"What the hell? Can he fly?" Victor, the Third Battalion Commander, stood at the base of the cliff with his mouth hanging open.
"I told you, this kid knows martial arts!" Commissar Ren said, full of envy. "Commander, you'd better tell your little sister to step up her game. A man like that is a once-in-a-lifetime catch! Honestly, if my cousin could bag a guy like him, I'd be riding his coattails for the rest of my life!"
"Shut up. If you mention your cousin again, I'll beat you myself!" Ryan snapped. "Look, the rope is down."
Once the first soldier had tied the rope securely around his waist, Victor gave a loud shout to signal he was ready. Up above, Ethan flicked his wrist and began to pull. Since his enhanced vision allowed him to see everything clearly through the fog, and his physical strength was off the charts, he hoisted the man up effortlessly. In the blink of an eye, the first soldier reached the ledge.
After pulling eight men up, Ethan leaped to the next level and hoisted them up again, repeating the process until the first group reached the top. Then he climbed back down to haul up the horses and supplies. Even with his martial arts and a body refined by Spiritual Water, hauling thousands of pounds up a sheer cliff was exhausting. Halfway through, he had to slip into his Ring Space to drink some Spiritual Water and cycle the Ease Immortal Spell to recover his stamina before continuing.
In the end, only Blackie and Whiskers were left at the bottom. But they didn't need Ethan's help. While they couldn't jump a hundred feet into the air like him, their sharp claws dug into the rock face, and they scaled the sheer cliff with terrifying speed. The soldiers watched in stunned silence, cursing inwardly. The owner is a freak of nature, and his pets are just as freakish!
By noon, the group finally reached the summit. Ryan looked around and nodded in absolute satisfaction.
The plateau was vast and incredibly flat, dotted with trees and natural springs. Best of all, they were completely above the fog line. The clear blue sky, white clouds, and lush green scenery stretched out for miles. It was breathtaking.
The soldiers got right to work. Some tethered the horses, while others started singing military tunes as they set up the camp stoves to cook lunch. They all knew they would never have found this perfect location without Ethan's hard work, so the entire unit unanimously agreed they had to properly toast him today.
Victor, feeling particularly showy, was humming a tune while using his new short sword to carve a large rock into a stone bench, slicing through the solid stone like it was tofu.
"Hey, Brother Victor. How's the sword treating you?" Ethan asked with a smile as he walked over.
"Are you kidding? Look who gave it to me! Anything from my brother Ethan is bound to be a masterpiece. This sword is incredible!" Victor shamelessly flattered him.
"Glad you like it. Now, what about the item you promised me?" Ethan chuckled.
"Oh, right! Look at my memory. I'll get it right now." Victor quickly sheathed the sword and strode over to his pack. He rummaged through it and pulled out a brand-new, heavy-duty automatic rifle.
Ryan, who was smoking nearby, immediately gestured for Zack to bring over an ammo box containing a thousand rounds.
"So?" Ryan walked over, eyeing Ethan suspiciously. "Do you want me to teach you how to shoot first so you don't hurt yourself?"
"Ha. You talk big," Ethan smirked. "Just because you're a soldier doesn't mean I don't know my way around a gun. Wanna make a bet?"
"Oh, you wanna bet?!" Ryan scoffed. "I'll admit, I can't beat your martial arts, and I don't know the first thing about medicine. But if I can't outshoot a civilian, I'll jump right off this cliff! I'll show you how a real marksman shoots!"
Hearing that their commander was going to have a shooting match with Ethan, the soldiers quickly crowded around, laughing and making their own bets.
"Brother Ethan is definitely going to lose this one," one soldier muttered.
"Don't be so sure!" another argued. "Brother Ethan is basically a god. How could he possibly lose?"
Ryan asked Zack to hand him his rifle. He pointed to a tree with bright red leaves about 300 meters to their left. "See that red-leaf tree? We each take ten shots. Whoever shoots down the most leaves wins. If you lose, you give me that machete of yours. Deal?"
Ethan chuckled. "Brother, you already have a short sword. Why do you want my machete?"
"Heh. While the short sword is sharp enough to cut iron, I'm not as reckless as Victor. I can't bear to ruin the edge by chopping rocks and trees! I'm planning to pass that down as a family heirloom. But a machete is different. I can give it to the men to chop down trees and build the barracks."
"Fair enough. No problem," Ethan agreed. "But if I win, you have to give me your big white horse." He pointed toward Ryan's striking white steed.
Ryan was stunned. He hadn't expected Ethan to ask for military livestock. He could easily explain away missing ammo by claiming they ran into wild beasts during training. But how was he supposed to write off a missing warhorse as combat damage?
Suddenly, an idea struck him. Ah! The path up here was incredibly treacherous. I'll just report that the horse slipped and fell off the cliff.
Having figured out a loophole, Ryan laughed and waved his hand. "Alright! You're on!"
"Look how sneaky the boss is. He's totally trying to scam Brother Ethan out of his machete," a soldier whispered with a grin.
"Quiet, you! He's doing it for us. Think about it—with a machete that sharp, logging and building will be a breeze!" another soldier replied. "But yeah... the commander is definitely being a bit shameless right now."
"Who said that?! Who said I'm scamming him?!" Ryan barked, glaring at his men. "You ungrateful brats! I bust my back for you, and this is how you repay me? I ought to deal with you all later!"
He turned back to Ethan. "Alright, kid. Do you want to go first, or should I?"
"After you. Let me see how a real commander shoots!" Ethan gestured for him to proceed.
Ryan didn't waste any more breath. He raised his rifle, pressed the stock to his shoulder, and took aim.
Up on the plateau, the mountain winds were fierce, making the leaves on the tree sway erratically. Combined with the 300-meter distance, the environmental factors made it a highly difficult shot. Out of ten shots, Ryan successfully hit six leaves. Even so, considering the conditions, it earned a burst of enthusiastic applause from the soldiers.
"Haha! The wind's a bit strong today, so I wasn't at my best. But six is more than enough to win," Ryan bragged, lowering his rifle. "By the way, do you even know how to hold that thing? Try not to shoot yourself in the foot!"
"Haha, Commander, it's fine even if he does shoot his own foot!" Victor slapped his thigh, laughing. "Brother Ethan is a miracle doctor anyway! What does he have to worry about?"
Ethan just smiled. He walked over to his duffel bag, unzipped it, shoved the newly acquired automatic rifle inside, and pulled out his trusty Type-92 police pistol—the one he had secretly soaked in Spiritual Water.
"What the... Brother Ethan, don't tell me you're planning to use a pistol?" Commissar Ren slapped his forehead, laughing in disbelief. "How is a handgun supposed to reach that far?"
"Hahaha! I told you this kid has never played with guns before! Having a license means nothing without proper training!" Ryan grinned from ear to ear. "Just hand over the machete now!"
"Heh. Who says a pistol can't shoot that far?" Ethan said confidently, racking the slide. "Maybe a normal pistol can't. But my gun? Forget 300 meters—whether it's 500 meters or a full kilometer, it'll hit the mark every single time!"