Chapter 398: I'll give you another chance, say it again

Lu Yang raised his hand to catch it, glanced at it, then curled the corner of his mouth, and slipped it into his pocket.

He had been waiting for Bai Yuan to find a reason to rebut, but this guy pondered for a long time and ended up saying nothing.

It wasn't that Bai Yuan didn't want to rebut; after searching for a while he realized their Shanxi cuisine really is mostly staple foods.

As soon as he spoke, it wasn't a rebuttal but direct evidence.

The speedboat slowly went around the rocky shoal and arrived near a shallow beach.

"We've arrived, get out."

"Ugh..."

As soon as Lu Yang stepped off the boat, he felt his feet stepping on cotton.

A wave of intense sensory discomfort hit again, making him retch lightly.

Seeing him finally vomit, Bai Yuan was delighted: "He threw up, he threw up, I'm just me—who doesn't get sick on my boat? Lao Mao, you say..."

"Don't touch me!"

Lao Mao pushed his hand away, bent over uncomfortably to the side: "I'm also feeling a bit uncomfortable right now."

Bai Yuan looked embarrassed, obviously not expecting his strike to be so harsh that he injured friendly forces.

Seeing Lao Mao rubbing his neck, also looking uncomfortable, Lu Yang instantly felt much better.

It wasn't that he was bad; the opponent's driving skills were too wild—even their navy couldn't handle it, let alone him, who had never been on a boat before.

When the sea breeze blew, Lu Yang's hairs stood on end and he shivered involuntarily.

He vigorously shook his head, quickly regaining his balance that way.

Seeing Lu Yang recover so quickly, his complexion even rosier than Lao Mao's, Bai Yuan felt slightly surprised.

He had already used seventy to eighty percent of his strength when steering the boat earlier; even a Marine Corps elite would have to retch midway.

This Lu Yang, who grew up in an inland city and had just been transferred from the navy without ever getting used to being in water, managed to hold out all the way until disembarking.

Moreover, after just symbolically throwing up a little, he quickly recovered his condition—indeed he has some talent.

No wonder Zheng Chengfeng, known for his uprightness, would be willing to lower himself to ask them for connections.

"Chief, what place is this?"

Lu Yang curiously looked around, feeling the woods were gloomy.

Bai Yuan: "This place isn't anywhere special; it's just an ordinary sea‑isolated island. Since you passed the test, you'll spend the next period on this island."

"Of course, you can't just stay however many days you want; the exact length depends on your performance."

"Blow the whistle, have them come assemble."

"Yes."

Lao Mao took out a whistle and blew it hard.

From all directions came a bunch of disheveled, filthy savages.

All together about ten or so people, each looking sallow and thin, as if malnourished.

Adding their dirty appearance, they looked exactly like long‑time island natives.

However, Lu Yang could still recognize the navy camouflage color on their pants; it was just hard to see because it was dark and they were filthy.

These people lined up in a row, their gazes like wolves and tigers falling on Lu Yang, as if guessing the outsider's identity.

Bai Yuan walked forward with his hands behind his back: "First, let me say this kid isn't food, so don't eat him."

Lu Yang: "????"

Bai Yuan: "He was originally in the army, and after a reorganization he joined us, so he's basically one of us."

"Originally he was supposed to go to the Sea Training Base for training, but he had connections, knew people, so he came here instead."

"I emphasize this: you must not look down on or bully someone just because they used connections to get in here. In this unit you must stay united, not abandon or give up on each other."

Under the stare of so many hostile eyes, Lu Yang's mouth twitched twice.

I thought clearing the sea obstacle was the end, but it turned out to be just the beginning.

From these people's miserable appearance it's easy to infer they've surely endured much torment and suffering here.

I arrived clean and well‑fed, yet I deliberately pointed out I got in through connections—who would feel comfortable seeing that?

What the unit despises most is incompetence and using backdoors; that's why Kang Changyi was so unwelcome when he was in the Sixth Company before.

"Lao Mao, emphasize the discipline here to him!"

"Yes!"

Lao Mao stepped up to Lu Yang and shouted sternly: "Obey, obey, or damn well obey! From this moment on, until you leave, you have no name, only a code number!"

"Your code number is Seaweed 12!"

"Report!"

"Speak!"

"Is it enough to just give the number?"

Lao Mao gave a cold smile, turned his head, and pointed at the group behind him, saying:

"Tell them what your code number is, starting from the front of the platoon!"

"Report, I'm Stinky Fish 1!"

"I'm Rotten Shrimp 2!"

"I'm Crab 3......"

After hearing the others' code numbers, Lu Yang suddenly thought his own wasn't bad.

"Any objections?"

"Report, none!"

"Next, they'll tell you what to do; if there's no special circumstance, don't go to the mountain‑top watchpost, because that's where our instructors rest—understood?"

"Yes!"

"Is a mosquito your relative? Speak up!"

"Yes!"

Lao Mao suddenly noticed Lu Yang wearing a waterproof watch on his arm.

He reached out and just grabbed the watch, when Lao Mao's wrist was already tightly clenched by Lu Yang a beat earlier.

"What are you doing?"

Lu Yang's gaze turned cold; Lao Mao tried to release his hand but was horrified to find his fingers couldn't move.

"He looks pretty thin; does he have that much strength?"

"Personal items must all be handed over; take off the watch!"

"Even this has to be handed over?"

"That's the rule!"

Bound by the rule, Lu Yang could only release his grip, reluctantly taking the watch off.

Lao Mao moved his wrist and asked, "Is it important?"

Lu Yang: "It was a birthday gift from a comrade; the next day we… our unit completely disbanded."

Lao Mao thought for a moment and added, "When you leave, I'll return it to you intact."

"Yes!"

The unit announced its dissolution, and Lao Mao, together with Bai Yuan, left directly.

Lu Yang raised his hand to greet everyone, but no one paid him any attention; most rolled their eyes at him, groups of three or five went their separate ways, disappearing into the pitch‑black forest.

It left Lu Yang feeling a bit awkward, not knowing what to do, what to do; no one told him where the dormitory or resting area was.

However, a lanky‑faced guy, not far after they left, quickly approached and proactively greeted him.

"Hey, brother, I'm Jiang Dahai. Which warzone's Army did you transfer from?"

"Aren't we not supposed to say names here?"

"It's fine; those 'stinky fish' and 'rotten shrimp' code names are deliberately meant to disgust us. We can't keep putting ourselves down in private, can we? Rest assured, speak boldly—if anything goes wrong, it's on me."

"Lu Yang, from the Eastern warzone, just transferred to the South Sea Fleet."

"Oh."

Jiang Dahai perfunctorily nodded, his eyes constantly scanning Lu Yang's body: "Did you bring any food?"

"What?"

"Food, right? You didn't forget, did you? You managed to pull strings, get in through the back door; you can't be clueless about the basics, can you?"

Lu Yang awkwardly shook his head; he only learned he was to come here at the last moment, so what preparations could he have made?

Jiang Dahai wore a disappointed expression, rubbed his stomach, turned and left, no longer paying attention to Lu Yang.

"Forget it, it's pointless!"

"I have this here; do you want to eat it?"

"Where, where? I eat anything, I can eat anything; today I've only eaten two earthworms!"

Jiang Dahai's mind suddenly flipped, and he excitedly lunged at Lu Yang, rummaging all over Lu Yang like a monkey.

Lu Yang pulled from his pocket the item Lao Mao had given earlier: "Here, it's all yours, don't be polite."

Looking at the stack of digestive aid tablets in his hand, Jiang Dahai's face turned visibly red with anger.

In a fit of temper, he slapped the digestive tablets away, then grabbed Lu Yang's collar and shouted angrily, "Damn, how dare you mess with me?"

Lu Yang, expressionless, looked at him, slowly raised the mint candy in his hand: "I'll give you another chance?"

Jiang Dahai immediately released his grip, putting on an extremely obsequious smile: "I admit, I spoke a bit loudly before, sorry!"