Chapter 220: Kvass—The Kvass I Drink

A scorching afternoon, at a certain intersection.

Zhang Jiaheng followed his Squad Leader, conducting an alcohol test on a driving officer.

The other party, impatient, turned off the engine and got out, submitted to the inspection, and then exhaled toward the Red Baton.

After confirming the testing device showed no flashing alarm lights, the two finally released the person and reminded him not to speed.

When the person drove away, Zhang Jiaheng went to a shady spot, scratched his white steel helmet, and asked his Squad Leader in bewilderment.

"Squad Leader, we're not traffic police, why are we checking for drunk driving?"

"Recently, some officials in the Division secretly drank during holidays, violating the ban, so the higher-ups specifically added this item."

"But usually they don't catch anyone; it's mainly a formality to serve as warning and deterrent. That way, each unit will strictly enforce the alcohol ban and eliminate holiday drinking."

Zhang Jiaheng nodded thoughtfully, feeling he had learned something new.

He then contributed a great deed with his actions, promoting unit harmony and improving military bearing.

This pride and sense of accomplishment made him happy, refreshed, and full of vigor even in the scorching summer.

At that moment, a motorcycle in the distance approached at a steady speed, and he immediately stepped forward, raising his hand to signal it to stop.

Lu Yang slowed down, saw the person, and then lifted his chin toward him: "Such a hot day, still on duty here, hard work, hard work."

Zhang Jiaheng saw it was Lu Yang, instantly recalled the last time at the Sixth Company when he was shortchanged, and that Lu Yang called him Cup Brother, and he snorted.

"Stop the pretense with me, park, turn off the engine, and submit to inspection!"

Lu Yang shrugged, got out of the vehicle, and his various documents were already prepared.

Zhang Jiaheng opened them, glanced, and immediately sensed something was off.

"That's not right, your, your documents are fake, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?"

The Military Police Squad Leader, hearing the news, also walked up from behind.

He took Lu Yang's Non-commissioned Officer Certificate, examined it repeatedly, handling it over and over.

"That's not right, I recall you and Zhang Jiaheng enlisted the same year; it should be a Conscript Certificate, right?"

"Why did you pull out a Non-commissioned Officer Certificate, bearing a first‑term Non‑commissioned Officer Rank, while the duty listed is Acting Platoon Leader?"

Lu Yang gave a brief explanation, but Zhang Jiaheng and he were not from the same system, so he didn't believe it at all.

He thought Lu Yang must be lying; how could a soldier be a Platoon Leader in his first year? That's absurd.

He himself is still at the first turn, and won't reach the second turn until year‑end, which is still several months away!

The Military Police Squad Leader also harbored some doubt, because since he entered the unit, he had never heard of anyone ending the Conscript phase early and being granted a Non‑commissioned Officer Rank.

"We'll take a bit of your time; we'll call your company to confirm and verify the authenticity of your documents."

"Go ahead."

"Hello, is this xxxx unit..."

After the phone verification, the Military Police Squad Leader looked at Lu Yang with great surprise and finally hung up.

"Alright, the documents are fine, the duty and insignia are fine, you may go."

"No way? You really stayed in the unit and became Acting Platoon Leader?"

Zhang Jiaheng, originally appointed as Military Police, felt a certain sense of superiority.

Because officers below the school level can arbitrarily stop and inspect.

Ordinary soldiers, upon seeing them, would immediately spread their legs wide.

They even earned the flashy nickname "the army's ghost of worry."

But at this moment, in front of Lu Yang, his previous sense of superiority vanished instantly.

In that instant, he even entertained the absurd thought: if I hadn't become a Military Police, could I have been something else?

Zhang Jiaheng's morale had always been steady, proud of his white steel helmet and white gloves, but now it wavered because of Lu Yang?

Lu Yang knew what sort of character this guy was, so he needed no humility: "Because I'm sufficiently outstanding, the unit values me. Don't be jealous; you can't be, after all you don't even qualify to participate in Division competitions or exercises."

Zhang Jiaheng's face instantly turned very unpleasant, and Lu Yang was too lazy to say more.

Because he knew well that if you get too close to a white‑hat, the result is that when he lacks achievements, he'll use you as filler.

Thus, toward this fellow conscript who emerged from the same New Recruit Company, his attitude is neither close nor distant—just treat them as ordinary people.

"If there's nothing else, you all get back to work, I'm leaving."

Lu Yang hopped back onto the motorcycle, put on his helmet, and twisted the key.

Just as he was about to kick off the footrest and start the bike to leave, he was suddenly called out.

"Wait a moment!"

"What, any other issues?"

Lu Yang looked at him with interest, wondering what trick the guy was up to this time.

As long as he himself has no flaw and everything complies with regulations, even a hawk‑eye couldn't spot a fault.

Zhang Jiaheng stared at him fixedly: "You, have you been drinking?"

Lu Yang's heart thumped, his smile stiffened for a second, then he shook his head guiltily: "No, right?"

Zhang Jiaheng leaned in, sniffed: "No alcohol, yet I smell something, like malt aroma?"

Lu Yang thought, your dog nose is quite sharp: "It's Kvass, earlier at the Seventh Company I had a simple meal and drank some Kvass."

He looked at the Military Police Squad Leader and asked: "Drinking Kvass isn't a violation, right? It has no alcohol content."

The Military Police Squad Leader seemed to sense Lu Yang's unease, squinted, walked up, turned off the engine and pulled out Lu Yang's bike key.

"If it really is Kvass, there's naturally no problem, but if you drank something else you shouldn't have—hehe, then that's a different story; both you and the vehicle would be seized."

"It's indeed Kvass, I didn't drink much, only one cup."

"If that's not acceptable, you can call the Seventh Company to verify."

If he called, Lu Yang believed that whether it was Guo Yongwen, Gao Feng, or Instructor Zhao, they would all help him cover up a lie.

But Zhang Jiaheng, contrary to expectations, didn't play by the rules; he directly pulled out a red baton from behind and shoved it in Lu Yang's face.

"No need for all that trouble; we have an alcohol tester, just blow into it and we'll know if you've been drinking?"

"Come on, Lu Yang, Non-commissioned Officer, as the Acting Platoon Leader, you should have a high level of awareness; you surely wouldn't take the lead in violating regulations, breaking the alcohol ban, would you?"

"..."

Lu Yang gulped, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Obviously the weather was sweltering, yet he felt chilly all over.