Chapter 40: Rainy Day, the Training Zeal Won't Be Doused

Beep, beep-beep-beep—

"All personnel, put on hats, tighten belts, go downstairs to assemble, prepare for drill!"

The morning drill was delayed a bit longer than expected, but in the end it was only a delay.

As Lu Yang had previously anticipated, unshakable, rain cannot extinguish the troops' training zeal.

The new recruits sprinted downstairs to assemble the unit; by now the rain had lightened considerably, yet it was still falling.

Standing within the formation, Lu Yang deeply understood the feeling described in Liu Tianwang's song, "Cold icy rain slaps the face haphazardly."

Bone‑piercing, heart‑cooling, chilling to the core......

"Report, comrade Company Commander: the Whole Company should have xx personnel, actually xx present, awaiting orders!"

"Return to formation!"

"Yes!"

The duty officer returned to the line and stood at attention.

Gao Feng, hands behind his back, gave a few simple commands to straighten the formation, then looked at everyone in the rain.

"Does anyone think that because it's raining we can skip the drill and skip physical training?"

"The Special Third Regiment originated from the former Longguo Volunteer Army's 17th Division, 303rd Regiment; our predecessors fought tenaciously against the enemy in sub‑zero, thirty‑plus degree icy conditions, so a little rain is nothing."

"Don't say it's raining; even if hail falls, fireballs rain down, or knives strike, the training proceeds as usual. Because you are soldiers, you are Longguo soldiers!"

The new recruits stood in the rain, eyes unblinking as they watched the Company Commander speak passionately, their saliva mixing with the rain like a tiny flower sprinkler.

But the overwhelming majority hoped he would shut his mouth quickly, so they could finish running sooner and end earlier.

Otherwise, if they catch a cold from the chill, it would be miserable.

Yet Gao Feng showed no intention of stopping.

"A soldier's destiny is the battlefield!"

"The more extreme the environment and weather, the more likely the enemy will launch a sudden attack!"

"Today, we aren't just running three kilometers; to be precise, it's not merely a simple three‑kilometer run!"

"Later, we'll simulate marching under extreme weather while being bombed by enemy aircraft; during the run, various tactical orders will be issued, and everyone must execute them without fail!"

"Now turn right, everyone onto the path!"

The entire formation turned right, rain soaking them, stepping through water, the patter of their steps echoing as they reached the track.

At the same time, a holographic screen flickered before Lu Yang's eyes.

【Detected new knowledge point: Tactical Drill (Rain‑soaked version)!】

【... provides a three‑fold speed boost to reaction, endurance, and willpower!】

【Friendly reminder: the host's constitution is currently weak; this training should not be prolonged, otherwise it may trigger cold, nasal congestion, fever, headache and other symptoms!】

Lu Yang was stunned—was this the first time a friendly reminder had appeared?

Weak constitution, prone to catching colds, headaches, brain heat?

Although he felt somewhat offended, the system seemed to know his current physical condition better than he did.

Lu Yang had been frail and sickly since childhood, his immunity weaker than average; precisely because of this, he thought joining the army would be good training.

But who could have known his foundation was so poor that, after nearly a month of enlistment, he was still at a mid‑level in the New Recruit Company.

The only things he could show off were internal affairs, formations, and the blackboard bulletin—quite embarrassing.

Nevertheless, Lu Yang was not discouraged, because an old demon surnamed Han had a similarly disastrous start.

A mountain‑village boy, average talent, a mortal cultivator, pseudo‑spiritual root forming a Nascent Soul.

By using a small green vial, crazily grinding elixirs, killing and looting, he gradually "steadily and methodically" scraped his way to the Nascent Soul.

Eventually he dominated the cultivation world, becoming the benevolent savior Han Tianzun!

So, the more impossible it seems, the more Lu Yang must face the difficulty head‑on to prove himself!

Isn't it just getting rained on?

There's a saying back home: "Rain, rain, you grow!"

It means people are like crops; a little rain makes them grow taller and faster.

"Prone!"

Suddenly, Gao Feng let out a loud shout.

The veteran Squad Leader at the front led the way in going prone.

The other new recruits, one after another, followed suit, lying flat on the ground.

The plastic track was slick with moisture, instantly soaking a large patch across everyone's chests, and everyone wore extremely displeased, uncomfortable expressions.

"Crawl forward!"

The recruits were all stunned, because they hadn't learned it.

This was material taught later, called a tactical maneuver.

But they've never eaten pork, yet they've always seen pigs run, right?

Everyone mimicked the veteran, moving like a giant gecko, crawling forward.

Although the movement was extremely ugly and grotesque, at least it resembled crawling.

Perhaps due to too many concerns, his body not being in good shape, and the posture being off, Lu Yang felt his elbows and knees burning with pain.

On top of that, the back‑and‑forth exertion splashed rainwater and dirty puddle water evenly over him, making his uniform soggy and clinging to his body.

The wet ground, the incessant rain, and the lingering cold made the sensation as miserable as possible!

Lu Yang finally, at this moment, understood how hard military life is!

"Assistant Squad Leader!"

"Help me out!"

Ahead, Kong Long, who looked like a big fat crocodile, turned his head and shouted at Lu Yang.

Lu Yang whispered: "What's up?"

Kong Long stuck out his big butt: "My underwear is wedged in my butt crack, pull it out for me!"

Lu Yang: "Pull your grandpa, get lost, you calf!"

Usually at this time, Zhou Kaidong would have lifted a foot and kicked Kong Long, but this time he remained unmoved.

This made Lu Yang feel increasingly uneasy, even feeling that the squad leader's problem was more serious than Ding Tengfei's.

Rather than saying Zhou Kaidong had given up on Third Squad, it's more like he was doubting whether he qualified as a competent squad leader.

This morning's drill lasted at least twice as long as usual.

Interspersing the run with so-called simulated tactical training really gave the new recruits a hard time.

Even Lu Yang felt as if half his life had been left on the drill field, not to mention being unable to exert any strength.

Especially with his clothes soaked and clinging to him, wet inside and out, making him quite irritable.

But he could also understand the significance of this training, after all a real battlefield will encounter any harsh environment.

If it's windy and rainy, do we not fight, do we not need to hold our positions?

In icy snow, the seniors wore thin cotton clothes, used the worst weapons, and could still fight the Seventeen-Nation Alliance eating snow and fried noodles, so what are they compared to that?

The new recruits were all brought to the cafeteria, where dry towels and hot ginger soup had been prepared to ward off the cold for everyone.

This was prepared in advance by the instructor having the Director of Affairs get ready; training is training, we can't truly ruin everyone's bodies.

"Come on, come on, there's more if it's not enough."

"Drink a bit more, work up a sweat, and you'll drive out the chill."

Lu Yang held the bowl, drinking hot ginger tea, and inexplicably felt as if he had come back to life.

Especially at the moment the ginger soup entered his mouth, the spicy stimulation instantly made Lu Yang's pores open wide, and he shivered pleasantly.

Just then, someone noticed a small blackboard had appeared at the cafeteria window, with the words "Retail Department" written on it.

Only after asking did they understand: this was an improvement measure introduced by the cafeteria, specially tailored for new recruits who easily get hungry from not eating enough.

In plain terms, it's a simple soldiers' service shop, selling nothing complicated—just instant noodles, sausage, marinated eggs, biscuits, and bread.

The New Recruit Company's camp had no small shop, after all it was a temporarily formed unit of only about a hundred people, so there was no need.

So, after being scolded, the Director of Affairs held a meeting and decided to set up a small window in the cafeteria.

It could not only generate revenue for the cafeteria, but also indirectly solve the problem of some new recruits not getting enough to eat.

This way, nobody would have to sneak steamed buns or eggs back secretly.

It also let them enjoy the pleasure of shopping, improve their meals, and change up the flavors.

As soon as this measure was introduced, it immediately won praise from all the new recruits; they no longer had to worry about going to bed hungry after evening extra drills.

And the success of this measure also owes to Ding Tengfei's earlier incident of stealing fried noodles; if it hadn't caused such a fuss, there wouldn't be this little shop.

In other words, Ding Tengfei's action also counts as a fluke that indirectly benefited the whole company's new recruits.

After finishing breakfast, the rain had already stopped.

The squad leader hurriedly led the new recruits back to change clothes, to prevent catching a chill.

While going upstairs, the new recruits were still heatedly discussing the cafeteria's small shop.

"I never expected that the guy surnamed Ding would actually do something good for everyone!"

"He should be praised, so why has he become a tight-lipped gourd? Was he squeezed by their squad leader?"

"Who knows? I heard their squad leader has always had a bad temper, and on the first day of training he made Ding Tengfei a squad leader; maybe it left a psychological scar from this incident, which is why he keeps causing trouble afterwards."

"I think it's very possible! Some old-timers like to lord their long service over us new recruits; a few days ago I was on cafeteria duty, and that guy surnamed Liu with the limp looked down his nose at me, speaking in a high-and-mighty way......"

Zhou Kaidong followed behind the formation, each of those sentences feeling like a thorn pricking his heart.

Before, only the old-timers talked like that; now even the new recruits think that way.

This made Zhou Kaidong inevitably feel very uncomfortable inside.

People are emotional beings; in a relatively closed environment, when everything is criticism and suspicion toward you, it's hard not to be affected.

Zhou Kaidong deeply regretted not being able to control his temper back then, and not opening the bag to take a look.

Had he known that what Ding Tengfei stole was fried noodles, and that the hard object was milk, not a phone...

He would absolutely never have done such a thing, nor could he have crushed someone's self-esteem like that.

After the incident, Zhou Kaidong tried apologizing and even had Lu Yang talk to him, but it was to no avail.

If it were purely Ding Tengfei's problem, he could ignore it, even discard that soldier outright, but the mistake was his own.

This left him, as squad leader, for the first time at a loss, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, someone tugged at Zhou Kaidong's arm; turning around, he saw it was Lu Yang.

"Squad leader, don't overthink it; nobody blames you."

"Maybe."

Zhou Kaidong's reply was somewhat perfunctory, and he didn't know whether it had sunk in.

Lu Yang also felt helpless; he had done everything he should and could do.

Although he was merely an assistant squad leader, he had worn his heart out for the class collective.

Returning to Third Squad, everyone was hurriedly changing into clean clothes, yet for some reason they felt the squad's atmosphere was strange.

The last time they felt this way was when Ding Tengfei was released from confinement.

This time, that uncomfortable feeling was even stronger, as if there were two strangers in the squad......