Xuan released him the mont his knees hit the ground and stepped away before his body collapsed forward.
"Too slow," she said calmly with a click of her tongue.
The remaining three soldiers exchanged a brief look before moving toward her at the sa ti.
One rushed straight toward her with his fist aid at her jaw. Another moved to her left, attempting to close off her movent, while the third advanced from behind, clearly intending to overwhelm her through numbers.
Instead of retreating, Ling Xuan stepped forward.
The first punch sliced through the air, but she tilted her head just enough for it to miss her cheek. Before the soldier could recover, her elbow drove sharply into his throat. The strike was controlled, but it stole the air from his lungs instantly. He staggered backward, choking as his hands flew to his neck.
The second soldier lunged and tried to grab her shoulder. Ling Xuan caught his forearm midair with startling precision. For a brief mont, fear flashed in his eyes, then she twisted her feet. His entire body followed helplessly as she shifted her weight and flipped him cleanly over her hip.
He hit the ground with a force that knocked the breath from him.
Before he could even groan, Ling Xuan’s boot ca down against his chest. The soldier struggled to get her foot away from his chest but she remained immovable.
The third soldier faltered when he saw it happen, and that single mont of hesitation cost him his orientation.
Ling Xuan crossed the distance between them in two swift steps. Her fist drove into his abdon, punching the air out of his lungs and his body bent forward. As he bent, her knee rose sharply to hit him again.
The impact dropped him instantly.
Roy swallowed, making a ntal note not to get on her bad side.
Andrew nodded slowly, his voice low with quiet respect. "Every strike is deliberate. There is no wasted movent."
The tallest soldier, the one she had knocked down first, forced himself back onto his feet. Humiliation burned in his eyes as he charged again, this ti throwing his full weight into the attack.
Ling Xuan remained in her position, like a mountain waiting for the storm to crash against it.
At the last possible second, she stepped forward instead of away. Her shoulder slamd into his chest, stopping his montum so abruptly it looked as if he had run into a solid wall. Before he could react, her hand shot out and gripped the back of his collar.
His body lifted from the ground and flew over her shoulder before crashing heavily into the dirt. Dust rose around him, and gasps echoed across the training ground.
Silence settled in the air, followed by a suffocating tension.
Even the runners had slowed to a stop, their attention captured by the scene unfolding before them.
Ling Xuan looked over the five soldiers now scattered across the ground. Her breathing remained even, and not a single strand of hair had co loose from her high ponytail.
"If this is the level of those questioning my authority," she said, her voice carrying clearly across the camp, "then you should spend less ti doubting and more ti training."
One of the soldiers pushed himself upright, wincing. "Commander... we ant no disrespect..."
Ling Xuan looked at him, and that single glance was enough to make him straighten despite the pain. "You ca to test ," she replied calmly. "Now you have your answer." Her gaze moved across the watching soldiers, sharp and unwavering.
She paused just long enough for the words to settle.
"I will not carry dead weight."
The statent landed hard, pressing against the chests of every soldier. When she had first defeated Captain Rowan, they all believed he had gone easy on her. Now that she had effortlessly defeated five soldiers who were considered very good, they were speechless.
Roy felt his spine straighten without realizing it. Beside him, Andrew released a slow breath. It beca clear to him that Mrs. Wayne was not soone who stood behind borrowed authority as they had thought. It was an honour to serve under her.
Ling Xuan turned and began walking away, her steps steady and unhurried. After a few paces, she stopped without looking back.
"Get up," she said. "Report to the dical sector for checks. Training resus in thirty minutes."
One of the fallen soldiers blinked in disbelief. "Thirty minutes?"
Ling Xuan glanced over her shoulder, her expression unchanged.
"Did the apocalypse pause because you lost a fight?"
The man slowly shook his head.
She scoffed, before continuing walking, and it almost felt as though the air parted quietly to let her pass.
Behind her, the soldiers forced themselves to stand. There was no resentnt in their eyes now, only discipline and sothing that looked close to respect.
"Sister Ling Xuan, you were so cool," Laurel said in her head.
"I know." Ling Xuan replied without missing a beat.
"...." Laurel paused at her reply. "We need to head to the farming sector now. If we need to plant a lot of crops that can feed a city, we need a bigger field." Laurel said after a while.
"Have you thought of how to explain to them when the crops take days to be harvested? We need manpower for the planting I agree, however once we use the space water and the crops grow incredibly fast, they are going to start suspecting us." Ling Xuan said as she headed to the farming sector.
"We will think of a way when that ti cos," Laurel said with a sigh.
...
Outside the inner wall, in the construction and chanic section, Alexander wore a welding mask, the bright light from the welding flashed through the glass mask.
"Mr. Wayne." A voice called from him.
Alexander paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Raphael."
"You are here building... What are you building?" Raphael asked as he approached him.
Alexander stared at the robot leg on the table. "A robot." He replied with a bored tone.
"Okay, I thought you said you were not going to make them again after the last incident?" Raphael frowned slightly, but when he saw the dark look on Alexander’s face, he quickly changed the topic. "Nevertheless, I ca here to inform you that your wife is whooping the ass of the soldiers." He said with a grin.
"Mr. Lennox’s soldiers." He added as if that was the biggest prize he had to offer to his boss.
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