Chapter Eighty-Three: Gradually Hitting Its Stride

Before arriving here, General Thomas had already mentioned these matters, even offering Zhao Li some advice. Zhao Li was indeed authorized with quotas for both casualties and deaths. The troops here had deteriorated to such an extent that even recalling them all would be a waste. However, the military was still struggling to support the front lines against the rebels, and there was simply no manpower available to replace them. The battlefield was like a massive furnace; no matter how many people were thrown in, it could completely absorb them.

Moreover, sending a new batch of people would not guarantee they would be as familiar with the local environment, and the necessary training would take time. Furthermore, changing the garrison would inevitably disrupt the local balance of power, something the higher-ups were keen to avoid. The ideal scenario was to completely improve the situation by replacing only one or two officers.

With the support of the two female officers, Zhao Li's "collapse plan" proceeded even more smoothly, and his methods were highly targeted. Over the past few days, everyone had realized that Zhao Li was only targeting those who voiced disagreement with his orders. As long as one obeyed, even if the results weren't perfect, one wouldn't suffer physical punishment.

These men were seasoned "old oilers"—veterans skilled in slacking off—and they couldn't fail to see this. Soon, the atmosphere in the barracks improved significantly. At least, Zhao Li's orders began to be implemented effectively. Whether sincere or forced, it was a considerable improvement.

Building combat effectiveness starts from the small things: camp hygiene, personal grooming, and internal affairs. Now, things looked vastly different from when Zhao Li first arrived. The soldiers' demeanor had completely changed; at a glance, they finally looked like clean, well-groomed soldiers. Correspondingly, discipline had improved greatly, and no one dared to question Zhao Li's orders to his face anymore.

Even the two warships, which had been abandoned for who knows how long, underwent maintenance at Zhao Li's insistence. Although there were few professionals, those guys were at least capable of removing the rust from the hulls.

This outward submissiveness hid a greater and more violent backlash. Their compliance meant they were surely waiting for an opportunity to deal with Zhao Li. Both women knew this, and Zhao Li knew it even better. However, it was precisely this backlash he was waiting for; he needed to know the extent of their resistance to confirm his subsequent plans.

When Zhao Li ordered everyone to resume morning drills and physical training, someone could no longer endure it. A man voiced his objection again: "Damn it! I'm done! If you have the guts, break my arms and legs, come on!" Tidying the rooms and personal hygiene were tolerable—they didn't hurt, and who didn't prefer living in a better environment? But physical training could cost a man half his life.

"As you wish!" Zhao Li flicked his finger lightly; he had been hoping for someone to actively cooperate with his plan. The resistance had been minimal lately due to the focus on internal affairs, and he had almost feared his plan couldn't continue. Now, a sacrificial lamb had finally stepped forward. "However, I'll give you a chance." Although he said "as you wish," Zhao Li didn't move. He just stood there, making the already nervous man even more tense.

"Major Li, over there. Bare-handed! As for you, you are allowed to use any weapon except firearms. If you can defeat her, you can enjoy special privileges. Furthermore, I'll make a special exception: you may call your comrades, and gang fighting is permitted. Of course, the old rules apply: anyone who leaves the training ground without orders knows the consequences." Zhao Li didn't act himself but gave the opportunity to Li Mengdie. Aside from kicking one person on the first day, Li Mengdie had mostly played the role of a nurse and was quite dissatisfied. Seeing Zhao Li having fun, she had specifically requested a chance to take action.

Watching the petite, dainty Li Mengdie standing there, everyone felt a stir of desire. This icy beauty had been the subject of their fantasies for days, known alongside the fiery beauty as one of the "Two Flowers of the Barracks." Countless men had wanted to make a move on her, but because she hadn't been feeling well, there hadn't been a chance.

Now that Zhao Li stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of helping, and even allowing a gang fight, what was this? Giving them a chance?

Except for "Old Lai" and "Gunner," everyone thought so. Old Lai and Gunner had kept their mouths shut, not daring to spread word of the women's prowess. Judging by the skills Li Mengdie had shown, it was clear that the higher-ups were playing for real. Thus, the two were smart enough to keep acting extremely disciplined.

With a rush, a group surrounded her. Although Zhao Li had been brutal these past few days, he had always kept his word; if he said he wouldn't help, he wouldn't.

Zhao Li also had a selfish motive: he wanted to carefully observe Li Mengdie's skills from the sidelines. During the assassin incident, everyone had been too nervous to see clearly, and while he had been "performing" for the two women for days, he finally had a chance to see Li Mengdie's cultivation level.

Only two people remained standing still. Zhao Li was slightly surprised but didn't think much of it, as his attention was immediately drawn to the spectacular scene unfolding.

Li Mengdie's style of fighting was completely different from Zhao Li's. If Zhao Li’s background in prison management meant he specialized in techniques for subduing people, Li Mengdie fought like a true assassin.

However, mindful of these men's lives, she didn't fully unleash her potential. But as an eighth-level expert, dealing with these third-level "small fry" was truly overkill. The massive gap in their levels was a chasm that could not be bridged by technique alone, and even if it came down to technique, those men were nowhere near her level.

She didn't show the first man who spoke any mercy; he was her first target. Her movements were too fast to track. *Crack, crack*—the sounds seemed to merge into one. In the blink of an eye, the man lay flat on the ground, unconscious, without even a chance to scream.

This seemed to be Li Mengdie's style: ruthless, targeting the most vulnerable points. The subsequent men met the same fate, falling faster than anyone could have believed. Fortunately, Li Mengdie only remembered the first man; she didn't use such lethal force on the others, just knocking them unconscious.

"Hey! Remember not to leave everyone incapacitated; we still need people to look after the wounded!" Zhao Li shouted to the crowd. Without checking if Li Mengdie heard him, he turned, sat down, and watched closely, continuously analyzing how he would fare if he were to face her.

"You two, why aren't you going up?" Old Lai and Gunner were standing not far away, showing no intention of joining. Zhao Li was surprised, but recognizing one of them, he vaguely guessed why.

"Sir, we aren't stupid enough to fight an eighth-level expert." Old Lai pulled a bitter face and snapped into a standard salute. The training of the past few days seemed to have brought back certain habits, and his salute was remarkably crisp. "Once you've finished here, sir, we will immediately proceed with physical training."

"Watch together! Learn what you can." Zhao Li didn't say much, simply pointing them in the right direction so they wouldn't miss the opportunity. He then immersed himself back into the spectacle.

Old Lai and Gunner seemed never to have considered this, but once Zhao Li spoke, they understood. They exchanged glances, seeing the spark in each other's eyes, and immediately focused their attention on the crowd, carefully capturing every one of Li Mengdie's moves.

While watching Li Mengdie, Zhao Li subconsciously felt as if someone were observing him. He scanned his surroundings covertly, finding no one watching him; perhaps it was just an illusion. Yet, the feeling grew stronger, making him quite uneasy.

Suppressing the urge to stand up and look around, he focused his attention on the area he suspected. Pretending to stand up to get a better view, he glanced in that direction. Seeing no one, he sat back down.

Li Mengdie took about as much time as Zhao Li would have, but her results weren't as "permanent" as his. A single strike could cause unconsciousness, but after ten minutes or so, these men, who had some foundation in combat techniques, would slowly wake up. Some were clever enough to stay down and play dead, while others, fearing she wouldn't know they were awake, immediately jumped up to attack again, forcing her to knock them down twice or three times.

Of course, all of this was under the premise that Li Mengdie and Zhao Li didn't want to cripple these men. Zhao Li saw clearly from a distance that had she been just a bit more ruthless, those men might never have stood up again.

Cleaning up the mess involved two extra helpers: Old Lai and Gunner, who were the only ones left standing. They helped carry the unconscious men to the infirmary one by one.

The one with the most severe injuries was the man who had spouted off earlier. Following his wish, Li Mengdie had broken all four of his limbs. When the others were revived in the infirmary, the first thing they saw was that fool with his shattered limbs. With such a bloody lesson before their eyes, no matter how much dissatisfaction they felt, they dared not voice it.

After single-handedly knocking down over a hundred men, Li Mengdie had successfully landed on the "do not provoke" blacklist in the minds of those soldiers. Especially after they learned why Old Lai and Gunner hadn't been attacked and realized the young girl possessed eighth-level combat skills, they all shrunk back in fear.

"Does anyone want to test Lieutenant Colonel Christine's skills?" Zhao Li asked as he stood before the assembled ranks. This time, no one took the bait. If a lieutenant and a major had that level of ability, what was the rank of the lieutenant colonel standing with them? Besides, the guy in the infirmary had had his bones literally pried out of his flesh by Christine herself.

"Very well, normal physical training." Zhao Li began leading them in slow, rehabilitative exercises. These men had wasted away for too long; he knew they couldn't handle high-intensity training all at once, so they had to recover gradually.

For Zhao Li, this slow-paced running was an opportunity to adjust his "Nameless Art." Although no one had ever guided him, he knew that whether it was basic body-strengthening techniques or the Nameless Art, the only way to use them freely in combat was to keep practicing them through various types of movement. The notion that one could dominate the world after passing basic recruit training was absolutely wrong; without constant tempering, one would only become increasingly unable to cope with combat.

Except for the few lying in the infirmary, everyone began normal military training. With regular schedules and daily drills, after a week, Zhao Li even restored armed guard duty.

Everything began to get back on track. The camp now looked like a proper military base, not the mess Zhao Li had first encountered. In just one short month, the camp had undergone a earth-shattering transformation: clean, tidy, orderly, and well-organized. With normal duty rosters and a regular lifestyle, the soldiers seemed to have shed much of their sloth and gained more vigor.

No one dared to show dissatisfaction with Zhao Li's orders to his face anymore. It seemed everything was back to normal. However, every so often, Zhao Li would catch a hint of dissatisfaction or ulterior motives in someone's eyes. He simply acted as if he hadn't noticed.

Zhao Li and the two women knew that beneath the surface calm, there were undercurrents, and it was only a matter of when they would erupt.

From that day on, the camp resumed its patrol duty. Patrols were mainly concentrated on the edges of the open ground near the camp—the areas leading into the jungle.

It was impossible to clear all those jungles; even if they had the heart to, government laws wouldn't allow it. This place was a paradise for guerrilla activities.

The purpose of sending out patrols, besides making the camp safer, was to give those with ulterior motives a chance to contact the outside guerrillas. Or perhaps, they could vent all their grievances from the past month to the forces they were secretly aligned with, hoping to attract some attention. That moment would be the time for their backlash, and it would also be the perfect opportunity for Zhao Li to execute his "collapse plan."

However, as the plan progressed, the danger increased. If it were just these soldiers, Zhao Li and the two women would be confident. But with the addition of external guerrilla forces, it was hard to say. Who knew what methods those crazed drug traffickers would use to vent their anger on behalf of their underlings?

Despite the heightened danger, Zhao Li showed no intention of giving up. Christine continued to help devise strategies, while Li Mengdie had no complaints; her only task was to assist and protect Zhao Li. Everything else was beyond consideration.

Within three days, everyone in the camp—except for those in the hospital beds—had completed a patrol. And Zhao Li saw in many of their eyes that familiar, gleeful anticipation of finally being able to hold their heads high again.