Chapter 13: Recovering the Jeep!

“Hmm? Is the mission already accomplished?” Qin Yuan was slightly surprised. He had expected that completing this task would require some period of training.

“Qin Yuan?” Fan Tianlei’s face lit up with joy upon seeing him—he was positively overjoyed. Excitedly, Fan Tianlei strode up, scrutinizing Qin Yuan from head to toe with a look of disbelief. “Qin Yuan, you… haha! Very good! You really keep your word! Old Fan wasn’t mistaken about you!”

Qin Yuan’s eyes flickered oddly, and he curled his lips slightly. Keeping his word? What did Fan Tianlei mean by that? Did he think Qin Yuan had run off with his money?

Originally, Qin Yuan had planned to give Fan Tianlei some interest as well. After all, he didn’t like taking advantage of others. But now… hmph!

“Qin Yuan, from today onward, you are a true soldier!” Fan Tianlei’s eyes blazed as he looked at Qin Yuan. To encounter a recruit like Qin Yuan was a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. Fan Tianlei was confident that, given time, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Qin Yuan would absolutely become a top figure in the military—a strong, leading force of the future army.

“But, a towering building must be built from the ground up! Qin Yuan, as a new recruit, you are almost completely unfamiliar with the basic etiquette and knowledge of the military. Therefore, I will temporarily assign you to a unit for some rigorous training for one month. How do you feel about that?” Fan Tianlei asked with a smile, straightforward and sincere.

Qin Yuan was indeed outstanding, but there were many excellent people in the military. In fact, among all industries worldwide, the military harbored the greatest concentration of elites, especially in special forces. The harsh survival-of-the-fittest nature of the military meant that those who remained were all former champions.

So, aside from his exceptional skill with poker, Fan Tianlei did not see Qin Yuan as extraordinarily talented—just more outstanding than the average recruit, not yet at the level to be directly retained in special forces.

Lei Zhan was taken aback by this and raised an eyebrow unhappily. “Chief of Staff, isn’t this too polite for a recruit? As soldiers, obeying orders is our duty! What does it mean to be a recruit? A recruit is someone new to the army, completely ignorant of military culture. If they don’t even know basic military knowledge or etiquette, how can they be a soldier?”

Fan Tianlei’s words today were uncharacteristic—unlike the lofty Chief of Staff, he sounded more like a doting elder indulging his grandchild.

Lei Zhan was displeased that such an order was delivered so gently, especially since he himself did not receive such treatment.

“Lei Shen, you mustn’t speak like that. By your logic, then those heroic souls who took up arms without formal training a hundred years ago wouldn’t be soldiers either,” Fan Tianlei sharply reprimanded.

Lei Zhan was shocked; he had never imagined Fan Tianlei would flare up like this over a recruit. Fan Tianlei’s words were severe indeed. Who was this recruit that earned such protection from him? Raising his eyebrows, Lei Zhan was taken aback.

“Chief of Staff, your admonishment is correct. I spoke out of turn and apologize,” Lei Zhan hurriedly admitted.

There was no other choice—Fan Tianlei’s rebuttal left him speechless and made him realize his words had been somewhat rash.

“All right, it’s getting late. Tang Xin, Lei Shen, you two may leave. This time, I will personally take Qin Yuan to familiarize him with the environment and have a meal together. Before nightfall, I’ll escort him to his new unit,” Fan Tianlei said with a smile, waving them off graciously when Lei Shen lowered his head in apology.

“Yes, Chief of Staff!” Lei Shen and Tang Xin respectfully nodded.

Once they had left, Fan Tianlei’s face brightened. “Qin Yuan, you must be hungry after all this. Come, Uncle Fan will take you to experience the army’s cuisine!”

“Sure,” Qin Yuan replied with a faint smile and followed Fan Tianlei out.

As for Lei Shen’s remarks? Qin Yuan didn’t take them to heart. Having been tempered by the casino world, although he still appeared somewhat naive, deep down he had long stood at the center of that universe—the universe of gambling.

“Qin Yuan, my leg is acting up today; you drive, okay?” Fan Tianlei said cheerfully as they approached the jeep outside the office.

As Chief of Staff, Fan Tianlei had his own personal vehicle.

Qin Yuan was momentarily stunned. “Sorry, Chief of Staff, I haven’t gotten my driver’s license yet, so I can’t drive for now.”

Such a simple matter was a stumbling block. Usually, the summer after senior year was the best time to get a license, with group discounts and all. But Qin Yuan had struggled even to pay tuition before, let alone afford driving lessons.

“Oh? Is that so?” Fan Tianlei paused. His right leg had been shot years ago. After more than a decade of training, he could walk almost perfectly with a prosthetic, and his disability was hardly noticeable. But sometimes, the pain was unbearable. Just this afternoon, his leg had been very uncomfortable. Thanks to his grit, he had endured it without showing weakness, but driving was another matter—if the pain flared up and he pressed the wrong pedal, it could be catastrophic.

“By the way, Chief of Staff, although I don’t have a license, I can still handle simple driving. How about I drive slowly?” Qin Yuan suggested, eager to jump into army life and not waste any more time.

In fact, Qin Yuan had another option—he could simply store the vehicle back into his system inventory. Through several attempts, he had gained insight into the system’s selection rewards. Recycling items into the backpack generally granted skill bonuses related to those items.

The thought of driving skills made Qin Yuan’s heart itch—he really didn’t know how to drive yet, but as a man, he couldn’t be without driving skills. Especially after riding in Tang Xin’s car, whose driving was absolutely dazzling. Qin Yuan was envious and eager to develop exceptional driving skills himself.

“All right, then you can give it a try!” Fan Tianlei agreed with a smile, patting his pocket. “I’ll go get my phone; wait for me here.” He turned and entered the office.

“Oh? This is quite an opportunity,” Qin Yuan’s eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he used the system to instantly store the massive jeep into his inventory slot.

And so, the story continued.