Chapter 43: Lu Yang, Do You Want a New Squad Leader?

Tick— tick— tick—......

The medicine bottle hangs upside down on the stand, and drops of clear liquid fall into the drip tube, rhythmically splashing tiny droplets.

On the sickbed in the Tuan Bu infirmary, Lu Yang slowly opens his eyes and looks up at the bottle above his head.

About half a bottle remains, and it will take at least an hour to finish the drip.

Originally, Lu Yang's fever had subsided last night.

But in the middle of the night it flared up again, accompanied by a severe cough.

So the Instructor got up through the night, drove him here to receive the IV.

A mobile physical‑exam vehicle from the field hospital happened to be conducting exams for the Tuan Bu cadres, and the accompanying doctors were all regular physicians from top‑tier hospitals.

After checking his temperature and asking about symptoms, they immediately prescribed several bottles of IV fluid.

He received two bottles last night, and this morning there are a large and a small bottle left.

During the process Lu Yang fell asleep repeatedly, his fever gradually receded, and his head no longer felt so hot.

The regiment's infirmary is small, its interior the early‑style green walls with white trim, only two beds in total, and no television on the wall.

Waiting idly was rather boring, so Lu Yang casually picked up a copy of the Battlefield First Aid Manual from the nearby cabinet and began leafing through it.

It is an introductory, simple first‑aid guide; its content isn't extensive, but it teaches very basic and practical things.

Including how to clean wounds in the field, how to use bandages correctly, how to make splints for fractured patients, and so on.

Because the content is quite interesting, Lu Yang reads with bright eyes, and his previously drowsy mind seems to become gradually clear and bright.

He then recalls that, under the system's effect, merely studying knowledge related to the unit can improve physical fitness.

Perhaps the effect isn't especially noticeable, but it's better than nothing and also passes the time.

Just then, the infirmary door is pushed open, and He Zhen Tao walks in carrying a thermos.

Seeing that Lu Yang has already awakened and is leaning against the bedside, seriously reading, he immediately breaks into a smile.

"Awake?"

"Good day, Instructor."

Lu Yang tries to raise his hand to salute, but he pushes it back.

"You're a patient; no need."

"I asked the Cafeteria to prepare a special patient meal; you can heat it up and eat in a moment."

He Zhen Tao unscrews the thermos; inside is a soggy egg‑and‑vegetable noodle, with a few drops of toasted sesame oil.

Lu Yang vomited several times yesterday, leaving his stomach empty; now, smelling the aroma, he actually feels a bit hungry.

"It's a bit hot; set it aside to cool. Your IV is almost done, so eat after it finishes."

"Alright."

While they wait, He Zhen Tao brings over that Battlefield First Aid Manual and teasingly says,

"What, want to be a medic?"

"No, just looking around, passing the time."

"Then after the next company, what branch do you want to be in?"

"Um......"

The Instructor's words instantly left Lu Yang speechless.

At present, his only skills are organizing internal affairs, making bulletin boards, or, at best, commenting on news.

The squad's marching is decent but not the best; his physical fitness ranks mid‑range in the whole company; and his overall health is probably near the bottom.

When he decided to give up re‑examination and enlist, his parents worried the unit would reject him.

Back then, Lu Yang felt it was somewhat hurtful and painful.

But in fact, his parents knew his health condition better than he did.

As age increases, people tend to selectively forget many unpleasant memories.

For example, Lu Yang clearly remembers that as a child his health was poor, he often went to the hospital, and even during the New Year he contracted pneumonia, causing chaos in his whole family.

But the age boundary of "childhood" is vague; after becoming an adult, Lu Yang, eager to show he is no longer "frail and sick," hastily tries to cut off his "childhood."

A big reason for this is that "frail" is often equated with "deficient."

Lu Yang is a true man, so he would never admit to being "deficient," leading him to subjectively alter his memory and mistakenly think he has already shed the "medicine bottle."

In reality, even after starting work, his physical condition has not improved much.

Whenever flu season hits, he's always among the first to catch it.

But pressured by life, he lacks the time and chance to go to the hospital for injections and drips as he did as a child; he just endures by taking pills.

Over time, he develops the illusion that his immunity is stronger than before, which isn't true.

Then a winter rain shattered Lu Yang's façade, piercing the lie he meticulously fabricated about himself.

It also made him the Whole Company's first—and only—soldier sent to the Tuan Bu infirmary for an IV due to a cold and fever.

Therefore, the problem Lu Yang currently faces isn't what branch he wants to be.

But rather which branch would be willing to accept him?

"As long as it's not going to a production base to raise pigs, I'm fine."

"Hahaha......"

He Zhen Tao is amused by Lu Yang's remark.

He bluntly says that the talk about raising pigs at a production base is just made up to fool new recruits.

The regiment spends such a great cost on leading troops and conducting training to cultivate more good seedlings.

Moreover, the production base's requirements are very strict; not just anyone can go, they must undergo a period of livestock‑and‑crop professional training first.

Lu Yang then suddenly realizes that those who constantly say they'll send you to raise pigs are just scaring the new recruits.

"Never mind that, let's eat first."

Lu Yang finished his IV drip, and He Zhen Tao called a medic to remove the needle and handed him a pair of chopsticks.

It was a perfectly standard sickbed meal, the vegetable noodles stewed into a mushy porridge, the eggs all smashed and mixed into the broth.

The aroma was fragrant, and once in his stomach it felt warm and soothing, especially the few drops of toasted sesame oil sprinkled on top, which truly gave it a hint of home.

No matter how great the north‑south culinary differences, sickbed meals are essentially the same, and the taste is roughly comparable.

With food in his belly, Lu Yang's complexion brightened immediately, and his hand holding the chopsticks grew much stronger.

He Zhen Tao looked at him and smiled, asking, "Lu Yang, you've been in the unit for almost a month now; how do you find the military?"

Lu Yang, famished, scooped up the noodles in big bites: "Good, the food's good, the sleep's good, and we can learn a lot of new things......"

He Zhen Tao asked again: "Then, if we were to replace the Squad Leader for your Third Squad, could you accept that?"

Lu Yang halted, lifted his head in disbelief, and looked at the Instructor sitting on the opposite bunk: "Replace the Squad Leader?"

He Zhen Tao nodded: "Given the current situation, Zhou Kaidong is no longer fit to continue the basic training, so I'm taking this chance to apply to the Regiment for a new person to lead you. What do you think?"

"No!"

Lu Yang, no longer hesitant as before, rejected outright.

That surprised He Zhen Tao: "Why?"

Lu Yang answered earnestly: "The Squad Leader may be strict during training, but off‑duty he's a good person and has worked hard for us."

He Zhen Tao furrowed his brows: "But you can see that lately he's clearly not in the right state. Continuing like this would be unfair to you and could directly affect the next‑company assignment."

"Our Regiment doesn't have a breeding farm, nor is there any talk of being sent to raise pigs, but the poorer the performance, the more likely you'll be assigned to remote, harsh, marginal posts."

"The next company, for new soldiers, is as important as choosing a major after the college entrance exam; once you're placed in a unit, you basically won't be relocated thereafter."

Lu Yang wanted to say a couple of good words for Zhou Kaidong, but He Zhen Tao cut him off.

Because perspectives differ, the way they think about problems also differs.

Lu Yang is sentimental; daily interactions have become a habit.

A sudden change of personnel could give him a sense of instability.

But He Zhen Tao, as the Instructor of the New Recruit Company, focuses on the future development of the entire Third Squad.

He knows that among them are some recruits who hope to work hard in the unit and stay on.

If, because Squad Leader Zhou Kaidong's personal laxity, some recruits who should have been placed in elite units are sent to places with few retention slots, that would ruin their futures.

Therefore, He Zhen Tao must devise a solution to stop the loss in time and set things right.

"Lu Yang, your view only represents yourself; tomorrow's re‑inspection, I'll explain the stakes to your squad and let them vote anonymously."

"As long as even one person doesn't want to be affected and casts a yes vote, Zhou Kaidong will have to pack up and leave."

"Otherwise, this would be irresponsible not only to the Third Squad's recruits but also to the other two squads in the First Platoon."

Lu Yang set down his chopsticks and fell silent: "......"