Chapter 42: Break Before Rebuilding, Calm Down!

"Zhou Kaidong, how did you end up as Squad Leader, and do you still want to be?"

At the end of the corridor, He Zhen Tao pointed at Zhou Kaidong's nose and started yelling.

Lu Yang is the soldier he likes most and has the highest hopes for.

Now, because of Zhou Kaidong's negligence, he's bedridden—how could he not be angry?

Zhou Kaidong, knowing he was at fault, voluntarily admitted his mistake: "Instructor, it really was my negligence. I noticed something was off and gave him a dose of Isatis root, but I didn't expect it to suddenly worsen..."

"Didn't expect it, didn't expect it—there are too many things you didn't foresee!"

He Zhen Tao, furious, said: "You should know Lu Yang's physical condition—skinny and weak, he'd collapse at the slightest breeze!"

"You saw the warning signs and still let him keep training? Don't you know that fever and sweating open the pores and can worsen the illness?"

"It's one thing if a raw recruit doesn't know, but how does this veteran keep making such basic mistakes?"

Zhou Kaidong was splattered with saliva, unable to lift his head.

He was already remorseful because of Ding Tengfei's incident.

Now Lu Yang has also collapsed due to his own negligence, deepening his self‑blame.

He Zhen Tao realized his earlier words were harsh and softened his tone a bit.

"Zhou Kaidong, although the New Recruit Company is a temporary unit and I'm not the Instructor of your old unit, there are some things I still hope you'll take to heart."

"Given your current performance, the post‑training excellence selection is unlikely to involve you, but you mustn't throw in the towel."

"I've watched your behavior these past two days—slacking, undisciplined, not a shred of a Platoon Leader's bearing."

"Continuing like this is unacceptable; it's not just fooling yourself, it's a grave neglect of these recruits."

"Understood, Instructor, I'll work hard to adjust my condition."

Zhou Kaidong promised, yet his words lacked any resolve.

He Zhen Tao sighed helplessly; some words are best left hinted, and whether he can hear them depends on him.

This soldier isn't his direct subordinate, and the New Recruit Company is a temporary unit; he doesn't want to say too much and cause trouble.

"In a moment, come with me to the office; I have fever‑reducing pills there—give Lu Yang two of them first."

"If his fever hasn't broken by night, I'll drive him to the Regiment's medical room for IV fluids."

"Just to let you know, the field hospital's mobile exam van will come to Tuan Bu the day after tomorrow, conducting unified health checks for the regiment's leaders and families, and also a follow‑up exam for the recruits."

"The exact time will be announced; a vehicle will pick you up then. Later, you're responsible for informing the other Squad Leaders—don't train too hard the next two days, and adjust the schedule appropriately."

"Yes."

Recruits' follow‑up exams are usually within a month of enlistment.

Previously they took a bus to the city hospital's examination center.

The procedure is similar to the conscription physical, mainly checking for serious illnesses.

This time, the field hospital drove the mobile exam van straight to the Regiment, saving them a trip out.

Conveniently, the Instructor can also take Lu Yang for an emergency IV, letting the field hospital's specialist doctor examine him.

The medics in the regiment's medical room specialize in battlefield first aid; their methods are rough, comparable to a veterinarian's.

Two years ago, Zhou Kaidong had a comrade who suffered from paronychia during a regiment competition.

In the medical room, a guy actually used tiger‑tongs to yank out his nail.

He called it a 'no nail bed' method, claiming the paronychia wouldn't recur.

The result was that the clamp instantly ruined a long‑distance runner.

At the time, the Company Commander, furious, grabbed a 40‑caliber rifle to confront that quack.

Fortunately, this time the field hospital's expert was on site, and the Instructor also has some connections in the regiment, so Zhou Kaidong no longer has to worry about it.

Zhou Kaidong returned to the barracks, gave a reminder, and followed the Instructor to his office to fetch the medicine.

At this moment, the drowsy Lu Yang, still feverish, began babbling nonsense.

"Sister Wang, we really can't keep drinking, it just costs more…"

"Traditional Gomoku is about connecting five pieces in a line…"

"The enemy isn't 150,000, it's 150,000 plus two; you have six Zhuge Lius…"

The Third Squad recruits huddled around the bed like little dwarfs around a white‑horse prince, eyes wide and staring, their faces oddly contorted as they watched Lu Yang's incoherent mutterings.

"What on earth is this, donkey head donkey versus horse?"

"Kong Long, do you think the Assistant Squad Leader will burn his brain out and become like you?"

"Get out of the way, you're the real fool!"

Kong Long had a flash of inspiration and claimed he had a method to make Lu Yang recover quickly.

Ding Tengfei suddenly blurted, "What, your family stopped running a restaurant and opened a clinic instead?"

Kong Long gave him a cold stare, then launched into a discussion of the inescapable customs of the Northeast region.

For such mysterious matters, everyone showed intense curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

Even though they knew there was no scientific basis, they couldn't help wanting to listen.

"My mother said that when I was eight I had a persistent high fever; my grandmother took a mirror, tapped a coin on it, and kept calling my name while tapping…"

"Did you get better afterward?"

"Not really; I later went to the hospital for IV therapy and got better."

"Then why are you talking nonsense!"

"Can't you liven up the atmosphere a bit?"

Suddenly, the perpetually drowsy Lu Yang on the bed groggily opened his eyes.

He was jolted awake by the ruckus, the chaos resembling a tea‑party.

"What time is it?"

"It's 4:30 PM."

"Assistant Squad Leader, how do you feel, better?"

"Do you want some water, something to eat?"

Kong Long took a pillow, placed it behind Lu Yang's back, allowing him to lie half‑reclined.

After sitting up, Lu Yang's head felt heavy, as if filled with cement.

Earlier at noon, he had some porridge and pickles that the Squad Leader brought back; now he has no appetite and doesn't want to eat.

Seeing the concerned faces around him, Lu Yang thought this soldier life truly wasn't in vain.

In his previous life he hustled for a living every day, and would just collapse to sleep when he got home, having no friends.

Afraid of worrying his parents, he never told his family when he caught a cold or fever, just toughened it out.

Especially that kind of solitary, drowsy lying in a rented room, only wanting a nap, only to wake up to a pitch‑black night—the loneliness was far more painful than illness.

Fortunately, in this life Lu Yang chose a different path, and he gradually grew to like the army atmosphere.

"Much better," Lu Yang said, a faint smile on his slightly pale face. "Squad Leader, why didn't you train at this point?"

"Just finished the equipment, came back to check on you. The Squad Leader was just called out by the Instructor, seemed to get scolded harshly."

Kong Long's words left Lu Yang feeling helpless.

He used to joke that this squad would eventually fall apart without him.

Now, he truly feels that the signs are already beginning to appear.

Third Squad has only eight or nine people in total: two are unsociable, one has a poor mind, one is a sickly.

Especially those two unsociable ones quarrel with each other, a complete mess; just thinking about it gives Lu Yang a severe headache.

It's not that Assistant Squad Leader forces the squad officers' will, but being stuck in the middle is truly awkward.

It's like three friends; two are at odds, and the one in the middle is bound to suffer.

Moreover, the Squad Leader's negative mood also seriously hampers Lu Yang's learning progress.

Therefore, Lu Yang has to find a way to untie this knot, otherwise in the New Recruit Company three months later he might fail to meet the expected standards.

If the foundation isn't compacted, you can't roll the snowball step by step later; his cousin's experience taught him that one misstep leads to another, and Lu Yang doesn't want to follow in his footsteps.

"Oh... ugh!"

But just then, a strong wave of dizziness struck.

Lu Yang felt as if he had eaten poisonous mushrooms; the world began to spin.

At the same time, his stomach churned, and a gush of acidic fluid rushed from his esophagus into his mouth, making him want to vomit.

Seeing that Lu Yang seemed about to vomit, everyone scrambled; Kong Long grabbed his tea jar and handed it to him.

Lu Yang pushed the tea jar aside, forced himself to endure the discomfort, and staggered up to head to the bathroom to vomit.

He also cares about face; vomiting in the dorm in this weather would smell terrible, how could anyone stay there afterward?

But as Lu Yang got out of bed, a figure blocked his path, followed by a small yellow bowl handed to him.

"Just vomit into it; I'll empty it later!"

Lu Yang tried to look up, but under the intense dizziness he couldn't hold back and vomited into the small yellow bowl.

He hadn't eaten much at noon, and now his stomach was completely emptied.

Lu Yang vomited with snot and tears; by the end only bile remained, and he kept dry‑heaving as if he needed to spit his stomach out to stop.

Kong Long hurriedly handed him a cup of warm water to rinse his mouth, while patting his back.

After vomiting, Lu Yang felt much more comfortable, his body seemed lighter.

Lying back on the bed, he looked at Ding Tengfei holding the small yellow bowl and said thank you.

"Damn, you threw that onto my hand!"

"If you weren't a sickly, I'd force you to eat it again!"

Lu Yang laughed; if he had any roll of adhesive tape, he'd tape this guy's mouth shut.

This guy either doesn't speak, or his mouth is as if poisoned.

At that moment, a light panel popped up before his eyes, still a friendly reminder.

【When the host suddenly experiences extreme conditions such as illness, injury, near‑death, etc., the "Break and Then Establish" effect can be triggered; after recovery, the body's physical quality will improve to a corresponding degree!】

No break, no rise; break then rise?

Lu Yang found this effect interesting, a bit like washing tendons and marrow.

It's all about undergoing bodily pain, sweating out impurities, then gaining progress and improvement.

"Then, if I burn for two more days, will the improvement be more noticeable?"

"......"

"If I break my leg, after recovery can I run faster? Suppose I stab my kidneys twice, is that possible...?"

"Host, the system advises you to stay calm, you must stay calm!"