Alarm bells instinctively went off in Xiao Jing's head. In her mind, there was a strong possibility that the man would resort to using his fists to talk to her.
What was she supposed to do? Would it help if she tried to ease the awkward atmosphere?
But in the current circumstances, it seemed that anything she said would result in her getting beaten up anyway.
Shen Chengfeng glared unforgivingly at the spot between Xiao Jing's eyebrows. His eyes darkened gradually as he seemingly came up with some evil secret plan.
"Ahem. Sir, when did we manage the climb?" Xiao Jing quickly changed the subject.
Shen Chengfeng continued staring at the little soldier who was shorter than him by a full head.
Xiao Jing's heart was in her throat, and she watched helplessly as her commander approached her. Finally, he reached his hand out towards her beautiful face.
"Don't move," his deep voice resonated in the jungle.
Xiao Jing froze for an instant, taken aback. She belatedly realized there was something chilly slithering on her neck.
Shen Chengfeng pinched the snake's head with two fingers and squeezed. Electrical currents shot out of his hand, and sparks flew until the snake's tongue fell out and drooped limply beside Xiao Jing's cheek.
The contact of the snake's tongue against her cheek made Xiao Jing shudder uncontrollably, and her head recoiled instinctively into her shoulders in disgust.
Shen Chengfeng hurled the black snake up into the air, and the lifeless serpent spun around twice before landing heavily back on the grass.
Xiao Jing touched her prickling neck with a frown on her face.
"That was a gray burrowing snake. It is very venomous, and one bite from it is enough to kill a man immediately. Be careful!" Shen Chengfeng tilted Xiao Jing's head up and checked her neck to make sure that there were no bite wounds on it before turning around and continuing forward.
Xiao Jing followed behind. She carefully observed the fluidity of his motions and couldn't resist asking, "Sir, have you recovered from your back injury?"
"Should I strip so that you can check it for yourself?" Shen Chengfeng supported his back with one hand as he stared at her with a fathomless expression.
Xiao Jing quickly shut her mouth. She hurriedly digressed, and said, "Judging by how quiet it is, I'm guessing everyone in the team has been neutralized."
"Aren't you still alive?"
"Ahem. Can I choose to surrender?"
"Shouldn't you be clamoring for the chance to be a hero to the recruits?" Shen Chengfeng asked in reply.
"I think I should act according to my ability."
Shen Chengfeng looked down from his towering height at the other person. His face carried its usual emotionless mien, and his tone was as chilly as the cold wind of early winter, making Xiao Jing shiver uncontrollably. "I will give you a reevaluation."
Xiao Jing couldn't decipher his unspoken message and asked, "Sir, what do you mean by that?"
"When you're faced with the choice of life or death, I believe that you'll choose to betray your comrades without a second thought."
Xiao Jing gaped at him. His words were an insult to her dignity, an insult to her faith, and an insult to her character.
What was she supposed to do? Just based on that remark alone, she possessed the urge to kill him!
"Do you feel I'm wrong?" Shen Chengfeng's back was towards Xiao Jing. He looked up and studied the fathomless jungle. He was eagerly anticipating what Xiao Jing's response would be.
"Not at all. You're right, Sir. I had the greater good confused with my glory. In a real battle, I will most definitely give up the team for the sake of my own life."
"I could disqualify you just based on those words alone. The Special Command Unit has never been about an individual's glory."
"Indeed. When it comes to ethics and principles, I'm a very narrow-minded person. Therefore, I will prove to you that I am fully capable of turning the tide on my own." Before she could even finish the sentence, the chilly gale rose, and the leaves in the jungle rustled.
Shen Chengfeng turned back just in time to feel the gust of wind blow against his face. He fixed his eyes on Xiao Jing's movement. She wasn't fast, and she lacked lethality.
However, he suddenly had the urge to give her a chance to prove herself. He was curious if she had the ability to defeat him.
Xiao Jing tried her very best. She was thin and frail. Among the hulking soldiers of the Special Command Unit, she was like a weak, stunted child who could be crushed to death with their mere finger.
Thud. Shen Chengfeng was suddenly punched squarely in the chest. He staggered a step back before he regained his balance.
Xiao Jing did not let up for a single moment, and she rained down attacks continuously without any consideration for the injury on her left arm. She threw out one punch after another, and each blow was packed with so much force it seemed as though she wanted to kill him.
"That's too weak," Shen Chengfeng swiped his arm across the air in front of him, and Xiao Jing fell to the ground heavily.
Thump. Dust and sand billowed into the air.
Xiao Jing lay breathlessly on the ground as light flashed before her eyes in a wide array of colors. She reached out, trying to grab on to something.
Shen Chengfeng looked down from above at the small body that had been knocked out with one blow. A frown appeared on his face, which had never displayed any emotion before. Had his strike been too hard?
He had to admit that Xiao Jing had successfully stirred up his competitive spirit.
In the hospital, the pungent scent of antiseptic wafted around.
The patient who had initially been sound asleep on the bed suddenly woke up with a start and stared at the ceiling with big round eyes.
Xiao Jing turned her head to the side and realized that her back, legs, and backside were all in excruciating agony, too. Her whole body felt like it had been torn apart.
"You're awake?" a gruff voice sounded from beside the bed.
Xiao Jing turned to look at the source of the sound automatically. She had thought that she was hearing things, especially given that voice sounded suspiciously identical to that of her third brother, the Military Ruffian–Xiao Zheng.
He was the military ruffian who frequently solved his problems with his fists. He was the military ruffian who was never more than three sentences away from a fight. He was the military ruffian who never failed to hammer her whenever they crossed paths!
"What? Have you been beaten stupid by the Devil incarnate?" Xiao Zheng clicked his tongue. "You tried to engage him in physical combat with your scrawny limbs? Wasn't that as good as handing yourself over on a silver platter?"
"Third Brother?" Xiao Jing sat up on the hospital bed suddenly. She contemplated applying to her superiors for a protection order. She was afraid that new wounds–inflicted by her very own Third Brother, no less–would be added to her body before her old injuries could heal.
Would the hospital allow her to claim reimbursement for domestic violence of that sort?
Would it count as a workplace injury?
Was it possible to fabricate it as such?
"I heard from Oldest Brother a few days ago that you'd come to the Special Command Unit. At first, I thought he was just joking. Then, I heard Second Brother mention it as well two days later. I thought there wasn't much credibility to that dumb guy's words either. I didn't expect to see you carried in on a stretcher when I came to visit the Special Command Unit today."