Chapter 41: No Cold That Five Kilometers Can't Cure

Ah—choo!

Ah—choo!

While changing clothes, Lu Yang sneezed forcefully twice, and his head buzzed from the impact.

Kong Long saw this and immediately asked, "Assistant Squad Leader, what's up?"

Lu Yang rubbed his nose: "It's fine, my nose just feels a bit uncomfortable."

"You aren't catching a cold, are you?"

"Probably not,"

Lu Yang said, clinging to a sliver of hope.

At that moment, Zhou Kaidong walked over and asked about the situation.

"What's wrong?"

"Lu Yang seems to have a cold; he's sneezed several times."

"Maybe he got chilled from the rain earlier."

Zhou Kaidong took a packet of Isatis root powder from the cabinet.

"Drink it later and rest in the dorm for a while."

"No problem, Squad Leader, just a bit of nasal congestion, won't affect training..."

"Really no problem?"

"Really."

Lu Yang laughed, "Don't they say in the troops that no cold can't be cured by five kilometers? If there were, we'd just do another five kilometers. The cold weather makes a little movement warm us up."

Zhou Kaidong saw he was still in decent shape, nodded, and said, "Then drink the powder first, join the training later, and stop if you feel off, understand?"

"Yes!"

Lu Yang straightened his chest and saluted.

But Zhou Kaidong and Kong Long stared at him with very strange expressions.

Lu Yang finally realized that two rows of crystal-clear crystal pendants were dripping from his nostrils.

He quickly wiped them with tissue, then used hot water from the thermos to brew a cup of Isatis root.

The moment he drank it, Lu Yang felt a comfortable opening of pores again, and even his blocked nose breathed much easier.

But immediately after, he shivered again, as if his clothes suddenly grew a size and no longer fit snugly, losing some warmth.

【System friendly reminder: the host has caught a cold, accompanied by a low fever of 37.1°C, should rest appropriately and ensure sufficient sleep......】

Lu Yang dismissed the panel and chose to ignore it.

Can you have me understand a cold?

A long illness makes a good doctor.

Lu Yang has been a regular at major clinics and hospitals since childhood.

So a common cold for him is as ordinary as eating and sleeping.

In his previous life, Lu Yang delivered takeout, drove for Didi, and worked as a driver.

He wouldn't take on a cold and headache job—what a joke, otherwise could he be called a beast of burden worker?

Especially when Mozi Ge had a fever, he unexpectedly received unanimous positive feedback from users......

Lu Yang originally thought that after this period of training his physical condition had improved, so he shouldn't catch a cold so easily.

Now it seems still not ideal, so he must work even harder!

In the troops, headaches and fevers are completely normal, and the vast majority of soldiers must strive to overcome them.

Otherwise the saying wouldn't spread: there's no cold that can't be cured by five kilometers.

As Assistant Squad Leader, Lu Yang must set an example.

While others train hard, he holds a teacup and sits in the dorm like an old cadre, resting—can't let anyone poke his spine to pieces?

So Lu Yang didn't take it to heart; after drinking the Isatis root, he immediately joined everyone in the corridor for physical training.

Outside, the rain kept falling, not heavy, but a continuous drizzle.

The training ground was empty, no one there; the Whole Company recruits were conducting physical training in various spots inside the Shushe lou.

The New Recruit Company was founded in the 1980s‑1990s, its area is not large, facilities are relatively old, and there is no indoor training ground at all.

But they can't slack off because of rain, so training inside the Shushe lou became a good solution.

Although space inside is limited, standing at attention, doing squats, push‑ups, high‑knees, etc., are still fine.

At this moment, rhythmic jumping sounds came from upstairs, probably a frog‑jump drill, making the floor thud thud.

"The original plan was to teach everyone a new subject—tactical training, but due to rain it has to be postponed."

"Considering the current 3‑kilometer run, some in the squad still haven't met the standard, so this morning's training will mainly focus on physical fitness."

"Run, march, watch my demonstration; 121,121,1234......"

Zhou Kaidong gave a brief talk, moved his leg joints, and did a muscle stretch.

This training is brutal on the legs; doing it this way also helps prevent muscle strains.

The movement is similar to stationary high‑knees, but adds swinging the arms.

For some reason, seen from behind it feels oddly familiar and comical.

Lu Yang recalled that in Stephen Chow's movie, when Tang Bohu sold himself to become a lowly servant 9527, he used this running posture.

Perhaps many had seen the film; when Zhou Kaidong demonstrated, two recruits couldn't hold back and let out a snort of laughter.

"Attention!"

Zhou Kaidong stamped his right foot, stood at attention, then turned his body backward.

The two who had laughed earlier quickly suppressed their smiles, fearing a hat might be thrown at them soon.

But Zhou Kaidong only gave them a glance, said blandly, "Pay attention to formation discipline," and then issued the training orders.

"Five minutes per set, start with five warm‑up sets, begin."

As the words fell, all the recruits began running and marching in step.

The movement looks easy, but running it feels quite sharp and refreshing.

Because the principle is similar to high knees, after a short run they were panting and their thighs ached badly.

Lu Yang also ran sweating profusely, felt warm all over, and his nasal congestion cleared considerably.

As they say, life lies in movement; proper exercise truly strengthens the body and eases discomfort.

"How does it feel?"

"Sweating a bit, feeling much better."

Lu Yang's face flushed, smiling as he replied to the Squad Leader.

A cold isn't a big deal in the unit; Zhou Kaidong has caught one before.

Usually a pack of Banlangen and two cold pills are enough to handle it.

So after confirming Lu Yang's condition was fine, they rested briefly and moved to the next training item, fist push‑ups.

According to his usual character, he should have asked Zhang for a newspaper to let the rookie recruits get wet, but considering the cold, the drill was unsuitable.

He had everyone pull the blankets from their dorm beds onto the floor, placing their fists on top, which effectively protects the finger joints.

"One up, two down, start with a hundred!"

"One......"

As an advanced version of regular push‑ups, the system generously grants double reward acceleration.

Lu Yang naturally didn't want to miss the chance, so he performed very earnestly.

His body was taut, and he strictly demanded precision in every movement.

But for some reason, this round of push‑ups seemed more strenuous than ever before.

In addition, Lu Yang felt his head heavy, as if wearing a lead hat, and his throat inexplicably itched.

Since the set wasn't over, Lu Yang feared coughing would release the breath in his body, so he pressed his lips tightly.

He forced the itchy throat sensation to stay suppressed until the set was completed.

"Cough cough, cough cough cough!"

The moment he stopped, Lu Yang began coughing violently.

The vibration eased the throat itch, bringing a sense of relief.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew in, carrying rain droplets sliding off the eaves, striking Lu Yang's chin.

The sudden stimulus made him shiver all over, as if he were instantly in an ice cellar.

Kong Long saw his pallor and asked with concern, "Lu Yang, your cough is a bit severe; you aren't really catching a cold, are you?"

Lu Yang, feeling uneasy, shook his head: "Probably not? Maybe my throat is a bit dry; a drink of water should fix it..."

Just then, Zhou Kaidong came up, touched his forehead with the back of his hand, then touched his own, and immediately frowned.

"Seems a bit hot?"

"Let me see!"

Kong Long grabbed Lu Yang's head and pressed his own head against it.

Head to head is the most direct way to sense temperature change.

Back home, they always do it this way.

"It's bad, seems like a fever."

"No way?"

Lu Yang had wanted to act tough, but seeing the thermometer read 37.3, he felt completely unwell.

A drowsy, heavy feeling surged like a tide; his eyelids fought each other, and his body slowly tipped onto the bed.

The moment he fell, it felt like landing in cotton, then like dropping into water—undulating and wobbling.

Then his whole body experienced a weightless sensation, as if tied to a horizontal bar without spinning.

"How much?"

"38.2 now?"

"It was 37.5 this morning, wasn't it?"

"This antipyretic isn't working!"

In the afternoon, Third Squad recruits gathered around Lu Yang's bed.

He Zhen Tao sat at the bedside, flicked the thermometer in his hand.

Looking at Lu Yang, who had slipped into a feverish sleep on the bed, his expression was rather grim.

He touched Lu Yang's head; it was scorching hot, like a little heating stove.

He Zhen Tao helped tuck the blanket in, placed another blanket on top, then, with a cold expression, stood up.

"First Platoon Leader, come out with me for a moment!!"

Zhou Kaidong glanced at Lu Yang lying on the bed, his heart a swirl of emotions, and followed out......