Chapter Forty-Seven: Special Training on the Cliff

“Now, everyone line up according to your squad order and receive your armor and arm grappling devices one by one.”

After Zhou Zhong’ai called out, the elite recruits automatically formed a line behind the two transport trucks.

The armor was very similar to the cotton armor Du Huaishan had stripped from the battlefield at the new garrison, made of yellow-green cotton fabric, fastened with rows of copper-colored studs, with red marrow steel plates sandwiched inside.

The only difference was that the left arm was integrated with the chest plate, and there were additional waist guards on either side.

Du Huaishan picked up the arm grappling device and was surprised to find it even lighter than he had imagined, weighing perhaps three kilograms.

Compared to the chest armor, the materials were much sturdier.

It consisted of a glove controller, the main arm unit, a flexible plastigold tube, and two pressurized canisters attached at the waist.

The arm unit itself was forged from a single piece of red-marrow steel, glowing with a coppery sheen and offering formidable protection.

There were three vents on the side for the turbine exhaust, and through the openings in the layered chamber, one could see the turbine blades and the winding steel cable on the cocking spindle.

At the front of the arm unit was the grappling hook, connected by the plastigold tube that ran through the shoulder guard and down to the belt.

Protected by the waist guards, there were recesses on each side of the belt, holding two metal canisters about the size of water bottles, filled with high-pressure red marrow gas.

No wonder there had been no clues found on Yan Xiaoman last time.

This device was crafted with exquisite precision, though putting it on and taking it off was a bit more troublesome.

Du Huaishan and Tan Hai helped each other don the heavy set of armor, which weighed over thirty pounds in total.

Tan Hai was curiously fiddling with the red plume on his helmet.

“Is everyone dressed?”

Chang Sui’an suddenly spoke, pulling a document from his coat. “We will now reassign the training squads. When I call your name, step out and line up.”

A reassignment?

Du Huaishan, Tan Hai, and the other members of Squad Eight exchanged glances.

They soon realized that because of yesterday’s specialization assignments, the original squad structure had essentially been dissolved.

Even the “scholar’s squad” that had benefitted from Du Huaishan’s flight equipment now had only six members left.

“First training squad: Huang Xiangshun, Lin Guandong, Jiang Ling…”

As they listened to Chang Sui’an read the names, Wu Ming raised his eyebrows. “Why are the squads mixed with both men and women?”

“It’s just for training convenience. We’re not living together—what’s the difference?”

“Still, what a pity…” Wu Ming shook his head with a sigh.

He had barely finished when Chang Sui’an called his name.

“Well, brothers, I’ll go on ahead.”

Wu Ming muttered under his breath and joined the first squad.

Soon, two more members of Squad Eight were called away.

“Seventh training squad: Xing Zhenhao, Guo Tingyu…”

At the first name, Du Huaishan and Tan Hai both looked up. What were the odds that Tingyu would end up with that scoundrel?

“Tingyu, watch out for Xing Zhenhao—I have a score to settle with him,” Tan Hai whispered as Guo Tingyu was about to leave.

Guo Tingyu replied calmly, “Don’t worry. If he messes with me, I’ll deal with him.”

“Eighth training squad: Du Huaishan, Tan Hai, Xu Yuan, Li Anqi, Sun Tian, Lin Sizi…”

“Good, the three of us are still together!” Tan Hai said excitedly to Du Huaishan and Sun Tian.

The eight called names stepped out of formation.

“Du Huaishan, we meet again!” greeted Li Anqi, while Xu Yuan approached as well.

Truth be told, the female soldiers looked valiant in their armor—like a modern-day Mulan.

Du Huaishan nodded politely and led his group to stand beside Xing Zhenhao’s seventh squad.

Behind Xing Zhenhao, his skinny henchman was glaring back and forth at Du Huaishan and Tan Hai, making Tan Hai grit his teeth in annoyance.

After three months of training and Du Huaishan’s quiet influence, Tan Hai was no longer the pushover he once was.

Soon, more than three hundred elite recruits were divided into over forty small squads.

“Next, I’ll explain how to use the maneuvering grappling device,” Zhou Zhong’ai announced.

Under her guidance, the recruits began learning the operating procedures and precautions step by step.

First: The glove has two switches, one for launching and one for retracting. You must hold them down continuously; otherwise, the canister will not drive the turbine. Do not mix them up.

Second: The grappling hook fires at extremely high speed, and its point is as sharp as a crossbow bolt. Never aim it at your comrades.

Third: The hook’s special structure deploys blade-catchers on impact, increasing grip strength. When retracting, the spiral cable drum will twist the cable; as the last three meters are reeled in, the mechanism will reach maximum torsion and trigger the switch, retracting the blades. At this moment, the hook may easily come loose—be especially careful.

Fourth: Only use the maneuvering device in demonized form; otherwise, severe injury or even death may result!

Du Huaishan studied the grappling hook carefully.

Who would have thought such a small device could be so complex?

No wonder Instructor Lin Zhaoshu had said that many components of the device had to be imported from foreign powers.

“I’ll demonstrate once. Pay close attention.”

Zhou Zhong’ai strode to the base of a cliff, which was only some thirty or forty meters high.

Clang!

A pink phantom flashed, surging into Zhou Zhong’ai’s heart—a giant demon fox with a human face, it seemed.

Transformed, she raised her arm to the top of the cliff and pressed the switch on her glove.

Whoosh!

The grappling hook shot out like lightning, embedding itself in the shattered stone at the cliff’s edge. With a blast of gas, Zhou Zhong’ai soared like a specter, following the cable and leaping dozens of meters into the air.

So fast!

Du Huaishan narrowed his eyes, tracking her every movement.

As the cable retracted to just three or four meters, and she was about to crash into the cliff, there was a click—the hook detached from the stone. Zhou Zhong’ai used her momentum to twist and flip, landing nimbly at the top like a fox spirit.

“Well done, Instructor Zhou!” the recruits cheered and applauded.

Zhou Zhong’ai didn’t linger on the summit. She turned, aimed, and fired again. The hook buried itself deep in the snow, and she descended in a roll, shaking snowflakes from her armor as she landed.

Up and down forty meters in less than two seconds.

Wasn’t this on par with the fabled lightness skills of martial arts legends?

“Did you all understand?” she asked.

“Yes!” they shouted in unison.

As they saw the logistics soldiers dragging thick cotton mats to the base of the cliff, everyone understood what was coming next.

“Now, follow my command: each two squads per round, three meters apart, repeat Instructor Zhou’s movements!”

Chang Sui’an called out loudly, “First and second squads, step forward!”

At the order, the recruits of the first and second squads, both excited and nervous, moved to the base of the cliff.

“Begin!”