Chapter 330: The Stunned Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu! (2/2)

”Un, it was a success,” Wang Chong nodded again.

”How can that be? Who do you think you are trying to fool? You can barely make a roundabout trip to the bandit's den in half an hour, and yet you dare to claim that your assault was a success? Do you really take us to be fools?”

Xu Gan flew into a rage. His operations had taken more than an hour, some even nearly reaching two. Yet, Wang Chong was able to end it in just slightly more than half an hour, and not to mention, he had succeeded in clearing all of the bandits, and during the day, at that!

How could that be possible?

To be spouting blatant lies like that, did he take them to be fools?

”I am also speaking the truth, I did accomplish the task at hand. If you refuse to believe me, there's nothing I can do about it,” Wang Chong shrugged.

”Brat, I suggest you stop uttering lies here. You do know that this mission is assigned by the Bureau of Military Personnel, right? Do you know the consequences of falsely reporting one's accomplishments?” Huang Yongtu warned sternly, clearly refusing to believe Wang Chong's words.

”Zhang Jia and Zhang Yi, come out. Let me ask you, did you really clear away the bandit band?” At this moment, Lieutenant Zhang Lin also arrived at the scene, and he questioned the soldiers sternly.

As the highest-ranking military officer among them, it was his duty to uncover the truth and resolve the conflict.

The two cavalrymen who were named moved away from the formation and bowed deeply before replying earnestly. ”Reporting to Lieutenant Zhang, we have indeed cleared away the bandit band, and not a single person escaped.”

This time, not even Zhang Lin had any words to say.

Unlike Wang Chong, Xu Gan, and Huang Yongtu, who would be returning to the training camps once the mission was over, these men were soldiers in the army, and they were tightly bound by the military laws.

Should they be caught falsely reporting military intelligence, even over the simplest and most insignificant of affairs, they would still be severely punished.

And furthermore, they had their pride and dignity as veteran soldiers, as well. Lying over one's accomplishments was something they would frown upon.

If even they said that Wang Chong had accomplished his mission, then there was no doubt about it.

”Li Kuan and Song Zhu, go up and check. I want to know if the bandits have been truly wiped out,” Xu Gan turned to his men and instructed. He found it difficult to trust Wang Chong just like that.

”Yes, lord.”

The two cavalrymen rode their steeds up the mountain, and when they finally returned half an hour later, the news that they brought back with them left Xu Gan dumbfounded.

All of the bandits in the den had been wiped out clean. Some of them were in their sleep, some were in the midst of their bath, and some were busy cooking when tragedy struck them. The entire area was a mess; pots, plates, and bowls were shattered around the place, but there wasn't any hint of anyone escaping at all.

Wang Chong had truly succeeded in eradicating an entire den.

Facing such an unexpected result, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were stumped. The truth was clear. Regardless of whether they were willing to believe it or not, Wang Chong did eradicate a bandit band.

Of the four of them, only Wang Chong's assault ended in a success.

”Perhaps I might just be lucky, and the bandits I met were particularly weak,” Wang Chong said calmly.

Hearing those words, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu harrumphed coldly. On the other hand, Bai Siling stared deeply at Wang Chong, seemingly trying to evaluate him.

”Brat, count yourself lucky.”

”Let's see how well you can fare the next time.”

Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu turned their heads away angrily.

They were unwilling to believe that a person from Kunwu Training Camp, not to mention younger than them, could fare better than them. In a sense, Wang Chong's explanation did bring them some comfort.

They were much more willing to believe that he merely lucked out.

This assault didn't alleviate the hostility between Wang Chong and Xu Gan. Instead, it only made the two men view Wang Chong with even greater hostility.

On the following journey, the both of them grew more and more distant from Wang Chong. They would avoid interactions if they could, and their platoons were stationed far away from one another. It was clear that they were trying to snub him.

------

Time slowly passed, and eventually, night set in once more.

”Brat, you should go first!”

It was rare that Xu Gan actually passed on the opportunity to Wang Chong instead of leading the attack himself. He was no fool. After a day had passed, news that the government soldiers were conducting a cleanup operation was probably already known by all of the bandits in the area.

The chances of success heading out now would surely be slim. Under such circumstances, Xu Gan didn't believe that Wang Chong would be as lucky as he was in the day.

”Indeed, the both of us went first last night. It is your turn now,” Huang Yongtu nodded in agreement.

He wanted to see if Wang Chong could still be as lucky as before.