Qiao Mingxuan mocked Xiao Ke and his team for their impotent fury, then swaggered off with the Hellhound's zombie brain core, flanked by his two subordinates.
As they left, Qiao Mingxuan's two men held their loaded assault rifles tightly, remaining vigilant of Xiao Ke and the others.
Xiao Ke, Duan Canglong, and Luo Hou could only watch helplessly as Qiao Mingxuan and his men got into their vehicle and drove away.
"Bastard!"
As Qiao Mingxuan's armored off-road vehicle disappeared, Duan Canglong cursed, turned, and kicked the truck's tire fiercely to vent his frustration and anger.
The expressions on the faces of Luo Hou and the other six soldiers mirrored Duan Canglong's—a mixture of anger and indignation.
After all, they had risked their lives to heavily injure the Hellhound. Just as they were about to slay it and earn a great deal of military merit, Qiao Mingxuan had appeared out of nowhere and stolen all the glory.
Xiao Ke felt just as aggrieved and furious, but Qin Bing had told him more than once during his training that while it was acceptable to feel anger, it had to be expressed in the right circumstances. Otherwise, it was nothing more than powerless rage that would only have negative consequences.
Now was clearly not the time to vent his anger. Especially as the captain of Duan Canglong and the others, Xiao Ke's priority was to soothe their emotions and unite the team.
Xiao Ke patted Duan Canglong's shoulder and said to him, as well as to Luo Hou and the others, "You all saw it. Might makes right. The strong can dominate everything, while the weak can only be dominated. From now on, let us encourage each other. And I swear to you all here and now, I will make Qiao Mingxuan pay for what he owes us."
Duan Canglong, Luo Hou, and the others deeply agreed with Xiao Ke's words. They all lifted their heads and said in a somber tone, "Captain, we'll follow you and work hard. We have to get even."
Seeing that he had successfully turned their frustration and anger into motivation, Xiao Ke was slightly satisfied. He then gave an order, "Let's bury our fallen brother, Lu Chang, and prepare to head back."
"Yes, Captain!"
Xiao Ke personally helped dig the grave. He removed Lu Chang's military dog tags, then buried him. After a simple memorial, the group departed.
Since they were out of ammunition and time was running short, Xiao Ke and his team returned the way they came.
Before long, Xiao Ke's combat squad arrived at the rendezvous point designated by Qin Bing.
Qin Bing and the other combat squads had already returned, including the Fifth Squad. However, only a few soldiers from the Fifth Squad remained; half of them had been sacrificed. The other squads had also lost several soldiers. Today's operation could be said to have come at a great cost.
Beside Qin Bing stood a few new faces: Centurion Qiao Mingxuan and his two subordinates.
Qiao Mingxuan was holding the Hellhound's zombie brain core, boasting to Qin Bing, "I had my men unload the supplies in Ginkgo Town. Concerned for your safety, sir, I immediately drove over with two of my guards to find you. On the way, we encountered a Hellhound. I fought bravely and killed it without hesitation. See, this is its zombie brain core."
Xiao Ke, Duan Canglong, Luo Hou, and the other team members arrived just in time to hear Qiao Mingxuan showing off to Qin Bing.
Duan Canglong's anger flared instantly. With Chiliarch Qin Bing present, there was no need to fear Qiao Mingxuan. He lunged forward without hesitation. "You son of a bitch! You stole our military merit, and you dare to show it off here! I'll kill you!"
Qin Bing, Qiao Mingxuan, and several Decurions and dozens of soldiers present all turned to look upon hearing Duan Canglong's furious roar.
Seeing Duan Canglong rushing towards him, Qiao Mingxuan frowned slightly. He had assumed that since Xiao Ke was merely a Decurion and he was a Centurion, he was technically their superior. As long as Xiao Ke had any sense of social propriety, he wouldn't dare expose the fact that he had stolen their kill.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Ke and his men seemed to be a bunch of hotheads, causing a scene right in front of Qin Bing.
As Duan Canglong charged, Qiao Mingxuan didn't move, but stood his ground with a smirk.
His two guards, however, immediately moved to intercept Duan Canglong.
Although Duan Canglong was brave, the two guards were not weak, and they coordinated seamlessly.
In a single move, the two guards jointly flipped Duan Canglong to the ground. One of them raised his assault rifle and swung the butt of the gun viciously towards Duan Canglong's face, sneering, "Damn rookie, how dare you attack our Centurion! Is this a rebellion? I'll teach you a lesson."
The guard brought the rifle butt down hard, eagerly awaiting Duan Canglong's cry of pain.
But at that moment, a figure flashed before his eyes. Xiao Ke had appeared in front of him, and his fist came whistling through the air, growing larger and larger before the guard's eyes.
With a thud, the guard felt as if his head had been struck by a sledgehammer. His body flew backwards uncontrollably, and he crashed heavily to the ground.
The other guard was shocked that Xiao Ke would dare to intervene and had even knocked down his comrade. A mixture of surprise and anger on his face, he swung his assault rifle in a wide arc towards Xiao Ke's head.
Xiao Ke ducked to avoid the blow, simultaneously delivering a high kick that struck his opponent's head like an axe felling a tree. The man instantly collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Qiao Mingxuan was surprised by Xiao Ke's impressive combat skills, having taken down both of his attendants with a single move. He was both shocked and enraged, about to lose his temper.
But at that moment, Qin Bing spoke first, her voice cold. "All of you, stand down!"
Xiao Ke bent down to help Duan Canglong up, asking in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
Duan Canglong was a bit disheveled but shook his head. "I'm fine."
Qin Bing had walked over. She looked at the two soldiers Xiao Ke had swiftly knocked to the ground, then asked with a frosty expression, "Decurion Xiao Ke, what is going on?"
Xiao Ke snapped to attention and saluted Qin Bing, then reported loudly, "Sir, during our mission, we encountered a Hellhound. We exhausted all our ammunition and sacrificed one team member to finally inflict heavy damage on it. Centurion Qiao Mingxuan stood by and watched the entire time. Only when the Hellhound was at its last breath did he step in to steal the kill and refuse to share the military merit. Therefore, the soldiers in my squad are extremely dissatisfied with his actions."
Qin Bing frowned at his words and turned to look at Qiao Mingxuan.
Qiao Mingxuan was inwardly annoyed. This Xiao Ke really didn't know how to play the game. He wasn't afraid of retaliation and had brought the matter up right in front of Qin Bing.
However, although Qiao Mingxuan noticed the disdainful glances from Qin Bing and the other soldiers, he remained composed. He sneered at Xiao Ke, "Heh, according to military regulations, whoever delivers the final blow to a zombie gets the credit. I personally cut off the Hellhound's main head, so I see no problem with me taking the zombie brain core. Even if this matter were brought to the military police, they would have to acknowledge that, according to the rules, the credit belongs to me."
At this point, Qiao Mingxuan looked at his two subordinates lying on the ground, his expression suddenly turning fierce. "As for you two, you dared to injure my men. This is insubordination. According to the rules, I can have you both..."
It was wartime, and during wartime, if a subordinate committed an act of insubordination, the superior officer had the right to execute the rebel on the spot.
Realizing what Qiao Mingxuan was about to do, Qin Bing cut him off before he could finish. She said in a deep voice, "That's enough!"
Qin Bing was the Chiliarch, the highest-ranking commander on the scene.
She looked at Qiao Mingxuan, then at Xiao Ke, and said slowly, "The zombie horde will soon be upon us. I don't want to deal with these trivial matters. Let this be the end of it."
"But he injured my two men. Are we just going to let it go?" Qiao Mingxuan was not convinced. If he didn't punish Xiao Ke for injuring his men, he would lose face.
Qin Bing looked at Qiao Mingxuan coldly. She had already said the matter was closed, and his lack of tact displeased her.
She narrowed her eyes. "Or would you prefer I send you all to a military tribunal and let the military police handle it impartially?"
Qiao Mingxuan immediately shook his head and said with an awkward smile, "Well... there's no need for that."
Qiao Mingxuan didn't dare to go. If it went to arbitration, according to the rigid rules, the credit for the Hellhound would certainly be his. But his act of kill-stealing was a major taboo. If word got out, no soldier would be willing to serve under him. Who would want to follow a commander who liked to steal their subordinates' glory?
Qin Bing snorted. "Since you also feel it's unnecessary, then this is the end of it. All soldiers, get in the vehicles. We're returning to Ginkgo Town."
The surrounding soldiers responded in unison, "Yes!"
Qiao Mingxuan said fawningly to Qin Bing, "Chiliarch, why don't you ride in my vehicle?"
"I have my own ride!" Qin Bing said, turning to walk towards her armored off-road vehicle. As she passed Xiao Ke, she added, "You, come and drive for me."
Xiao Ke was taken aback for a moment before replying, "Yes, sir."
Qiao Mingxuan watched as Xiao Ke and Qin Bing got into the armored off-road vehicle in front. His face darkened, his gaze filled with hostility and venom as he looked at Xiao Ke. Then he snarled at his two injured subordinates, "Are you dead? If not, get up and drive. We're heading back."