Star Gate

Chapter 448: The New Twelfth Troop (II)

Li Hao’s mind rang with shock! He swiftly sprang onto his feet and prepared to strike back, but saw that the Gold Armor had already sat back down like it hadn’t moved. It was as if the young man had dreamed the entire incident.

While Li Hao reeled from confusion, the Gold Armor lowered its head and considered a piece of paper in front of it, pondering something. After a while, it picked up a brush and began writing something!

Li Hao blinked and paused, looking silently at the soldier. It finished the missive after a minute. A knock on the table summoned the Red Armor that’d led the way. It entered to receive the piece of paper. Li Hao rose on tiptoe to take a peek at the contents, managing to read some of the filled sheet.

“The bloodline of the Lis and heir of Stellaris is too weak and fragile to be trained. The core of the eight families should be conferred a position of general when joining the Battle Heaven Army, but due to his substandard strength, he is to be given the position of a field grade officer...”

Li Hao’s jaw dropped. Weak and fragile? Those words cut deep! So that had been a test of his strength? The Gold Armor found him too weak because he hadn’t been able to withstand even one punch, so his entry rank was demoted as a result?

The core disciples of the eight families seemed to start as generals when they joined Battle Heaven, that was incredible! What a pity he seemed to have lost face for his family and been heavily demoted!

The Red Armor finished reading the text and looked at Li Hao, indicating for the young man to come with it. Li Hao looked at the Gold Armor with resignation, but realized that the soldier was now ignoring him! His assessment was over before he knew it was beginning.

A rueful grin crossing his face, Li Hao followed the Red Armor out. They walked straight out of the building and entered another structure. It might be the weaponry as it was a Silver Armor on duty here. After taking the piece of paper, it gathered some items and placed them before the mystified young man.

One medallion, one set of armor, one pamphlet, one storage ring, and a piece of paper that seemed to require Li Hao’s signature. The armor was silver. Li Hao goggled at it—he was going to be a Silver Armor! So they were the field grade officers? Would that make the Gold Armors the generals?

One had to know that while sets of black armor could be taken out of the city, the higher ranked bronze and silver armor could not. They would detonate if moved out of the city’s confines!

Will I be able to leave the city after I put on the silver armor? Will it blow me up too if I exit the city’s perimeter?

But the Red Armor was staring at the young man and there was another Silver Armor in front of him... Li Hao clenched his teeth. The situation had progressed thus and there was a Gold Armor nearby... If he refused the equipment, would he be executed on the spot as a deserter?

That wasn’t out of the question! This city was very much one of logic and principles. Deserters were sure to be executed.

Li Hao clumsily fumbled for the armor, but didn’t know how to use it. He knew how to utilize black armor, but it was his first time seeing this iteration of armor.

A sense of wordlessness exuded out of the Red Armor who’d led him here. It reached out, took Li Hao’s hand, and pricked the young man’s fingertip with a spike that formed on the red armor. A droplet of blood beaded on Li Hao’s fingertip; the Red Armor moved Li Hao’s hand over and dripped the blood onto a protrusion on the silver armor.

A new sensation flooded into the young man. The armor in front of him seemed to be part of his body now. It easily fit over him with a single thought. Not only that, but new information filled his mind. There seemed to be someone telling him how to utilize his new equipment.

Li Hao was now a Silver Armor. A longsword appeared in his hand with a thought, shifted into a long blade, then a spear... His eyes widened with astonishment. This equipment was incredible! It came with its own weapon that could transform into various forms!

Knock knock knock! The Silver Armor of the Weaponry knocked on the table. “Newcomer, sign the document!” Stilted words appeared in Li Hao’s mind.

The young man gaped with shock and jerked his head toward the Silver Armor! The soldier was very impatient and knocked on the table again.

“Getting in through connections, huh? You have to sign even if you’re a member of the eight guardian clans. Are you going to make me pay for a missing set of equipment?”

“You’re alive?!” Li Hao goggled. Although he spoke aloud, his words didn’t seem to have an effect. The other either didn’t hear him or didn’t understand. Li Hao thought back to the armor’s instructions that’d just filled his mind and awkwardly fumbled through the manipulations with his consciousness.

He finally grasped what he wanted to do just as the Silver Armor seemed ready to beat him.

“You can talk?” A surge of mind intent flowed out. It was received as an impatient voice echoed back in his mind.

“Stow your blathering, newbie, or I’ll kick you dead! Cut the nonsense, hurry up, sign, and get out of here!”

“......” Li Hao could barely breathe in his shock! But sensing the other’s impatience, he docilely signed his name on the paper.

The irate Silver Armor ripped up the paper as soon as he finished and pulled out another sheet. “I’ll execute you for the crime of obstruction if you doodle again!”

“......” Li Hao was completely lost, but then quickly realized something. He tried again with ancient characters—Li Hao!

It was ripped up again!

“Are you challenging me, newbie?!” raged the Silver Armor. “Use a mental brand to write your name! Do you not understand or are you toying with me?!”

Li Hao paused, mystified. His thoughts swirled through the silver armor to communicate with the other. “I don’t understand...”

“Trash!”

“......” He’d been lectured! Li Hao was troubled and vexed. Mental brand... mental brand... Did the soldier mean mind intent?

He tried again with his mind and imprinted the large characters of Li Hao. The paper was swiftly tucked away by a finally satisfied Silver Armor. Meanwhile, the Red Armor that’d led the way gestured for Li Hao to put the other items away.

The young man tried sending a message to it, but found his efforts futile. Just how did this work? Could he communicate only with fellow Silver Armors? Could he not communicate with any soldiers of another system? Or did he lack the proper authorization?

Scratching his head, Li Hao picked up the medallion, pamphlet, and storage ring. He quickly scanned the storage ring and took a sharp breath. Hot damn! There was nothing special inside, just ten mysterious power stones. Compared to his, however, these ones sparkled with luster. It was apparent from a quick glance that his were trash and these were the real treasure!

Were these... military rations?

Apart from the stones, there were also sets of undergarments and two sets of outerwear. They were regular casual wear instead of armor, seemingly meant for day-to-day use. They were military uniforms and looked quite striking.

There was nothing else in the ring other than a key that turned up with careful perusal. Room 109 of the Field Grade Officer Dorms. This seemed to be his dormitory.

He then examined his medallion—there was a line of text on it that said the Ninth Division of the Ninth Troop Reserve Defenders of the Battle Heaven Army. Li Hao scratched his head again. So they were... the reserves? He wasn’t part of the frontlines?

He quickly paged through the pamphlet. Various regulations, military rules, points of consideration, and special notes were denoted in it. Their first duty was to obey orders!

Li Hao was beginning to feel the weight of his station. There were so many strict regulations! It looked like he would lose his head at the slightest misstep. Was this a good course of action? Was it a good idea to join the city’s army?

The young man turned his attention to his armor and slowly sensed something different about it. His explorations abruptly caused faint light to bloom from the armor; energy from the ground surged in! Not only could he absorb this energy, but it also enhanced the armor’s defensive capabilities. It also seemed to impart other uses, such as the ability to fly!

He couldn’t fly in terms of the conventional definition, but he could connect to the entire city’s defensive system when clad in his armor. It would take a while longer for him to be familiar with the details.

A technical voice sounded in Li Hao’s mind at this time. “Welcome to the Battle Heaven Army! The Ninth Division is full and training of new recruits has ceased. Troop Leader Li Hao of the Twelfth Troop in the Ninth Division, recruitment has become difficult. The Recruitment Hall has newly accepted two rookies who have yet to undergo the army’s training regime. Their battle capabilities are weak. Are you willing to accept them in your troop?”

Li Hao blinked, then suppressed the urge to laugh. Two new rookies with weak battle capabilities... wasn’t that Hong Yitang and He Yong? So I’m a troop leader now? But I’m just a nominal officer, probably like one of those ranking officers. There’s no available troops to assign to me, so the two new guys are being given to me, the figurehead?

Li Hao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he quickly followed the operation instructions to accept the men. Information appeared in his consciousness—the two rookies were indeed Hong Yitang and He Yong.

They didn’t use false names? That’s surprising. Or maybe it doesn’t matter.

Hong Yitang was a lieutenant—a Bronze Armor the equivalent of a centurion. He Yong was... a regular soldier!

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. How did this work? How had they been assessed and assigned? He Yong was mid Nova even when he didn’t call upon his full strength, but he was just a regular soldier? Did they not assign ranks according to strength?

Possibly.

Had an exception been made for Hong Yitang because he was so strong?

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