Chapter Nine: Soul-Stealing Enchantment (Part One)

Early the next morning, during calisthenics, someone accidentally twisted their ankle. Instructor Arnold hoisted the unfortunate recruit with one hand and carried him straight to the infirmary. When the recruit returned, he seemed utterly dazed, as if entranced—so much so that he had no appetite for breakfast.

There was only one explanation for such uncharacteristic behavior: Zhao Li had not lied. The female medical officer was, without a doubt, a breathtaking beauty. Otherwise, this sort of reaction would be impossible.

As a result, the number of injuries during training that day rose noticeably. Along with it, the number of recruits punished for inattentiveness—no doubt, distracted by thoughts of the alluring medic—surged as well.

After a late-night discussion before lights out, this phenomenon only intensified. There were even cases where some managed to find excuses to visit the infirmary three times in a single day.

Zhao Li himself felt little effect. After a night of meditation and training, the stunning features of the seductive army doctor seemed to fade in his mind by morning, losing some of their devastating power. Yet, watching his companions concoct clumsy excuses for a visit to the infirmary, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly at the havoc beauty could wreak—it truly could topple nations and sow chaos.

By the third day, Instructor Arnold could bear it no longer. He stormed into the infirmary, kicked a soldier who, though ostensibly receiving treatment, was staring transfixed at the nearby army doctor, and barked an order for him to return to his unit at once.

When only Instructor Arnold and the female doctor remained, he couldn’t help but speak up. “Christine, please, stop teasing the rookies!”

“But I need to cultivate too!” The seductive army doctor looked aggrieved, her innocence almost convincing. “Otherwise, what am I supposed to do?”

“Can’t you go out into civilian society to do your cultivation?” Arnold glanced at her face—a face that would soften even the hardest heart if stared at too long—then hurriedly averted his gaze.

“In society? How many people could withstand it?” Christine complained with genuine exasperation. “It would cause a minor public disturbance!” Her string of grievances was enough to make anyone want to comfort her.

“Then why not choose those who have already completed their training?” Arnold kept his eyes locked on the display screen monitoring Zhao Li’s recent behavior, not daring to look in her direction.

“Well, higher-ups won’t allow that!” Christine’s frustration deepened. “They’re afraid it’ll affect combat effectiveness, spark internal conflict, and harm unit cohesion.”

“But you can’t keep causing trouble in my unit!” Despite his burly appearance and loud voice, Arnold now sounded as pitiful as a mouse bullied by a cat. “Out of the hundred recruits in my last class, seventy-four were eliminated—top of the elimination board! What am I supposed to do?”

“There’s always an attrition rate in your training!” Christine’s wounded look seemed to suggest Arnold himself had wronged her terribly.

“But your soul-stealing charm—if you used it at full strength, even I wouldn’t be able to resist! How can those rookies possibly withstand such temptation?” Arnold groaned in exasperation. “Whose harebrained idea was this? And the higher-ups actually approved it!”

“I haven’t been using it at full strength! If they can’t handle the temptation, that’s hardly my fault.” Christine’s tone returned to normal, allowing Arnold to steal a few glances at her.

“If this keeps up, my numbers will be the worst again!” Looking through the window at the recruits drilling in the yard, Arnold’s expression grew even more despondent. “Last time, at least they held out for ten days before things started to fall apart.”

“Well, they’re being trained as future officers. If they can’t even resist a little charm, how can they possibly become qualified leaders?” Christine showed no sign of guilt. “I’m just following orders and cultivating a bit on the side. All you need to do is focus on your own responsibilities.”

“Where do you even come from?” Arnold finally lost his patience and roared, “You’ve ruined all my training sessions!”

“All of them? Hardly.” Christine crossed her legs, one silk-stockinged limb draped over the other, striking a sultry pose. Arnold glared, then quickly looked away.

“That Zhao Li kid—he’s perfectly normal, isn’t he?” Zhao Li’s profile was still displayed on the monitor, and Arnold knew exactly whom Christine meant.

Zhao Li had surprised Arnold as well. With Christine’s deliberate temptations, everyone expected the youngest recruit—and the first to meet the army doctor—to be the first to succumb. Yet, by the following day, Zhao Li seemed entirely unaffected, as if nothing had happened. No wonder his psychological evaluation noted that he was “goal-oriented—he knows what he wants and what to do.” Arnold admired this greatly.

“As for where I come from…” Christine shifted into an even more provocative pose, licking her lips and leaning toward Arnold just so he could glimpse the enticing view down her collar. “Are you looking to get court-martialed for attempting to uncover military secrets?” Her every movement radiated allure, but her syrupy voice carried only this most unromantic warning.

“I don’t care where you came from! But could you please go a little easier, so my pass rate isn’t so abysmal?” At this, the man the recruits feared as a devil incarnate looked as pitiable as a beggar by the church.

“I really can’t help you.” Christine toyed with her ivory-white fingers. “You just ended up with the worst batch of future officers! If you want to complain, take it up with whoever assigns the training schedules.”

Before Arnold could protest further, Christine cut him off, “At the very least, those who make it through are outstanding, aren’t they?”

Arnold had to admit this was true—and took pride in it. Though his attrition rate was always the highest, those who survived his training were indeed the best. Otherwise, command wouldn’t keep assigning him new batches of recruits.

“Those damn kids—getting injured just standing at attention! Wait until they finish parade drills; they’ll be in for a real taste of hell.” With nowhere else to vent his frustration, Arnold directed all his fury at the hapless recruits, who, after only a few days of basic drill, could not possibly imagine the inferno awaiting them.