Chapter 337: Eating too much protein powder is bad for the brain?

In the blink of an eye, a month flew by.

Lu Yang also moved from the special care ward to the ordinary ward, and then from the ordinary ward to a local rehabilitation hospital.

A rehabilitation hospital, as the name suggests, is a place specifically for postoperative, recuperative, and recovery-phase patients to undergo rehabilitation.

Not only is it much cheaper than regular hospitals, but it also eases the medical burden and ward pressure on the city's top-tier hospitals.

Normally, rehabilitation hospital wards have two to three people per room, but because Lu Yang is a first-class merit recipient, they specially arranged a single room for him.

That day, Lu Yang sat on the bed with a pen in his mouth, still trying to outline his novel; although a month had passed, he had only come up with a rough title, "Overbearing General's Early Growth".

But he always believed that writing a novel, haste makes waste; moreover, everything is difficult at the start, as long as you take the first step.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open, and two familiar figures he hadn't seen in a long time peered in.

"Is this it?"

"It should be!"

"Hey, it's this, Yang bro!"

Kong Long and Wan Baoshan came in from outside, beaming with smiles.

Seeing the two of them carrying big and small bags full of stuff, Lu Yang was startled.

"Wow, why bring so much stuff? Just coming is enough; you're being overly polite."

"More courtesy is never a problem, after all we're visiting a first-class merit recipient; if we brought little, they'd think our Third Company can't afford it!"

Wan Baoshan remained as before, grinning and slick-tongued, speaking without propriety.

Kong Long, meanwhile, was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, having grown a full circle larger since he first joined the unit.

"Is my vision failing, or are your clothes too small? I feel like you've gotten even bigger."

"Right, right!"

Kong Long was especially excited: "My arm circumference has already broken forty-five, isn't that fierce?"

Lu Yang looked at his arm, as thick as his own thigh, half-smiling: "You're not secretly drinking protein powder again, are you?"

Kong Long slapped his thigh: "What's sneaking? I now drink it openly, no one stops me. Before, it was not just about physical ability; plus I don't like leg training, so my core strength was lacking."

"Now with all-around development, carrying a heavy machine gun on my shoulder feels like playing with this thing."

"I'm not bragging; I can even carry a heavy machine gun by myself, then bear two ammo boxes and do two sets of squats."

"You don't believe me, right? If you don't believe me, I'll squat for you right now."

Having said that, he reached out to grab Wan Baoshan beside him, but was shoved away.

Lu Yang watched this guy gradually developing toward a devilish muscle-man.

He generally felt that the saying "fitness doesn't train the brain" made sense.

Moreover, he recalled a classic line from a certain movie.

"As for protein powder, I only sell it, I don't touch it; inhaling too much harms the brain."

"Yo, comrade great writer, still writing your novel there?"

Wan Baoshan glanced at the notebook on the table and spoke without even flipping it.

This surprised Lu Yang greatly: "How do you know I'm writing a novel?"

Wan Baoshan laughed: "You forgot what I do, brother; I know everything that happens in the regiment. Of course, I also have channels for outside news."

Lu Yang had forgotten that this guy also had the nickname "know-it-all," but writing novels is no big deal.

After a long time in the army, one must find some extracurricular hobby, something to do.

Some smoke, some secretly drink alcohol, and others like to idle away and draw.

As for writing novels, writing articles—although Lu Yang is the only one in the Special Third Regiment who does it, and he hasn't succeeded yet.

But placed across the whole theater, or the entire army, it's considered a fairly normal, fairly common hobby.

Lu Yang casually asked: "On Sunday and Thursday, workdays, how do you have time to come over? Is the drill about to start? How are your company's preparations? Is the training busy?"

"It's over."

"What?"

Kong Long's sentence left Lu Yang completely bewildered.

"When did it start, did we win?"

"I don't know."

"???"

Seeing Lu Yang's face full of question marks, Wan Baoshan took over the conversation and explained.

"Kong Long this kid is inarticulate; he can't explain it clearly, so I'll do it."

"The drill started early; our platoon's camouflaged position was exposed for some reason, and we got hit by a surprise wave from the enemy, but fortunately the enemy's combat ability is average, so their losses are greater than ours."

"Coincidentally, the drill site is near our Third Company's barracks; after casualties, the platoon leader led us back on foot, so we didn't go to any shelter."

Lu Yang followed up: "When you left, what was the situation of the Special Third Regiment—advantages and disadvantages? What was the state of our Sixth Company, and were the losses heavy?"

Wan Baoshan chuckled: "You really asked the right person; although our Third and Sixth Companies aren't in the same combat zone, when we left I deliberately looped around toward the main battlefield."

"Your Sixth Company, coordinating with the Seventh Company's armored cluster, fought fiercely. Your company commander, personally leading the troops on a motorcycle, weaving through the battlefield, was simply godlike—slaying gods!"

"So I estimate that our regiment currently has the advantage; if nothing unexpected happens, this drill is basically winnable."

"Phew—then I can relax!"

Not being able to personally participate in this drill is Lu Yang's regret.

But when he heard his comrades fighting bravely on the battlefield, unstoppable, his heart also felt glad for them.

Soldiers regard honor and victory as more important than anything.

Although Lu Yang has already earned a First-Class Merit Medal for the Sixth Company.

But this doesn't mean they should therefore become complacent and stagnate.

The three characters Iron Foot were forged by generations with hard strength; as juniors they must never slack off at any time.

Kong Long complained, "Honestly, it's weird—our machine‑gun position was camouflaged so well, yet the enemy still spotted it? Are the opposing scouts that good, like ghosts in broad daylight?"

"But leaving early is fine, just like a holiday. The recent extra training really wore us out."

"Since no one cares, as long as we stay inside the camp we can wander anywhere; being idle, I thought I'd come find you for fun."

Lu Yang shook his head: "What's fun about this? I still want to go back to the unit and hang out with you guys."

He stretched his arms, the joints cracking with a crisp pop: "Eat, sleep, eat, sleep every day, my limbs are practically atrophying; I'm even afraid that if I return to the unit, I won't finish a five‑kilometer run."

Wanbaoshan laughed and waved his hand: "How could that be? You're a meritorious officer, even a first‑class hero, and one of the few without missing arms or legs who earned a first‑class award in actual combat."

Having said that, he nudged Kong Long with his elbow and signaled him with his eyes to get down to business.

But Kong Long acted like a dimwit, completely missing his point, giggling foolishly.

"Lu Yang, I saw your interview video on the military network; the song you sang was really catchy!"

"Golden Shield, forged with hot blood~ Ah, I just can't capture your style; you've already joined the cultural troupe!"

Lu Yang just learned that the interview from the infirmary not only appeared in the military newspaper but was also turned into a dedicated news video: "It was just an emotional outburst, purely because the feeling hit. Next time you earn a merit, you should sing one too, sing about the Great Northeast, my hometown~"

"Ah, if that day ever comes, it would truly bring glory to the family."

Kong Long, his face full of anticipation, propped his cheek with his hand; his macho cheek‑propping looked both odd and awkward.

Lu Yang encouraged him: "Train well, eat well; opportunities favor those who are prepared."

"You're right, I want to…"

Before Kong Long could finish, Wanbaoshan bumped him with his elbow.

"What are you doing to me?"

"I—my sister—what's she doing to you?"

"You're the one pushing me, yet you use your elbow to jab me, blinking your eyes—are your eyes uncomfortable? No, why are you stepping on me again? I didn't provoke you…"

Wanbaoshan, annoyed by the fool, turned his back quickly and squeezed a sound through his teeth: "Fen'er, Fen'er, did you forget why we came here?"

Kong Long only then snapped out of his daze, gave an embarrassed awkward laugh, and hurriedly opened the plastic bag.

Seeing the two's earlier flirtatious, sneaky behavior, Lu Yang curiously leaned forward to take a look.

He discovered the bag was filled with all sorts of nutritional supplements, with three flavors of protein powder alone.

There were also creatine, nitrogen pumps, fish oil, multivitamins, oyster flakes, and so on, leaving Lu Yang dumbfounded.