Chapter 40: The Ghost Fang

A brand new "Phantom Fang" reappeared on the table!

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water, fast to the extreme!

From dismantling to assembly, it took less than ten breaths in total!

"Did you see it clearly?" Xiao Zhan raised his head and asked.

Below, there was dead silence.

Saw it clearly?

Saw their ass clearly!

They only saw a blur of shadows, and then the gun fell apart and then came back together again!

"Very well, it seems you all saw it clearly." Xiao Zhan nodded with satisfaction. "Now, it's your turn."

"The rules are simple."

"Within half an incense stick of time, complete one full disassembly and assembly."

"The first to finish will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!"

"The top ten will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver!"

"The top one hundred will be rewarded with ten taels of silver!"

"Within half an incense stick of time, anyone who fails to finish..."

Xiao Zhan paused, a demonic smile appearing on his face.

"Will be punished by cleaning all the camp's latrines with your bare hands, continuously for a month."

"Boom!"

Every soldier's brain buzzed, almost exploding!

Cleaning latrines with bare hands?!

What kind of concept was that?!

The latrines of the capital garrison were places frequented day and night by thousands of rough men! That smell, that sight...

Just thinking about it made their stomachs churn violently!

All previous emotional stirring and awe were instantly replaced by the sheer terror of cleaning latrines!

"No—!!!"

Someone let out a despairing wail.

"Timing, start!"

Zhao Tieniu mercilessly lit the stick of incense on the table.

"Damn it! Fight for it!"

"I'd rather die than shovel shit!"

Three thousand soldiers went crazy in an instant!

They lunged at their own "Phantom Fang," trying to clumsily imitate Xiao Zhan's previous movements with a desperate, do-or-die attitude.

For a moment, the entire training ground descended into utter chaos!

"Ouch! How do you get this piece off?!"

"Crack!"

"Fuck! Where the hell did my spring fly off to?!"

"Ergou! You bastard, you stepped on my firing pin!"

The sound of clattering and clinking was endless.

These men, who could kill without blinking on the battlefield, were now acting like headless flies, flustered and wretched in front of a pile of precision steel components.

Wang Ba was sweating profusely.

He had great strength, but this contraption wasn't something you could solve with brute force!

He grabbed a latch and gave it a violent twist!

"Snap!"

The latch was actually snapped clean in half by his sheer force!

Wang Ba stared dumbly at the broken half of the component in his hand.

While most people were still in a panicked flurry, in a corner, a thin, ordinary-looking soldier appeared exceptionally calm.

His name was Zhang San. Because of his agile hands, he was nicknamed "Nimble-Fingered Zhang San."

He didn't rush to take things apart.

Instead, he closed his eyes, replaying Xiao Zhan's lightning-fast movements in his mind over and over again.

His fingers kept pointing and tracing in the empty air, simulating the process.

Once, twice, three times...

When the stick of incense had burned down by nearly a third, he abruptly opened his eyes!

He moved!

Although his hands were nowhere near as fast as Xiao Zhan's, they were exceptionally steady and extraordinarily precise!

Every single movement was executed with absolute perfection!

"Clack! Clack! Clack!"

The parts were systematically disassembled one by one and laid out neatly on the ground.

Then came the assembly!

His movements grew faster and smoother!

As if he had been born for this very task!

Finally, amid the envious and jealous gazes of the people around him,

"Click!"

With the final crisp sound, he firmly pushed the magazine into the weapon frame!

"Reporting, sir! This subordinate has completed the task!"

He raised the gun in his hand and roared with all his might!

The entire training ground fell dead silent.

That "report" felt like an invisible slap, fiercely stinging the faces of every soldier who was still fumbling in panic.

Everyone stopped moving.

They turned their heads, staring like they had seen a ghost at the upright figure in the corner holding the "Phantom Fang" high.

Him?

Nimble-Fingered Zhang San?

That quiet guy in the squad who usually kept to himself and had zero presence aside from having nimble hands?

He was actually the first?!

Wang Ba's movements also froze.

He looked at the chaotic mess of parts in front of him, then down at the snapped latch in his hand, his face instantly turning the color of a pig's liver.

He couldn't understand it!

He was clearly the one who had charged forward first, clearly the one who had studied the hardest! Why? Why had he lost to such an unremarkable, scrawny monkey?

A massive wave of frustration and humiliation gripped his heart like two invisible hands, making it hard for him to breathe.

On the viewing platform, Qin Cang's eyes erupted with unprecedented brilliance.

He understood now!

What Xiao Zhan wanted was not just beasts who knew how to kill!

He wanted craftsmen! He wanted brains!

This "Phantom" unit needed not only fangs, but also men capable of sharpening those fangs to the keenest edge!

Xiao Zhan slowly walked down from the viewing platform.

Three thousand gazes followed his footsteps, converging on the soldier named Zhang San.

Zhang San's body was trembling slightly.

He wasn't afraid; he was thrilled! It was an unprecedented thrill of being the center of everyone's attention!

"What is your name?" Xiao Zhan walked up to him, his voice calm.

"Rep... reporting to sir! Sub... subordinate's name is Zhang San!" Zhang San shouted out his name using every ounce of strength he had.

"Very good." Xiao Zhan nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on Zhang San's hands—hands that were nervous, yet remarkably dexterous.

"Zhang San, from today on, your name is no longer Zhang San."

Xiao Zhan's voice echoed across the entire training ground.

"Your codename is 'Nimble Fingers'."

"You are the 'Phantom' unit's very first technician! Solely responsible for the maintenance, repair, and modification of the 'Phantom Fang'!"

"Starting today, your military pay is increased fivefold!"

"In addition, besides this reward of one hundred taels of silver," Xiao Zhan patted his shoulder, "you are excused from half of the physical training from now on. Your mission is to stay in the armory and thoroughly study this weapon inside out!"

"I need you to understand it better than I do!"

"Boom!"

Xiao Zhan's words exploded like heavy depth charges in the minds of all the soldiers!

A codename!

A technician!

Five times the pay!

Even exemption from half of that hellish training!

What... what kind of glory was this? What kind of preferential treatment!

The way all the soldiers looked at "Nimble Fingers" Zhang San completely changed.

Their previous disdain and disregard turned into naked jealousy and envy!

For the first time, they realized that in this unit, getting ahead wasn't just about killing and risking one's life!