Chapter 452: Crying? Crying counts as time!

Lu Yang's brilliant entrance was like a thunderclap from clear sky.

No one expected him to be the invigilator for this examination.

So all those earlier acts were just put on, specially to fool them?

The key is, they actually believed it—so damn sneaky, even deliberately teasing them.

Yet such maneuvering is very Lu Yang.

Because whenever someone thinks they've figured him out, Lu Yang always brings a new surprise.

Ma Qing'an stared in shock: "Holy crap, what have you been up to these past two months, Lu Yang? How did you come back as a captain?"

He Zhen Tao shook his head: "They say a day apart feels like three autumns; even I was fooled by this kid. Still, having an acquaintance as invigilator is ultimately a good thing."

Many in the Sixth Company shared that view; they'd previously gotten along well with Lu Yang.

Liu Ziqiang and Sun Chen were thrilled inside, thinking that with Lu Yang as examiner, there would surely be some room to maneuver.

"Steady, steady, this round's steady~"

Chen Panpan and LiMin's eyes sparkled with little stars, their admiration for Lu Yang growing a bit more.

Just returned and already made examiner—even Instructor Sun ended up as a foil; Brother Yang's worth keeps rising.

Lu Yang stood with hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over each face, taking in every expression of shock, suspicion, surprise, guilt, fear, and delight.

But he didn't say much more; he went straight to the point, announcing the exam details: "The test spans two days, each person earns fifty points per day, totaling a hundred."

"Do well, no reward; do poorly, points will be deducted."

"Report!"

In the crowd, a big guy shouted "Report!"

Lu Yang remembered him—he was among the new recruits who came out with LiMin, named QiDelong, assigned to the Fourth Company.

"Speak."

"What's the standard for deductions, and what counts as doing poorly?"

"Good question; I'll answer it later."

Lu Yang raised his right fist: "Everyone, disperse using me as the baseline—one arm's length front, back, left, right—move quickly!"

The gaps between ranks opened quickly; Lu Yang shouted: "In‑place high knees—I say stop before you may stop—begin!"

As his words fell, every soldier's feet sprang up like they'd hit a spring, starting in‑place high knees.

Though this drill tortures the legs, it's no pressure at all for the Iron Foot Company.

But hardly had the high knees begun when problems kept cropping up to the sound of clinking and clanking.

Emergency assembly requires packing the backpack; the jostling caused some whose packs weren't tight enough to immediately spill their gear on the spot.

Soon the ground littered with yellow basins, plastic shoes, canteens, toothbrushes and holders, soap, first‑aid supplies and assorted junk—but fortunately not too much.

"Stop!"

Lu Yang hit pause, glanced at the time—exactly five minutes.

Everyone was panting, chest heaving; the weighted high knees really drained stamina.

As everyone was catching their breath, Lu Yang had already walked over to the formation; he stopped before QiDelong, nudged the yellow basin with his foot, and asked lightly:

"You've been in the lower company this long and still can't pack a pack?"

"Report, report—because it was too dark and time was tight, so……"

"I don't want to hear your excuses; these aren't reasons. Instructor Sun, deduct five points—count it as your answer to my earlier question."

"Yes."

Instructor Sun opened the roster, found the corresponding name, and directly deducted points.

QiDelong's slightly sweaty face was full of panic; he never imagined he'd be the first to get cut.

Next, Lu Yang went to each soldier whose gear had burst, deducting five points regardless of acquaintance; the feeling was both oppressive and miserable.

"Gloop!"

Kang Changyi gulped hard, for Lu Yang now stood before him.

Recalling how he'd shown off in front of Lu Yang and even made him call him "Kang Ge," he felt a sense of impending doom.

Lu Yang bent down, picked up a canteen from the ground, shook it to show there was still water inside, and said: "Tell me, what is this?"

Kang Changyi immediately replied loudly: "Report, it's a canteen!"

Lu Yang stared at him expressionlessly: "A canteen—why is it stuffed inside your blanket? Shouldn't it be hung on your person? How are you supposed to replenish water on the march, unpacking your pack?"

"Is this your first day in the army, making such a rookie mistake?"

"……"

"Answer my question!"

Kang Changyi flinched at Lu Yang's sudden volume raise, straightened up, and answered: "Report, no!"

Lu Yang almost pressed his face to Kang Changyi's, sternly demanding: "Not your first day in the army—why make such a rookie mistake! You're a lieutenant, a platoon leader; you should set the example!"

Kang Changyi, overwhelmed by this in‑your‑face dressing‑down, dared not even fart; he could only stay mute.

But just as he thought staying silent would let him slip by, Lu Yang came after him again.

Only saw Lu Yang grab his pack, shake it hard, and then teacups, toothbrushes, and yellow plastic shoes kept falling out.

Though he didn't bow his head, feeling his pack spill again left Kang Changyi's heart half‑cold, as if he wanted to kneel and beg for mercy.

He regretted it—truly regretted letting Lu Yang call him "Kang Ge," regretted his earlier bragging in front of others; but now regret was useless, for Lu Yang is petty and repays grudges instantly.

Lu Yang sprayed spit in his face: "Three years at military academy, two years in the ranks, a veteran of the Fifth Company—yet you can't even pack a basic backpack properly, it's like dog shit! You're enjoying being a platoon leader, feeling all mighty, huh?"

"In your platoon of thirty, you're the one who should least cause trouble, yet you're the worst performer; if you can't even pack a pack, how dare you wear your lieutenant's bars, how dare you hold the platoon leader post?"

Kang Changyi's nostrils soured, his eyes reddened; he stood there stiffly, Lu Yang's words making him shed tiny pearls.

Lu Yang watched those two lines of worthless tears trace down his cheeks, not offering comfort but instead stabbing another knife into his lungs.

"Cry, and that's it?"

"Your pride is made of sesame?"

"Come, come, turn over, let your comrades have a good look; what's called losing skin and flesh without losing tears, what's called a man who has tears but doesn't let them fall lightly!"

Lu Yang directly grabbed Kang Changyi's clothing, turned him around, allowing the others to see the tears on his face.

Kang Changyi frantically wiped his face with his sleeve, fearing anyone would see his embarrassed state.

But at that moment, no one laughed at him; they only thought he was a pitiful child being chased and bullied.

And Lu Yang became the "big villain" in everyone's eyes.

Lu Yang, with a cold expression, pointed at the tearful Kang Changyi and said in a warning tone: "Do you know it's humiliating, do you know it's disgraceful, why don't you strive to do things the best? Is Packing the Backpack hard? Is emergency assembly hard to practice?"

"This is the content taught by the New Recruit Company; what kind of soldier have you been for five or six years? You're not even as good as a private!"

LiMin, shouldering a Lieutenant's rank, was pointed at by Lu Yang, instantly puffed out his chest, his expression well managed.

Although he thought Lu Yang's words were a bit harsh, showing no courtesy and leaving no leeway; yet, oddly enough, he couldn't find any fault.

From an objective standpoint, a Lieutenant Platoon Leader with five or six years of service, who fails at both emergency assembly and Packing the Backpack, is indeed unacceptable.

Lu Yang looked at the rain‑soaked Kang Changyi, whose shoulders twitched, and asked: "When I say this to you, is there a problem? If there's a problem, you can refute me?"

Kang Changyi, spitting a string of saliva, shouted: "Report, none!"

"No problem then."

Lu Yang said calmly: "Kang Changyi, five points deducted; as a Lieutenant Platoon Leader, leading this kind of low‑level mistake, another three points deducted!"

"Yes…"

Instructor Sun hesitated for a moment, but still deducted points from Kang Changyi's name.

He actually had a decent impression of this Platoon Leader; although he was a bit slick and always liked to stick his tail up, his training was fairly serious, and his relationship with the soldiers below was also good.

I thought Lu Yang would, out of past camaraderie, go easy and give him some face; after all, he's still an officer.

But unexpectedly, he not only stripped the man's underwear in public, but also threw him onto a crossroads, turning him into a living clown.

Instructor Sun, watching Lu Yang's back, began to understand why the higher‑ups let this young man replace him as the assessment instructor; this guy truly is cold‑blooded and ruthless.