Chapter 440 - 357: Simple Verbal Abuse, Ultimate Enjoyment

The sky darkened.

"Hurry up! Is this your speed? The old lady selling popsicles at the gate is faster than you!"

There was no fire truck, no lighting equipment, but flashlights and loudspeakers were on hand.

Bobcat, holding the loudspeaker, gave everyone a psychological "chat".

The soldiers embraced the logs, rising to their feet with roaring shouts.

"Loyal to the motherland! Loyal to the people!"

"Are you related to mosquitoes? Louder!"

"Loyal to the motherland! Loyal to the people!"

"Louder! Did you just eat your food for nothing? Are you idiots?"

"Loyal to the motherland!! Loyal to, the people!!"

"Hahaha... Loyal, my ass! With this speed, the motherland and the people would be ashamed of you!"

The simplest foul mouthing, the most extreme enjoyment.

Hearing these words, everyone’s eyes popped out, and in a burst of anger... they got angry for a moment.

Damn it, can’t get up.

Numb, numb, numb.

Still have to train.

"Ugh..."

"Ugh... Wah..."

Those who needed to vomit did so thoroughly, making a barely satisfying meal become the second form of torture besides training.

It was also enjoyment.

Those who felt like vomiting could stand up and lean over the trash can to vomit for a while, which counted as rest.

Besides that, everyone else took turns squatting with the logs or lying down with the logs for sit-ups to rest.

Huang Yong, the training fanatic, would have to admit defeat here.

The spearhead soldiers were usually the big bosses of the squadrons. Although they varied in physical strength, the weaker ones had the self-awareness to group in threes.

Moreover, there were two top-notch spearhead soldiers who had ranked high in the Grand Martial Arts Competition, one from the Yunnan Team who came in second in the first Grand Martial Arts Competition, and one from the Hunan General Team who came in second in the third. They teamed up together, handling the wood as if it was their mother’s gold-banded stick.

That slightly gapped large log, constantly sprayed by water guns, became heavier after soaking water, weighing more than 300 jin.

The weight on each person was not just 150 jin, but fluctuated with the teammates’ movements: sometimes 120, sometimes 180. When teammates moved slowly, it could hit over 200.

But in Bobcat’s view, who was sitting in the comment section, it was all still too slow.

Everyone really wanted to drag him down to train together.

The group that looked the toughest on the field turned out to be Yin Wen’s group, who had joined later, because they shouted the loudest.

The first to hit their limit were Fang Huai and Kui Li.

Because the two were competing.

Kui Li started off stronger and indeed pressed Fang Huai down for a while, gasping for air. Both were around 1.8 meters tall, Fang Huai a couple of centimeters taller, but Kui Li weighed 200 jin and Fang Huai 150 jin. They were of different weight classes – they would have been in different groups in a sports competition.

But as time went on, Fang Huai began to recover.

His strong internal organs’ adaptability, summoning the energy of each cell to nourish the core areas generating force.

Fang Huai’s body harbored such a powerful reserve of energy that at first, he hadn’t adapted to the rhythm of war. But once he caught on, every part of his body began to militarize.

One by one, nuclear submarines began their descent into the water.

Who cares about East wind missiles or liquefied gas tanks? They’re all strategic weapons. The meal devoured at 6:20 would be ash by 7:20.

Starving, but oddly energized.

About an hour into the training, Fang Huai started to push Kui Li to his limits.

Kui Li began thinking, "Oh my god, this kid’s not bad."

Then, "What the...? What the...?"

And finally, "Damn! Damn damn damn."

Two people escalating against each other, and surviving to this point, was no easy feat.

"Huff... huff... Elder Deng, wait till my foot heals, see how I’ll play with you!"

Fang Huai lay on the ground, gasping for air, clutching the large round wood, yearning to push himself up for a few more sit-ups, to subdue this black-goods guy. But his body could no longer support him, leaving only his mouth to show some toughness, as he began to blame external factors to project his indomitable spirit.

Kui Li, too, seeing stars, was a king of verbal strength. Panting heavily, he said:

"Ha... you’re bullshitting me. Your foot isn’t even hurt! ’My foot’s healed’... huff... I’m just old now. If I were your age, I’d beat you ten times over!"

The combatants sprayed out their final words and collectively lay on the ground, turbocharging their breathing through their nostrils and mouths, hoping to recover some strength for the next fight.

In reality, both were telling half-truths.

Fang Huai’s foot truly hurt; at first, it hurt a lot, but as his body warmed up, the sprain felt like a half-open release valve—no longer so painful, just a little awkward-feeling.

Kui Li was indeed getting older—he was at the end of his fourth term. Enlisted at 16, now 32, but if it weren’t for over 15 years of persistent training, adapting to high-intensity workouts, he wouldn’t have been able to push Fang Huai into combat mode, to the point of collapse, even now.

How many sets they’d done was anybody’s guess.

After all, the Captain, who held two little dumbbells as a token gesture of joining the training, and who kept roaming around the area, berating everyone, had not called a halt.

If there was no halt, then they would keep going.

"Just now I heard someone say they were too late for dinner, no strength? Missed dinner! That’s your good fortune! Those who ate, you’ll vomit it all up for me tonight! If you can’t puke it all up, don’t think about sleeping!"

"I’m telling you! Today is just an appetizer! Don’t bother reporting to me! Reports make me excited, and then I really want to train you to death!"

"Elites? Top soldiers? Martial arts champions? Your past records, in the next forty-something days, will only become a heavier burden on you! I want you to mix your worthless pride with your sweat during training and let it pour out from your bodies! Here, you give up your qualifications, your years of service!"

"Here, strength is king!"

Hu Peizhou, holding the two light dumbbells definitely weighing less than five pounds each, lectured everyone, filling their hearts with curses and suspense as he made one thing clear.

Here, there were no rules—the only rule was him.

Three hours passed, and everyone still moving was struggling to maintain their breath, trying to recover a bit of strength with a lukewarm pace that would sustain them through the next action.

During the training, everyone used their own tactics to endure to the end.

Fang Huai looked up at the stars, still bright nowadays, and at the mist that occasionally splashed over, letting out a long sigh.

Training that made you think, strategize to conserve energy, now that’s real training.

...

"Everyone stand up! Dismiss on the spot, rest!"

Finally.

As almost everyone was down, Hu Peizhou called out the most human-like sound of the night, finished his words, handed the dumbbells to Bobcat, and also stopped his own training.

Truly a damn maddening training.

All sorts of resentful voices arose at the same time after he left.

"Push, push, push! Get this damned grinding stick out of the way! I can’t take it anymore!"

"Slower! Slower! Wait for me to catch my breath!"

"Someone help out! I can’t move it!"

Once the surrounding instructors left, there wasn’t even a light.

The ones getting up could only use the bright moonlight and the distant city lights to help those who were trapped under the logs move the heavy weight off their bodies.

"Shower, shower! Second Squad needs to take a shower! I’m covered in both sweat and water, if I stew in this all night, the smell will be unbearable."

"Do I even need to say it? I still have to wash my clothes!"

Fang Huai and Kui Li didn’t ask for help, they pushed the log aside, and Kui Li immediately clapped his hands and got up.

"Heh, I’ll wait for your foot to heal! Let’s see what you’re made of then!"

Leaving those words behind, he walked upstairs with his hands behind his back.

But although that figure walked quickly, the footsteps were unsteady, tinged with a certain defiance.

Rough stuff.

Fang Huai couldn’t be bothered with him and continued to lie on the ground to rest.

"Fang... Number One, are you going to take a shower?" Lian Xu came over and asked.

After this night, Lian Xu suddenly felt that Fang Huai was worth befriending.

Not only was his sense of smell sharp and his observation skills strong, but he was also willing to remind Yin Wen, which was pretty decent of him.

Moreover, every now and then he observed Fang Huai and felt that he had improved again.

He considered himself strong and liked the company of the strong.

Fang Huai looked up and saw this guy coming over to talk to him again, suddenly feeling that this wasn’t too bad, considering Liang Longhui fancied him. Slapping the ground, he sat up, somewhat annoyed:

"Of course I’m going to shower! I’m drenched in sweat; what, do you expect me to scrub your back?"

Lian Xu chuckled, "If you still have the energy, sure, but if you’re going to wash, you’d better hurry; they’ve all gone in."

With that, he pointed to the mop pool next to the toilet, the bathhouse where showering was done.

Fang Huai watched a group of people rush to grab their toiletries and hurried into the bathhouse, his mouth twisting as he said:

"No worries, they’ll be out soon enough."

No sooner had he spoken than a howl, echoing from inside, burst out.

"Damn! Why is it cold water?!"

"What cold water? This is ice! Did they add something to it?"

"Landlady! No lights is bad enough, but couldn’t you at least provide some hot water?"

Fang Huai laughed.

Oh my god, I cleaned for over ten minutes today and there was no hot water; it would be strange if it’s hot now.

At that moment, a roar like a bobcat’s came from upstairs:

"Nonsense, there’s no electricity, where would the hot water come from? If you want hot water, go and build a fire yourself!"

A bunch of people awkwardly rinsed off and came out.

Fang Huai finally got up.

"Let’s go, it’s time to shower."

Lian Xu watched the group yelp and run out, suddenly feeling that maybe skipping the shower wouldn’t be too bad.

"...Or maybe just wipe down, a wipe will do."

Fang Huai turned around, grabbed him, and they left.

"What’s called an adjustment period? Let me tell you, staying here, we might all have to wash with ice water! They might just pull us out to run in some snowy wasteland. How can we not adapt now? We must shower, absolutely!"

"...Fine, let’s shower, but stop pulling me. I can walk by myself!"

"...Hey, isn’t Liang Longhui from your Squadron?"

"You know Captain Liang?"

"Know him? I even have shoulder badges he gave me! He was our new recruit group Instructor! Treated me damn well!"

"Oh, I get on pretty well with him too!"

"How well?"

"Whatever tasks Captain Liang had, I did them all! When I transferred from Zhongshan Squadron to Special Duty, he even personally drove me there!"

"Heh, if you’re that close, that’s good! There’s a real person to blame now! Bring it on, comrade!"

"What are you doing? Hey, hey, this water is really icy!"

...

In the middle of the night, all was quiet.

Following a devilish night of training topped with an ice-cold shower, the soldiers, cold and exhausted, clutched their army blankets and fell asleep within three seconds.

The bedding was practically a branch of heaven.

Snoring, grinding teeth, and farting sounds couldn’t steal away their dreams.

Except for one thing.

The moment their eyes snapped open, busy until lights out, their eyes closed, their alertness heightened.

"Beep, beep, beep, beep..."

The whistles here were exceptionally loud.

Less than a second after the whistle blew, the three squads sounded like rolling thunder, resembling the last bell before the school holiday, with desks and chairs making noise all at once.

"Emergency assembly! Emergency assembly!" a student yelled out.

"Heh, I saw this coming; I kept my pack’s string under my pillow!"

In the dim light of dawn, it was no obstacle for them, as they packed their bags with astonishing speed.

In three to four minutes, the excited students, with their small packs ready, rushed out one after another, gathering in the front yard.

Some people, still clutching their legs painfully bumped against the desks and corners, sucked in the crisp air with gasps.

Everyone had abruptly gotten up from their warm bedding, wearing the still-damp camouflage uniforms from the evening’s wash, the slight breeze making them shiver.

But the Captain, sporting short sleeves, stood in front of the formation, somewhat baffled, "All this for an assembly, I didn’t call for you to pack your bags, why did you all bring your blankets? I was just worried some of you would sneak out for a midnight snack, alright, everyone’s here, go back to sleep, dismissed."

The formation dissolved.

Everyone chatted as they headed back to their rooms.

The topics of conversation varied, but they all essentially consisted of three words, with an astonishing 33.33...% mother-related content.