I, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, am being kept by the state.

Jinghu Base has three underground floors.

The air here is much colder than up here, and it's filled with a nauseating, strange smell.

It smelled of a bitter aroma from a mixture of highly concentrated disinfectant and some ancient herbs; just one whiff made my throat tighten.

Inside the huge, enclosed training ground, thirty men dressed in black training uniforms stood in neat rows.

They have no names, only code names.

"Snow Wolf" from the Northern Theater Command, "Sharp Blade" from the Southern Theater Command, "Wild Sand" from the Western Theater Command... These thirty people are the "King of Kings" selected from the two million active-duty soldiers of the Dragon Kingdom.

Each of these individuals has a resume that could be the subject of a Hollywood action blockbuster.

But at this moment, these usually unruly killers all had confusion and a hint of barely perceptible... displeasure written on their faces.

"What the hell?"

The man codenamed "Thunder Warrior" lowered his voice. He was the temporary leader of this group, and his muscles looked like they were sculpted from granite.

"We signed a top-secret waiver, were transported here blindfolded on a military plane overnight, and this is how they lock us up in this bathhouse?"

He pointed ahead.

There are thirty huge, specially made alloy vats there.

A high-pressure gas pipeline was connected to the bottom of the cylinder, and blue flames licked at the bottom of the cylinder.

Inside the tank, the dark red liquid was churning violently, emitting eerie purple smoke.

"This flavor is too strong."

The "Falcon" next to him wrinkled its nose, "It looks like it's been boiling dead rats, sulfur, and rotten mud together for three days and three nights."

This is the new mission? Shall we experience biological weapons?

"quiet!"

A sharp shout rang out.

Wang Yijun strode to the front of the line, his face grim.

"Commander!"

Thirty people stood at attention simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronized, producing a sound like muffled thunder.

Wang Yijun's gaze swept over these young and energetic faces, but his heart was pounding.

This is a precious treasure of the Dragon Kingdom's military.

Dying on the battlefield is an honor, but if he dies in a bathtub... he might as well quit being the top officer in charge of espionage and just go to a military court to turn himself in.

"The next mission will be carried out without any tactical guidance or weapons."

Wang Yijun took a deep breath and pointed to the thirty large vats behind him.

"Take off all your clothes and jump in. No matter what happens, no matter how much it hurts, you're not allowed to come out. If you can last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the mission is complete. If you can't... then you're a martyr."

The entire room fell silent.

A few seconds later, Lei Zhan couldn't help but shout, "Report!"

"speak!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

Lei Zhan stared wide-eyed, veins bulging on his neck.

"We are warriors! Our destiny is the battlefield, the enemy's corpses!"

"We're being made to take a bath like women, and with this kind of unknown liquid no less! I don't accept this! It's an insult to our profession!"

"insult?"

Wang Yijun sneered, "Lei Zhan, you think you're so great?"

"Reporting, sir! I once killed three hundred fully armed mercenaries with my bare hands! I hold the army's record for cross-country running with heavy loads! I don't think I'm strong, but I'm definitely not weak!"

"Among mortals, you are indeed quite good."

Wang Yijun's voice suddenly lowered, tinged with pity, "But in that person's eyes, you're not even worth an ant."

"That one?"

Lei Zhan was taken aback.

Just then.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended without warning.

There was no strong wind, no loud noise.

But everyone's heart clenched at the same instant, as if an invisible hand had roughly gripped their souls.

The thirty elite soldiers, who had been standing ramrod straight, were now making a sickening grinding sound from their kneecaps.

"Snap!"

Lei Zhan's eyes were bloodshot, and he tried desperately to straighten his spine.

He's a king of soldiers; kneeling is not in his vocabulary!

But his pride and joy were like a sandcastle trying to stop a tsunami in the face of this oppressive force.

That was an absolute crushing force from the level of life itself.

It's like a rabbit encountering a tiger; the deep-seated fear in its genes is screaming wildly: Kneel down! Surrender! Or die!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

It only lasted for two seconds.

Thirty tough men knelt down on the ground.

Cold sweat instantly soaked through the heavy training uniform, pooling into streams on the floor.

Lei Zhan pressed his forehead firmly against the cold cement floor, panting heavily, his pupils trembling violently.

What is this?

Is this a power that humans can possess?

"Too weak."

A detached voice exploded directly in their cerebral cortex.

The voice seemed to come from the heavens above.

"These are the 'seeds' you selected? Their physical constitution is terrible, their meridians are blocked, and their only redeeming quality is their willpower."

Wang Yijun bowed deeply to the void, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Lord Dragon Lord, this is the best prospect we can find right now."

"That's enough."

The voice rang out again, this time less imposing and more ruthless: "Let's begin. Death is fate."

The oppressive aura vanished abruptly.

Lei Zhan and the others collapsed to the ground as if they had just been pulled out of the water, gasping for air.

They looked at each other, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

That voice just now... was it the core of the mission?

"Did you hear that?"

Wang Yijun looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "This is the existence you are facing. Now, who still thinks they are strong? Who still feels insulted?"

No one speaks.

That one moment of experience completely shattered their worldview, which they had built up over decades.

"Everyone has it!"

Wang Yijun roared, "Take it off!"

At this moment, there was no more hesitation.

Thirty people quickly took off their clothes and stood naked in front of the large vat.

Looking at the churning, dark red liquid in the vat, Lei Zhan gritted his teeth and was the first to climb the ladder.

"What kind of hardship haven't I endured in my life? It's just a bath!"

He roared and leaped into the air.

"Thump!"

The moment he entered the water, Lei Zhan's expression froze.

It felt as if thousands of rusty, blunt knives were drilling into his pores, frantically scraping his bones and tearing at his nerves.

"ah!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the air in the basement.

Then came the second sound, the third sound...

"Thump, thump..."

After a series of splashes, the entire basement turned into a living hell.

Thirty tough men were struggling frantically inside the vat. Some of them even scratched deep finger marks on the alloy vat wall, their fingernails broke off, and blood was everywhere.

"What the hell is this thing?! Is that a strong acid?!"

"Kill me! Shoot me! Kill me!!"

Wang Yijun stood to the side, watching this scene, his hands gripping the railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.

It was too tragic.

This is no medicinal bath; it's torture.

The dark red liquid wasn't actually made from any precious medicinal herbs; it was just a mass of water that Wang Yijun had taken from the bottom of the lake where Li Chen usually lingered, as instructed by Li Chen.

The water was imbued with the aura of a true dragon.

For a mortal to bear the dragon's energy is like swallowing charcoal.

"ah--"

A soldier's eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and his body convulsed violently; he was about to sink.

"Help!"

Wang Yijun roared.

The medical team nearby immediately rushed over and used a long pole to pull the person out.

The man's skin was as red as blood, and black grease and filthy blood seeped from every pore of his body, emitting a foul stench.

"Dragon Lord..."

Wang Yijun asked in a trembling voice into the void, "If this continues, people will really die. Could you... dilute it a little?"

"cannot."

Li Chen's voice came coldly, without a trace of emotion.

"The pain they are experiencing now is helping them cleanse their marrow and bones, expelling impurities from their bodies. If they can't even endure this little bit of pain, they will explode and die an even more gruesome death when they try to draw in Qi later."

"Cultivating immortality is inherently defying the heavens. If you want to rise above others, you must endure the most bitter hardships."