NOVEL NEXT chapter 435 - Thunderous Wrist
Snow and ice particles whistled past, and the atmosphere inside the Ice Polar Pass was so heavy it almost froze the /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ air.
The soldiers' eyes darted back and forth between Qin Tian and Duan Guangtai. Some looked worried, fearing the situation would spiral out of control; some sneered, wanting to see the new garrison commander make a fool of himself; others remained indifferent, watching coldly as events unfolded.
Qin Tian suddenly curled his lips into a smile, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Four commanders, step forward again."
After he finished speaking, the four people from Zhaijialu remained rooted to the spot, not even moving an inch.
A few suppressed snickers even rang out from the crowd, clearly indicating that some people thought Qin Tian was making a fool of himself.
Duan Guangtai also looked at Qin Tian with a mocking expression.
Just then, Qin Tian turned to look at him and asked calmly, "Officer Duan, do you know what is most important to a soldier?"
Duan Guang smiled faintly and asked in return, "The Imperial Military Law has many articles; I wonder what General Qin is referring to?"
"Since you don't understand, then I'll give you a proper lesson." Qin Tian said calmly, "As an Imperial soldier, there is only one ironclad rule: obedience, absolute obedience to superiors!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of Zhai Jialu and his three companions changed instantly, and a sense of foreboding rose in their hearts, as if a great calamity was about to befall them.
Qin Tian looked at Zhai Jialu and the other three, a faint purple glint rising in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Zhai Jialu, Qu Feng, Sang Yanhua, Fan Jun! As the garrison commanders and officers of the rank of colonel, you should have set an example, but you have openly disregarded the orders of your superiors!"
Before the words were even finished, the four of them felt a bone-chilling cold rush from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads, as if their very souls were about to be frozen and cracked.
The next second, four violent soul forces suddenly exploded in their minds.
At the same time, shrill screams rang out, and the four people collapsed into the snow, clutching their heads. Blood instantly seeped from their seven orifices, and their bodies convulsed uncontrollably.
"I hereby announce that, effective immediately, Zhai Jialu and the other three are stripped of their positions as regimental commanders and demoted to ordinary soldiers!"
Qin Tian's voice was completely calm: "Anyone who dares to disobey military orders again will be executed without mercy!"
In an instant, a terrifying pressure swept across the entire Ice Extreme Pass, and all the soldiers felt as if their souls were frozen, making it difficult to even breathe.
They looked at the four regimental commanders who had fallen to the ground screaming in agony, then at Qin Tian, whose face remained calm. Their throats bobbed, and their eyes were filled with horror.
It should be noted that those four were genuine fifth-tier psionicists, yet they had no chance to resist in front of the new military leader. What was even more terrifying was the new military leader's ruthless and decisive approach; he immediately targeted Duan Guangtai's men without showing any mercy.
Those who had originally intended to join Duan Guangtai were suddenly jolted, and their previous thoughts were completely extinguished.
On the other side, Duan Guangtai's face turned ashen. Qin Tian's move was not only a fierce counterattack, but also a slap in the face in front of everyone!
"Qin Tian, how dare you use torture on your own soldiers!" Duan Guangtai gritted his teeth and roared, "You are utterly lawless! Do you really think the soldiers of Bingji Pass are your servants to be bullied at will?"
He deliberately addressed Qin Tian by his full name, both to vent his anger and to incite the soldiers' dissatisfaction with Qin Tian.
Qin Tian calmly replied, "Administrator Duan, I am the garrison commander of Bingji Pass, and I have the right to punish those who disobey military orders. If they are dissatisfied, they can file a complaint against me with the Military Supervisory Committee, but as an administrator, you have no right to interfere in any military affairs."
"Qin Tian!"
Duan Guangtai's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning white. How glorious he had been in the Rift Soul Ice Valley! Even the former garrison commander Lu Yuan had to give him some respect. Now, being sent to the godforsaken Ice Extreme Pass was like being demoted from the city to a remote village. He was already seething with resentment, and Qin Tian's series of forceful counterattacks had only fueled his anger to its peak. Qin Tian looked at Duan Guangtai's ashen face and smiled coldly to himself. Since he wanted to establish his authority, he might as well make it even more thorough.
He stepped forward, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable command: "Administrator Duan, the administration of Bingji Pass is under your jurisdiction, but I am very dissatisfied with your current work."
He pointed to the ankle-deep snow at his feet and swept over the remaining snowdrifts in the igloo: "The snow inside the pass is so thick, it seriously affects the soldiers' travel and daily training; if a snow beast attacks, even a one-second delay in assembly due to the snow could cause irreparable casualties—this is playing with the lives of our soldiers!"
"You must personally lead the team to complete the snow removal today. By 7 p.m., I want to see a clean Arctic Pass—not a single snowflake on the ground, and the passageways must be unobstructed."
Qin Tian's gaze was sharp as a knife. "If you fail to complete it, it will be a serious dereliction of duty on your part as an administrator. In that case, you'll have to take a broom and sweep all the snow off the Ice Pole Pass yourself."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers present exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with shock.
No one expected that the new garrison commander, having just dealt with the four regimental commanders, would turn his gun on the administrator.
It snows for more than 70% of the time at Bingji Pass. Even if everyone pitches in to shovel snow, it's impossible to leave not a single snowflake behind. This is clearly the new commander deliberately making things difficult for people.
However, the reason of "delaying the battle and endangering the lives of soldiers" was so grand and irrefutable that Duan Guangtai had no room to refute it.
Duan Guangtai looked at Qin Tian and instantly understood that the other party had completely torn off the mask of civility, not only wanting to suppress him, but also using him to establish his authority.
He suddenly sneered: "What if I don't do it? Qin Tian, do you still want to use the same tactics you use on soldiers to deal with me, an administrator?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sixth-order pressure erupted from his body. He was a sixth-order golden bloodline spiritual energy user, and among those of the same order, apart from the Holy Bloodline Successor, he had never been afraid of anyone.
"Not doing it?" Qin Tian raised his eyes, his gaze calmly landing on him. His tone was emotionless, yet carried a chilling sense of oppression: "Chief Administrator Duan, are you sure you want to disobey orders?"
"how?"
Duan Guangtai took a step forward, and the wind and snow seemed to be forced back by his imposing aura. "You're still planning to kill me here? Qin Tian, do you have the ability?"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly bringing the atmosphere to a fever pitch.
The soldiers' hearts were in their throats, and many of them subconsciously took half a step back. If one or two sixth-level experts were to make a move in public at Ice Extreme Pass, the terrifying spiritual energy impact would be enough to blow this pass, forged from mysterious ice, into ruins, and these soldiers would certainly suffer as well.
The cold wind whipped up snowflakes that stung their faces, but no one dared to raise their hand to wipe them away.
All eyes were fixed on Qin Tian and Duan Guangtai, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.