Chapter 71: The 104th Unit

Blacksmiths, Herb Gatherers, Alchemists, Miners, and even future Enchanters, Disassemblers, Jewelers, and others all had to reach the Three-Star level and complete a task issued by Earth’s Will to receive their professional certificates before they could take up their jobs.

But there were also some lucky ones like Xu Feng who could take on a side job before reaching Three-Star. These people either obtained their jobs from opening boxes or from neutral races and Cosmic Merchants; they all had good luck.

“What do you think, not bad, right? Our 104th Unit now has its own Blacksmith.” Zhang Qiang noticed Xu Feng’s gaze falling on the soldiers’ long crossbows and said with some pride.

Xu Feng nodded without speaking. Being only a bit earlier than others in getting a side job was not a big deal without talent to support it.

Entering the small building’s door, Xu Feng was stopped and led to the bathroom to take a shower first.

Xu Feng wore only ordinary casual clothes, now covered in bloodstains and emitting a faint, foul smell.

After showering, Xu Feng immediately felt refreshed. Zhang Qiang thoughtfully prepared a set of special forces combat uniforms, complete from underwear to boots.

These combat uniforms were made of special materials that could block ordinary blades. They had many pockets and were designed to distribute weight evenly across the body, so even carrying dozens of pounds would not feel too tiring.

After changing clothes, Xu Feng looked completely different. With a resolute face and a black combat uniform, he resembled a warrior who had experienced life, death, blood, and battle.

Seeing Xu Feng come out, Zhang Qiang’s eyes lit up. He stepped forward, looked Xu Feng up and down, and smiled, saying, “Good lad, you look like a brave warrior at first glance.”

Xu Feng smiled. He also felt the clothes fit his body well, as if tailor-made for him.

“Let’s go, the regiment leader is already waiting for you,” Zhang Qiang said.

The two quickly arrived at a meeting room on the second floor. Inside were two people: a middle-aged man in military uniform sitting seriously by a long table, and beside him a burly man with his eyes closed, sitting in a chair with his legs on the table, chewing something and moving his mouth constantly.

“It’s him?” Xu Feng did not recognize the middle-aged man in military uniform, but he had seen the burly man next to him before.

In his previous life, Xu Feng had glimpsed him once from afar. This brawny man was the Hall Master of the Thunder Martial Hall Linhai Branch, one of the future four giants of Linhai.

“Xu Feng, this is our 104th Unit’s regiment leader, Du Yuqi, and the other is the Hall Master of the Thunder Martial Hall Linhai Branch, Sun Lei,” Zhang Qiang introduced from the side.

Du Yuqi beamed, looking at Xu Feng in the combat uniform with warmth in his eyes.

“Hello, Xu Feng, I am the regiment leader of the 104th Unit Independent Regiment, Du Yuqi. Please have a seat.”

“Hello, Regiment Leader Du, I am Xu Feng.” Xu Feng shook hands with Du Yuqi and sat by the long table.

“You must have guessed it already. We invited you here to ask you to join the 104th Unit,” Du Yuqi said directly, getting straight to the point.

“Oh, is that so,” Xu Feng said with a faint smile. Du Yuqi had the straightforwardness of a soldier, not beating around the bush but diving right in.

“If you join the 104th Unit, you will receive professional training. As you know, military training is more reasonable and scientific, allowing you to improve your strength in the shortest time. Additionally, you will receive a full set of Black Iron gear, including a helmet, armor, pants, and shoes,” Du Yuqi said.

“After becoming a member of the 104th Unit, you can get permanent residency in the Linhai settlement and a set of housing.”

Xu Feng just listened quietly without speaking. Nowadays, these major powers developed based on their pre-apocalypse foundations, and the settlements they built relied on sheer numbers to resist alien monster invasions. They could be breached at any time; there was some security, but not much, far less safe than Nüwa Village.

Having a house in one of these major power settlements was not as good as sleeping on the street in Nüwa Village. Such conditions might tempt ordinary people, but for Xu Feng, the temptation was clearly not strong enough.

Du Yuqi’s face turned somewhat grim. After hesitating briefly, he gritted his teeth and said, “Our 104th Unit gets two recommendation slots each year to participate in the Huaxia military elite special training. If you join us, one of this year’s special training slots will be yours.”

Xu Feng was slightly moved. In his previous life, he had only heard of but never participated in Huaxia’s military special training. Out of millions of soldiers in all of Huaxia, twenty were selected, plus some gifted slots, totaling fewer than thirty spots a year. One could imagine how precious these slots were.

Those who took part in Huaxia’s military special training, as long as they persevered, almost all had the potential to become Nine-Star Experts. However, each year, only a handful of the thirty participants passed; many even lost their lives during training. Yet despite that, many people desperately sought these slots.

“As long as you join the 104th Unit, you will have one slot,” Du Yuqi said, glancing subtly at Sun Lei from the Thunder Martial Hall beside him.

Sun Lei showed no reaction, still resting with his eyes closed as if he hadn’t heard the terms Du Yuqi offered.

Xu Feng was quite tempted by Huaxia’s military special training. However, once joining the military, he couldn’t just leave whenever he wanted, and his usual freedom would be greatly restricted, which wouldn’t help his future growth. This made Xu Feng hesitate.

This training slot was Du Yuqi’s trump card, specially approved after he reported Xu Feng’s situation to his superiors. He was very confident about it, and it was the most he could offer; he didn’t believe Xu Feng could resist such temptation.

Du Yuqi looked at Xu Feng full of expectation.

However, Xu Feng did not agree immediately but turned his gaze to Sun Lei.

Disappointment showed in Du Yuqi’s eyes.

“Haha, the Thunder Martial Hall owes the 104th Unit a favor for coming to Linhai, so we let Regiment Leader Du make the recruitment offer first. If you agreed to join them, the Thunder Martial Hall naturally wouldn’t say anything. But it seems you want to hear the Thunder Martial Hall’s terms?” The brawny Sun Lei seemed to sense Xu Feng’s gaze, suddenly opened his eyes, and explained with a broad smile.

“Indeed, I think since you’re sitting here, it can’t just be out of boredom,” Xu Feng said with a laugh.

“Good kid, you can resist the temptation of military special training,” Sun Lei said with a hint of admiration in his eyes. “You must know what Huaxia’s military special training is, don’t you?”

This kind of military training was usually only known among professional soldiers; outsiders seldom got wind of it.