Chapter 416: Those Who Scatter Are Called Li Qun, One Person Is Called Li Ji

"Standing is tiring, sit down."

Bai Yuan waved his hand, signaling everyone to come and sit in front of the fire.

Mainly to be considerate of those two sick ones, who looked as if a gust of wind could topple them.

He took out antipyretics, Meng Tuo Stone powder, and antibiotics from his portable first‑aid kit, and had the two take them with water.

Lao Mao walked over to add some firewood, but unexpectedly picked up a blackish thing.

He held the piece of charcoal, his face full of question marks as he looked at Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan took it, gently snapped it into two pieces, confirmed it was indeed charcoal, and then looked at Lu Yang in disbelief.

"You kid, you actually know how to make charcoal?"

"Just meeting the conditions for incomplete combustion is enough."

Lu Yang explained, "Carbon powder can also be used to filter water, clean the mouth; it has many uses."

Bai Yuan laughed helplessly, "I can see you know a lot. If I come back in two days, will you have to start smelting metal, evolving from the Stone Age to the Iron Age?"

Lu Yang's master‑level wilderness survival skill, exchanged with a first‑class merit in the mall, is no joke.

If time permits, he could indeed mine ore, build a high‑temperature furnace, and attempt metal smelting.

He could even fire bricks and tiles, dig an underground shelter with his bare hands, or set up a swimming pool without trouble.

Bai Yuan returned to the point, looked at the faces illuminated by the fire, and said lightly, "In your eyes, Lao Mao and I are inhuman, cold‑blooded, heartless fellows."

"Mocking and deriding, humiliating you in every way, trampling your dignity; even bringing you to this barren island to live a life worse than pigs and dogs."

"But I want to tell you, if you cannot bear these sins and these hardships, it only shows this path isn't suitable for you."

No one spoke; they just quietly stared at him.

Bai Yuan's eyes held memories as he said, "Let me tell a story, about this island. Anyone want to hear?"

Lu Yang enthusiastically replied, "I do."

Bai Yuan began, "Once there was an island, on the island a guard post, and in the post a soldier."

"That soldier, when he first enlisted, was full of vigor and zeal, eager to achieve great deeds."

"But things didn't go as hoped; after the New Recruit Company finished, he was assigned to a solitary island."

"At first there were two people on the island; later one retired and left, leaving only him thereafter."

"Above they kept saying someone would be sent soon, a newcomer would arrive soon, but it was always far off; as if this island had been forgotten by people and by time."

Xu Ce's head was still dizzy, "What happened next?"

Bai Yuan: "Later, he wanted to discharge, to escape this cursed place; then someone came, urging him to persist, telling him it was a glorious yet arduous mission."

"He gritted his teeth and held on for a few more years; during that time he endured loneliness, pain, struggle, confusion, giving up, but eventually regained confidence."

"Alone on the island, he broke bones, had fevers, his wounds became inflamed; when supplies were scarce, he was forced, like you, to dig wild greens and eat wild fruit."

"But no matter what, he never compromised with fate, because he knew one day he would leave this place, and finally he waited for that chance..."

Lu Yang, looking at the memory in his eyes, asked, "Instructor, is the person in the story you yourself?"

Bai Yuan smiled calmly, "Yes, it's me. I guarded this island for a full ten years; for you, this is wilderness survival; for me, it's just a small part of my past life."

"I know exactly where your limits lie; that's why when Jiang Dahai came knocking for help earlier, I didn't open the door."

"If a fever broke out, or ordinary food poisoning, it could crush you; withdrawing would be the best choice."

"Because the place you're heading to will be ten, even twenty times harder than what you're experiencing now."

Everyone's gaze changed, especially Lu Yang's.

He was the first to discover this cave; when he saw the upright characters on the wall, he felt an unprecedented loneliness.

One person, guarding an island for ten years—what a feeling, almost unimaginable.

Thus, as Bai Yuan narrated the story, he guessed the protagonist was Bai Yuan himself.

Bai Yuan added, "Back then I drew a smiling face on a coconut, added eyes and a nose, and talked to it every day. Compared to me then, you are lucky, you are happy."

"At least you have comrades, you have battle mates, while I only have a coconut."

Everyone felt a sour pang in their hearts; it was an unpleasant feeling.

People are products of their environment; when there are comparisons and gaps.

They then realize that simply going hungry isn't that hard; endless loneliness is the truly terrifying thing.

Moreover, garrisoning an island isn't as easy as imagined; it requires strong self‑discipline to counter laziness, slackness, and loneliness.

Out of ten thousand people, perhaps nine thousand nine hundred ninety‑nine would slack off because of it, eventually becoming a soldier who just drifts through days.

Bai Yuan being able to leave this place precisely shows his indomitable perseverance; he is that one in ten thousand.

Also, island supply deliveries aren't always timely; wind and rain can delay them, which is entirely normal.

In the past, Tu Hongwei had heard of a unit stationed on an island that, due to extreme weather, went without water and food for a full half‑month.

It's said that when the supply ship finally arrived, the soldiers were emaciated to skin‑and‑bone, their eyes glowing green.

But that kind of garrison, usually organized by squad, allowed everyone to encourage each other.

But a case like Bai Yuan's—one person battling loneliness, one person guarding an island—is probably unique nationwide.

At this moment, they solemnly respected this usually sharp‑tongued, sarcastic, erratic instructor, and the previous resentment vanished.

Bai Yuan asked, "Back to the point, is anyone thinking of giving up now? What you've gone through so far is just an appetizer; the upcoming trials will be far harsher, far more brutal."

"The standard military playbook doesn't work here; this place can't give you the dignity you want, and there may not even be honor or flowers."

"Everyone here is a lunatic, a masochist, so you must be ready to endure abuse."

"Do we have to suffer?" Tu Hongwei shouted a report, asking, "Can't we just get along peacefully?"

Bai Yuan looked at him, "On the battlefield, when you meet an enemy, would you ask if he'll be peaceful with you, or if the gun in his hand wants to coexist peacefully?"

Tu Hongwei: "......"

Bai Yuan: "For example, in the future you'll form a new combat squad, ordered to a certain region's terrorist stronghold to carry out a rescue mission."

If anyone is unfortunate enough to be wounded and captured, the enemy might shove a red‑hot branding iron into your mouth.

They'll use tiger pliers to pull out your fingernails one by one, then drive steel needles into the gaps between your fingers.

They'll gouge out your eyes, stitch the eyelids back with needle and thread, and even cut off the male genitalia with a knife.

All just to force you to report how many people came and where the squad is hiding.

Everyone's bodies jolted, their groins tightened, and they instantly felt a burning pain between their legs.

These are things that those born in peaceful times, in stable environments, and serving in grassroots units could never imagine.

But from Bai Yuan's and Lao Mao's cold gazes, they clearly knew that all of this was real.

The battlefield is truly blood‑soaked; Lu Yang has felt it and has walked the razor's edge between life and death.

If his luck had been any worse before, he would already have been blown to pieces by a Kui Wolf's baited mine.

Opponents are never as stupid as portrayed on TV, and reality doesn't always have justice triumphing over evil.

Only those who have truly experienced it know how cunning, tenacious, and hard‑to‑kill the enemy can be.

Back then, to deal with a Kui Wolf, the Armed Police forcibly deployed an entire company.

With a bomb‑proof vehicle, heavy machine guns, mortars, and rocket launchers taking turns, they finally forced it to "lay down its butcher's knife" and "confess and accept punishment."

Everyone except Lu Yang had never experienced any of this, let alone truly felt what it's like.

Even though they were elite selected from various Navy units, their experience only extends to drills and mock competitions.

Having never faced the horrors of a battlefield, they cannot concretize certain details, which leads to a sharp clash between their grassroots perception and Special Operations mindset.

They cannot understand why the instructor would trample and humiliate their dignity to force them forward.

They feel every training method is unreasonable, non‑compliant, unscientific, and inhumane.

The battlefield has never been a place for reasoning; it's only a distinction between the living and the dead.

Bai Yuan: "On the battlefield, death isn't truly frightening; the hardships you've faced lately are, compared to the torments I mentioned before, merely a small witch compared to a great witch."

"Team coordination is crucial; the tacit understanding and unity among comrades are the key factors determining whether you can survive and return from the battlefield!"

Lao Mao adds from the side: "Let me stress again, the standard rules of regular units do not apply here!"

"If you want to join Special Operations, you must discard fantasies, prepare for combat, and have the resolve to die at any moment!"

"Afraid of being wronged, afraid of losing dignity, constantly calling everything unreasonable or dangerous… you'd better roll back home and suck on a baby bottle!"

Bai Yuan raised his hand, indicating his words were a bit heavy, and now spoke casually: "That's all I have to say; anyone who wants to keep going, raise your hand. Those who don't, we won't force you—there will be a ship later to take you back."

Lu Yang was the first to raise his hand, as if war drums sounded in his chest: "Report, I apply to join the next stage of training!"

Lu Yang's leadership was like an injection of a strong stimulant.

It let the fear and gloom in their hearts gradually be covered by courage.

Even in peaceful times there are turbulent storms; someone has to face the outside filth and ugliness, and they are willing to be that group.

This is also the belief they have upheld from the moment they entered this selection until now.

Jiang Dahai raised his hand: "Instructor, I apply to join the next stage of training!"

Tu Hongwei: "Instructor, I apply to join. I'm not afraid of death; I'm only afraid of a death that isn't worth it. Being a martyr isn't bad at all—why should a soldier wrap his corpse in a horse‑skin?"

Xu Ce: "From now on, the six characters 'not abandon, not give up' will guide my whole life, etched in my heart! If one day I go to the battlefield, I will not let my teammates fall into the enemy's hands, nor give the enemy such an opportunity!"

"Whether it's a mountain of swords or a sea of fire, dignified or not; as long as I can uphold the principle of serving the people and fulfill the lofty ideal of defending the nation, I am willing to sacrifice everything!"

Including Lu Yang, everyone silently gave a thumbs‑up.

The short speeches came one after another, full of slick rhymes; no wonder they're graduate students.

Until everyone, without fear, raised their hands to apply for the next stage.

Lao Mao smiled, and Bai Yuan also showed a satisfied smile; with such a blood‑hearted group of youths, how could the nation's strength not flourish?

"Alright, then. Tomorrow is a day to adjust condition; the day after tomorrow we officially start training. By then, a supply ship will arrive, so you won't have to worry about food, and there will be tents and sleeping bags for night rest."

"Yay, yay!"

"Report, may we smoke?"

"What do you think?"

Bai Yuan switched his demeanor in a second, frightening the soldier into shutting his mouth.

But immediately after, he tossed the confiscated pack of cigarettes back to Lu Yang and said one sentence.

"You're an exception."

Lu Yang grinned; he liked this privilege, but he would never hog it for himself.

"Li Qun"—only when it's shared with the group is it called "Li Qun"; if one person smokes alone, it becomes "self‑interest."