The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 625 Shen Le: Trying to fool the armored vehicles into not going to the battlefield, how did you manage to trick me?!

"...Suyab is not an option. We don't intend to start a war right now. No! Absolutely not!"

"Then I want to go somewhere else! To the frontier! To defend my country!"

Li Xingtang gestured wildly. He spun around in place a few times, then suddenly lunged towards the table.

Before Shen Le could stop him, she felt a jolt in her wrist, and a flowing dress floated out from the old house. She kept glancing at the armor while bending over to type on the computer.
Shen Le peeked at the screen, and her head immediately went blank. Of all the materials Luo Qun could have found, she'd pulled out photos from a few years ago of us shoving and fighting with the Indians at the border…

[I need to go here! The fighting is still going on! The battle is still ongoing! They need me here!]

The armored vehicle tapped the screen a few times… right on the “Indian Happy Knife” icon. Then, with its nonexistent fist and nonexistent gauntlets, it struck the breastplate with a clanging sound. Shen Le couldn't help but cover his forehead:
"Well... let's think this through... this isn't a place where just anyone can barge in..."

Shen Le generally doesn't interfere with the spirits' free choices, and if conditions permit, he will even try his best to provide working conditions for his little guys.

On a small scale, such as providing a stage for Xiaoling, providing timber for Zheng Mo, or providing live streaming venues and equipment for Luo Qun and others;
Large-scale initiatives, such as communicating with the navy to get Yun Kun to cooperate with them and helping Yun Kun to carry out various modifications, such as installing weapons and nuclear reactors...

However, Shen Le really didn't want Mr. Li Xingtang to do any work. He was a veteran!
He's a veteran who retired from the Western Regions battlefield!
Veterans should rest well and enjoy their happy lives. How can they go back to the battlefield?
Moreover, Yun Kun is a naval vessel, a submarine, and has its own water-based teleportation ability. It can fight and run, and is not easily hit by others, making it extremely safe.

Li Xingtang was an infantryman, a soldier on the front line!

He could be hit by a 12.7mm bullet, a bullet, or even something bigger at any time! Even if he were a spirit, such a hit would shatter him!

"Before you go, do some relevant training and integration? Get to know our current military situation, our current weapons, and how to coordinate with the local frontline troops?"

He tried to persuade them as carefully as possible:
"Weapons are developing very rapidly now, and their power is also very great... Let's have enough understanding of them first, so as not to cause trouble on the front lines!"
"In the past, the new recruits you received weren't just thrown directly to the front lines without any training, were they?"

The special affairs bureau members exchanged glances and shook their heads. Training and team cohesion weren't the most troublesome or the highest hurdles.

Since soldiers with a normal high school education can be trained to the point of being ready for battle, there's no reason why a Tang Dynasty Mo Dao soldier, officer, or mid-level general couldn't do the same.

At most, it will need some time for general education. Oh, and it will also need a translator who can understand and relay the spirit's words...

As for how to get the frontline soldiers to cooperate and soothe their mental state so that they can accept fighting alongside an armored vehicle, these are minor issues.

However, throwing away such a precious artifact spirit to serve as infantry would be such a waste!

"Well, Mr. Li Xingtang, we suggest... we just suggest." After a brief exchange of glances, the refined middle-aged man reluctantly stepped forward to interrupt.

"We're currently on the border, and for the time being, we don't lack manpower, at least not infantry. However, there's one area where we're severely short of manpower—"

The armored man swung his helmet around, pointing the empty space beneath it at the refined middle-aged man, as if listening to something. The refined man felt a chill run down his spine; suppressing the urge to run away, he struggled to continue:

"It's about Mr. Shen's safety. We've been very concerned about Mr. Shen's well-being lately!"

ha?
Shen Le almost cried out in surprise. "I'm fine!"
I didn't feel like I was in any danger!

"Since he began cultivating, Mr. Shen has been fighting on the front lines against demons!" The refined middle-aged man, feeling a surge of confidence, puffed out his chest and spoke with increasing righteousness:
"At the very beginning, when he first entered the cultivation world, he killed a wild boar demon with 500 years of cultivation and a mountain lord with 1,500 years of cultivation!"
Later, he killed a snow mountain zombie with thousands of years of cultivation, a foreign firebird, and recently faced the Blood Lord of the Bound Lake and the snow leopard spirit on the snow mountain!

Although his magical abilities are quite good..."

He nodded to Shen Le, gave her an apologetic look, and then suddenly raised his voice:
"However, Mr. Shen's close combat skills have not been specially trained! He also does not have strong enough guards to protect him from close-range damage!"

Li Xingtang turned towards Shen Le with a click. Beneath the armor, the dark void stared straight at Shen Le, as if watching him intently.

The refined middle-aged man, seeing a glimmer of hope, was greatly encouraged and continued:

“We’ve always hoped to arrange close combat training for Mr. Shen, but he’s too busy to find the time… What do you think…”

No need to look anymore. Li Xingtang raised his right arm guard, turned slightly to the side, and the breastplate made a few "thump" sounds, as if it was beating its chest to swear an oath, or as if it was saying "Leave it to me."

Shen Le's hair stood on end, and he wanted to run away:
Hey!
Why am I being dragged into this again!
I just don't want Li Xingtang to go to the front lines, please don't assign him to be my training instructor!!!

However, Li Xingtang had already taken the refined middle-aged man's words to heart. He had never seen any mountain lords, snow mountain zombies, or foreign firebirds, but he had personally fought the Bound Lake Blood Lord and the snow leopard one-on-one!
Or perhaps, the owner of this armor personally fought a one-on-one battle, imprinting the memory into the armor...

Shen Le dares to take on them one-on-one now; he doesn't even dare to think about what kind of enemies he will encounter in the future!

Not to mention, he had also witnessed Shen Le's two one-on-one matches, and in terms of tactical reaction, it was simply appalling!
Guards!

We absolutely need guards!
Special training is also required!
I don't expect him to fight bravely on the front line. At the very least, at the very least, he should be able to escape, protect himself, and maybe even manage to retaliate a couple of times when he has a spare moment!
He took a few steps, clattering, and stood in front of Shen Le. He pointed to himself, then to Shen Le, turned around, and stood in front of Shen Le with his back to him;
Then, he turned to face Shen Le, raising and lowering his arm guards repeatedly, making a few hand gestures:

"Hey! I don't need to train! I really don't need to train in melee combat! I'm a mage! A mage, you know?" Shen Le's forehead was sweating as he retreated step by step towards the corner of the wall.
"I can just keep my distance and unleash fireballs! I really don't need to crawl around! Besides, whether it's wielding the long-handled saber or commanding flying swords in battle, I've already mastered those..."

It was no use. The armored vehicle advanced step by step, unhurriedly, until it cornered him.

The bracelet trembled slightly, and several silk skirts flew out, laughing and circling around outside. Their skirts fluttered, as if they were performing a flying dance.
The refined middle-aged man stood on tiptoe behind, trying his best to chime in:

"Mr. Shen, why don't you just agree to his request? You can train with him and learn about military basics together. That should buy you a few months, and maybe after a few months, he won't want to go to the border anymore?"

Shen Le: "..."

How did I get dragged into this too?!
"Boss, why don't you just agree to their offer?" Luo Qun encouraged with a smile.

"You see, although Yun Kun is very strong, he is only strong at range. When someone gets close and hits him onto the deck, he has no way to deal with it."

"If we don't rely on you, are we supposed to rely on those clay terracotta warriors? They wouldn't last two hits before they crumble!"

Hmm... that makes a lot of sense...

Shen Le hesitated. Seeing the change in his expression, Professor Zhang quickly squeezed in to continue trying to persuade him:

"Yes, yes, Shen Le, you should practice more with us. It'll be good to improve your skills. I'd love to take this opportunity too—we could even start a research project to study how the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao soldiers fought!"

Shen Le: →_→

Are you sure your research grant application will be approved?
What should I write on the application? Oh, "Seeking guidance on the fighting style of the Mo Dao from a weapon spirit formed from the iron armor of a Tang Dynasty Mo Dao soldier"?
Using documents like this to apply for projects—let alone the National Natural Science Foundation of China—I'm afraid the review panel would tear them to shreds, and then "subtly" suggest you see a psychiatrist...

In any case, after much persuasion, Li Xingtang finally decided to temporarily put aside his fuss about joining the army, and instead undergo relevant training to learn about military basics.

The Special Affairs Bureau got its wish, handing Shen Le over to their colleagues in the Western Regions and sending him to the joint construction unit of the Special Affairs Bureau and the military. Mr. Lu also urgently flew from his old house in Zhuxi Town to the Northwest to take on teaching duties;

Meanwhile, professors from various archaeological institutes and university history and archaeology departments, upon hearing the news, tried every means to pull strings and arrange a meeting with Li Xingtang.
"Mr. Li, could you please measure our height, weight, nail thickness, and details of the various patterns?"

Click-clack, click-clack. After a series of clanging sounds, a flowing skirt fluttered beside her, and a message was entered, answered by voice:
He said untying the ropes now is too much trouble. He said Shen Le kept all the relevant documents when he did the repairs, and you can just ask him for them.

Expert Number One retreated. Expert Number Two, carrying a thick illustrated book, charged forward bravely:

"Mr. Li, could you please take a look? What was this fragment of cultural relic originally? We really have no way of identifying it..."

The armor was tilted slightly. The arm guards were raised, and although there were no fingers or hands in front, the edges of the photo were slightly curled up, folded, and pulled upwards, making it look as if it had been flipped open by a hand.

After pausing for a moment, Luo Qun continued typing:
He said it was part of a crossbow... something like this...

Luo Qun was responsible for typing on the keyboard, bringing up the overall blueprints and exploded diagrams of the ancient crossbow, which she then showed to the professors.

Expert Number Two seemed thoughtful, checked the catalogue, and quickly returned. Expert Number Three then rushed forward.
"Mr. Li, could you point out the locations of all the beacon towers and gathering points from the Anxi Protectorate period? Here is a map of the locations we have already discovered..."

The armored man lowered his helmet and carefully examined the map. Beside him, two Special Affairs Bureau operatives, one on each side, held measuring instruments, tensely measuring the psionic energy levels in the air.
Although the experts brought relevant protective equipment, close contact with the existence of anomalous forms still carries inherent risks, and the shorter the time, the better...

After a while, just as the numbers were rising higher and higher and the operatives were about to raise the isolation shield, Ironhide shook his helmet and took a step back.

Beside her, Luo Qun typed on the keyboard again:
He said he couldn't read the map...

Ah this...

Ancient maps look quite different from modern maps. Those ancient maps from the Tang Dynasty, lacking modern education, are difficult to understand…

Expert number three had no choice but to retreat. The fourth expert quickly and seamlessly took over:

"Could you tell me about the situation before the fall of the Anxi Protectorate? We have very little information here..."

"Di-"

The measuring instrument alarmed. The experts were quickly "asked" to leave the room, and the Special Affairs Bureau personnel turned on the instrument and sprayed a psionic neutralizing agent to minimize the psionic energy in the room.

With the help of Teacher Lu and the others, Li Xingtang himself tried his best to recall the events of that year and recount them to the experts:
At that time, our situation was...

Li Xingtang was busy giving lectures to experts in a cool, air-conditioned room, thoroughly enjoying himself. Meanwhile, Shen Le was also busy on another level:
"Forward! Backward! Dodge!"

"Dodge! Dodge..."

"Huh...huh...huh..."

To learn how to hit someone, first learn how to take a hit. To learn how to take a hit, first learn how to dodge.

Although Shen Le had undergone special training in the illusion, enabling him to leap with a sword and fight the White Ape Sword Immortal one-on-one, he was still somewhat bewildered when it came to fighting in reality.
Well, my mind and body aren't quite in sync. My brain knows I should dodge this way, my feet should step this way, and my waist should exert force this way, but when it comes to actually moving, I'm a little slow to react...

"middle!"

"middle!"

"Another one!"

On either side, a soldier stood with a long staff in hand, striding forward. Both staffs were covered in sponge, the sponge coated with white ash, designed to inflict maximum pain but absolutely no injury.

However, even being swept or touched by a long stick is unpleasant, extremely unpleasant!
"Great! You've improved a lot this time, only getting hit four times! Let's take a break and try again!"

"I don't want to come anymore..." Shen Le plopped down on the sandbag, panting heavily, completely giving up:
"I'm a mage, why should I practice this! Let Li Xingtang practice it. I'm no good at close combat, so he can protect me!"

"Ah... Mr. Shen, you can be a little weaker during the test, but you still need to practice well in actual combat!" The officer training him was drenched in sweat.

"You wouldn't want Yun Kun to be the last line of defense and fail when someone gets close, would you?"

Shen Le: "..."

"Okay, let's do it again!"

"Come on, let's move over to the ball machine over there—you don't necessarily have to practice attacking, but you absolutely must practice dodging. Today's goal is 100 shots, zero misses! Let's go!"

(End of this chapter)