"You know, whipping people into shape isn't part of my paygrade. If you have additional work for me, I'd like to request a raise." Bayonet chuckled. Of course, he was joking. He had nothing better to do anyway. This would at least add a bit of amusement to his day. In his eyes, Wang Duo and the rest were still young and inexperienced. Looking at them, he couldn't help but recall some old memories. He deeply sighed. The past couldn't be changed. He had already left the military long ago.
Nie Yan smiled. "Help me train these guys. I trust General Yuntian won't be stingy."
Mo Yuntian examined Bayonet more closely. Bayonet looked somewhat familiar. However, they weren't acquainted. He wouldn't forget an individual like Bayonet.
As Bayonet walked forward, Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others felt a heavy pressure bear down on them. Their hearts shivered. When they gazed at him, a peculiar light flickered in their eyes.
Damn, this guy is not to be messed with. Thinking about how this kind of top expert would be training them, they felt their blood boiling with excitement.
Bayonet swept his gaze over the trainees. His lips curved into a sadistic grin. "I can train you guys, no problem. The question is whether you guys can endure it or not. Those of you who can't tolerate some pain should scram right now!"
Bayonet's words sparked a hint of anger in their hearts. Wang Duo said in a serious tone, "We won't shrink back!"
"Good, you guys better remember those words," Bayonet said. Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others' zeal made him recall his early days in the military when he was only 16.
At this moment, Mo Yuntian received an urgent call. After saying a few words, he bid everyone farewell and departed.
Nie Yan left Wang Duo, Lin Yi, and the others in the care of Bayonet. He would likely have no problem dealing with this group.
Nie Yan happened to catch the reminiscing look in Bayonet's eyes. His mind trembled. Ever since he recruited Bayonet, aside from a few things related to his profession, he never spoke about why he became a mercenary, his own personal history, or anything in that sphere. He was definitely a man with a story!
However, Nie Yan had no intention of prying into Bayonet's history. If he wanted to win someone over to his side, respecting their privacy was important.
Mo Yuntian had already prepared an apartment for the trainees close to Nie Yan and Xie Yao's residence. Furthermore, he had reserved this gymnasium as their training grounds.
After handing everything over to Bayonet, Nie Yan, Xiao Yu, and Lei Su walked out of the gymnasium.
"You really lucked out this time, didn't you? You get to be the instructor of all these elite soldiers. It'll definitely help you build your connections in the future. Still, I can't believe it... 25- to 26-year-old senior colonels and major generals. They're all important figures in the military. If they can enter the 12th Mech Armoured Corps, their influence will increase even more. When you're sitting high atop the clouds in the future, you better not forget us brothers!" Xiao Yu chuckled, patting Nie Yan's shoulder.
Nie Yan chuckled. He knew Xiao Yu was just joking. Xiao Yu's family was influential both in the political and business world. On the other hand, he was only just starting to make a name for himself. Even if another several decades passed, he wouldn't necessarily be able to overtake Xiao Yu.
"General Yuntian invited you to participate in the selection exams for the 12th Armoured Mech Corps! How could you refuse!? Do you even know what kind of an existence the 12th Armoured Mech Corps is!? They report directly to the Council of Generals!" Lei Su exclaimed in an aggrieved tone.
"Everyone has their own path," Nie Yan replied calmly.
Lei Su bitterly smiled. Nie Yan's lack of interest left him at his wit's end.
"If you want to join the 12th Mech Armoured Corps so bad, I can try and help you," Nie Yan said.
"Really!?" Lei Su's eyes lit up with excitement.
Nie Yan nodded. With Lei Su's skills, entering the military was only a matter of time. He could throw Lei Su a bone. It wasn't some scheme to have Lei Su owe him or anything. As long as Lei Su could put in a good word for him every now and then, he would be satisfied.
"I, Lei Su, am a man of honour. If you can help me enter the 12th Armoured Mech Corps, I'll forever be in your debt!" Lei Su patted his chest.
"If you prove your strength, I'm sure General Yuntian will give you a chance. During the day, you can train alongside Wang Duo and the others with Bayonet. In the evening, come report to me along with them," Nie Yan said. He already had to train 36 individuals. An extra head wouldn't make a difference. As for Lei Su's grandiose declaration, he didn't take it too seriously and dismissed it with a laugh.
Regardless, today's harvests were quite fruitful for Nie Yan. He had joined Heavenly Kings and finally started building his network of contacts in the Top Military Academy. He had planted the seeds. In the future, they would bloom into beautiful flowers and bear plentiful fruit.
After passing through the corridor on the way out, the three bid farewell to each other and went their separate ways.
Nie Yan returned to class. The rest of the day quickly went by without anything of interest happening. As the final bell rang, he and Xie Yao returned home.
"Nie Yan, we'll have a five-day holiday next week. How about we return to Huahai together?" Xie Yao asked.
"Sure. It's about time we head back and see how everyone is doing anyway. When the time comes, I'll have my father send someone to pick us up." Nie Yan nodded.
"Mhm." Xie Yao brightly smiled
Nie Yan knew Xie Yao was feeling a bit homesick. He gently stroked her fair, white cheeks.
The two ate supper together. When evening came, they entered the game.
Nie Yan appeared in the Cripps Stronghold. Recalling his appointment with Wang Duo and the others, he headed to the transfer point and teleported to the Asskickers United guild office in Calore. Wang Duo and the others arrived in a hurry.
One player after another entered the guild office and organized themselves in rank and file in the inner courtyard. Since their appearances had changed, Nie Yan couldn't tell who was who. Looking at their levels and equipment, he was shocked. None of them were under Level 100, and their gear was excellent, with each one of them having at least one or two pieces of Sub Legendary or Legendary equipment.
This was the first time Nie Yan realized there were still many experts outside of Asskickers United. They were all solo players, unaffiliated with any guilds.
Looking over the players before him, he recognized several familiar names; Unchained King, Deign the World, and several more. In the previous timeline, these were all famous characters. They had each appeared for a time on the leaderboards for Master Classes. However, they disappeared later on and gradually faded from the minds of players.
Nie Yan had once tried recruiting them, but they were impossible to get in touch with. So, he could only give up in the end. He didn't expect all of them to suddenly appear in front of his doorstep today.
Wang Duo and the others focused their attention on Nie Yan. They were all familiar with the resounding fame of Nirvana Flame. With him right before them in the flesh, they felt different than in the gymnasium earlier in the day. The overbearing pressure coming from him caused them to tremble in fear. Recalling his several famous assassinations, they felt a chill behind their necks.
They couldn't help but feel a sense of respect.
"Is everyone here?" Nie Yan asked.
"Reporting in, Instructor. Everyone is accounted for," a Warrior said. They had all learned from Mo Yuntian that Nie Yan was Nirvana Flame. So, they referred to him as instructor.
Nie Yan had no plans of making them change their form of address. He nodded. "Good, state your real names. We'll start with you."
"I'm Wang Duo," a Warrior clad in dark gold bone armour said. His character name was Unchained King.
"I'm Lin Yi," an Arcane Mage in gray robes said. His character name was Deign the World.
...
After all the trainees introduced themselves. Nie Yan finally knew who was who. These were elites of the army. Their innate talents were frighteningly high. The fact they could become high level experts inside the game wasn't surprising at all.
Seeing everyone's character names, Nie Yan also sucked in a cold breath of air. All 36 of them were famous figures in the previous timeline. Nearly half of them had succeeded in reaching their respective Master Class. If such a group were to join the Monet Financial Group or Angel Corps, one could imagine how much of a blow it would be to Asskickers United. Of course, the same held true vice versa.
Nie Yan couldn't help but wonder how many other hidden experts there were in Conviction. If they all gathered together, they'd form an astonishingly powerful force. However, they wouldn't be under the banner of any guild.
Thinking about it, the likelihood of this was pretty high. However, these people wouldn't pose a threat for the time being. Asskickers United had grown to a level where they wouldn't easily be shaken by other powers, especially now that they had taken the lead and produced multiple Master Class players.
The sight of 36 Level 100+ players standing in rank and file was quite spectacular. None of them had started their class advancement quests yet. That was where Nie Yan's job would begin. His first course of action was to determine who was ready to go do their class advancement quest and who still required some more training.
"Hold on a moment. I'm having someone come over to add you into the guild," Nie Yan said. He had already got in touch with Guo Huai. Registering these 36 people to the guild was a simple matter.
"Understood!" all 36 trainees answered in unison.
"Apart from this, I'll also be evaluating your strength. Everyone who meets the requirements will receive some materials from me. Afterwards, they can directly go ahead with their class advancement quests," Nie Yan said.
After a while, Guo Huai rushed out of the transfer point with several people in tow.
"Are we adding all these people into the guild?" Guo Huai was dumbstruck after seeing Wang Duo and the others. Standing neatly in rank and file before him were 36 Level 100+ players. Based on their appearances and the quality of their equipment, he could tell they were definitely experts! After serving as Asskickers United's Executive Guild Leader for so long, he had at least this bit of insight.
Guo Huai had searched every nook and cranny in Calore and several other cities without finding any Level 100+ players. On the other hand, Nie Yan had brought over 36 of them. Just how did he accomplish this!? Just what hole did these experts come crawling out of!?
"Who are these people?" Guo Huai couldn't help but ask. He felt a military-like air from Wang Duo and the others.