Chapter 138: Shut up, you—stop stabbing!

What the hell?!

Liu Ziqiang was extremely dissatisfied, his emotions highly agitated.

Even if he's unfit as the assistant squad leader of the sixth squad, it's not up to a rookie like you.

Isn't this just pure insult, pure disgust?

Besides, he just came down from the company—don't you even check his level?

Just like that, all haphazard—can this convince everyone?

Cheng Jun sneered: "What basis? Just because he's been the internal affairs model, training model, and an outstanding rookie in the new recruit company all along."

So what?

Liu Ziqiang still dissatisfied, being an outstanding rookie doesn't mean he can handle the assistant squad leader role.

Moreover, the new recruit company is just kids playing house.

Can managing new recruits be the same as managing veteran soldiers?

This kid probably hasn't even fired a few rounds.

He doesn't even know the military skills needed for future company training, let alone those the sixth company must master!

Although Liu Ziqiang made sense, Cheng Jun raised his hand to interrupt, telling him to hold his speech until he finished.

"Besides being an outstanding rookie, he's also been in the military newspaper—have you?"

"Even if he's been in the military newspaper, that... that doesn't prove anything......"

"He also got a commendation!"

"No, is your new recruit company that busy?"

Liu Ziqiang gave a black person question mark expression, turned his head to look at Lu Yang beside him.

Whose new recruit company isn't just honest and steady, getting through it honestly?

You're doing all this, isn't it a bit over the top?

Again an outstanding rookie, again in the military newspaper, again receiving a commendation...

How are you so capable?

Why don't you bring back a third-class merit?

"They also have a collective third-class merit; the reason Lu Yang and them delayed sending troops down to the company for so many days was to help put out the mountain fire!"

"......"

Liu Ziqiang was silenced by the questioning.

Because Lu Yang has received these honors, he has none.

The only thing he can show for is winning the fun tug-of-war against other squads, earning a collective commendation.

Seeing the kid honest, Cheng Jun gave a cold sneer and deliberately asked: "Hey Lu Yang, when is your personal third-class merit coming down?"

"????"

The whole class's veteran soldiers widened their eyes, looking at Lu Yang like they were looking at a monster.

Is there no end to this?

This kid looks gentle and refined, besides being handsome, otherwise ordinary—who would've thought he's so fierce?

No, how did Zhou Kaidong train his soldiers, how did he produce such a fierce character?

Lu Yang also understood Cheng Jun's meaning at this moment, and cooperated loudly with his response.

"Squad Leader, that personal third-class merit should arrive in these two days, right?"

"Yeah, when it arrives we'll celebrate—this also counts as the first honor you've earned for our sixth company."

The sixth squad dorm was dead silent, you could hear a pin drop.

Cheng Jun's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Liu Ziqiang's flushed face.

"Do you have anything else to say, any dissatisfaction—you can speak up?"

"I......"

Liu Ziqiang isn't stupid; he knows that those who know the times are outstanding.

He also understands that this "fragile" rookie in front of him is someone he can't afford to provoke.

He originally thought he was a soft persimmon, just pinch and forget, but turned out to be a steel plate.

At this point, arguing against the squad leader would just be asking for boredom.

But if he just backs down like this, won't he be constantly suppressed by this kid from now on?

While Liu Ziqiang hesitated, not knowing how to respond, his close friend Sun Chen stood up to speak up for him.

"I disagree!"

"Oh? Is it you who disagrees, or Liu Ziqiang who disagrees?"

"I disagree on Liu Ziqiang's behalf; I think he has more experience than that rookie Lu Yang and is more suited to be our squad's assistant leader."

Liu Ziqiang, behind his back, secretly tugged at his good brother.

Indicating he should say less, lest he drag himself into a ditch.

Sun Chen shook off his hand, insisting on speaking up for him.

"I know you're embarrassed to say it; let me, your brother, say it for you!"

"Anyway, me and Liu Ziqiang both feel that a rookie doesn't deserve to be assistant squad leader, doesn't deserve to manage us veterans!"

Liu Ziqiang watched Cheng Jun's mouth twitch like a seesaw, seemingly unable to hold back.

And Lu Yang's half-smile, half-not calm expression, his inner self panicking.

He cursed his good brother Sun Chen's ancestors eighteen generations to high heaven!

This scene, he's all too familiar with it.

It's practically the standard trope of the urban dragon king returning and then slapping the villain in the face.

Except I seem to have gotten the villain's script, and I'm very likely to end up being the one slapped.

Although Liu Ziqiang has some confidence, believing that as a veteran who has eaten the unit's meals for years, he absolutely cannot lose to Lu Yang in professional skills.

But he doesn't want to gamble; even if it's only a one percent chance, if he loses it would be too embarrassing.

As for Lu Yang, he's a new recruit—if he loses, he loses; barefoot, he's not afraid of those wearing shoes.

But if I, a veteran, lose to a new recruit who just stepped out of the platoon, where would I put my face? How would I survive in the Sixth Company afterward?

While Liu Ziqiang was thinking back and forth, he felt it would be better to take the initiative and give up, valuing harmony.

For the sake of harmony in Squad Six, when he tried to step aside and let the worthy take his place, the Squad Leader didn't give him any chance to retreat at all.

Cheng Jun slapped his thigh and stood up: "Good! Since you're both dissatisfied, let's just have a match, so no one can say I, as Squad Leader, am playing favorites!"

"Liu Ziqiang, you all right?"

"No, no......"

Liu Ziqiang held back for a long time before saying: "Not prepared."

Cheng Jun laughed heartily, being very magnanimous: "Then I'll give you more time to prepare—ten minutes enough, or should it be fifteen?"

He had made up his mind: he would use Liu Ziqiang to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, to crush the arrogance of these "old oil sticks."

He also wanted the veterans of other squads to see what the outside world has become now.

Do they really think every new recruit is a soft persimmon, easy to bully?

Don't make me laugh—there are plenty of talented people among the new recruits nowadays.

Some just enlisted and can outrun veterans in running, and their shooting is flawless.

So as a veteran of the unit, one must always maintain a sense of crisis; only then can one keep improving.

Cheng Jun looked at Lu Yang: "You all right?"

Lu Yang smiled humbly: "I'm afraid I can't win, after all Liu Ziqiang is the veteran Assistant Squad Leader, I'm just a new recruit who just stepped out of the platoon."

He looked at Liu Ziqiang, smiling gently: "Assistant Squad Leader Liu, it's an honor to spar with you. Please go easy on me later—I'm a rookie, I don't know anything."

Liu Ziqiang's eyelids twitched; his mindset had already begun to crumble a little.

It's over, over, over!

This is literally the standard "pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger" script!

Before the match even started, he already felt the scales of victory tipping toward Lu Yang!

A kid with so many honors stepping out of the platoon, now pretending to be a novice and saying he can't do anything—isn't that just bragging?

Sun Chen snorted coldly: "My big brother letting you use one hand—what's the problem? Having many honors doesn't change anything; the gap between new recruits and veterans isn't that easy to bridge."

"Afterwards, the two of us will open your eyes—let you see why veterans are called veterans!"

Liu Ziqiang really wanted to give him two slashes!

You damn fool, say a few less words, okay?

Shut up, you—if you want to go up, you go up yourself; I don't want to compete at all!