Chapter 130: This Is the Best Batch of Recruits I

"Can you still hold out?"

Midway up the mountain, Lu Yang was coated by ash drifting down from the summit, turning him into a little gray egg.

He turned his head and, in a slightly hoarse voice, asked the two beside him.

Kong Long's whole face, like a red festive egg, was about to grin and say he could still persist.

But his overly dry, cracked lips and the bitter smoke in his mouth already gave him away.

"I can hold on!"

The saw in Ding Tengfei's hand had been swapped for a wooden‑handled iron spade.

His condition was similar to Kong Long's; his lips also bore fissures that could tear and bleed at any moment.

But the continuously swinging spade and the bits of earth he kept lifting seemed to embody his resolve, as if he were trying hard to prove something.

Seeing this, Lu Yang stopped rambling: "Dig another ten meters or so, connect it to the firebreak the veterans dug nearby, then the three of us retreat, or we'll end up baked like dried fish!"

"Alright!"

"You're the Assistant Squad Leader, we follow you!"

"I'm no longer the Assistant Squad Leader."

Lu Yang smiled; with the New Recruit Company about to disappear, there was no such thing as an Assistant Squad Leader.

But in their eyes, even without the New Recruit Company, Lu Yang remained the "eldest" of Third Squad aside from Zhou Kaidong.

Because whether in ordinary times or during the earlier fire‑suppression, Lu Yang did his best to look after others, striving to bind the people around him into one rope.

Zhou Kaidong had just escorted two exhausted recruits down the mountain, brought up a few bottles of life‑saving water, and forcibly restored some strength to Lu Yang and the others.

What they lack most now is water; as long as they can replenish fluids, they can hold on a bit longer!

At this moment, the assault team of Third Squad grew from three to four members.

Squad Leader Zhou Kaidong and Lu Yang led the charge, while Kong Long and Ding Tengfei handled support.

They forced the other squads of the New Recruit Company down the mountain, but they still stood firm and never descended.

At the foot of the mountain, Zhang Jiaheng, nicknamed "Cup Brother" who had just poured two bottles of mineral water over his head, sat on the ground panting heavily.

Seeing only Lu Yang and a few others left in the area they had been covering, he, who had intended to rest longer, finally gulped a big mouthful of water and stood up again.

Eighth Squad Leader looked at him pick up the iron spade, preparing to return to the battlefield, and asked worriedly, "Skipping more rest, can you manage in this condition?"

Zhang Jiaheng smiled, "We can't let Third Squad hog the spotlight!"

Those words seemed to ignite the fighting spirit of all the recruits.

Anyone who could still move stood up, supporting themselves on their legs.

After quickly drinking water, wetting their heads, bodies, and tools, they all returned to the "battlefield" together.

Gao Feng, seeing his troops one by one exude such vigor, couldn't help feeling a surge of pride.

He turned to He Zhen Tao, exclaiming excitedly, "This is the best batch of recruits I've ever led, the best batch!"

He Zhen Tao nodded in agreement, "This is also the finest batch I've ever led, the most spirited batch!"

The sky gradually darkened.

Yet on the mountain, scattered sparks of fire could still be seen, along with silhouettes moving back and forth with flashlights.

The fire‑suppression work was progressing smoothly overall, but they still had to wait for all open flames to be extinguished.

Only after another round of inspection would everyone's work be truly finished.

As time crept toward the early morning hours, both recruits and veterans were utterly exhausted, their arms and legs unable to exert any strength.

Now they needed rest and food replenishment to keep fighting.

Even though the New Recruit Company had ended, the fire situation was still an order, the fireground a battlefield.

As the Instructor of the New Recruit Company, He Zhen Tao watched these newly shed recruits shoulder the heavy responsibility.

Covered in grime, faces weary, the recruits could sit down and instantly fall asleep; He felt genuinely pained.

If they hadn't enlisted, they would still be children in their parents' eyes.

Now they'd be either staying up late gaming online or reading novels under the covers.

But at this moment, they were so tired they lay in a heap, clutching their tools and sleeping on the ground in a tangled heap.

"Let's let everyone get some sleep and see if we can make some hot food?"

"Just bread, mineral water, and biscuits aren't enough."

Gao Feng saw this and felt the same.

Fire‑suppression is primarily a forest firefighting task.

But because the base was nearby, they had both responsibility and duty to help.

Besides not facing the fire directly and having a slightly lower risk, the soldiers' effort was no less than that of firefighters.

Especially these newly commissioned recruits, none slacked during the daytime fire‑suppression; everyone was desperately fulfilling their duty as soldiers should.

This was the most memorable and best batch among the many recruits Gao Feng had led.

Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao went to the Second Battalion Commander to discuss whether the Cook Squad could prepare some hot food for everyone to replenish their strength.

The Second Battalion Commander shared the same thought: "I just asked the fire brigade; they say the blaze is basically under control and, barring any mishap, should be fully extinguished by tomorrow night."

"Relying solely on bread and biscuits makes it hard for the soldiers to hold out, but cooking fire on site is also somewhat unrealistic."

"How about this: let the Cook Squad boil some water, prepare instant noodles, slice some ham sausage, vegetables, and eggs, just to tide them over…"

Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao nodded repeatedly, indicating agreement.

Instant noodles are the best emergency food.

Just add hot water and eat; almost everyone can accept it and is willing to eat it.

Especially the salty, fragrant broth, which stimulates appetite and replenishes lost salts.

Most importantly, it's convenient, saves effort, and doesn't waste time.

After all, assisting in firefighting is their main job; they can eat after the mission ends, it's not too late.

The Cook Squad immediately started boiling water upon receiving the order, taking out sausages, canned luncheon meat and similar food items.

Actually, the supplies purchased earlier already included boxes of instant noodles, but because there was no boiling water before, most people just chewed them dry, making their throats feel awful.

One could see small yellow basins piled high with noodle cakes, topped with eggs, sausages, and a few sprigs of green vegetables.

Pouring boiling water into the basin, the eggs were instantly turned into egg drop by the scalding water, and the originally firm noodle cakes softened and collapsed.

Moreover, there were some cans of braised pork and bits of luncheon meat, making the aroma even richer.

Instant noodles are strange—eating them all the time gets boring, but after not having them for a while one really craves a couple of bites.

As the boiling water hit the seasoning packet, a fragrant aroma immediately wafted through the air.

Lu Yang twitched his nose and was instantly awakened by that scent.

He opened his eyes and sat up, first pushing aside Kong Long's leg, then Ding Tengfei's arm.

Then, as if the scent had grabbed his nose and forcibly pulled him up from the ground, he walked toward the smell like a sleepwalker.

Soon Lu Yang saw the basins of instant noodles on the ground, as well as Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao helping at the side.

"Oh, your nose is still pretty sharp?"

"You just soaked them and already you can smell them?"

Lu Yang raised his hand in a salute, but his eyes were fixed on the instant noodles on the ground.

His previously dried salivary glands, like a flood, kept secreting saliva nonstop.

In his previous life he worked in a big city to save money, eating instant noodles in his rented apartment until he felt sick.

But at this moment, his desire to eat instant noodles was stronger than ever before.

Gao Feng looked, wanting to laugh: "Just bring it over, this basin is yours."

He Zhen Tao said: "By the way, call the other squads up too, eat your fill before resting. Everyone's exhausted from the day, but we still need to persevere; once tomorrow's mission ends we can go back."

Lu Yang nodded vigorously, picked up the small yellow basin from the ground with both hands, and walked back smiling brightly: "Ahahaha, instant noodles are here, instant noodles are here~"