Chapter 5: with translation of chapter title

Liu Xiaotian (character)

That way, he could rush forward and give her a thorough beating!

Even if the eventual result was him getting beaten up instead, it would still be better than now, passively or even being forced to complete those so-called crappy tasks.

A five‑kilometer run, especially in light gear, is hardly a high‑intensity workout even for a unit like the Iron Fist Group, let alone the ordinary combat units Liu Xiaotian knew from his previous world—it's merely a warm‑up in physical training.

The only thing worth mentioning is that the time requirement seems rather strict; in an ordinary unit, being able to finish within the Iron Fist Group's 17‑minute passing standard would be extremely rare.

If he were any faster, he'd likely be picked for the track team to bring glory to the country.

I suspect the system set the 18‑minute limit to accommodate the urine in his bladder; otherwise, he'd easily rupture his bladder during the run.

As for taking leave, don't even think about it.

(some gibberish)

Liu Xiaotian, Red Blood Cell Group, Sixth Company

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Xiaotian gritted his teeth and began sprinting all out.

"Right—turn! March—go!" Peng Donghai skipped the usual formation procedures, barked the command directly, and led the unit out.

The main reason he's feeling upset is still Liu Xiaotian.

Liu Xiaotian, Gong Jian

Two laps came out to exactly five kilometers.

In his view, the Sixth Company had finally secured two spots for the training‑camp selection, so naturally they should pick the most well‑rounded, outstanding soldiers.

But now, with each step forward, he felt the fluid in his bladder sloshing back and forth, hitting every angle.

Originally, Liu Xiaotian should have been happy, because the feeling of being unable to urinate is truly agonizing.

He's probably already foaming at the mouth, damn it?

If he followed the system's 18‑minute rule, as long as nothing went wrong mid‑run he'd have at least a ninety percent chance of finishing; but if he had to meet Peng Donghai's time, he'd have to start sprinting all out right now.

The main road inside the camp loops once around the Iron Fist Group's compound, totaling 2.5 kilometers.

In long‑distance running training, the first few hundred meters are actually quite important.

Despite that, he has yet to find any information in this body's memories about his parents or relatives in this world.

But Liu Xiaotian isn't in the mood to think about those things right now.

At one kilometer, two kilometers, three kilometers… Liu Xiaotian felt that his legs weren't suffering the usual soreness and weakness from running five kilometers; instead, they felt relatively easy.

Moreover, after the system appeared, Liu Xiaotian's psychology began to change gradually.

Seeing Liu Xiaotian as the last to walk out of the barracks, Peng Donghai, who had been waiting at the front of the formation, darkened in face and shouted at him in a low voice:

"Yes!" Liu Xiaotian replied, quickly stepping into the ranks and taking his place.

Thinking that, Liu Xiaotian's pace naturally quickened.

After finally managing to complete a parachute jump that afternoon, this kid fainted as soon as he landed and then slept the whole afternoon in the Health Team's quarters…

Furthermore, after waking up on the Health Team's sickbed, Liu Xiaotian no longer felt any of the original fear when thinking about parachute jumps or airplanes.

Seeing that there were still over a hundred meters to the finish line, Liu Xiaotian lifted his wrist to check his watch.

"If you don't make it back within seventeen minutes, do it again!" Peng Donghai added right after.

Liu Xiaotian, Sharpshooter Fourth Company, He Chen Guang, Wang Yanbing, Li Erniu

Although the system, which obviously bears the "De Yun" insignia, speaks somewhat unreliably, after all it's touted as an all‑purpose Soldier King assistant system.

When he was only seven or eight meters from the finish—close enough that he could practically coast on inertia—the mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "Congratulations, you've exceeded the standard; the system's punishment is lifted immediately!"

The timer showed 16 minutes and 22 seconds.

With such a grandiose name, he surely isn't just an iron blockhead, right?

All the soldiers could see that the company commander's mood today was far from ordinary.

They've already run; why not strive to pass?

Or perhaps… that sour‑refreshing feeling in his belly was masking his bodily fatigue.

He was also taking advantage of the fact that his bladder wasn't yet painfully distended from holding urine.

He couldn't run at the very front, or his stamina would drain too fast; he couldn't hang back, or chasing would become hard; the ideal spot was the mid‑front, about one‑fifth of the column's length. After the first kilometer he would begin a steady acceleration, maintain the lead, then speed up again in the final kilometer.

(none)

Of course, there's always a little extra, and over the years it's been deliberately overlooked by successive grassroots commanders, causing it to be forgotten.

"Liu Xiaotian! Hurry up and fall in!"

That means he ran over eight hundred meters in the past two and a half minutes! That speed is great! Liu Xiaotian felt pleased, gave himself a mental thumbs‑up, and quickened his pace even more.

And the time had already passed fourteen minutes.

Usually, Liu Xiaotian isn't really intimidated by this training.

But with the superior issuing such a direct "cap", his Sixth Company effectively lost one slot.

It's just over two hundred meters—round it up and it's five kilometers! Liu Xiaotian immediately pressed the timer on his wristwatch and sprang forward, legs pumping.

By now, Peng Donghai must have become the butt of bedtime jokes among all the company commanders.

After all, Peng Donghai isn't a doctor and has no similar experience; he has zero understanding of the pain of being unable to urinate, and doesn't even know that medically this condition is called urinary retention, nor what a miserable ordeal it is for the patient.

But there's nothing he can do; he can only grit his teeth and run forward, hoping to end this so‑called punishment as soon as possible.

Even without the system task, trying to get leave from Peng Donghai on the grounds of being unable to urinate would still earn him a kick.

No one else mentions it, but just these three soldiers—even if you gave him one, what would he do?

After the unit turned past the drill ground in front of the barracks and entered the main road, Peng Donghai immediately shouted a word at the top of his voice:

Originally, after accepting the transmigration and clearly realizing he was a salted fish—utterly unable to turn things over—he had thought of just muddling along like that until he got kicked out of the Iron Fist Group, or simply took off his uniform and left the unit, before saying anything else.

But since he fainted on the airplane, he's realized that this situation might actually have a turning point!

By the time the last kilometer arrived, Liu Xiaotian's sweat had completely soaked his clothes.

But the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth hadn't had a chance to spread across his face before it instantly stiffened.

Because, before the system's voice announcing the release had completely faded, he felt a sudden lightness in his lower abdomen.

Next, the inner sides of his thighs felt an irregular wave of heat, followed by a chill.

Liu Xiaotian instinctively lowered his head, only to see a wet stain quickly appearing on both pant legs, growing larger……

(End of chapter)