Lu Yun shook his head, no longer in the mood to joke.
His expression returned to its usual calm as he walked straight into the nearby restroom, turned a corner, and entered the shower room.
The women were left standing there, unsure of what to do.
Following him wasn’t appropriate, but neither was simply leaving.
All of them looked thoroughly annoyed.
“That jerk!”
“He’s actually taking a shower here? My towel’s still inside.”
“Mine too! Ahhh, what are we supposed to do now?”
“Do you think he’ll really go sleep in An Ran’s room after his shower?”
“Why isn’t An Ran back yet?”
“I seriously want to beat him up. He’s so infuriating.”
Grinding their teeth in frustration, they could only wait outside as the sound of running water echoed from within.
Half an hour later, Lu Yun emerged fully dressed.
His body was still dripping wet.
Water trickled from his hair, and his damp clothes clung uncomfortably to his body.
The women were momentarily stunned.
Tang Xinyi asked in confusion, “You didn’t even dry yourself after showering?”
Lu Yun glanced at her and replied calmly, “I didn’t touch any of your towels. Don’t worry.”
With that, he turned and walked out without giving the dormitory another glance.
The women exchanged puzzled looks.
Du Feifei whispered, “He’s… actually that considerate?”
Xie Sixiao frowned.
“Do you think he’s angry?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Who knows.”
In truth, Lu Yun wasn’t angry at all.
He simply had no interest in taking advantage of others in such a sleazy way.
Stepping outside, he shivered.
“Do… do you want me to get you a towel?” Zhao Xiaoya asked softly from behind.
“No need.”
Lu Yun shook his head.
“Oh…”
Zhao Xiaoya looked at his calm profile for a moment before quietly returning inside.
Just then, An Ran and Long Xiaoyun approached from the distance.
After stopping in front of him, Long Xiaoyun spoke in her usual serious tone.
“Lu Yun, the commander wants to see you.”
Lu Yun nodded.
“Looks like I won’t be able to rest here after all. I’ll head over first. I’ll come visit you girls another time.”
After saying that, he strode away.
With An Ran leading the way, the two headed toward the command headquarters.
Along the way, many soldiers glanced at them, whispering among themselves.
“That’s Lu Yun, right?”
“Should be. I heard he’s some second-generation official from the capital and ended up marrying all the women from Fire Phoenix.”
“So lucky. That spoiled rich kid really hit the jackpot.”
“The higher-ups are weird. Why would they issue such a ridiculous order?”
“Lucky? Hardly. It’s only in name. Every elite soldier in the military district hates his guts. You think that’s enjoyable? Sooner or later, he’s going to have a rough time.”
“True… but eighteen special forces wives? If that ever became real, just imagining it is enough.”
Most people in the Fire Phoenix Special Operations Zone had already heard of Lu Yun’s story.
They couldn’t help feeling both envious and jealous, and many of them disliked him on sight.
Not long afterward, they arrived at headquarters.
Lu Yun met with several senior officers from the Fire Phoenix Special Operations Zone.
After a brief discussion, he was officially assigned to the Cultural Troupe.
Soon afterward, an officer from the troupe personally came to escort him there.
The Cultural Troupe was located on the northern side of the military base, next to the Information Department and not far from the Fire Phoenix dormitories.
Since most of its members were female soldiers, their barracks had also been built in that area.
The Cultural Troupe itself was a rather unique military unit.
Among the world’s armed forces, only China and North Korea maintained military cultural troupes.
However, the department had long been controversial.
What drew the most criticism was that many performers enjoyed treatment equivalent to regimental-level officers or above.
“Everyone, let me introduce our newest soldier—Lu Yun.”
The troupe’s director, a middle-aged man named Qin Shucheng, smiled as he introduced him.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Lu Yun. I look forward to working with all of you.”
Lu Yun nodded politely.
Among the crowd, he noticed several familiar faces—people who were well known in the entertainment industry.
Within the military cultural troupe, many celebrities also held military positions.
Some had been specially recruited by the armed forces, while others had started their careers within the troupe itself.
The others greeted him one after another, though the looks they gave him were rather strange.
Clearly, they had all heard about his reputation.
“Alright, everyone, back to work,” Qin Shucheng said with a smile, dismissing the group.
Soon afterward, another member of the troupe showed Lu Yun around the facilities before taking him to his dormitory.
His true goal was to become a special forces soldier.
Being assigned to the Cultural Troupe was only temporary, so he didn’t pay much attention to the place.
That Evening
Back in his private dorm room, Lu Yun opened the system interface as usual.
A notification immediately appeared.
Mission Complete: Arrive at the Fire Phoenix Special Operations Team within three days.
Reward: One lottery draw.
Moments later, the spinning interface stopped on a green fruit.
The system’s voice sounded in his mind.
Congratulations, Host.
You have obtained a Strength Fruit.
It permanently increases your physical strength.
There is no upper limit to its effects—it can enhance your strength indefinitely.
Lu Yun’s eyes lit up with excitement.
He had been eager to improve his physical abilities, and he hadn’t expected the very next lottery draw to grant him exactly what he needed.