Chapter 299: Give the young warriors a lesson!

Alright, don't get too excited yet.

The Military Games aren't as simple as the division's martial competition; everyone who goes is a top-tier expert at the Soldier King level.

Just winning a single event against other competitors is already difficult, let alone those freaks from Old Wu's group.

You might have seen online or heard people talk about that group's monstrous physiques and terrifying strength; in reality, it's often even more exaggerated than what you hear.

So don't get complacent just because you broke the division record; the world record for the outdoor 3000-meter run is over seven minutes, anyway I recall it's under eight minutes, you still have plenty of room to improve.

Ma Qing'an's words immediately ignited Lu Yang's fighting spirit.

The division record, the division record, only shows his speed is the fastest in the Seventeenth Division.

He isn't even the fastest in the entire army, the entire group army, or the entire theater; (in parentheses: fastest at running).

At the Military Games, there will inevitably be top-tier athletes from the first army; to knock them down, Lu Yang must keep cultivating; (in parentheses: crazy stat grinding).

Without cheats, Lu Yang would feel this hall-of-fame-level contest is far out of reach; such top honor has nothing to do with him.

But with cheats on him, he'll give it a shot no matter what; who knows, maybe his motorcycle will turn into a sports car?

Understood, I'll work harder and constantly break through a new self.

Great job!

Ma Qing'an firmly raised his thumb: 'You know what I admire most about you? It's that newborn calf's fearlessness of tigers, unafraid of heaven and earth! At your age, I didn't have your guts or your abilities!'

Lu Yang humbly said: 'You're a late bloomer, I'm a clever bird that flies early—we're not on the same path.'

Ma Qing'an laughed heartily: 'The year has just begun; there's still plenty of time before next year's Military Games; training can be postponed a bit or done on the side—first handle the urgent matters at hand.'

Earlier I told you about refining the new recruit training plan—how's it going?

It's done; I'll bring it over for you to look at.

Sure, I'm free right now, I'll take a quick look.

Soon, Lu Yang came in holding a freshly printed sheet that still gave off a faint ink smell.

The top left corner was stapled, the paper retained the printer's residual warmth, and it felt comfortable in hand.

Seeing the dense comments and supplements all over it, Ma Qing'an picked up his water cup and nodded slightly in satisfaction.

It was obvious he'd put heart into it.

But just as Ma Qing'an was drinking water, he inadvertently glanced at the content and spat a mouthful out his nose, nearly soaking the plan.

Lu Yang quickly handed him a tissue; Ma Qing'an rubbed his mouth and nose hard twice, still coughing from the irritation.

He lifted his head, incredulously staring at Lu Yang: 'This is just a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears newbies; are you treating them like little kids?'

Lu Yang explained: 'Company Commander, I want to give them a lesson before they go down to the company. Let them know what responsibilities commissioned officers must bear and what dangers they'll face in the future.'

Last year, our batch just happened to encounter a mountain fire when we went down to the company; new and veteran soldiers cooperated, disregarding their own safety, to extinguish the fire.

So the overall quality of that cohort's soldiers is generally higher, because we've experienced setbacks and hardships.

Ma Qing'an stroked his chin, staring at Lu Yang's plan and thinking seriously for a moment.

He then indicated that the final decision still needed approval from superior leaders.

After all, this is the New Recruit Company of the Special Third Regiment; the newcomers will become the regiment's fresh blood, so he can't make the call unilaterally.

When Ma Qing'an reported the situation to the regiment by phone, the other end's Wang Zhongxi burst out laughing and agreed without even thinking.

I actually think Lu Yang's plan is pretty good, very innovative, full of spirit.

Previous recruit training evaluations were all the same; it's also time to give these kids some intensity—let them know joining the army is easy, but being a soldier, especially a good one, is no easy feat.

Two days later, on the gravel road beside the country lane.

A troupe of about a hundred people walked stragglingly.

The young soldiers were not old, their faces still bearing unshed immaturity.

Carrying packs and with rifles slung, they resembled snails bearing heavy shells.

They are the New Recruit Company of the Special Third Regiment, undergoing a three-day-two-night field endurance drill.

The so-called field endurance drill literally means pulling the troops out to train; at the designated time, heading to the designated point, completing various training tasks en route as required.

At first, leaving the recruit company camp, everyone was still excited to see the colorful outside world; but as they walked, that fresh enthusiasm was worn away by fatigue and weakness.

Gao Feng followed alongside, looked back at the disorganized, straggling drill troop, frowned, and shouted: 'Everyone, straighten your waists and lift your heads!'

They're all able-bodied lads, yet under the eight or nine o'clock morning sun they walk with heads down, listless like old men!

Sing a song, let me boost the spirit. Revolutionary soldiers must all remember: ready, sing!

The song of the Three Main Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention rang out in the ranks.

The power of the song did indeed help the new recruits raise their spirits a bit.

They just kept walking forward, nobody knowing where they were headed or when they could stop.

They relied purely on their two feet, walking from daylight to dark, interspersed with frog jumps, push-ups, and similar exercises.

When the company commander announced an on‑the‑spot rest, everyone collapsed to the side, exhausted to the point of gasping for breath.

"Li Ge, I—I'm about to die from exhaustion, how come you look so much better?"

"Because I used this."

"What is this?"

"Abushu Bao, placed in the shoe, makes stepping soft."

"Damn, why didn't you tell me about this good stuff earlier?"

"I don't have many either, but shouldn't we use them sparingly? If I give them to you, what would I use?"

A few close-knit recruits gathered, one side massaging their sore legs to relax, the other side looking at the young man called Li Ge.

"Li Ge, are we really going to spend the night in this woods? I heard that in the wilderness, wolves are easiest to encounter."

"With so many of us, what could happen if we met wolves? Who's afraid of whom is still uncertain."

"That's true! Ah, I'm really out of energy; I'll lie down and sleep a bit."

Sleeping is fine, but you must keep the gun strap around your neck and hold the gun tightly in your arms.

Why? This gun is freezing cold; isn't it uncomfortable to hold it in your arms?

LiMin glanced at the smoking veterans, motioned for them to come closer, then lowered his voice to speak.

Before I enlisted, I used to browse military forums and saw a post about the new recruit assessment.

It said that during marches, veteran soldiers would sneakily take our rifles while we new recruits slept, then use the chance to punish us.

Ah?

Several new recruits immediately turned pale with fright.

That's really low, ambushing someone while they're asleep.

If LiMin hadn't warned them, they might have dozed off later and actually fallen for the veterans' trick.

Shh, just us few need to know this; absolutely don't let it leak out.

Why?

If the veterans found out, we'd be seen as ruining the training schedule and wouldn't want to stand out; they'd definitely come down hard on us, so it's better to stay low-key.

Exactly, you thought of everything; we just need to be careful ourselves later.

But I'm starving now; I finished the compressed biscuits on the road. I really want some hot and spicy stew, meat-filled buns, fried rice, fried noodles, egg pancakes...

Don't even talk about it—I'm drooling—but we're out on a field march; where would we get that?

Why not? I heard that out in the field it's easy to run into strong-army veterans who drive their strong-army vehicles around, specifically to provide convenience for soldiers.

That would be at a training base, like a large-scale military exercise; we're just a company, we don't even have enough fuel money.

LiMin thought for a moment and said: 'On the way here, when we passed through a village I saw a little shop; later I'll see if I can sneak off to buy something to eat.'

But we don't have any money, do we?

I do.

LiMin lifted his sock and pulled out two rolled-up red notes.

Seeing this, the surrounding comrades all showed admiring expressions.

As expected, Li Ge had planned ahead; they were new here and hadn't even thought of this.

Just as everyone was resting, stomachs growling, a dilapidated silver minivan appeared in view.

It was a Wuling Hongguang; when climbing a slope, black smoke puffed from its rear, making it look terribly strained.

However, the cigarette, drink, and instant noodle ads plastered on its body did catch quite a few people's attention.

Strong-army combat vehicle!

A wild strong-army combat vehicle!

LiMin reacted, the first to rush forward and stop the vehicle: 'Comrade, comrade, pause a moment!'

The vehicle stopped, the window creaked down, revealing Lu Yang's slightly disguised but still handsome face: 'What are you doing?'