Chapter 144: A Waste of Talent

A cyan fluorescent light the size of a grain of rice flickered in Feng Sanpao’s palm. Within a few short breaths, it expanded like an inflated balloon, swelling several times over until it successfully upgraded to the size of a peanut.

"This is the last one for today," Feng Sanpao muttered to himself. "Firing two Rasengans in one day is my absolute limit."

He liked to call his air cannons "Rasengans," a habit born from his love for a certain island nation’s anime. As far as he knew, the protagonist of that show—who loved to uphold justice and cherish his bonds—was particularly fond of using this move. Pushing both hands forward in a motion that looked suspiciously like a knock-off Kamehameha, he appeared somewhat ridiculous.

Soon, a small cyan vortex of air flew from his hands. It struck the swarm of mosquitoes with a "whoosh," followed by a sound like a fireworks explosion. Large swathes of severed limbs and wings rained down from the sky. The "companions" Hao Qifu was so proud of had met their abrupt end, concluding the mosquitoes' short and "glorious" lives.

"They're gone, they're all gone!" Hao Qifu stared blankly as his former companions turned into a pile of dirt beneath his feet. He truly hadn't expected these people to be so formidable. A swarm of mosquitoes that size had been wiped out in a single blow.

Unfortunately, Chang Yu didn't give him time to react. He launched himself forward with explosive force, his feet cracking the concrete ground. No one could track his movement; he appeared only as an unsheathed sword, stabbing rapidly toward Hao Qifu. He held his hand upright, using his palm as a blade, and struck the back of Hao Qifu's neck with heavy impact.

*Thud.*

With just one strike, Hao Qifu collapsed.

"I thought you were a King, but it turns out you’re just a Bronze," Chang Yu said, looking down at the unconscious Hao Qifu with a regretful expression. "You’re so weak. If not for those mosquitoes, someone as frail as you wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble at all."

He rubbed his heated shoe soles. These sneakers, bought from a morning market street stall, had long since worn through, and were now emitting white smoke caused by the intense friction against the ground. He kicked off the tattered shoes and inspected them for a long moment before sighing, "What a shame. They're ruined. I paid fifty yuan for these; how could they wear out so fast? If I’d known, I wouldn't have used so much force. I might have saved at least one shoe. What a waste."

He then patted the shoulders of the somewhat dazed Feng Sanpao and Shi Chengjin. "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and save them!"

"Oh, right, right! Save them!" Feng Sanpao finally snapped out of his trance, recovering from Chang Yu’s peerless display of power. He jogged toward the four unlucky captives tied to the iron pillars, muttering under his breath as he ran, "My god, since when did *Sasuke* get so strong? I don't remember him being this powerful before. What happened in these past few days? Ever since he woke up from that coma, it’s like he’s been reborn."

...

When seven or eight military jeeps and ambulances roared through the streets and alleys of H City, people realized something had happened. Bystanders gathered on street corners, speculating about which VIP could possibly warrant such a military escort, only to watch the vehicles speed off and pull up outside a middle school gate.

A group of burly men leaped from the jeeps. They were well-trained, dignified, and carried themselves with the bearing of special forces.

"Com... comrades, what are you doing?" the elderly guard was startled by the display, not even daring to watch his TV.

"We are soldiers from the H City XX Military District, currently under orders to investigate a case involving threats to national interests." The leader was not tall, but sturdy. He saluted the guard with a sharp "snap" and handed over a green identification document.

The guard didn't dare to delay and took the document. It read: Li XX, Deputy Battalion Commander of the H City XX Military District, rank of Major. The photo matched the man perfectly, and the stamps and seals didn't look fake.

The old guard’s wrinkled face squeezed into a chrysanthemum-like smile. "So you're People's Liberation Army comrades! I'll open the gate and let you through right away!"

The military vehicles drove into the campus, followed by the ambulances. Near the tree hollow, Chang Yu and the others were waiting, with four disfigured bodies lying at their feet. These four unfortunates had been dragged out of the air-raid shelter by Chang Yu, Shi Chengjin, and Feng Sanpao.

The military jeep screeched to a halt in front of Chang Yu, and Major Li leaped out with the agility of a leaping dragon or a tiger. He was imposing and in the prime of his life, radiating the unique competence of a soldier and the aura of a person in authority. Behind him followed a group of broad-shouldered, thick-waisted men, all lean and calloused from rigorous training. Bulges at their waists suggested hard objects—Chang Yu, no longer a workplace novice, recognized them as pistols.

Elite soldiers carrying live ammunition—just looking at them made them seem formidable and well-connected. Whose subordinates were these? How did they end up so... dashing and handsome?

Watching Major Li’s silhouette, this question popped into Chang Yu’s mind. Seeing him approach with a group of soldiers, radiating such intensity, he thought, *Damn, he looks cool.*

"Chief!" Major Li’s eyes lit up the moment he saw Chang Yu. He took a few quick steps forward and gave a proper military salute.

"Are you... Comrade Little Li?" Through the dim light, Chang Yu finally recognized the visitor. He recognized his own logistics officer; he felt a mix of amusement and pride. So... this dashing, handsome, energetic, and dignified Major Li... was his subordinate? Ah, right, it had been too dark earlier to see clearly. Plus, Little Li’s grand entrance—complete with an imposing "background music" vibe—didn't quite match his usual approachable self. It was normal not to have recognized him.

"Why are you here?" Chang Yu asked.

"Chief Katerina ordered me to come, saying our logistics team needed to handle the aftermath of the battlefield," Little Li replied respectfully.

"Oh, that's perfect." Chang Yu smiled and pointed to the four figures lying on the ground. "Load these gentlemen onto the vehicles."

"Get them on the vehicles!" Major Li waved his hand, issuing the order with the spirit of an ancient general preparing for battle. The men behind him jogged forward and carried the unconscious figures onto the ambulances.

Looking at the emaciated "Uncle A" and "Uncle B," Major Li frowned, a flicker of grief in his eyes. "Have the military doctors on the ambulances give these two officers some nutrient solution. They've suffered on this trip," he added. "Right, and take care of those two students too. Don't let them kick the bucket halfway there. Call their parents later and have them come pick them up, provided... they sign a confidentiality agreement."

The soldiers were well-trained and orderly in their rescue efforts, while Chang Yu, on the other hand, seemed to have suddenly shed all his burdens and become a complete idler.

"How did you manage to get the vehicles in?" Chang Yu asked casually. He didn't believe the stubborn old guard would have been so easy to talk into letting them in.

"I showed the guard my work ID," Little Li said, handing a small green booklet to Chang Yu.

Chang Yu opened it and laughed. "Whoa, a Major!" He teased, "Say, is this ID like Katerina's? A fake one?" He laughed heartily, his tone full of banter. "What’s wrong with our bureau? We’re clearly a legitimate organization, so why are you all so obsessed with using fake IDs? You’re like this, Katerina’s like this—you make yourselves look like a bunch of scammers. Aren't you worried... that the police will find out and throw you all in jail?"

Having had Katerina’s example, Chang Yu naturally assumed Little Li’s ID was also fake. After all, would a real Deputy Battalion Commander follow a newbie like him around, doing his bidding? That was clearly unrealistic!

Little Li paused, then explained with a bitter smile, "No, Chief, this ID is real."

"Real?" Now it was Chang Yu’s turn to be surprised. "You mean... you really are a Major?"

"Yes!" Little Li nodded vigorously, his sincere eyes wide. "The genuine article."

"But didn't you say you retired a long time ago?" Chang Yu asked, still skeptical.

"I did retire," Little Li said, "but I retained my rank. Even though I’m not serving in the military, I still possess a certain level of authority to mobilize troops."

Little Li’s tone was earnest and sincere; he didn't seem to be lying. Considering Little Li was usually a serious man who didn't like to joke, Chang Yu began to believe him. He turned to Katerina, his eyes filled with a silent question. Katerina caught his meaning and gave a firm nod, confirming that Little Li was telling the truth.

"My god!" Chang Yu covered his face in disbelief, feeling as though ten thousand elephants were trampling his fragile heart. "You’re a Deputy Battalion Commander, and you spend your days running errands for a nobody like me? What a waste of talent!"

Chang Yu let out the most sincere cry of his life.

"Waste of talent? What do you mean?" Now it was Little Li’s turn to be confused. He replied naturally, "On the contrary, Chief, you are such a wise, brilliant, and talented elite—it’s a grievance to you to have a commoner like me as your logistics officer! Our logistics officers are required to be at least at the Deputy Battalion level or higher. Someone like me, a Deputy Battalion Commander, is actually at the bottom of the ranks among logistics officers. Take Chief Katerina’s logistics officer, Little Qian—don't let her youth or junior status fool you; she’s a girl, but her rank is a full level higher than mine. She’s a full Battalion Commander! Being a 'tail-ender' like me among the logistics officers, having the honor to serve you, Chief, is the greatest blessing of my life!"