Chapter 158 - 114: There’s a new recruit, stronger than you.

"Does sister-in-law have any classmates left?"

"No!"

"Does sister-in-law have any friends who are as pretty as her?"

"No!"

Walking to the stadium, four new recruits with a bunch of tools trailing behind, Xiao Haishan tirelessly kept asking Fang Huai.

Fang Huai endured all these.

But when Song Lin sneaked up with a sly grin and asked, "What does sister-in-law like to eat?"

Fang Huai bristled, "Why, are you planning to take her out for a meal?"

"Definitely! We’re brothers! Your family is my family! If she comes, we have to take good care of her!

I’ve asked the squad leader, we can only take leave once, for just four hours! If you can’t get out, I can invite sister-in-law for a meal!"

As Song Lin spoke, he patted his chest.

After confirming the clarity in his eyes, Fang Huai sighed:

"No need, everyone should keep a sense of boundaries with roles like ’girlfriends’!"

Song Lin panicked.

"Then what if my girlfriend comes? Who can help me host her? My home is just over two hundred kilometers from here; she will definitely come often!"

Fang Huai: ...

So eager, considering this.

"Why don’t you first confirm whether she’s still your girlfriend before worrying about that?"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Only General Han let out a long sigh, "Ah, if only my fiancée were no longer my fiancée; that would be too good!"

Fang Huai curled his lip.

What the hell, not appreciating the blessing you’re in!

A second-generation heir meets a huge mini heiress—now that’s truly a life on the cheat mode!

While normal people worry about everyday life stuff, your families are merging large listed companies!

Song Lin, Xiao Haishan: "You have a fiancée??"

Gossip gossip...

...

"Old Cao, why did you guys take so long to come?"

Only when they entered the sports field did they realize the Special Duty First Squadron was also there, seemingly waiting for them for quite a while. As soon as Captain Huang of the First Squadron saw Cao Yi, he started complaining.

"We’re 20 minutes from the stadium, you arrive as soon as you step out your door; how can we compete with that?"

Rolling his eyes, Cao Yi said as he walked with his hands behind his back to Captain Huang’s side.

With a smile, Captain Huang pointed to the playground: "How about it, shall we warm up together?"

Cao Yi frowned:

"How much earlier did you arrive? Haven’t run yet? Waiting especially for us to warm up together? Who’s the strong new recruit you’re planning to use to shake us up this time?"

Captain Huang chuckled mischievously: "How are your squadron’s new recruits?"

Hearing this, Cao Yi got the hint and smirked as well.

"Not too bad," he replied.

It was clear Captain Huang wanted to play "New Recruit Landlord," and Old Fox Cao didn’t want to show his hand just yet.

Left without a choice, Captain Huang said with some pride: "Just tell me, how many of your recruits can pass the horizontal bar at 15?"

Hearing this, Cao Yi was inwardly delighted.

Pass fifteen? Heh, you’re counting units are a bit off.

But he maintained a serious face and said, "Our four new recruits, compared to your six, what are we competing for? Tell me about yours! I’ll give you some feedback!"

"Heh, Old Cao, you sly dog," Captain Huang snorted, pointing to a tall, thin new recruit on the side of the First Squadron: "Our squadron has a new recruit this year, Yang Libing. His overall quality is okay, the rest are just mediocre!"

As he spoke, his eyes turned towards the Second Squadron. The four new recruits, who had entered the field and neatly lined up, said: "Hey, what about that Fang Huai?"

Cao Yi chuckled.

I knew it.

The new recruit king of the two squadrons is always up for grabs each year.

Thinking this, he teased: "Why, having produced Wen Jingsong last year wasn’t enough, and now you’re looking to bring out more talent this year?"

Waving his hand, Captain Huang said: "Not at all. Wen Jingsong might leave next year! He’s a talent entrusted to us by the leadership for nurturing, and as soon as he qualifies for promotion, he’ll be off to pursue his future, and we can’t keep him?

Once he’s gone, the quality of this year’s lot will just be average!"

Cao Yi’s eyes sharpened: "Promotion?"

Leaning in, Captain Huang flicked Cao Yi’s chest with two fingers, speaking more softly: "He’s a kid from a leadership family; poor academics but fitness training started early, specially sent to the troops for a shot at promotion.

He only needs a third-class merit. Once he’s served his time and qualifies, hehe, you know what I mean?

I’ve asked around; he doesn’t plan to stay in the Special Duty. He’s aiming for a government agency."

"Oh..." Cao Yi suddenly understood.

No wonder last year, that Wen Jingsong’s physical abilities were so much better than his peers; turns out his family had been grooming him from an early age.

Ah, Fang Huai wanted to take this path; now with such a competitor, it just got tougher.

After thinking for a long time, Cao Yi decided not to reveal Fang Huai’s thoughts. But after what Captain Huang said, he no longer cared about the competition among the new recruits.

Even as he listened to Captain Huang’s words, Wen Jingsong seemed secure in his prospects for promotion, which sparked some competitive thoughts in him for his own squadron’s Fang Huai.

He laughed and said frankly, "Our squadron’s new recruits this year are pretty strong. Fang Huai is genuinely exceptional. In fact, I think he’s even stronger than Wen Jingsong.

This soldier, from the time I’ve been leading soldiers, I’ve never seen anyone so talented. This year, our Second Squadron is going to produce a master."

"And the other two new recruits are also quality in every respect."

"Oh?" Captain Huang’s eyes widened with surprise, "Are they really that strong? What about the parallel bars, five kilometers, hundred meters, how about those?"

Cao Yi chuckled and said, "Why fixate on those? They’ve already begun learning specialized skills! Let me tell you, for radio communication drills with empty calls and rope climbing up to the fourth floor, it’s a little over 23 seconds! Fully equipped with combat uniform, one person two straps, they shaved off 8 seconds!"

"Damn, you’ve really struck gold then!" Captain Huang exclaimed in amazement, "They’ve only been introduced to specialized skills for a few days? They’re that strong?"

Upon hearing this, Captain Huang looked back at his own squadron’s Yang Libing, suddenly not feeling as good.

...

While the two cadres chatted, some old soldiers from the two squadrons also gathered together to talk, mostly about the new recruits who had just joined the squad.

In truth, the First-Class Soldiers of the Second Squadron didn’t really want to talk, but they were approached for a chat.

"Meng Qiang, how are those new recruits in your squadron?"

A short and skinny youth from the First Squadron came over, pulling out a "Black pole" cigarette pack from his bag and tossing one to Meng Qiang, his shoulders bearing two stripes, yet he exuded the maturity of an old soldier.

Meng Qiang turned his head, took the cigarette, looked at it and then smiled, "General Wen, you’ve got good taste in cigarettes."

He glanced again at Zhang Yang and Qi Xiaohui, saying, "Fellow soldiers of the same enlistment year, aren’t you distributing cigarettes fully?"

It was then that Wen Jingsong also took out more cigarettes, giving one to Zhang Yang, saying, "I didn’t know if those two smoked or not!"

Meng Qiang smiled again.

You know to hand a cigarette only to the smoker Zhang Yang, but you don’t know if they smoke?

Although Meng Qiang didn’t really appreciate Zhang Yang’s behavior, he found him much more straightforward compared to the overbearing Wen Jingsong.

This guy in his first year, whenever the two squadrons trained together, he always had to show off, causing their four same-year soldiers to suffer from extra grueling training upon returning.

Furthermore, Wen Jingsong didn’t care about Zhang Yang and Qi Xiaohui, only speaking with him and Chang Ming. He wouldn’t even consider those without some family background within his circle.

Chang Ming was most resentful toward Wen Jingsong. He often complained privately that even Wen Jingsong’s shit smelled like a Staff Officer, wondering why he even bothered with the Special Duty Team when he had good physical fitness—that it was just damn unfair.

Meng Qiang and Chang Ming, both part of the Second Squadron’s connected families, clearly understood that Wen Jingsong was no ordinary case; his connections were in the whole corps, and he was a direct son, not in the same league as them.

"Now that the new recruits are assigned, you guys must be relaxing, right? How does it feel to have soldiers under your command?" asked Wen Jingsong with a smile.

In these thoughts, Wen Jingsong was somewhat similar to Zhang Yang, filled with a desire to lead.

Upon hearing this, Meng Qiang repeatedly waved his hands,

"Hey, don’t get me started on new recruits! The mere mention gives me a headache. Our squad’s Instructor Cao is like a madman. We now have to join the new recruits for morning exercises and evening exercises!

I, a Communication Officer, have to watch for alarm bells during evening exercise, it’s driving me insane!"

Wen Jingsong frowned slightly, not particularly pleased with Meng Qiang’s flippant "I, I" speech, but he still laughed and said,

"It’s because you guys didn’t train properly in the first year.

Old Cao is tough; in the second year, you still have to do additional training. Why don’t you complain to your uncle? As old soldiers, what are you afraid of?"

Zhang Yang couldn’t help but join in the conversation, "You just got into the troops acting all tough, and we are the same as you? Last year, you could do 42 pull-ups, right? How much have you improved this year?"

Meng Qiang, however, patted Zhang Yang, indicating not to confront Wen Jingsong directly.

So he changed the subject, "What about the new recruits in your squadron, got any strong ones?"

Wen Jingsong didn’t care to pay any heed to Zhang Yang; in his eyes, Zhang Yang was nothing more than barefoot buffoon. Thus, he ignored him and laughed, saying,

"Not bad, there’s a Little Yang who can knock out 23 pull-ups and his five kilometers are also decent. He’s planning to become a Non-commissioned Officer.

I’m thinking of cultivating him well this year. Maybe by the time of the Detachment’s new recruit assessment, he will be the new recruit king, and later, the First Squadron will have a backbone I’ve trained myself."

Upon hearing this, the three from the Second Squadron were somewhat choked up.

You’re just an old First-Class Soldier and you’re "cultivating" a new recruit king?

Are you aiming to be the Retired Emperor of the First Squadron?

"What, you planning to be honorably discharged this year?" Meng Qiang snapped back at him.

He knew in his heart that this guy was probably aiming for Military Academy.

But what none of them realized was that this overbearing peer intended to take a path of ascension.

Wen Jingsong let out a light chuckle and patted Meng Qiang’s shoulder, saying, "You’ll find out next year."

Meng Qiang, clearly annoyed by his condescending attitude, managed a pained smile,

"With that record, aiming to be the new recruit king, let me tell you, we’ve got a new recruit in our squadron, fresh out the gate with 27 pull-ups, the second round 29 pull-ups, improving rapidly!

This morning, carrying an empty radio communication pack and climbing up to the fourth floor on a rope, half the old soldiers in our squadron couldn’t keep up with him. The way he leaps through windows, it’s like he came straight out of a gymnastics squad!

By the second year, he might even surpass you in physical prowess, even we second-year guys can’t keep him in check anymore."

Although there were countless annoyances at home, faced with this proud peer outside, he didn’t mind using Fang Huai to knock him down a peg.

"Oh?"

Indeed, Wen Jingsong seemed disgruntled that his recent record-breaking accomplishment among the new recruits was quickly bested by someone else, and he inquired, "Who’s that?"

Meng Qiang, feeling enthusiastic, pointed towards several new recruits standing with the Second Squadron, "See that? The second one, around one point eight meters tall."

As he spoke, he also glanced at the top of Wen Jingsong’s head.

Ever since he’d joined the forces, Wen Jingsong had been proudly aloof, but what he was most dissatisfied with about himself was his height.

Actually, he wasn’t that short, but in his mind, his roughly one point seven meters of height didn’t suit his grandeur.

So that look jabbed straight into his windpipe.

"Heh." Wen Jingsong laughed once more, ready to launch a counterattack:

"You can’t even handle one new recruit, you guys are really weak. Want me to teach you a lesson?"