Chapter 155: Human Relations and Worldly Affairs: Must Be Handled Precisely

"Ah, geez!"

During the final lap, the 100‑meter sprint.

Second Squad Leader was just about to speed up when his left foot tangled with his right, performing a flat‑ground fall.

It happened so suddenly, and the plastic track was a bit slippery from the light rain last night.

After the Second Squad Leader fell, inertia carried him forward, sliding more than two meters.

Lu Yang turned his head, saw the scene, his expression a little odd, but unconsciously reduced his sprint speed, switching to a steady pace to the finish line.

"Sixteen minutes zero five seconds!"

Ma Qing'an pressed the Stopwatch pause, and, excited, punched the air.

He immediately went up and gave Lu Yang a big hug, laughing so hard his teeth couldn't close.

"Good kid, you improved that much at once!"

"I knew you didn't give your all in regular training, but I didn't expect you to have that damn much hidden!"

"Your time improved by at least half a minute; you're really a sly thief and quite good at slacking off; if you hadn't seriously compared with the Second Squad Leader even once, I would have been fooled by you!"

A barefoot five‑kilometer time just over sixteen minutes truly shocked everyone.

Although Lu Yang did not break the Sixth Company's terrifying record of a fifteen‑minute‑forty‑second five‑kilometer run.

But note that Lu Yang had been enlisted for less than half a year, his physical condition hadn't peaked, and his muscles and bones were still developing.

If he intensified training for another year or so, the Sixth Company's record would likely be overwritten.

In fact, everyone could see that during the final sprint, Lu Yang, disrupted by the Second Squad Leader's flat‑ground fall, didn't give his full performance.

In other words, if he angrily reran it once, there's a high chance he'd break the sixteen‑minute barrier and reach the fifteen‑plus minute limit.

Even if placed in a Motorized Infantry Company, let alone any other company, such a result would be at the top of the pyramid.

Cheng Jun, Zhou Kaidong and others also burst into laughter: "Hahaha, well deserved, well deserved, you ran well!"

Liu Ziqiang, hands on his hips, provocatively looked at the matter‑pressuring "Kang Da Niang": "First Platoon Leader, if you're still not convinced, just step down yourself and race with our Assistant Squad Leader; you could even just run a hundred meters first!"

Kang Changyi's eye twitched; facing the crowd's eyes waiting for a show, he finally hummed.

"The five‑kilometer slots are yours, after all we're all from the same company!"

Having said that, he turned away in a huff.

Before leaving, he glared fiercely at the limping Second Squad Leader.

The First Platoon Leader was driven away in anger, and the others all showed victorious smiles.

Company Commander Ma Qing'an gave the Second Squad Leader a slap on the shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered.

"It was pretty realistic!"

"What?"

The Second Squad Leader, having lost the race, immediately pretended to be crazy and stupid, and Ma Qing'an didn't call him out.

The Second Squad Leader indeed fell on purpose; the reason was simple.

Some hype can be shown; some hype must not be flaunted recklessly.

Actually, after the Battalion Commander arrived, he really wanted to run well and perform.

But halfway through, he sensed something off, because Lu Yang kept a distance of two or three body lengths, intentionally or not, seeming to deliberately evade him.

At that moment, the Second Squad Leader realized Lu Yang's level wasn't below his; even forcing a comparison would likely result in loss.

Rather than being used as a cannon by the First Platoon Leader and exhausting himself to lose.

Not to mention the humiliation, and having to face the Company Commander, Instructor, First Platoon Leader, Cheng Jun, Zhou Kaidong and others with cold eyes; it was better to exit with dignity.

So, during the final sprint, he simply tangled his left foot with his right on purpose and performed a flat‑ground fall.

Although it was a bit embarrassing, at least he kept a shred of dignity; he showed magnanimity without damaging his relationship with everyone.

Moreover, even if he could outrun Lu Yang, the Second Squad Leader would probably hold back in this race.

Because veterans competing with rookies for honor and performance slots is truly a loss of face.

Every unit has the tradition of veterans looking after rookies.

Newcomers need more training and performance opportunities to quickly become the backbone and shoulder the company's main support.

In other words, the Second Squad Leader's actions were for the Sixth Company's benefit; in terms of big‑picture perspective and human affairs, this "old hand" knows far more than the naive, student‑minded Kang Changyi.

Second Battalion Commander also lavishly praised Lu Yang and instructed Ma Qing'an and He Zhen Tao to cultivate him well.

"In the future, this kid won't just be the Sixth Company's backbone; he'll also carry the banner for our Second Battalion!"

"Yes!"

In the following days, to prepare for the Division's competition.

Lu Yang detached from the Sixth Squad and trained intensively alone.

He wore lead weights for load training, increasing from ten jin to twenty jin, even up to thirty jin.

From the moment he opened his eyes he ran; except when sleeping at night, the lead weights were never removed.

Continuous strain also made his leg muscles tight and hard, even developing exaggerated muscle lines like Zhou Kaidong's.

As the saying goes, if you train without working the legs, you'll eventually suffer; soldiers of the Sixth Company never have to worry about such male issues.

Everyone in the Iron Foot Company has a pair of lightning‑fast legs, even Liu Ziqiang, who seems ordinary; in other companies he'd be a rarity.

But behind all this, tremendous effort and countless drops of sweat are required.

Training too hard in the morning, after lunch, Lu Yang clearly felt his thigh muscles painfully sore.

Back in the dorm, he sat on the bed, gave a simple tap and rub to relax his muscles.

At that moment, he suddenly saw Squad Leader Cheng Jun walk in holding a rolling pin.

"Squad Leader, why did you bring the Cafeteria rolling pin here?"

"This is a good thing!"

Cheng Jun wouldn't take no for an answer and made Lu Yang lie down flat.

He plopped down on the edge of the bed, ready to relax Lu Yang's leg muscles.

Lu Yang felt a bit startled by the favor, yet he didn't refuse—it was exactly what he needed.

Moreover, Cheng Jun's technique was good, his pressure just right, and the rolling pin made his legs feel pleasantly relaxed.

Cheng Jun rolled the rolling pin back and forth, like someone in northern China rolling out dumpling wrappers on a kang during New Year.

"The day after tomorrow we have a match, so to stay in peak condition you need to cut back your training tomorrow; that way you'll perform steadily. Chen Panpan, come over and watch, then you'll give Lu Yang a massage."

"Yes."

Chen Panpan stepped over to learn the professional relaxation technique.

Because the massage was so soothing, Lu Yang's breathing slowed and he promptly fell asleep lying on the bed.

During this period the intensity of his strengthened training was too great; he had already loaded forty catties of lead weights onto himself, and several more were strapped to his legs.

His body was running continuously overloaded; even with the system's help it was really hard to cope, and ensuring sufficient sleep would aid his physical recovery.

Cheng Jun stood up, handed the rolling pin to Chen Panpan, and said softly, "All right, give Lu Yang a massage for a while, focusing on his calves and the backs of his thighs."

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Chen Panpan took the rolling pin and, like spreading a pancake, pushed down hard with both hands.

Just like that, it hurt Lu Yang awake, his gums sucking in.

"Brother Yang, what's wrong? Did I use too much force?"

"Hiss... it's fine, keep going."

"Sure thing!"

Chen Panpan is also a clueless kid.

Afraid she wasn't doing it right, she increased her hand pressure again, rolling the pin back and forth over Lu Yang's sore, tense spots.

Lu Yang winced in pain, his features twisted, he clenched the bedsheet but didn't make a sound.

This also made Chen Panpan mistakenly think her massage wasn't working, so she exerted all her strength.

This sore, painful feeling made Lu Yang feel like he was dying and coming back to life, his teeth grinding, and even feeling as if this leg weren't his own.

Seeing Lu Yang's face flush red as he stubbornly endured, Cheng Jun and the others couldn't help bursting into loud laughter.

Chen Panpan stopped, scratched her head awkwardly, and asked, "What's wrong? Am I doing it wrong?"

Cheng Jun said, "It's fine, you're doing well, keep putting in the effort—I just want to see how long this tough guy Lu Yang can hold out before he yells for a stop."

Chen Panpan then realized she was pressing too hard, hurried over, and asked, "Assistant Squad Leader, are you all right? Did I use too much force? Why didn't you say anything?"

Lu Yang had two crystal-clear tears hanging at the corners of his eyes, and he squeezed out a trembling voice from between his teeth: "I'm okay, actually... I don't feel anything......"

Hearing that, Cheng Jun immediately laughed: "Hey, still a tough guy! Liu Ziqiang, go get a fascia knife from the Third Platoon Leader—I'll crank up the intensity on him."