Chapter 136 - 92: What’s on the 34th floor?

"Dong dong dong qiang, dong dong long dong qiang..."

A few second-year soldiers and two non-commissioned officers were vigorously tormenting the cymbals and the big drums.

Instructor Cao Yi and Squadron Leader Ye Jiahong stood under the vehicle and shouted.

"New comrades, disembark!"

The vehicle entered the squadron, stopped in front of the fire truck garage, and two rows of old soldiers stood on either side of the vehicle.

Fang Huai glanced over.

Not many people, huh?

Were there thirty?

Four new recruits got off the vehicle, and it was only then that two fire engines, one on each side, moved to the front of the door.

Cao Yi waved his hand, and three old soldiers in firefighting combat suits got out of each vehicle, swiftly laid out hoses, and each produced three multi-functional water guns, which they turned on mid-air to create a blossoming pattern.

Six streams of water intersected to form three arch-shaped columns.

Only then did Cao Yi smile and loudly say to the four new comrades:

"It’s your first day coming to the squadron, and we should welcome you, so we’ve specially prepared a ceremony for you!

It’s called the Water Gate!

The meaning behind it is to cleanse and refresh you, to leap through the dragon’s gate like a fish!

We hope the new comrades in Special Service Squadron 2 will study hard, train diligently, grow rapidly, and consistently overcome difficulties, transforming into dragons at the first gust of wind and cloud!"

After saying this, the old soldiers on both sides began to clap.

Squadron Leader Ye Jiahong shouted loudly, "New comrades, pass through the Water Gate!"

The four felt somewhat moved and shocked, even Fang Huai couldn’t escape the sentiment.

But Fang Huai was damn melancholic, silently cursing the county squadron he visited in his previous life for being so shabby, as they never put on a decent welcome ceremony.

Look at this, from the ceremony to the script, no boring parts throughout.

In pairs of two, in rows of three.

Just as they were prepared to pass through the Water Gate, Fang Huai slapped his old teammate Han Yong, who immediately caught on to the plan and lined up in front of Fang Huai, while the other two, Xiao Haishan and Song Lin, gave them a glance and also quickly arranged themselves by height order in the queue.

Han Yong, a little over one meter seventy, turned out to be the shortest one. Song Lin was slightly shorter than Fang Huai, around 175 cm, Fang Huai was 179 cm, and Xiao Haishan was the tallest, probably a couple of centimeters taller than Fang Huai.

"March!" Fang Huai commanded in a low voice.

The four stepped forward, passed through the Water Gate, and felt a cool mist of water fall on them, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

However, it was uncertain where the water in those two vehicles came from; if it came from a fire hydrant it was fine, but if it was drawn from some ditch on the way to a police dispatch...

Fang Huai didn’t linger on the thought.

When Cao Yi saw the four new recruits enter in formation and then align themselves in a horizontal row under Fang Huai’s command upon entry, facing the old soldiers, he felt reassured and immediately began to belittle them.

"Look at that, just look! Huh? Little Hui, Zhang Yang, Chang Ming, Meng Qiang, you four, take a good look!

What were you like when you came? And what about the new comrades? Whenever something goes wrong, it’s either the squad leader’s fault or the new recruit group’s fault!

There’s always an excuse!

I really want to invite your new recruit squad leaders to come and see this in the squadron!

Don’t say I’m always scolding you for being sloppy when you walk. Once you leave the base, who would think you look like soldiers?

A soldier must look like a soldier! Don’t always slouch with your hands in your pockets! To the uninitiated, it might seem there are two guns hidden inside the two stripes on your epaulettes!"

The four second-year soldiers’ spirits were immediately dampened by this cold shower.

Damn, they thought they wouldn’t get scolded after new recruits arrived and they would be promoted to old soldiers! But now, here come four new fathers!

Cao Yi seemed very dissatisfied with the first-class soldiers as he scolded them.

To the surprise of those who boldly called themselves "The Second Cudgels," not one of them retorted and stood there obediently taking the lecture.

Fang Huai inwardly remarked: Cao Yi has a lot of prestige!

The first-class soldiers had just come from new recruit training, endured a year’s worth of it. The moment they were free, their tempers flared, especially since it was their year to be discharged. They would say things like, "I’m leaving anyway," or "I might as well not stay as a non-commissioned officer." They were not easy to manage.

Both cadres were wearing their day-to-day uniforms that day, and Fang Huai finally knew why Cao Yi had such high prestige.

Squadron Leader Ye Jiahong, a Lieutenant, had a row of two stars for rank insignia, marking eight years as a company-grade officer, while Instructor Cao Yi was also a Lieutenant but had two rows, one star, surprisingly a ten-year Deputy Battalion Commander.

In those days, positions didn’t lead to a promotion in military rank; otherwise, Cao Yi might have been a Lieutenant Colonel.

"Xiong Jie, Liu Jianfeng, you are the squad leader and deputy squad leader of Second Squad. Take the new comrades to familiarize themselves with the squadron!

Before the new recruit evaluation and the squad assignments, you two are responsible for the new comrades."

"Yes!"

The answer came from a second stage officer with a baby-face, thick eyebrows, and a generally gentle appearance, his eyes lively.

At least compared to the skinny first stage officer behind him, he looked spirited.

The first stage officer who had come over walked with an uneven gait, as if he were injured. One eye seemed partially closed, as if glued shut, and the other eye was also small.

He was wearing colorful sports shoes, and his camouflage uniform was worn to a bluish tint. He donned an old-style soft epaulette, with the ’cudgel’ next to the gun looking quite thick.

He had a unique rugged charm.

With limited clothing options, he managed to make himself look very distinct, which indicates strong self-expression or possibly the desire to compensate psychologically, related to a lack of confidence in his looks.

Fang Huai made this judgement based on some fragmented psychology knowledge he had previously encountered.

The second stage squad leader came over to introduce himself:

"My name is Xiong Jie. All four of you will be in Second Squad, led by myself and Squad Leader Liu Jianfeng.

All four of you, take this opportunity while all the squad leaders are here to introduce yourselves loudly!"

Cao Yi, also realizing they had not introduced themselves, quickly added, "Yes! New comrades, introduce yourselves to the squad leaders!"

Fang Huai immediately looked over at Han Yong, who was on the far side.

"Yes!" Han Yong replied, "Report to all the squad leaders and superiors, I’m from Hunan! Changsha! My name is Han Yong!"

Han Yong had slimmed down a bit and seemed much more confident than the once chubby little fellow.

Song Lin next to him also stood at attention:

"Report! My name is Song Lin! I’m from Liupanshui! I used to breakdance before joining the army! I like playing football! Report complete!"

"Oh? Got some talent, huh? Fang Huai can play the guitar, right? That would be a good pairing with Song Lin’s dancing," Squadron Leader Ye Jiahong said with his hands behind his back and a smile.

Fang Huai inwardly winced.

"Report to the Captain... As for the guitar, I can’t really play it..."

Cao Yi also rolled his eyes at Ye Jiahong: "You hillbilly! Street dance is about groove! You need drums!"

Ye Jiahong immediately pointed at the tall intern cadre with no stars on his epaulet: "Then let Platoon Leader Wu do it! Platoon Leader Wu can! He’s a jack-of-all-trades — sings and plays!"

With a shy smile, Platoon Leader Wu revealed his overbite: "A bit, a bit."

It was then that Cao Yi turned to Fang Huai, tilting his head upwards.

Fang Huai stood at attention: "Reporting! My name is Fang Huai! From Chongqing!"

Cao Yi walked over to Fang Huai and patted his shoulder, saying:

"This is the soldier with the best overall qualities in this year’s new recruit group! He comes with a third-class merit and an outstanding soldier award from the new recruits! You two squad leaders, you must take good care of him!

He is also Captain Hao Chengbin’s proud protege, personally trained by him!

Meng Qiang! The Communication Officer just got discharged, and now you are in the Communication Squad. When you’re free, take Fang Huai under your wing. You’re not very familiar with the business either, so learn together and make progress together!"

At these words, a slightly overweight First-class soldier’s face turned a bit strange.

The other three First-class soldiers looked at him with delight in their misfortune.

Fang Huai noticed the man’s displeasure and tensed up inside.

Being a Communication Officer is relaxing! You sit in front of a computer all day, and when there’s a police dispatch, you don’t even have to be at the scene. These days there’s no individual communication system to carry; you just carry a small bag, and it’s not manual labor.

Primarily responsible for charging and tuning two-way radios, handling various reports, and not leaving the communication room often to receive all sorts of notices and dispatch information. Although you still need to train, there’s no need to do too many miscellaneous tasks.

Once the door to the communication room is closed, playing a game on your own computer or surfing the net — nobody will say anything.

This position is indispensable, so it’s prestigious and easy-going, and in the eyes of the conscripts, it’s definitely a cushy job.

Stealing someone’s rice bowl is akin to killing their mother.

Fang Huai didn’t know what to say; Haobo Chengbin had asked him to perform well. Saying he couldn’t handle this or that would leave Squad Leader Hao without face.

So he loudly replied, "Yes!".

Cao Yi noticed that Meng Qiang didn’t say anything and turned to look at him.

"Reporting! My name is Xiao Haishan! From Yunnan!" Xiao Haishan promptly continued.

Cao Yi then turned back, finding Xiao Haishan’s tall and sturdy stature quite attractive, and nodded in satisfaction:

"From Yunnan? Good! Several squad leaders from our squadron are from Yunnan, and they are all tough! Squad Leader Han, Squad Leader Xiong, Squad Leader Zhang, they’re all from Yunnan!

He Zhijun, who left our squadron, is also from Yunnan! Work hard and don’t tarnish the reputation of Yunnan!

All right, the introductions are over, so off you go! The squad leaders from the squadron will get you two familiarized later on!"

Cao Yi waved his hand and turned to take Meng Qiang aside for a talking-to.

Squad Leader Xiong looked at Meng Qiang with some amusement and led the four newcomers toward the backyard.

As they walked, he said warmly with a smile:

"You need to focus on training, got it? Otherwise, you’ll end up like Squad Leader Meng, sticking to the communication room and never leaving.

Fang Huai, I’ve heard your name mentioned several times, quite renowned. But I suggest you don’t rush for that Communication Officer position for now.

First, it’s not conducive to training.

Second, it leaves Squad Leader Meng with a way out."

At this, everyone chuckled.

Squad Leader Xiong’s tone was amiable and his voice was not loud, even as he used Meng Qiang as a cautionary tale, it didn’t seem like he had any ill will.

At a glance, you could tell he wouldn’t be the kind to hit or yell at people, which greatly increased one’s goodwill towards him.

Moreover, since Fang Huai’s rebirth, this was the Yunnanese man he’d met who spoke the best Mandarin.

Struggling to keep a straight face, Fang Huai said: "Squad Leader Xiong, I don’t want to be a Communication Officer. I just want to focus on training. But Instructor Cao named me, and it wouldn’t be right for me to refuse."

Squad Leader Xiong nodded with a smile.

However, the follower Liu Jianfeng rebuked: "What do you mean you can’t refuse? Be modest when you speak! Do you think you can definitely perform better than Meng Qiang?"

"Yes, Squad Leader Liu!"

After responding, Fang Huai fell silent.

Squad Leader Xiong, as if he hadn’t heard anything, continued to explain the Squadron’s environment to them.

The squadron was pretty big.

The yard was double-ringed, just like the playground.

Right through the gate was a large building, like the inner ring, blocking the view between the front and rear courtyards, with a wall built about a dozen meters from the building, forming the outer ring.

The front yard was spacious, occupying more than an acre.

There was a five or six meter wide passage on both sides of the building that led to the backyard.

The backyard was larger, with a basketball court and various training equipment like parallel bars, log bridges, and hurdles, along with a towering training tower.

The main building was also quite large.

On the first floor of the building, there was a garage facing the front, with six fire engines parked.

Behind the fire engines was the equipment platform with personal protective gear.

At the back of the first floor was the cafeteria, accessible from both the front and the back.

The second floor was the accommodation area.

Squad Leader Xiong lead them to the second floor and pointed upward, saying: "The third and fourth floors, apart from cleaning and the notification to go to the gym on the fourth floor for training when it rains, are off-limits to you."

As he was saying this, a burst of laughter and cursing came from upstairs.

"Damn, Little Black, you just attacked my base as soon as you got up here!"

A voice from Guangxi responded: "Squad leader, you’re too noobish, what can I do about it!"

The newcomers’ eyes gleamed at hearing this.

Han Yong hesitantly asked, "Squad leader... what’s that up there?"

Squad Leader Xiong responded with a secretive smile: "Didn’t you hear it? That up there, is happiness."

No sooner had he spoken than a hurried ring of bells resounded throughout the building from all directions. This building seemed to have numerous interconnected loudspeakers; once the alarm sounded, the entire building’s speakers would go off.

Immediately, there was a rush of footsteps reaching the staircase, along with several exclamations of "Damn".

Everyone seemed a bit flustered.

"Squad Leader, is that the alarm bell?"

Squad Leader Xiong nodded with a smile, saying, "That sound signals that the fun is over."