Chapter 5: The First Lesson
The moment Butcher’s grin split across his scarred face and those chilling words — “Welcome to Hell” — rolled from his lips, a wave of unease swept through the crowd of recruits. Every one of them could feel it: this place was not going to be what they’d imagined. Fear slithered into their hearts, whispering that the days ahead would not just be harsh — they would be merciless.
Butcher stood tall before them, legs apart, hands clasped behind his back. The setting sun burned red behind him, outlining his muscular frame in molten gold. The eight-faced Buddha tattoo carved into his chest glowed like something alive, giving him the air of a war god — one forged in blood and fire.
When he finally spoke, his voice was deep and calm, like thunder rolling over a battlefield.
“From the moment you step through the gates of Azurebird Camp, from the moment you wear that tag around your neck, you are soldiers — the lowest of the low, but soldiers nonetheless. I don’t have much to say about who you were before. You only need to remember one thing about being a soldier…”
The new recruits braced themselves.
Chen Ning expected something about protecting the nation, defending humanity, destroying zombies, or fighting for world peace.
Instead, Butcher’s voice cracked through the silence like a whip.
“A soldier’s duty is obedience. Absolute obedience. That is the only thing you need to learn here.”
For a moment, the recruits blinked, unsure if they’d heard right. Just obedience?
Then, like a tension breaking, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the ranks. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.
Butcher didn’t waste time talking. He ordered his instructors to divide the thousand recruits into ten units, a hundred in each unit. Chen Ning was assigned to Unit Nine.
Their group instructor, a sharp-eyed man nicknamed Hawk, barked orders:
They were to head to the base cafeteria, grab your utensils, line up, and serve yourselves. Each person had to take one serving of rice, one bowl of soup, one meat dish, and one vegetable. Everyone would eat standing up — no exceptions. When finished, they were to return their dishes to the wash area and assemble back at the training field within thirty minutes.
When Hawk demanded, “Do you understand?”
The recruits answered in unison, “We understand!”
“Do you look like soldiers or little girls? Louder!”
“UNDERSTOOD!” they shouted again, their voices shaking the air.
Most of them came from the slums — scavengers and paupers who’d spent their lives starving. Now, at last, they were promised real food and a soldier’s meal. The thought alone made them eager, hopeful even. They forgot the massacre at the gates, forgot Butcher’s icy warning about hell. For a fleeting moment, the Azurebird Camp felt like salvation.
They followed Hawk to the cafeteria — a massive hall that could feed five thousand people at once. Inside were four distinct areas: the kitchen, the food section, the dining area, and the dish zone. Even the dining area was split — tables and chairs on one side, and a wide open space for those ordered to eat standing.
As they stepped in, excited gasps echoed across the hall.
On the long tables of the food section lay heaps of dishes — golden fried chickens, braised pork, roasted duck legs, red-braised fish, thick steaks glistening with sauce.
For people who’d known only hunger, it was paradise.
Several recruits broke ranks immediately, lunging at the tables, grabbing food with their bare hands, shoving it into their mouths.
For a heartbeat, Chen Ning almost joined them — but then Butcher’s cold words flashed in his mind.
Absolute obedience.
He forced himself to stay put. Hawk had clearly ordered to take the dishes in proper order, one dish of each type. Chen Ning glanced around — the instructors standing at the corner weren’t stopping the chaos. They simply watched, silent and expressionless, their eyes glinting like knives.
Something in his gut told him this was a test.
He quietly joined the few recruits who obeyed the rules — taking a tray, lining up, waiting. It took twenty minutes before he reached the front. While others stacked their plates high with meat, Chen Ning took exactly what was allowed: one scoop of rice, one bowl of soup, one vegetable, and one drumstick.
He ate standing, as ordered. It wasn’t comfortable, but rules were rules. Around him, many had chosen otherwise. Several of the richer recruits — sons of noble families — sat at the empty tables, eating leisurely as if they were back home.
One of them, a young man in fine clothes, sat with two bulky followers. His name was Liu Xi, from the wealthy Liu family of Vermilion Phoenix City.
In the time of chaos, not every heir of a noble clan was a spoiled young master. In truth, those born to great families started higher, learned better, and grew sharper than ordinary people—more capable, more brilliant, and far more ambitious.
Liu Xi was a man of talent and ambition. From a young age, he had trained his body relentlessly, forging strength beyond his peers. Joining the Azurebird Camp was his first step—to earn glory through the army and carve out a brighter future for himself.
When Liu Xi’s eyes fell on Chen Ning — calm, silent, eating alone — he saw something different.
A lone wolf.
He smirked and called out, “Hey, kid! Come here. I’ve got something to say to you.”
Chen Ning looked up, frowned slightly, and went back to his meal without a word.
Liu Xi’s two lackeys, Xu Qiang and Gao Feng, exchanged looks and swaggered over.
“Didn’t you hear Young Master Liu talking to you?” Gao Feng sneered. “Are you deaf or just stupid?”
At the name of Young Master Liu, Chen Ning’s head snapped up. His gaze sharpened. “Liu?”
Liu Xi rose, pride flashing across his face. “That’s right. Liu Xi, of the Liu family from Vermilion Phoenix City.”
Vermilion Phoenix City… the name hit Chen Ning like a blade to the gut.
Liu Ming. The man who’d stolen his wife and daughter.
His voice dropped, cold as ice. “Liu Ming — what’s he to you?”
Liu Xi blinked, surprised. “My cousin. You know him?”
“No.” Chen Ning’s tone was flat. No… but I owe him blood.
Liu Xi chuckled, mistaking Chen Ning’s tone for humility. “Hehe. A slum rat like you never had the chance to know someone from my family anyway. But don’t worry — become my lacky, and maybe one day I’ll introduce you to my cousin.”
To him, offering Chen Ning to follow him was an act of generosity. He expected gratitude — not what came next.
Chen Ning shot him a glare filled with sheer disgust, spat on the ground, right in front of him, then turned and walked away.
The cafeteria went silent for a heartbeat.
Liu Xi’s smile froze, disbelief flooding his face. “This… this dog from the slums dares—?”
His two followers growled. “He’s too arrogant, Young Master Liu! Let us beat him up!”
But Liu Xi noticed one of the instructors watching from across the hall. “Not today,” he hissed. “It’s only the first day. There’ll be time enough to deal with him later.”
Chen Ning returned his tray to the washing area and headed for the training ground. Moments later, the shrill whistles of the instructors cut through the air — assembly time.
As the recruits lined up, Butcher strode in again, flanked by Hawk and a squad of Aurebird soldiers. His face was cold as ice.
“I told you,” he said coldly, “that this place is hell — and that a soldier’s only duty is obedience. Hawk gave you clear orders. Some of you chose to ignore them.”
His eyes swept the crowd like a predator sizing up prey. “Those who disobeyed — who took extra food, who sat where they shouldn’t, who broke the rules — step to the left. The rest, to the right.”
Silence fell.
A few trembling recruits shuffled left, their faces pale.
“This is your last chance,” Butcher warned.
More followed — shame-faced, frightened.
Butcher nodded once. “Good. Hawk — ten lashes each.”
Steel-wire whips cracked through the air. The sound was sickening — flesh tearing, screams rising. A few weaker ones didn’t even survive the full punishment, collapsing into lifeless heaps before the tenth strike fell.
The rest stood frozen, faces drained of blood. Chen Ning’s hands clenched at his sides.
Then Butcher’s voice boomed again.
“Some of you still think you can deceive me. Think I didn’t see you. For those who break orders and dare to lie—there is only one punishment: death.”
He raised his hand. “Do it.”
Armed soldiers advanced in pairs, each seizing a recruit by the arms. Efficient. Silent. In moments, over a hundred recruits were dragged to the edge of the field.
Chen Ning’s heart pounded. Just as his guts told him — it was a test, the instructors had been watching everything. Every rule broken, every disobedient act, all noted and marked.
The condemned recruits screamed, begged, cried out for mercy. One well dressed youth shouted in desperation, “You can’t kill me! I’m He Chang of the He family from Vermilion Phoenix City! My father is General He Jinhua—!”
Butcher walked straight to him, yanked a rifle from a soldier’s hands, and emptied the magazine into the man’s chest.
The boy’s body convulsed under the hail of bullets before falling still — a crimson ruin.
Butcher wasn’t done. He slammed the rifle butt down onto the corpse’s head again and again, snarling,
“Even in death, you’re an eyesore!”
Then he turned, his glare sweeping the terrified ranks.
“Remember this,” he roared. “In my camp, your past means nothing. Your family means nothing. If you disobey an order — you die. That is the law of Azurebird Camp.”
The word “execute” cracked through the air.
Gunfire erupted.
Over a hundred recruits fell where they stood — lifeless bodies sprawled across the training field.
As the gunfire faded into silence, Chen Ning finally understood why Butcher had greeted them with, “Welcome to Hell.”
This… was their first lesson.
ABSOLUTE OBEDIENCE.
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