First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 107

Chapter 107: End

Xia Yanfeng assumed a defensive stance, adjusting her position warily. Yet Lian Sheng simply watched her, maintaining a guarded posture.

Seeing no reaction, Xia Yanfeng launched the first strike without hesitation, kicking toward her.

Lian Sheng's gaze swept over her opponent as she shifted her right foot back, transferring her weight to evade effortlessly. Xia Yanfeng followed up with another kick, but Lian Sheng hopped lightly away to safety.

"Oh? Quite spirited, aren't we?" Lian Sheng noted the fluidity and form in Xia Yanfeng's movements—lacking essence but possessing structure. She whistled. "You've actually trained?"

Xia Yanfeng pressed her lips together, refusing to answer.

Of course she had trained. Boxing for fitness, self-defense techniques for protection, and sanda specifically for Sanyao.

Dodging another attack, Lian Sheng asked, "How many commands did you issue in this match? How many responsibilities of a commander did you fulfill?"

"People reap what they sow. But the depth of one's resolve determines how much they sow." Lian Sheng tilted her head. "So tell me—how deep is your resolve?"

She shook her head without waiting for an answer. "I think you have none. Otherwise, you wouldn't keep entrusting victory to others. Or perhaps the hollow thrill of winning is enough to satisfy you?"

Xia Yanfeng inhaled sharply, pausing mid-motion before exploding forward again, her face twisted with rage. "How dare you say that! What do you know?!"

Lian Sheng sidestepped, hooking her left foot around Xia Yanfeng's ankle. The off-balance woman crashed face-first into the ground, barely catching herself with her hands. She scrambled up immediately, expecting a follow-up strike—but Lian Sheng had already retreated, circling her once more.

"You're right. I don't understand you, nor do I care to." Lian Sheng's voice was icy. "If victory matters so much to you that you'd resort to any means to seize it, why not dedicate yourself properly? If this were obsession—if you couldn't bear defeat on the battlefield—I could respect that. At least I wouldn't despise you."

She stopped moving, her gaze piercing. "But watching your matches, I see no grief. You do this out of sheer contempt." Her voice dropped. "You scorn the battlefield yet parade upon it, basking in borrowed glory. That is sacrilege."

"I didn't resort to underhanded tactics! It's strategy!" Xia Yanfeng protested. "Fans volunteered! Others do it too! It's just a match—how is it sacrilege?!"

"Who are these 'others'? Your fans? The amateurs you emulate?" Lian Sheng scoffed. "If you had even a shred of genuine interest in the military, you'd know how disgraceful this is. If you're just following orders, then don't deny it—this isn't where you belong."

She tilted her head. "Don't mask your shamelessness with ignorance. It's not a good look."

"Why are you mocking me? Who are you to dismiss my efforts?" Xia Yanfeng's voice cracked. "I'm not a military student, and yes, my combat skills can't match yours. But I've self-studied all your academy's courses! I train two hours daily—"

Lian Sheng lunged forward, driving a knee into Xia Yanfeng's chest mid-sentence. The impact sent the woman crumpling to the ground, gasping.

"Oh? Is that so?" Lian Sheng flexed her wrist. "Since when is effort something to boast about? Do you think others don't strive? They surpass you because they strive harder! You pat yourself on the back for a day or two of work, move your fans to tears, then expect to impress those who fight tooth and nail every single day?" She leaned down. "Know your place, princess. Stick to being... a celebrity."

Grabbing Xia Yanfeng's arm, she flipped her onto her back with a brutal slam.

Xia Yanfeng felt blood rush to her head, vision swimming. Resentment—long suppressed—surged like bile in her throat.

Know her place?

"Aside from your face, there's nothing worthwhile about you."

"If only you were smarter. Compared to your brother, you're nothing like my daughter."

"Be a public figure if you must, but don't drag your brother down."

"Miss Xia, I'll be your manager. Leave everything to me."

"Your schedule is set. There's a show tonight."

"No unauthorized fan interactions. No random posts. We have PR for that. Image is everything, understand?"

"Darling, your father is pleased."

"Don't lose your temper over trivial things. Control yourself. If you can't, stay off social media."

"We're prepping for matches now. I've cleared your schedule. Promo shoot in two days."

"Study these materials. You'll face media questions during the recruitment event."

"Learn some shooting and combat basics. Command isn't hard—I'll assign you a deputy."

"Darling, no improvising. You messed up today."

A frantic voice in her earpiece jolted her back. "We got their commander! We can still win! Awaiting orders!"

Xia Yanfeng turned her head toward the figure looming over her.

This was all a setup. Lian Sheng had been waiting to humiliate her from the start.

Ripping out her earpiece, she hurled it to the ground.

"So what if I'm a star? At least I give my all to everything! What's so noble about you people?" Xia Yanfeng's voice trembled as tears spilled over. "I'm not as smart as you, but I do what I can! I fulfill my duties! What more do you want? You're the ones who decided everything for me! You're the ones never satisfied! Why am I the only one being judged? It's not fair!"

She staggered upright, forcing a defiant smile. "You mock me? You have no right. We're all the same. Do all those rising stars in the military rely on merit? What about the Expeditionary Force's poster children—what are they for? What have I done wrong? How am I worse than them? In terms of contribution, my influence surpasses theirs!"

"I carved my own path!" she screamed.

Lian Sheng sprinted forward, leaping to deliver a flying kick square to Xia Yanfeng's face. The impact sent her sprawling with a shriek.

The audience gasped. Even Super Bright Bulb, guarding the entrance, peeked in at the commotion.

That kick—aimed directly at her face, no holding back. Without the simulator's safeguards, her nose would've shattered.

Fans erupted.

"Too far! Hitting the face? She's just bullying her now!"

"Who's the bully here? Does she think influence makes her a soldier? That military contribution is measured by popularity?"

"And who is she to talk? A cadet lecturing someone who's actually done promotions and events?"

"Does no one know who Lian Sheng is? Her mother made colonel at forty-five as a research elite. Her father earned three first-class merits by thirty-one before dying in the Porte Bay War. And that's not counting the generals in her family—all either martyred or deceased."

"If Xia Yanfeng flaunts being a third-generation official, Lian Sheng's a military dynasty heir. Yet she started as a grunt. Name one match she didn't fight earnestly."

"Lian Sheng just entered Command this year—she's newer than Xia Yanfeng. She's earned the right to say this."

"In this field, 'newbie' isn't an excuse. If you're inferior, work harder! Flaunting incompetence for sympathy won't change facts! The world advances on real contributions, not pity!"

"Her parents fought and died for the Alliance's peace, and all she sees is a stepping stone for fame. I'd kick her face too."

"Fans, wake up! If you only care about her looks, stop pretending it's about skill!"

"Do the brainwashed stans have any sense of right and wrong?"

"She genuinely thinks she deserves rewards for 'contributions.' That warped mindset is the real issue."

Lian Sheng's voice dropped to a whisper, her face shadowed in the dim basement. "If you want freedom, speak up. If you want victory, earn it. Climbing over others' efforts, masking selfishness with hypocrisy—you call that carving your own path? And you think you're above ridicule?"

"Come at me properly. Losing with grace—is that so hard? Those who never acknowledge defeat wallow in filth forever. Spare me the 'unfair' whining."

"The battlefield isn't for cheap tricks. The military isn't as simple as you think." Lian Sheng's eyes burned. "True contribution isn't measured by your so-called influence."

"For an entertainer, fine." She stepped closer. "But a warrior's honor—a commander's dignity—you don't get to steal a single shred."

Another kick sent Xia Yanfeng sprawling.

She didn't resist.

Lian Sheng frowned. "Get up, Xia Yanfeng."

Trembling on the ground, Xia Yanfeng stared up in terror.

The contempt and fury in Lian Sheng's gaze carried a killing intent so sharp it froze her blood.

Xia Yanfeng covered her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut.

She wants to kill me.

The thought crystallized with terrifying clarity. She truly believes she could.

"Get up," Lian Sheng repeated.

Xia Yanfeng shook her head violently.

"For a soldier, staying down means accepting death." Lian Sheng's voice was steel. "Can you endure that fear? Watching your blood drain away, your broken body failing, the world fading—holding that awareness until the end."

She picked up a gun from the floor.

"Or do you understand what killing means?" Lian Sheng asked. "Taking a life. Someone you don't know—no name, no story. Decades of existence, ended by your hand."

She took a step forward.

"Stop talking..." Xia Yanfeng scrambled back. "Stay away!"

"This is what frontline soldiers face. This is the resolve we train with." Lian Sheng pressed the gun to her forehead. "Your efforts mean nothing here. Your influence is worthless. If you want adoration, seek it elsewhere."

Xia Yanfeng screamed, "NO—!"

Lian Sheng whispered, "Bang."

[System Announcement] Match concluded.

Xia Yanfeng didn't log out.

Her vision swam. Fragmented memories—voices from her past, Lian Sheng's words—flooded her mind.

Tears and snot streaked her face. Nausea twisted her gut.

Lian Sheng turned away. "Give up on the military. This..." She glanced back. "Isn't a place for you."

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