“Hmm, he’s a strange coward—looks honest on the outside, but he’s definitely a sleazy scoundrel.” That’s how everyone who knows William Carter describes him.

William Carter’s nature is indeed quite lecherous.

Ordinary-looking and a bit chubby, William Carter liked to hang around girls back in school. He always claimed his ancestor was the famous Bai Guang, but no one paid him any attention. Still, he never tired of it.

This man is very patient in what he does, and always manages to find a different approach to problems. You can tell just by looking at why William Carter joined the army—his reasoning is truly beyond most people’s comprehension.

His only reason for enlisting was actually to lose weight.

For William Carter, there were actually quite a few reasons. First, he thought he was lazy—so lazy it was getting out of hand. So, he decided to turn over a new leaf. Second, he thought he was too fat. Since leaving school, he’d gained over twenty pounds. If he kept gaining twenty pounds a year, then in ten years… William Carter couldn’t even imagine it. Third, he really wasn’t someone with perseverance or the ability to endure hardship. If no one supervised him, his weight-loss plan probably wouldn’t last even a day. So, seeing that the world was at peace, William Carter resolutely joined the army. During the enlistment physical, a beautiful female military doctor discovered that this chubby guy had stamina completely out of proportion to his body—he could run fast, move nimbly, and had surprisingly good endurance. William Carter proudly said, “Miss, my family has passed down a set of light-footed martial arts—‘Traveling Alone for Ten Thousand Miles,’ a quick blade technique, and three hundred sixty-five bedroom skills.” The female doctor nodded, made a bold stroke on her clipboard, and tossed this descendant of Tian Boguang into the special training squad. “Tian Boguang, right? If you dare flirt with me, you’d better be ready to suffer.”

Of course, William Carter isn’t really a descendant of Tian Boguang—he just idolizes that infamous rogue. But in terms of talent, his speed and endurance really are outstanding.

Once he entered the special training squad, William Carter realized just how serious the consequences of a foul mouth could be. The special training squad is the Lelei Federation Army’s special talent training camp. Any new recruit with special abilities gets put into this camp, where they undergo intensive training before being assigned to a department that suits their strengths. Some people have incredible calculation abilities—if they make it through the camp without being eliminated, they can join the operations planning department or logistics management, putting their extraordinary skills to use. Computers can’t calculate everything, but what computers can’t do, these people can. There are also those with sharp noses, keen ears, strong sixth senses, exceptional physical strength, great power, nimble hands, or outstanding academic performance in a particular subject at school. Such people are usually assigned to departments where they can best use their talents after the training ends.

William Carter was assigned to the reconnaissance training squad.

With today’s technology, almost any designated target can be monitored. Note: that’s designated targets—if you don’t know where the target is, or haven’t designated it, there’s still no way to monitor it. That’s where reconnaissance soldiers come in. Especially in ground combat, their role is crucial. High-altitude reconnaissance planes, spy satellites, and space reconnaissance ships are powerful, but even they can be fooled. Modern electronic technology can create all kinds of illusions to deceive radars and cameras in the sky—all it takes is a jamming transmitter. Plus, airspace is always fiercely contested; if you lose air superiority and don’t have reconnaissance soldiers, you can’t fight at all.

Reconnaissance soldier?

That was practically a death sentence for William Carter. This kind of life-risking job—how could William Carter do it? Even if he could, he wouldn’t! To William Carter, life is the most precious thing. He wouldn’t risk himself for any reason. Greedy, lustful, cowardly, and afraid of death—these are the common flaws of William Carter’s generation. It’s just that William Carter is more straightforward and shameless about it than most. No amount of ideological work could change his mind; he was as stubborn as a mule, refusing to report to the reconnaissance training squad.

But things weren’t up to William Carter. In the army, does a new recruit get to decide? After a brutal beating from the reconnaissance instructor, William Carter’s resolve to resist was completely broken.

Before beating him up, the instructor asked, “Why don’t you want to be a reconnaissance soldier?”

“Reconnaissance is too dangerous. I’m afraid of dying.”

“Good. Either you die as a reconnaissance soldier, or I beat you to death right now.”

Crack! Whack! Bam!

“Are you going or not?”

“I’ll go!”

A wise man submits to circumstances.

“Pah, scoundrel. Won’t go if I coax you, but you’ll go if I beat you,” the burly instructor said as he left.

William Carter lay on the ground, trying hard to make himself feel happy. He thought, “Damn it, it’s peacetime. It’s just reconnaissance training, not actual combat—what’s there to be afraid of?”

“When I finish learning all this reconnaissance stuff, instructor? I’ll take on ten of you with one hand!”

Classic mental self-consolation.

So, he cheerfully got up from the ground and followed the instructor to report in.