Chapter 432 Southwest Military Region (3k)
The Southwest Military Region was some distance away from the local area. The three of them sat on the train for a whole night before arriving at the local entrance. The place was located in a large city in the southwest of the Dragon Country, Yunxiao City, which was not inferior to first-tier cities like Magic City in scale.
Su Jiu looked out through the glass and found that the city walls at the border were even more magnificent. She had learned something on her phone about why they were built this way:
In the end, it was all due to the hundred thousand li great mountains outside the city. No one knew when a Battle King Level Demon might appear and disrupt civilian life. After all, the destructive power of a Battle King Level Demon was city-destroying, and it was difficult to defeat one unless it was an Elite Battle King of the same level.
Su Jiu’s destination for this trip was in a geographically quite dangerous overseas area, namely a demon battlefield at the junction of the hundred thousand li great mountains and the Southwest Military Region. It had been stained with various blood for many years, making the paths particularly mottled, as if a century had passed, hence its name—Hundred-Year Demon Mountain.
In this case, they could only go to the military region to negotiate first. For overseas areas concerning demons like this, without a special pass, it would be considered illegal crossing. After all, no one knew if those who crossed illegally would commit any illegal acts.
After enduring the fatigue of the journey, Su Jiu and the other two, who were hungry, took a short rest before hailing a Didi ride and rushing to the military region at the border of Yunxiao City without stopping.
Although the distance was not far, it still took over an hour to vaguely see the huge metal outline of the Southwest Military Region.
“After a day of travel, we’ve finally arrived. This border is no less impressive than Jiu Yun Port back then, with the mighty aura of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand invaders.”
In the car, Su Jiu opened the car window, resting her arm on it, and looked at the fortress reflecting a metallic crimson luster under the sunset glow, unable to help but marvel at the grandeur and scale of the border.
As they got closer, the vehicle also began to slow down. Su Jiu was surprised to find that on the huge city walls of this fortress, the walkways for people to walk on were lined with rows of Liuli-material Magic Crystal cannons. The muzzles faintly glowed, giving a dazzling and powerful impression.
The driver stopped the car three hundred meters away from the military fortress. Seeing Su Jiu and the others, he smiled and said, “Are you high school students enlisting for compulsory military service? I can only take you this far. I don’t know if the monsters are making trouble again, but the military region’s inspections are very strict recently, and it’s troublesome to get in and out.”
Under the smiling gaze of the elderly driver, the three of them, along with the hungry one, got out of the car.
“It’s also about time to prepare to participate in compulsory military service. Those from families with good conditions have already awakened on their own.”
Su Jiu blocked the sun with one hand and looked along the path ahead. As expected, she saw some students’ parents sending their students to the Southwest Military Region, undergoing checks and forming a long queue. The students’ faces still had some youthful immaturity.
It was so similar to herself more than half a year ago, which made Su Jiu feel a nameless emotion.
“Bai Zhi and I won’t go in. This fortress probably checks for demon transformation. If we follow, it might cause unnecessary trouble. You already know where those people are being held, so you should be able to handle it quickly, right?” Lin Mei also looked at the huge fortress in front of them and smiled casually.
“I disagree! I want to go with the flirt!”
Bai Zhi, who had been silent for a long time, directly raised her hand, looking at Su Jiu seriously, puffing out her cheeks. Her small, melon-seed-shaped face suddenly looked like a steamed bun, with a light pink color, which was quite cute.
She knew in her heart that she was being a bit unreasonable, but she wanted to act this way. Only then could Su Jiu “spoil” her properly.
It was like the young masters and maids in ancient times. If a maid talked back, she would be punished by the young master, hehe~
As the saying goes, the person who knows you best might not be your partner, but your close friend with whom you often quarrel. They will reveal your shortcomings without hesitation.
Glancing at Bai Zhi, Lin Mei seemed to have seen through her little trick. She touched her forehead and rolled her eyes, “Da Bai, stop being crazy. Miss Su is here for important business, why are you being so rowdy?”
“Spider Grandma, don’t be jealous, you single dog. Is it wrong for me to want to be with my boyfriend?”
Bai Zhi glared at the person in front of her, silently pulled Su Jiu’s skirt, and hummed again, showing a rather proud expression.
“Single dog? Another damn human internet slang. Da Bai, you’re really a mess. Did the once proud Miss Bai get fed to the dogs?”
Being retorted, Lin Mei’s eyes twitched, but she didn’t know how to refute. She could only keep telling herself mentally that she would also find an excellent partner in the future.
E Huo’s little head looked back and forth between the two, tilting slightly from time to time, as if it didn’t understand what these aunts were saying.
Bai Zhi continued to pretend to be dumb, pulling Su Jiu’s skirt, as if to say, you don’t have anyone, but I do, looking extremely smug.
Seeing the two lively girls arguing, Su Jiu had a helpless expression. She looked at Bai Zhi, who looked “unhappy” next to her, and reached out to poke her delicate and smooth cheek. Hearing a “poof—” sound like air escaping, she then smiled at Lin Mei and said, “It’s not necessary. I’ll just show my identity when I go in. They should be able to make an exception for us.”
Bai Zhi was slightly stunned. Huh? She didn’t mean to go in! What would she, a Warrior Class, go in for…
Should she go for military training with those high school students?
But looking at Lin Mei, who was equally stunned, Bai Zhi’s lips curled up, revealing a mischievous smile, and she muttered to herself, “Someone didn’t expect this, right?”
“Heh heh…”
Lin Mei sneered, and then looked at Su Jiu, but her eyes were full of “are you kidding me? You spoil her like this, right? And then let her show off in front of me.”
“When we get inside, you must abide by their rules. If you break any rules, don’t blame me for not helping you.”
After agreeing with the two that they would follow her lead once inside, Su Jiu waved her hand and led E Huo’s hand toward the fortress entrance of the military region, with the two still bickering behind her.
“Ah Guang, since you’re going in as part of the early batch, you must listen to the instructor and don’t be as unreasonable as you were in school. In here…”
Standing behind the parents who were dressed quite luxuriously, Su Jiu could faintly hear the parents giving various instructions to their children, which made her curious about what this fortress looked like inside.
Soon, it seemed the parent of “Ah Guang” in front also noticed Su Jiu and her group. Their gaze swept over them before falling on Bai Zhi, and they asked with some surprise, “Are you also participating in the early batch military training? This student is actually at the Advanced Stage Warrior level, so she might reach the rank of non-commissioned officer in this special training camp.”
“High school students?”
Bai Zhi was stunned at first. After looking around, she found Lin Mei beside her trying to suppress a smile, and then looked at Su Jiu’s strange expression. Her originally proud little face instantly turned the color of liver.
Damn it!
I’m not a high school student!
“More or less… this child is usually quite diligent, and she awakened early some time ago.”
Su Jiu smiled as she glanced at Bai Zhi, then took out a strawberry-flavored lollipop from her pocket and quietly handed it over, teasing her like a child. Bai Zhi puffed out her cheeks in annoyance but still took the lollipop with a displeased expression and put it in her mouth.
“If only our child were like yours, always competing with her classmates. When we let her awaken early, she just knew how to fight with the senior high school students every day.”
The other parent also nodded slightly, pointing at the short-haired girl in front of them with a wry smile, and then shook her head.
The short-haired girl looked at Su Jiu and Bai Zhi’s well-behaved appearance and was full of disdain. She crossed her arms, her nose pointing towards the sky, and said lightly, “What’s the point of pampered young ladies like them being Advanced Stage Warriors? I can take them down one by one… During that special training, they probably won’t even dare to kill monsters.”
“You little brat…”
Bai Zhi was already unhappy about being mistaken for a high school student, and now being looked down upon by a high school student at the Intermediate Stage Warrior level, if Su Jiu wasn’t there, she would teach the other person how to behave.
“Ah Guang, you can’t be so rude!”
The parent immediately reprimanded the short-haired girl. Seeing her put on her headphones again, they then apologized to Su Jiu with a smile, “Please forgive my child. She’s a bit wild and doesn’t get along with her classmates usually.”
Su Jiu ignored the girl named Ah Guang. Someone would teach her how to behave when she entered society.
Listening to their conversation, Su Jiu was drawn to the special training mentioned. She then asked, “Excuse me, what is this special training you mentioned?”
Special training… Stirring up trouble during this period. Could it be related to Archbishop Qiyun?
The parent was slightly stunned, then reread Su Jiu, and asked somewhat suspiciously, “You don’t know? But all the early batch participants are here to get good rankings in the training and obtain military ranks in advance.”
“Uh… I’ve only heard some vague news.” Su Jiu rubbed her nose and found a shoddy excuse.
The parent was not a suspicious person. They just nodded and turned their gaze back to the fortress gate, saying with some hope, “The military is said to select thirty outstanding student soldiers to clear battlefield remnants in nearby areas. If they kill monsters, they will be rewarded for their merits. If they perform well, they might even become military officers.”
“Nearby areas…”
Su Jiu muttered the words, feeling increasingly that this training was a bit absurd. Letting these early batch students directly engage in combat sounded reasonable, but the blind spot was—they hadn’t systematically learned combat yet, and probably couldn’t even defeat an Initial Stage Warrior level Scarlet Flame Wolf. After all, many Intermediate Stage Warriors hadn’t even finished learning their basic skills.
While Su Jiu was thinking, a middle-aged man with several “v”s on his shoulders walked out of the military camp in front. He was holding his phone and looking for something with a serious expression. Even the inspection queue in front had stopped…
