The Strongest Dandy in the City

21: Chapter 21: Competition 21: Chapter 21: Competition The Strong Soldier Training Camp was not only home to the Leap Troop but also hosted the Tiger Troop, which similarly used a portion of the camp to train its soldiers.

In Huaxia Country’s military regions, the Tiger Troop also enjoyed a noteworthy reputation; however, compared to the Leap Troop, it fell far short, and thus there had always been a rivalry between the two units.

As the saying goes, “Two tigers cannot share one mountain,” and friction was inevitable with both units at the Strong Soldier Training Camp.

Therefore, five years earlier, a rule was established: every month, the two troops would have a fair contest.

This was intended to foster ambition among the troop members, as nobody wanted to be bested by the other—effectively creating a form of positive competition.

On the vast training ground stood a massive arena where Lin Zhonghu, with an unwavering gaze, spoke to the middle-aged instructor before him, “Li Zaitian, stop being so full of yourself in front of me.

If you’re so capable, let’s have a good, hard fight.”

“Lin Zhonghu, that’s not something you can just say.

Don’t you know the rules of the competition?

The rules clearly state that instructors are not allowed to fight.

You and your Leap Troop just wait to lose!

Hahaha—” said Li Zaitian, the Tiger Troop’s instructor, as he burst into laughter.

In the past, the Leap Troop used to hold a steady advantage over the Tiger Troop in these contests; but this year, the Tiger Troop acquired a formidable new member whose strength far exceeded that of all the members in both troops, and so far, the Leap Troop had tasted defeat for five consecutive months.

“Li Zaitian, do you think your Tiger Troop can win again this time?

I can’t wait to see who has the last laugh,” Lin Zhonghu said confidently, his assurance stemmed entirely from Ye Chenfeng.

Though the formidable new member of the Tiger Troop was strong, Lin Zhonghu was confident he could defeat him within twenty moves, and Ye Chenfeng was someone who had fought him to a draw—meaning this posed no challenge at all for Ye Chenfeng.

“Lin Zhonghu, I’ll definitely be watching for that,” replied Li Zaitian, indifferent and even somewhat disdainful in his tone.

The competition was very simple: each side would send out three people, who would draw lots to determine their opponents.

Of course, if one side won, they could choose to continue fighting on the arena against the next opponent.

Among the three individuals Lin Zhonghu sent out were Ye Chenfeng and Lu Tian, who shared the same dormitory with Ye Chenfeng; the third person was from another dormitory.

After the draw, Ye Chenfeng was set to be the third to fight, while Lu Tian was the first, facing none other than the fierce powerhouse of the Tiger Troop, Fang Haitao.

“This is going to be tough for Lu Tian—he’s bound to be thrashed.

With Fang Haitao fighting first, I’m afraid we won’t even stand a chance to win a single match,” Zhou Ping lamented.

Ye Chenfeng was still pondering an excuse to leave the training camp when he heard Zhou Ping’s sigh, and promptly asked, “Little Ping, is Lu Tian’s opponent that formidable?”

“More than formidable!

I bet no one but the instructors could take him on.

If Fang Haitao decides to fight all three rounds in a row, you might as well admit defeat to save yourself from a beating; there’s no shame in that.” Zhou Ping seemed greatly wary of Fang Haitao, and it wasn’t just him—everyone in the Leap Troop was deeply wary of Fang Haitao.

Ye Chenfeng dismissed Zhou Ping’s words as irrelevant.

Since Fang Haitao was no match for the instructors, then to him, there was absolutely nothing to fear.

On the platform, Lu Tian stood solemnly, while Fang Haitao appeared completely at ease, even mocking disdainfully, “If you know what’s good for you, scram now, or else I’ll give you a lesson you’ll never forget in your lifetime.”

As a soldier, innate fiery blood coursed through their veins.

Not a single military man could withstand such words without getting riled up, and Lu Tian’s expression grew even tenser as he retorted, “If we’re going to fight, let’s fight.

What’s with all this nonsense?

I, Lu Tian, will not admit defeat.”

“I admire your courage, but to me, your courage is sheer ignorance.

You know you’ll lose, yet you insist on competing; aren’t you a fool?

Since that’s the case, I’ll let you understand what real strength is.”

No sooner had Fang Haitao moved than he rushed toward Lu Tian, and instantly a powerful force swept through the air.

With a “bang,” Lu Tian felt only a blur before his body was sent flying, pain searing through his chest.

“With that measly strength, you still dare to make a fool of yourself up here?

Can’t the Leap Troop send someone more competent?” Fang Haitao’s scornful words spread in all directions, causing the members of the Leap Troop watching from below to blush with shame.

Lin Zhonghu, who was sitting and watching the fight, had his expression darken instantly, while Li Zaitian beside him chuckled, “Lin Zhonghu, don’t take it to heart with Haitao; that’s just his straightforward nature.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhonghu’s face grew even stormier.

The implication in Li Zaitian’s words was that Fang Haitao was merely stating the facts.

This was utterly intolerable.

However, when he caught sight of Ye Chenfeng among the team, he forcibly suppressed his anger.

“Now you should shout out loud, ‘I have lost,'” Fang Haitao, intent on humiliating his opponent, said to Lu Tian, who was struggling to get up from the ground.

Clenching his teeth, Lu Tian’s face showed his refusal to admit defeat as he bellowed, “I haven’t lost yet!

As long as I can breathe, I’ll never concede.”

If it had been anyone else, Lu Tian might have admitted defeat by now, but Fang Haitao’s words were too insulting.

Even a man of clay has some warmth, and anyone would find it hard to swallow such an affront.

“Since that’s the case, you can’t blame me.” A smile crept over Fang Haitao’s lips, followed by his sole stomping directly onto Lu Tian’s face, using his shoe to slap Lu Tian’s cheek and saying, “You’re not even worthy of being slapped by my hand.”

“Li Zaitian, isn’t this going too far?

Stop Fang Haitao right now!” Lin Zhonghu couldn’t hold back any longer as he saw a member of his own troop humiliated in public.

“Lin Zhonghu, how can you blame Haitao for this?

The rules of competition clearly state that it only ends when one side admits defeat or is knocked out.

Since your subordinate has such backbone, you should be proud!” Li Zaitian was pleased to witness such a scene.

“Damn it, this is too much bullying!

That bastard, I really want to tear him apart,” Zhou Ping, seeing his comrade humiliated, felt a surge of anger welling up inside him.

He had not anticipated Fang Haitao would go so far.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chenfeng’s eyes.

During these days together, he had developed a strong bond with the other three in his dorm.

Fang Haitao’s behavior was such an affront to the forthright and tolerant demeanor of a soldier that the anger burning inside Ye Chenfeng was no less than Zhou Ping’s.

He resolved to teach Fang Haitao an unforgettable lesson, seeing him as nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well, oblivious to how high the sky or how thick the ground was.