he really not notice everyone watching him for all that time?

I say... how can a kid like you have zero military vigilance! Guo Yunhai could no longer hold back. As a fellow soldier, Guo Yunhai felt it was his duty to properly discipline him. Judging by his age, even if he had joined the army at twelve years old, his rank surely couldn't be higher than his own, so reprimanding him was entirely justified.

Yet, in response to Guo Yunhai's utterly ordinary remarks, the kid finally reacted. Who says my vigilance is poor? My six senses are extraordinarily acute, and no movement within a radius of ten kilometers can escape my perception!
By the way, when did you guys arrive?

...

Fine, I won't joke around with you anymore! I am a very busy person! Chen Xiaolong assumed an air of premature maturity, putting his hands behind his back and shaking his head as he said, By the way, officer, I only brought two outfits, so there is no way everyone can wear them at the same time. Moreover, the clothes have body size restrictions. Someone built like the big ape who spoke just a moment ago definitely cannot fit into this gear!

Veins instantly bulged on Guo Yunhai's forehead. Who are you calling a big ape, you brat?

Guo Yunhai's anger meter had maxed out at this moment. This made him even angrier than seeing Chen Hao drive Dong Xin's car to the parking lot. In what way did he resemble an ape? Have you ever seen an ape with skin this fair? If not for the fact that he was unaware of this kid's position in the military, he would have rushed forward and slapped him twice long ago.

Chen Xiaolong seemed completely unfazed by Guo Yunhai's towering stature and powerfully muscular arms. Facing the fierce-looking Guo Yunhai, Chen Xiaolong actually had the audacity to look at him with a provocative gaze. Humph~~ I didn't mention anyone by name, so don't be in such a hurry to assume I meant you. Judging by your appearance, you should be a soldier, right? Don't you know that impulsiveness and rage are the greatest taboos in military strategy and warfare? By the look of you, you're the type who doesn't use their brain and only knows how to act recklessly. I bet you managed to enter the military through family connections, huh? I despise nepotists like you the most.

Guo Yunhai's fury grew even more intense; what he detested most was being labeled as someone who relied on connections.

In truth, Chen Xiaolong's words were entirely accurate. He really had joined the military thanks to his grandfather's connections. Although Guo Yunhai had always been of large build, just as Chen Xiaolong claimed, he was indeed not particularly skilled at using his mind, and his personality was impulsive and hot-tempered. Otherwise, he wouldn't have misunderstood the relationship between Chen Hao and Dong Xin the very first time he met them and gotten into a fierce brawl with Chen Hao.

Furthermore, before joining the military, Guo Yunhai didn't actually know any martial arts aside from a few basic moves. By his standards, joining the troop where his grandfather served was simply out of the question.

However, because of family ties, his grandfather ultimately kept him by his side. This wasn't because Elder Guo was abusing his authority to pull strings for Guo Yunhai, but rather a decision made after careful consideration from many angles.

By Guo Yunhai's standards, while it was impossible for him to enter Elder Guo's elite direct command forces, serving as a regular soldier in other ordinary units was more than enough.

It was just that the old man knew his grandson very well. He worried that if Guo Yunhai joined another unit without his watchful eye, his temper would cause him to wreak havoc in the military. Coupled with his family background, people in higher positions probably wouldn't dare do anything to him even if he caused trouble. In that case, Guo Yunhai might develop even worse habits, which would be detrimental to every aspect of his future.

Therefore, after much deliberation, Elder Guo ultimately decided to keep Guo Yunhai by his side. With him keeping an eye on the boy, at the very least, Guo Yunhai would restrain himself somewhat.

However, the old man's painstaking efforts were not understood by many, especially the ordinary soldiers, who couldn't look at things as comprehensively as those in higher positions. Consequently, within the military and in the eyes of ordinary soldiers, Guo Yunhai was simply a nepotist, a guy who used his grandfather's power to intimidate others.

Whenever Guo Yunhai had a verbal dispute or conflict with someone, others would use this fact as an excuse to attack him. Elder Guo had previously warned Guo Yunhai and reminded him that such a situation might arise. After all, the troops commanded by Elder Guo were not ordinary units; they were one of the nation's premier elite forces, tasked with extremely critical missions.

The servicemen in this unit, from ordinary soldiers to senior generals, were the elite of the elite selected from various other military branches. To put it in foreign terms, they were the best of the best! These people naturally looked down upon everyone else.

Naturally, they held no respect for an airborne nepotist like Guo Yunhai, and sneering ridicule was a frequent occurrence. Even the instructor in charge of him, knowing full well that he was Elder Guo's grandson, showed him absolutely no mercy.

In the beginning, Guo Yunhai endured all of this silently in accordance with Elder Guo's instructions. For someone with Guo Yunhai's impulsive nature, achieving this was already no small feat.

Yet even a cornered dog leaps over a wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite; even a clay bodhisattva has a temper! And so, Guo Yunhai finally burst into an unbearable explosion... Yes, just like Iori Yagami unleashing the Orochi blood in King of Fighters; just like Son Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan upon seeing his companion die; just like Pegasus Seiya, who became invincible after getting hit by the same move twice; and even more so like Yue Yunpeng, high-pumping on adrenaline after being trampled underfoot by Sun Yue.

Yet the outcome was regrettable. He was neither like Iori, who had Kusanagi's help to defeat Orochi; nor like Goku, who rose up to slay the enemy with his own hands; nor did he possess Seiya's undying cockroach attribute. He could only lie on the ground kicking and screaming in a tantrum just like dear little Yue Yue...

That's right, Guo Yunhai had been given a severe lesson by someone. And a thoroughly miserable lesson at that...

From that moment on, Guo Yunhai truly never dared to act presumptuously in the military again. Although he had always maintained a low profile... after that incident, he became even more low-profile.

From then on, Guo Yunhai began begging his grandfather, Elder Guo, to teach him the supreme, peerless martial arts of the military, hoping that one day he could exact revenge and make those colleagues who looked down on him and thought of him as a nepotist look at him with new eyes.

Elder Guo did not refuse his request; on the contrary, he felt quite gratified by it. He specially sought out martial arts teachers suited for him from all over the country to instruct him.

Through comprehensive observation, it was discovered that the martial art truly suited for Guo Yunhai was Hong Quan, which matched his personality. This was because Hong Quan was considered one of the most vigorous and formidable styles among national martial arts. Although Xingyi Quan also followed a hard-style path and might have fit Guo Yunhai's personality even more closely, the learning time required for Xingyi Quan might be too short, which wouldn't help much in tempering Guo Yunhai's temperament and might instead make his temper even more volatile. Therefore, Elder Guo ultimately decided to let him study Hong Quan, and the person responsible for teaching Guo Yunhai Hong Quan at that time was none other than Dong Xin's father, Dong Jianguo.

Although Dong Jianguo was nursing injuries, teaching a reckless kid was still completely out of the question. It was also from that time on that Guo Yunhai got to know Dong Xin. Moreover, Dong Xin's tomboyish—cough, cough! No, her strong-woman personality happened to match Guo Yunhai's tastes, which was why Guo Yunhai viewed her as the goddess in his heart.

Of course, one could not completely rule out the fact that Dong Xin was also quite a beauty. Otherwise, if she looked like Sister Feng no matter how compatible their tempers were, Guo Yunhai could never have fancied her.

Although Guo Yunhai later achieved modest success following Dong Jianguo in his study of Hong Quan, and his colleagues in the military no longer called him a nepotist after witnessing his strength and successfully completing several high-difficulty missions, this incident remained a scar in Guo Yunhai's heart. Consequently, when Chen Xiaolong uttered similar words, Guo Yunhai couldn't help but flare up in such a rage.

Damn it, it would be one thing if some remarkable bigwig or a soldier far stronger than himself said such things to him. But a careless, rash kid like you dares to lecture me? I've simply got to teach you a solid lesson!

Watching Guo Yunhai's furious expression, Chen Hao was just about to stop him when Dong Xin shot Chen Hao a look and shook her head, signaling him not to interfere.

Furthermore, not only did Dong Xin stop Chen Hao, but she also spoke up loudly to remind Chen Xiaolong—and the content of her warning made even Chen Hao find it unbelievable.

Dong Xin said this: Xiaolong, go easy on him, don't hit too hard! He's my friend, and I'll still need him to protect others later!

Chen Hao and Zhuge Tuoxue naturally knew Guo Yunhai's strength; ordinary people, let alone being Guo Yunhai's match, would find it difficult even to get close to him. Chen Hao and Zhuge Tuoxue simply refused to believe that Chen Xiaolong could possibly defeat Guo Yunhai.

As for Gu Mengyan and Fan Yirou, although this was their first time meeting Guo Yunhai, judging by his massive build, thick arms, and heavy legs, his weight was probably triple that of Chen Xiaolong. Could someone like that not be a match for Chen Xiaolong?

Guo Mengyan couldn't care less about all that; anyway, she loved watching a good spectacle. She also knew the two wouldn't actually hurt each other, so regardless of who won, she could just play the role of an onlooker enjoying the show.

Since Dong Xin had warned Chen Xiaolong, Gu Mengyan subconsciously rooted for Guo Yunhai: Guo Yunhai, go for it! I'm rooting for you~~ But don't hit too hard, he's still just a kid after all!

Upon hearing Dong Xin's instructions to Chen Xiaolong, Guo Yunhai had felt immensely heartbroken. Was his combat capability really considered so pathetic in her eyes?

Then Gu Mengyan's words left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry. What a naturally thick-skinned girl; they had met less than half an hour ago, yet she was already cheering him on. She was completely different from her older brother, Chen Hao!

Although Chen Hao was courteous to everyone, Guo Yunhai could bet his life that Chen Hao harbored a beast hidden deep within his heart, only choosing not to display it in front of friends and family under normal circumstances.

Once Chen Hao's anger was provoked, he would undoubtedly be more terrifying than anyone else...

Lost in his thoughts, Guo Yunhai kept walking and marched straight up to Chen Xiaolong. Strangely enough, Chen Xiaolong showed not the slightest sign of nervousness at his approach, maintaining that same flippant expression.

Guo Yunhai had originally only intended to scare him, without any real intention of throwing punches. After all, the opponent was merely an underage child who even called Dong Xin an officer. He still had to give Dong Xin some face. But seeing this attitude, Guo Yunhai couldn't hold back any longer; he reached out and grabbed Chen Xiaolong by the collar.

Just as Chen Hao and the others were about to close their eyes, a piercing, agonizing scream suddenly erupted from Guo Yunhai's mouth: Ah!!!