New calendar year 2020, early July:
Inside the dark room, only a pale yellow table lamp remained.
The night wind slowly brushed through the window curtains and due to its deathly stillness, this dimly lit room seemed to be uninhabited.
Creak.
The tightly closed door was pushed open by a person.
Lights refracted, and a pair of shiny military boots walked past on the decade-old floor.
The man in the doorway stood in front of the mirror and borrowing the speck of light, he took off the coat that was drenched with sweat.
One piece after another was taken off. Finally, there's only a seemingly bizarre white strip wrapped around the chest.
Xiao Jing: The fourth son of Xiao Family, one of the three major families in the empire. His mother is the third madame of Great Marshal Xiao.
For many generations, the Xiao Family had produced five marshals and a certain number of generals. Their family's biggest undertaking is commanding one-quarter of the empire's army.
Even with such a mighty background, there would still be unspoken rumors lurking in the dark, and that is: The Xiao household does not have a daughter!
Indeed, the Xiao household can only have generals, and only a general!
Xiao Jing smiled bitterly and removed the white strip that's wrapped around the chest, and the nerves that had been strained for a day were gradually relieved.
Previously, the chest that was slightly flat, at this moment, has a bit of a faint arc. Wait, this person is a woman?
Xiao Jing's mouth can not help but let out a bitter laugh. Before entering the military, she especially remembered what her mother repeatedly implored her: "Xiao Jing, mother does not expect you to build a career. It would be fine so long as you can survive these five years without mishap. Anyhow, you must remember that you are not a man."
Right. How could she possibly forget that she is not a real man?
"Xiao Jing, I know that you're angry and you're blaming me, but mother has no other way. In the eyes of the Old Madame, she will only recognize her grandson!"
Right. In the eyes of the supreme Old Madame, only the grandsons exist.
Big (eldest) brother Xiao Yu is the head of the eight great generals of the empire.
Xiao Hong, the second brother, is the Vice President of the Imperial Staff's Supreme Institute.
Third elder brother Xiao Zheng is the Chief Executive of the third team of the Empire's Special Forces.
Fifth younger brother Xiao Ye just broke the rules and became the empire's youngest general.
Thinking about this, Xiao Jing can't help but scratch the back of her head. Apparently, in such a big Xiao household, she was the worst. She had served in the army for three years, but she's only a very small second lieutenant.
Putting down the white strips, she lies down on the wooden bed.
The light of the room was too dark, and the moonlight fell quietly on the ground.
Here is the border town of Jiana that is 3,000 kilometers away from the Imperial Capital. It is also the border from which her mother sent her privately. Both mother and daughter have a tacit understanding, and this is something that they cannot reveal: Even if she is known as the Xiao family's waste, it cannot be discovered that she is not a real man.
In the dead of night, Xiao Jing could only sleep away her weariness.
On the following day, urgent sound of footsteps came from afar and is quickly approaching the corridor. Soon after, the sound of knocking was immediately heard on the door of the last room.
Xiao Jing's eyes opened in a daze but in a flash, her head became clear.
"Deputy Leader, did you get up already?" The visitor shouted in a hurry.
Xiao Jing almost subconsciously crawled out from the bed. She looked at the locked door, and without thinking, put on the clothes.
Creak.
The door opened from the inside.
The soldier outside the door saw Xiao Jing open the door and took a light breath before he continued, "An urgent telegram came just a moment ago. It says that in two hours, the superiors will dispatch a senior officer over."
Xiao Jing could not help but frown, "On account of what?"
"I heard it was like a special warfare unit."
To have heard what was said, Xiao Jing's look became deeper. This is a remote city where even a bird does not take a dump. All families here are working for a living and only a few are the hedonistic sons of their rich parents. The superiors actually wanted to select talents from a group of wealthy children who had to be served even when they eat?
"Deputy, the team leader immediately wants you to go over. It is as if the person's status that was sent this time is not low."
Xiao Jing nodded slightly and walked along the corridor going downstairs.
The sunlight was dazzling early in the morning. Xiao Jing just stepped out of the dormitory when a military jeep drove towards her direction without even slowing down.
In a position one step away from Xiao Jing, the jeep suddenly stopped.
"What's going on?!" A military officer awoke from his state of confusion and rushed over. He glared furiously at the jeep that was trying to run wild in the camp.
In the car, a man walked down with his body straight as a ramrod, his head held high, his chest was pushed out and said, "I am the SS1 Military District Major, Mu Xichi. Before we came here, we have already contacted Captain Lian Qing."
{T/N: Click here to view the military ranks in China. To anybody who knows what SS1 means, please enlighten me. I have done my research and the closest meanings I got were Selective Signaling (source here) and Selective Service (source here). Both are used in the military. But I guess Selective Service would be a better fit based on the novel's context since Mu Xichi is selecting qualified people to join one of the teams of the empire's special forces.}
The small officer saw the shiny and glorious one star between the two vertical lines on the other person's shoulders and immediately stood up anxiously to take a military salute. With a stern and resounding voice, he responded, "Yes, sir!"
Mu Xichi shot a glance at Xiao Jing who had no sign of movement and had a look of meticulous expression on her face. He stretched out his hand and shook it in front of her. "Scared silly?" he asked.
At this, Xiao Jing has gotten her soul back. She made a note of the man's identity and hurriedly spoke, "Sir, I am the Deputy Leader, Xiao Jing."
"What about your captain?" Mu Xichi looks around at the quiet surrounding. The time for morning exercise had long passed but this place was completely silent.
Xiao Jing tugged the corner of the lower hem of the small officer's jacket to pull him to her side and holding her voice down, she asked, "Right, where's Captain?"
The small officer also controlled the volume of his voice and whispered, "I knocked on the door, but these sons of nobility are accustomed to sleeping until the sun is up. It is certain that they will not get up until past noon."
Xiao Jing stealthily glanced at the major who was smiling from ear to ear. She wondered if they would really plan to find one or two potential Phoenix eggs from these second and third generation to hatch and bring back to raise.
Mu Xichi looked down at his wrist watch and told the soldier behind him, "Sound the anti-aircraft defense alarm."
The small soldier dared not delay and sounded the alarm at the fastest speed.
All of a sudden, the whole camp echoed with the ear-splitting and deafening sound of the alarm.
Just at that time, the soldiers who were dilly-dallying in wearing their clothes heard the alarm. Each and every one's expressions revealed a look of panic and hurriedly ran out of the barracks. They didn't even had enough time to buckle up their trousers.
The camp's commander is a battalion rank captain named Lian Qing. When he heard the aircraft defense alarm, he is the first person to rush out to the square.
"What's going on? Who sounded the alarm?" A man hurried to the drill ground carrying his trousers.
"Quiet." Lian Qing noticed a stranger not far away and he became aware that he was the important person sent by his superiors.
Mu Xichi seemed to be speaking with someone inside the car. It was not that difficult to see. The person sitting inside should also be an important figure.
Having obtained an affirmative response, Mu Xichi nodded his head and once again, threw his line of sight into this group of utterly defeated troops. Then, he announced, "I only have one purpose here. The Special Forces Team under the code name Iron Eagle is currently absorbing new blood. Does anyone dare to volunteer?"
In such a big square, no one uttered a reply.
Xiao Jing stood at the forefront of the team and couldn't help but silently curse. Choosing a phoenix among this group of pheasants and uh, having high expectations to absorb a quintessential golden phoenix? Urgh!
He-he. Sure enough, this important person is planning to recruit people.
In a cheerful mood, the major walked over to the group. "It seems that no one dares to stand up."
Mu Xichi looked at the team's Leader, Lian Qing, and said, "I'm very disappointed in you."
He made a thumbs-up to all the people, and then slowly turned it down, until his thumb was pointing to the ground.
An insult, an absolute insult, a naked insult!
Lian Qing felt as if he was carrying something heavy on his shoulders. With a stiff and upright body, he replied with a resounding voice, "Serve the people and do your best! Everyone, go and give me ten hurdles!"
{T/N: Serve the people and do your best – This is the team's motto. While, ten hurdles is similar to a standard obstacle course. See below infographic to get some idea about it. You may ignore #8 and #10 to make it TEN HURDLES. (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ) Click here for more info.}
As the voice of Lian Qing fell, a young man full of vigor and enthusiasm rushed out while holding his trousers to prevent it from falling. He flipped over the wall, swept through the net, crossed the pole with one arm, and then jumped across the mud pit.
Everyone is excited because they are finally able to accomplish these ten hurdles.
Xiao Jing was the third person to complete. She was standing while panting heavily in the ranks but still stood straight. Although she finished quickly, she had finished with quality.
Ha-ha! Finishing the ten hurdles felt really good! Ah, so happy!
Mu Xichi saw that a bunch of people were still feeling indignant at the injustice they suffered. He couldn't help but slightly raise his brow. The superiors insisted that they should select one from these group of soldiers to enter their Iron Eagle Special Forces Team.
He felt that his forehead ached more and more. In this group of people, he wished he could smash their bones to let them know how heavy they are!
Darn, to come here and select people is completely a pain in the ass!
Boom! The jeep lightly swayed and a person stepped down from it. He is wearing a pair of military boots, a military hat, and a cloak draped over his shoulders. His body, from head to toe, emits an air that's ruthless and tyrannical.
Xiao Jing was stupefied and stared with her eyes wide open at the figure who is directly advancing towards them. Then, she looked up at the scorching sun above her head. In such a very hot day, this man wrapped himself up like a zongzi [1]. Isn't this an obvious and brilliant way of announcing to the people that the main character is finally entering the stage?
{T/N: [1] 粽子 | zòngzi – A glutinous rice with a choice of filling inside, wrapped in leaves, and boiled.}
Mu Xichi saw his arrival and hastily stood up straight, gestured a military salute, and said, "Leader, nobody is suitable."
The man wears sunglasses and the lens refract the sunlight, making people unable to peek into his eyes that were hidden behind. However, all of the people around can feel the strong mental pressure brought about by this person. Although he is fully clothed from head to toe, it gives people the first impression of feeling very cold. Like the heavy snow that rapidly falls down during winter, the cold they're feeling now could make people's teeth quiver.
"You, you, you, and you. The four of you come back again." The man is wearing a very special pair of gloves and one by one, he called out the names of the four people with an ice-cold tone.
Xiao Jing was flabbergasted and strangely stared at the other man, not for other reasons, just because she heard her own name.
She can't help but clench her fist and a hot sweat drips down in the middle of her forehead.
"You are Xiao Jing." the man called.
Xiao Jing's body went stiff. She did not expect that this strange man actually knows her.
"Undress."
"What?" Xiao Jing almost blurted out.
"You are feeling very hot." The man's glove temporarily stopped on her forehead.
Xiao Jing's body subconsciously stepped back. She gazed intently at the man in front of her. She does not know if the sun was too dazzling, or if she was really hot. She only felt that her entire jacket has already been drenched in sweat.
Mu Xichi made an inspection one by one and with ridicule, he said, "A group of useless soldiers will only waste our time. Leader, can you see?"
"Although we are not special forces, we are also soldiers who have bones. Brothers, let's take off our clothes and let's do it seriously."
The soldiers, one after another, made a dash for it and threw their clothes to the ground.
Xiao Jing, alone, was standing motionless on the drill ground.
She can conceal her ability under the guise of a useless waste. However, this uncle [2] doesn't have the ability to handle the matter of her chest, and trying to hide it will make it more conspicuous.
{T/N: [2] this uncle – Same as when someone says this daddy, this laozi, or this father. These phrases were usually uttered out of anger or contempt. This can also be associated with the phrase 'I, your father…' but in this phrase, the pronoun "I" was added and is normally spoken with an arrogant tone to assert superiority over the other person. Good thing that Xiao Jing was only speaking in her mind, or else … ^_^}
'What should I do now?'
In a group of shirtless men, she does not seem to fit in with her clothes still on. But taking off her clothes will attract more suspicion.
The zongzi man's eyes flickered and fell onto Xiao Jing, who was unable to move a single step.
Lian Qing followed the sight of the zongzi man and stepped forward at a fast pace. Frowning, he asked Xiao Jing, "Why aren't you undressing?"
"I don't feel hot." Xiao Jing explained as she put on a fake smile.