Wanting to become a guard not only requires loyalty to Hale City, but also requires sufficient physical fitness. The former Donald does not have, but can pretend to be. The latter Donald's attributes are 25 points of strength, 25 points of constitution, and 20 points of acuity.
With James' recommendation, Donald successfully signed up as a soldier. He will go to the City Guards Mansion to take the test tomorrow morning.
There isn't much time left for them.
…
City Guards School Ground.
Dozens of figures stood all over the school grounds, standing or sitting in a noisy manner. There were civilians and poor people among them, most of them were dirty and muddy, and they had very few clean clothes.
After a while, a strong man in uniform, followed by soldiers, walked up to the crowd.
"quiet!"
These people got up one after another, stood still and remained quiet, and looked at the strong man.
Behind him, a ray of light gradually projected from the top of the cave.
It's dawn.
That is the place every resident dreams of, the aristocratic district.
At the center of the cave is a sinkhole, a trap rock wall with a diameter of several hundred meters and a height of hundreds of meters. The noble district was built around the sinkhole, which is also the only place in Hale City that receives light.
With longing and hope rising in everyone's eyes, the strong man said: "Run 10 laps around the school field, and those who finish the race will enter the second test."
They were taken to the starting point by the soldiers and started running. The roughly 300-meter circle of the school field was too long for many people to finish. The team started to spread out. Some sneakers and skaters who wanted to take a shortcut were dragged away by the soldiers and cried.
The shouts are getting farther and farther away.
Donald undoubtedly took the first place and had no intention of holding back. He completed ten laps at a constant speed and returned to the center of the school field to stand upright and wait.
His breathing was still steady, while most people had not finished five laps.
Donald gets everyone's attention.
Half an hour later, the strong man no longer waited, gathered the remaining twenty or so people, and drove out all the others who had not finished running.
"You are lucky enough to pass the first test, but don't think that you have overcome the difficulties. The second test is..." The strong man paused slightly and said with a ferocious expression: "If you survive one minute under my hand, if you want to back down, you can get out now."
.”
Although they were sweating like stars, no one wanted to back down. For them, being a soldier meant they had enough to eat. Being beaten was nothing.
"very good."
The strong man took off his shirt, revealing his muscular upper body, and twitched his fingers at a young man.
The young man stepped forward, shouted and punched without any tricks. The strong man smiled contemptuously, without even looking at the fist, and kicked out the young man's calf.
There was a thin cracking sound, and the leg bone was broken. The young man staggered forward before rolling and falling, hugging the swinging calf and screaming miserably.
"Next." The strong man looked at the crowd.
Everyone retreated in fear. The rule among the poor was: injury equals death.
The bone is broken and the man won't survive this winter.
In the midst of this, Donald walked out calmly.
The strong man showed satisfaction and clenched his fist. Seeing that Donald did not take the initiative to attack, he sneered and punched out with strong wind.
Snap!
Donald caught the fist easily, twisted his hand and walked around behind the strong man, gently kicking the crook of his leg with the sole of his foot.
The strong man's knees dropped and smashed into the sand and gravel. He wanted to resist, but the pain in his arms suddenly intensified, making him unable to help but fall forward.
Donald wanted to stop, but noticed some figures appearing on the edge of the school field.
So he raised his leg and stepped on the back of the strong man's head, causing his face to press against the rough sand.
Everything happened so fast that everyone was in a daze.
"Admit defeat?" Donald asked.
The strong man's reply was a neck with exposed veins and a beast-like roar.
"If you get beaten, you have to admit it."
A voice came from the diagonal ground.
Donald stopped his hand and stepped back, looking calmly.
The city guard officer came forward surrounded by his subordinates.
Even if he was unwilling to do so, the strong man could only get up in disgrace, call out to the officer honestly and remain silent.
The city guard looked at Donald, who looked calm, with interest, and said, "Will you treat your future companions so cruelly?"
"He is my enemy in battle, and I will not leave my hand to the enemy."
"Well said." The city guard praised it and became more interested. "Let me ask you, what do you think of Hale City?"
"My home."
"Why do you want to be a soldier?"
"Defend Home."
The city guard adjusted Donald's collar and expressed his admiration: "Very good, what's your name?"
"Donald, sir."
"Are you a soldier?" the city guard said quietly.
"A former military cadet."
"Then you..." The city guard thought for a moment and deliberately arranged for this young man who was very similar to himself when he was young to be around him.
"Sir, a soldier slipped and fell to his death at the entrance to No. 3 last night. I was going to send him there." The strong man suddenly spoke.
The city guard showed a hint of displeasure, then disappeared, and asked Donald calmly: "Do you have any objections?"
"Follow the commander's instructions."
"Very good." The city guard was as disappointed with the strong man as he was with Donald's attitude. He glanced at him coldly: "I don't want anyone to be irreparably injured. You know, a person needs to grow up.
It took a lot of time.”
"Yes, sir." The strong man responded with his head anxiously.
The city guard officer and everyone behind him left. The strong man who had achieved his goal did not want to see Donald again, so he waved to the soldiers to take Donald away.
Donald received an old-fashioned soldier's uniform that had obviously been worn. On the day he became a soldier, he was assigned to be stationed on a high platform.
The soldiers there would certainly not remember what a poor man looked like, and Donald blended in easily, especially when the other members secretly let them know what happened on the school grounds.
Patton: This is the name of the greedy captain.
He didn't know that his behavior was already well known by a group of people. In the afternoon, as usual, he left the entrance and secretly went to the Rose Tavern to find a woman. As a result, he accidentally fell and knocked on the steps when he went upstairs. When the owner of the tavern helped him up,
The poor guy is out of breath.
Everyone thought it was an accident, and the City Guards did not pursue it further, let alone make any announcement. Everyone present saw that he fell by himself, and he should have been stationed at the entrance at this time.
…
"The little guy yesterday went to entrance No. 3. We can make him the captain."
In an office with wool carpets and bookcases full of books, the city guard sat behind his desk, closing his eyes and taking a nap. When he learned of this, he promoted Donald to a higher position without hesitation.
"He has only been a guard for a day." His assistant stood in front of the table with an embarrassed tone.
The city guard did not look at him and played with a crystal water glass: "Why didn't I know that Hale City has a rule that the longer you stay in office, the higher your position will be?"
"I understand sir..."
…
"Now you are the head of these soldiers." The assistant came to Entrance No. 3, informed Donald of the appointment, and then whispered: "If I were you, I would teach these subordinates a lesson."
Most of the nine soldiers standing not far away showed unwillingness and jealousy.
"I will." Donald nodded and secretly handed a small piece of gold to his assistant's palm.
The latter left with satisfaction. He knew why the city guard paid attention to him.
Donald turned and looked down at the hole. Nothing could stop them now.