Chapter 3: A Bridge Burned

Zhang Liangqiang let out a final, agonizing wail before collapsing. The rest of the class stood frozen, but Hu Hao’s roommates saw exactly what happened: Hu Hao had delivered a brutal kick square to the groin.

“Aaaagh…” Zhang Liangqiang curled into a ball on the floor, trembling. Everyone knew the excruciating pain of a blow to that particular spot.

“Stupid, aren’t you? I told you,” Hu Hao said, standing over him with a cold smile. “I told you if I was sent to the 87th, I’d finish the job. That first kick was just a warning.”

“You… what… what are you doing?” Zhang Liangqiang stuttered through the pain, his eyes wide with terror.

“What am I doing? Ha!” Hu Hao didn’t waste words. He stepped forward, adjusting his stance.

“Hao-zi, stop!” Zhang’s lackeys finally found their voices, but they stayed back. The rest of the students watched in shock as the realization set in.

“Stay out of it!” Hu Hao barked. Before Zhang could react, Hu Hao kicked his protective hands aside. Then, with two precise, heavy strikes, he followed through on his promise.

“AGH—!” Zhang Liangqiang gave one sharp cry and blacked out. Blood began to seep through his uniform.

“No way…” The students nearby stared, eyes bulging. Hu Hao had actually done it. He had ruined Zhang Liangqiang.

“He lied and said I kicked him once before,” Hu Hao said casually. “I’m just making his dream come true.”

“Holy crap…” someone muttered.

“Quick! Get him to the hospital! Move! Dammit, this is a disaster!” Zhang’s sycophants scrambled to lift him, joined by a few others who were close to him.

“Hao-zi, are you insane? We’re graduating today, and you pull a stunt like this?” Mo Qin looked at his friend, struggling to find the words.

“What are you standing around for? You want to die? Run!” Liang Wanyu yelled, her face flushed as she glared at Hu Hao.

“Run? Where?” Hu Hao shrugged. “Let them arrest me. Better to be in a cell than on the front lines.”

“Are you an idiot? Run Southwest!” Liang Wanyu snapped. “Once his family hears about this, they won’t put you in a cell—they’ll put you in the ground. You won’t even get a chance to see a courtroom. Go! Now!”

“She’s right. Move! Get a flight to Langcheng, report to the 27th Army HQ immediately,” Wang Yao urged. “I’ll grab your things!”

“I’m booking your ticket. Hand over your ID!” Dong Qipeng shouted, reaching into Hu Hao’s pocket to grab his credentials.

“I’ll hail a cab. We leave now!” Mo Qin added. The three of them sprang into a coordinated frenzy.

“Why are you so reckless?” Liang Wanyu asked, looking at him.

“Me? Reckless? He’s the reckless one,” Hu Hao laughed. “I’m being sent to a war zone where I could die any second. Why should I care if he’s a General’s grandson?”

Liang Wanyu rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t argue with the logic. If a man is headed for a meat grinder, he might as well settle his scores first.

“Hey, I’ve been chasing you for three years,” Hu Hao teased. “Aren’t you going to give me a parting gift?”

“Get lost! I’ve been rejecting you for three years for a reason. You’re hopeless!” she barked.

“Hao-zi, go! Move!” Dong Qipeng interrupted. “We’ll mail your other stuff to your hometown. Wang Yao is heading to the gate with your bag. Run!”

“Right. Thanks, guys. I owe you a meal. If I make it back alive, it’s on me—and not at the campus cafeteria either!” Hu Hao took his ID and grinned.

Liang Wanyu pulled out her wallet—she only had 200 credits. “Who has cash?” she asked the room.

“I do!” “Here!” The surrounding students, moved by the sheer audacity of the moment, emptied their wallets. Liang Wanyu collected the pile and thrust it into Hu Hao’s hands.

“Take it. When you land in Langcheng, take a taxi straight to the base. Do NOT use an ATM or a bank card. The Zhang family will track the transaction instantly,” she warned.

“Thanks. I won’t forget this,” Hu Hao said, stashing the cash.

“Just get out of here before you’re killed!” she cursed him.

“Come on, give me a kiss. For the sake of three years and a trip to the front?” Hu Hao smirked.

“GET OUT! Or I’ll kill you myself!” she screamed.

“Heh. Just wait, woman. I’ll have you in my bed sooner or later!” Hu Hao called over his shoulder as he bolted for the door.

“Man, Hao-zi has some serious balls,” one student remarked as he watched him go.

“If I were him, I’d have done the same. If they’re sending me to die on the front the day I graduate, why hold back?” another added.

“Exactly. Zhang Liangqiang had it coming.” The consensus in the room shifted; in the face of a death sentence like the Southwest front, the old rules of hierarchy seemed small.

Hu Hao met his roommates at the gate. Mo Qin already had a taxi waiting.

“Where’s Wang Yao? What’s taking him so long?” Mo Qin paced nervously.

“Guys, thanks. Five years… I’m sorry it ended like this,” Hu Hao said, genuinely touched.

“Shut up. We’re brothers, aren’t we? Just come back alive and buy us that dinner,” Mo Qin said.

“He’s here!” Dong Qipeng pointed. Wang Yao sprinted toward them, a camouflage rucksack swinging from his shoulder.

“Huff… huff… Go! Get in!” Wang Yao threw the bag into the trunk.

“Come here, brothers.” Hu Hao pulled them into a brief, tight huddle.

“Hao-zi, just come back. Forget the glory, forget the medals. Just stay alive,” Wang Yao said, clapping him on the back.

“Yeah. Life is what matters.” “Don’t you dare die on us. You still owe us that feast!”

“I hear you. I’m coming back,” Hu Hao promised.

“Go! No more time!” Mo Qin shoved him into the car and slammed the door. “Drive!”

As the taxi sped away, the three roommates stood at the gate, watching until it vanished.

“I never realized it, but Hao-zi is a real man,” Wang Yao sighed.

“I just hope he makes it. That’s all,” Mo Qin agreed.

“Anyway… let’s go find out if Zhang’s junk is actually gone for good,” Dong Qipeng added with a sigh.

“Hahaha!” The tension finally broke as the three of them burst into laughter.

Five hours later, Hu Hao landed in Langcheng. He took a cab toward the 27th Army Headquarters. While in the car, he turned on his phone to message Wang Yao.

“Are you crazy? Turn it off!” Wang Yao’s voice was a frantic whisper; he was currently in the graduation ceremony. “Zhang’s grandfather is out for blood. Both of his ‘eggs’ are shattered. He’s going to kill you!”

“Ah. Right.” Hu Hao hung up, powered down the phone, popped out the SIM card, and tossed it out the window. He had his classmates’ numbers saved to the device; he could just buy a new card later.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Hospital in the capital…

Zhang Liangqiang was in surgery. Outside, a Lieutenant General, a Major General, and several staff officers waited in grim silence. The Royal Hospital was the most exclusive facility in the city, reserved for the elite.

The “In Surgery” light finally flickered off. An elderly doctor in a white coat stepped out.

“Dr. Wang, my grandson—is he alright?” the Lieutenant General asked, his voice trembling.

“He will live. But… his ‘lineage’ is gone,” the doctor said, shaking his head. “General Zhang, the damage was catastrophic. It was crushed beyond repair. Even a miracle couldn’t save his ability to father children. I could only save his life.”

“What?” The old General nearly collapsed. Zhang Liangqiang was the only grandson—the sole heir to the Zhang line.

“That bastard! Find him! Kill him on sight!” the Major General—Zhang’s father—roared at the officers behind him.

“Report!” a Major stepped forward. “We checked the academy. He’s gone. He took a flight to the 27th Army Headquarters. Based on the flight time, he’s already landed.”

“Damn him!” the father cursed.

“Give me my phone,” the old Lieutenant General said, his voice cold with suppressed rage. “I’m calling Li Tianyuan, the Commander of the 27th Army.”