When the lieutenant colonel looked at her, his gaze was clearly somewhat heated.
"I don't believe he's that impressive. Since Yuxue praised him, what rank do you think he could reach? Second Class Private?"
Long Yuxue shook her head.
"First Class Private."
"Impossible," the lieutenant colonel said in surprise. "You should know how difficult it is for a recruit to be rated as a First Class Private. In the Blood God Legion, the difficulty of increasing rank without military merit is something we all know very well!"
Long Yuxue seemed unwilling to pay much attention to him and simply turned around to continue lining up.
The lieutenant colonel seemed used to her attitude. He turned to look at Gu You.
"Kid, Yuxue says you can reach First Class Private?"
"I don't know either. Their evaluation standards are too complicated. Even now I don't know what my overall performance score is," Gu You replied, shaking his head.
"I don't believe it. What are you best at?" the lieutenant colonel asked.
Meanwhile, Jiang Qiyue stood beside them, watching Gu You with curiosity.
Gu You frowned slightly.
Did this guy just treat me like a romantic rival?
From the way the lieutenant colonel looked at Long Yuxue, he could tell the man clearly liked the major. This situation was simply trouble falling from the sky.
"Strength," Gu You said calmly.
Not wanting trouble didn't mean he would tolerate everything. In the military, strength still spoke the loudest.
The lieutenant colonel burst out laughing.
"Strength? Good! Then let's compete. If you can last three seconds against me, I'll believe you can be promoted to First Class Private."
Gu You's expression turned cold.
"Whether you believe I can be promoted or not seems unrelated to me. Why should I compete with you?"
Jiang Qiyue's eyes widened. Even Long Yuxue in front turned around in surprise.
There was a saying: newborn calves aren't afraid of tigers. Many recruits came here full of confidence, but most of them ended badly.
The lieutenant colonel didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at Gu You with interest.
"Then what do you think would make it worth competing with me?"
Gu You suddenly smiled, his expression gentle.
"Officer, I just arrived here and don't even have military merits to buy food. How about we gamble a meal? If I win, you pay for me to eat my fill at any window here."
The lieutenant colonel sized him up.
"Alright. Deal. If you lose, I won't make things difficult. Come to my place and wash my clothes for a month. How about that?"
The request wasn't harsh, and Gu You's negative impression of the lieutenant colonel softened slightly. At least he wasn't going overboard.
But did this man really understand what kind of bet he had just made?
A trace of pity appeared in Gu You's heart.
"So how do we compete?" he asked.
"Simple. Handshake contest. Whoever admits defeat first loses."
As he spoke, the lieutenant colonel extended his large fan-like hand.
Gu You looked at Jiang Qiyue and Long Yuxue.
"Could the two officers act as witnesses?"
Jiang Qiyue sighed lightly.
"Handsome boy, washing my brother's clothes for a month isn't a bad thing. You can learn some combat experience from him."
Gu You smiled.
"Officer, are you so sure I'll lose?"
Jiang Qiyue giggled.
"You seem very confident. Then I'll add another bet. If you win, I'll also treat you to a meal. If you lose, you wash my clothes for a month too. Underwear excluded."
As soon as she said this, the surrounding soldiers watching the excitement burst into laughter.
Gu You didn't get angry. He simply smiled.
"Alright."
As he spoke, he extended his hand and shook hands with the lieutenant colonel.
The lieutenant colonel raised his eyebrows.
"Recruit, remember my name. Jiang Wuyue."
Gu You's mouth twitched.
This family really saves effort when naming their children…
The difference in hand size between Jiang Wuyue and Gu You was obvious. Gu You's fingers were longer and more slender, but Jiang Wuyue's palm was extremely thick and broad, like a bear's paw, forming a sharp contrast with Gu You's fair, elegant-looking hand.
The two hands quickly clasped together.
"Pure strength contest! No soul power or martial spirits allowed!" Jiang Qiyue cheered excitedly from the side.
A mischievous smile appeared on Jiang Wuyue's face as he slowly began to exert strength.
What he didn't see was the pity flashing in Long Yuxue's eyes.
Competing in pure strength with someone who could physically clash with Ba'an—Jiang Wuyue really had the brain of a pig.
Gu You also smiled calmly, his right hand naturally holding Jiang Wuyue's.
"Hmm?" After a moment, Jiang Wuyue's expression changed.
He felt as though he wasn't gripping a hand at all, but rather a piece of extremely hard rare metal. No matter how much force he applied, the other hand didn't move at all, and Gu You's expression remained completely relaxed.
This guy…
There was no fluctuation of soul power. That meant it was purely physical strength.
Could this pretty-faced kid's strength really be…
The surrounding Blood God Legion soldiers also began to notice something strange.
Three seconds? Ten seconds had already passed.
Jiang Wuyue had said earlier that if Gu You lasted three seconds, he would win.
Among officers below the rank of colonel in the Blood God Legion, Jiang Wuyue's strength ranked in the top three. Yet this recruit facing him seemed completely unaffected.
That meant his strength was at least equal to Jiang Wuyue's.
"Officer, the time has already passed," Gu You said innocently.
Jiang Wuyue felt unwilling to accept defeat and increased his strength with his right hand. His expression became serious.
So many people were watching—his pride couldn't take the embarrassment.
Gu You sighed softly.
He had intended to give Jiang Wuyue a way out, but the man clearly wasn't willing to give up.
His fingers slowly tightened.
Jiang Wuyue suddenly felt as if an iron clamp had locked onto his hand. The pressure kept tightening regardless of his will. His strength was being crushed and swallowed like rotten wood before a storm.
Sharp pain began spreading from his bones.
His face turned green.
Only then did Jiang Wuyue realize that this recruit's strength far exceeded his own.
At that moment, the pressure suddenly disappeared.
Gu You's hand returned to its relaxed state.
Jiang Wuyue immediately understood what Gu You meant. He wasn't truly stupid.
He quickly released his grip and raised his eyebrows.
"Very good. Being able to hold out against me for so long means you're a promising talent."
"I'll report to the higher-ups. Our First Close Combat Battalion wants you."
(End of Chapter)