Chapter 54: The Unit Finally Gives Us Wives?

"Thirty‑four!"

"Thirty…four!"

"Thirty‑five!"

"Thirty……five!"

On the parallel bars, Kong Long's face flushed red, his arms continuously bent and lifted.

He consecutively did over thirty, already becoming the one in the Platoon with the most parallel‑bar arm dips.

But he was not happy; rather, he felt a damn sense of urgency.

Because Lu Yang was chasing him, biting tightly.

Kong Long turned his head, saw Lu Yang on the right‑side parallel bars, his two arms trembling wildly, and called out kindly.

"Assistant Squad Leader, that's about enough; you're already great."

"Still far from it!"

Lu Yang's answer made Kong Long truly at a loss between laughter and tears.

Given his current condition, resting a bit and then doing another seven or eight would be no problem.

If it were another event, he could ease up, but in a physical test Kong Long would definitely not hold back.

To shake off Lu Yang, Kong Long first rested briefly, after all the test had no time limit.

Then, suddenly in one breath, he did several in succession, instantly widening the gap with Lu Yang.

Just when he thought Lu Yang would surely balk and give up at that point.

He was surprised to find the fellow gritting his teeth, catching up one after another.

This feeling of relentless pressure and later overtaking made Kong Long inexplicably get a tingling scalp.

It also gave all the onlookers an inexplicable sense of not recognizing Lu Yang.

Who in the Whole Company doesn't know that the Deputy of Third Squad is a "bookworm," whose physical fitness is famously weak; even a drizzle can give him a cold, fever, and require IV fluids.

But only a short time later, Lu Yang seemed to be reborn, gradually catching up in physical ability and overtaking those ahead one by by.

Now he even dares in the test to "challenge" a sports ace like Kong Long; how could they not be shocked?

Zhou Kaidong watched the figure still clenching his teeth on the parallel bars, like a tender shoot after a storm, struggling to split the stone and growing upward bit by bit.

"Come on, Lu Yang, another one!"

"Give one to the Squad Leader!"

"Give one to the Company Commander!"

"Kong Long, why are you staring blankly? Lu Yang hasn't stopped; who told you to rest?"

"Send them together; this one to the Instructor, after the Instructor, to the Deputy Battalion Commander…"

Kong Long's mind buzzed; isn't the unit supposed to avoid giving gifts?

This is given, that is given; there's no principle at all!

Lu Yang's arms were sore and swollen, and he was also drunk.

Forty‑something was already his current limit; he had planned to stop there, but Zhou Kaidong insisted on pushing him forward.

In the end, Kong Long did fifty, Lu Yang forty‑five; when they came down, both their arms were as limp as noodles, unable to exert any force.

But Lu Yang smiled, because from this moment the label "sickly" would be completely shed.

Even though his current strength still lagged behind Kong Long's, it was enough to place him among the front ranks of the company.

It won't be long before he can catch up and overtake.

Seeing Lu Yang staring at him with a sly grin, Kong Long's tiger‑like body quivered, instantly sensing danger.

Because of long‑term fitness, his physical ability is undoubtedly the best in the entire Squad, and even the whole Platoon.

Especially after shedding ten jin, his body weight lightened, and his training results improved greatly.

But Lu Yang had only been in service for a month and a half, yet his "bookworm" and "sickly" physique was already gradually matching his, and the speed of improvement was truly too fast.

They say it's the feeling of fearing both a brother's suffering and a brother's leading the charge.

Kong Long now feels the same, terrified that one day, in the blink of an eye, Lu Yang will dash past him!

……

The Equipment Test ended, and all the recruits' scores were recorded.

In the First Platoon, the top score belonged to Kong Long, followed by Lu Yang.

Regarding these results, Zhou Kaidong was still very satisfied.

Not only because Lu Yang's leap‑like progress, but also because among the top three, two were from his own Squad,

As Squad Leader, he is proud!

"All squads, bring them in, train separately!"

"First Squad, follow me!"

"Second Squad, turn left!"

"Third Squad, jog!"

The Third Squad recruits followed Zhou Kaidong to a corner of the training ground.

"Stand at attention!"

Zhou Kaidong stood at attention, turned, and looked at the crowd.

"Look left, in unison!"

"Look forward!"

"At ease!"

"Stand at attention!"

The new recruits immediately set their feet, straighten their chests, and stand properly.

Zhou Kaidong glanced over and was relatively satisfied.

Having been enlisted for so long, these kids are increasingly looking like soldiers, and their formation movements can be executed uniformly.

He first gave a brief commendation to Lu Yang and Kong Long, had everyone align with them, then announced the next training item: tactical maneuvers!

"Listen to the command: prone!"

Lu Yang reacted the fastest, being the first to go prone on the ground.

The others were slightly slower, but also lay flat on the ground.

"Ding Tengfei, Kong Long, too slow!"

"Again, stand up!"

Lu Yang pushed up with both hands, his movement crisp and decisive, and he was again the first among everyone to rise.

The prone action was repeated twice, and Zhou Kaidong's brows knit into a knot.

"We've practiced so many times, why are you still sluggish?"

"If you go onto the battlefield and bullets fly your way, except for Lu Yang, each of your heads will burst open!"

"Lu Yang, step out, you demonstrate!"

"Yes!"

Lu Yang stepped forward with a stride.

Zhou Kaidong still issued the prone command.

It was clearly evident that Lu Yang's movement was faster and more decisive than before.

Rather than saying he was merely lying on the ground, it was more like his body fell freely and slammed onto the earth.

"Crawl forward!"

Upon hearing the command, Lu Yang instantly became a four‑legged snake, swiftly crawling forward.

"Stop, stand up!"

Zhou Kaidong pointed at Lu Yang and, sternly to the others, said, "Did you see that? That's what tactical maneuver is. What you crawl looks like a toad!"

"Right now it's just unarmed crawling forward; if you were armed with rifles and gear, you'd be slower than snails!"

Kong Long chuckled foolishly, "Report, Squad Leader, when exactly will the rifles be issued?"

Zhou Kaidong: "What, you don't have one yourself?"

Kong Long: "……"

This Squad Leader, please don't make jokes during training!

Zhou Kaidong looked at the others, "Is it that you all want to get your hands on a rifle early?"

Everyone nodded vigorously together, Lu Yang included.

A rifle is both a man's romance and a worldly truth.

The important reason Lu Yang chose to join the army was to hold a real rifle and fire live ammunition.

After school, he liked to wander the second‑hand book stall at the school gate, buying comic books like "Adventure Little Tiger Team" and "Wulong Courtyard".

He also liked to visit the snack‑and‑toy stalls, where assembled four‑wheel cars, battle tops, and toy pistols were items he always wanted.

But alas, the prices were a bit steep, so each time he passed by he could only look.

Many, after reaching adulthood, feel a desire to make up for childhood regrets.

Yet even holding the toy gun he wanted as a child, he cannot grasp the beautiful childhood that slips away between his fingers.

After that age, the clarity of youth fades, replaced by adult realities and mercenary thoughts, lacking the youthful drive to chase dreams.

Especially when seeing toys that once seemed unattainable, realizing they could be bought for thirty or forty yuan, the feeling of broken nostalgia becomes even stronger.

But the rifles in the unit are different; these are the real deal!

Just imagining the scorching shells being flung away is enough to make one's blood boil!

Now that's an adult's toy!

Zhou Kaidong smiled and took the chance to encourage everyone: "If you want to get a rifle early, hone your tactical training. When you achieve results, you'll get your wives."

"Wives?"

"A rifle is a wife; once you marry through the door, there's no regret."

"Hahaha, no, no."

"Alright, no more idle chat, continue training. Everyone, prone..."

……

On the training ground, commands and whistle blasts alternated continuously.

Each squad repeatedly, tirelessly, repeated the training over and over.

In peacetime, training is the primary task for soldiers.

There is no killing, no rain of bullets.

There is only an endless stack of blankets, endless marching steps, endless tactical crawling.

Lu Yang's repeated prone crawling, besides bruising his elbows and knees, also scorched his abdomen with a burning pain.

But he never cried out in pain nor complained of fatigue, because he knows the present effort will bear fruit someday.

Yet after so many repetitions, Lu Yang still felt crawling on the open ground was too meaningless.

During a break, he curiously asked the Squad Leader, "Squad Leader, why don't we crawl at the tactical training field?"

Zhou Kaidong replied lightly, "You can go, they can't."

"Why?"

"Because after one round they'd all turn into big flower cats; also, I, your Squad Leader, am not good at tailoring."

Lu Yang initially didn't understand what the Squad Leader meant by saying he wasn't good at being a tailor.

Only after Zhou Kaidong brought him to the side of the tactical field and he saw the barbs hanging on the barbed wire did he finally understand.

Although the standards for the new recruits are much lower than those of the ordinary soldiers in the company rear, the field facilities are the same.

These barbs will leave a bloodstain with just a light scrape; if the crawling posture is wrong and you rise too high, your back and buttocks will both get torn open, which is normal operation.

However, Lu Yang likes challenging things; the more dangerous something is, the more fascinating it becomes.

He eagerly asked, "Squad Leader, can I try?"

Zhou Kaidong raised his eyebrows: "No recruit in the Whole Company has climbed this yet; are you sure you want to be the first? These iron hooks are all rusty; if mishandled you might need a tetanus shot."

Lu Yang laughed and said, "Then I'll set an example for the Whole Company's soldiers!"

Zhou Kaidong slapped him on the shoulder: "You've got guts, worthy of being my troops! Go, remember to never arch your waist and back, otherwise this camouflage uniform will suffer."

"Yes!"

Just as Lu Yang was preparing to try, walking through the tactical field.

Kong Long and the others came running up, shouting that they also wanted to try.

Zhou Kaidong grinned so wide his mouth couldn't close: "Good, good, good, don't rush; we'll go one by one later, the earlier you climb the more comfortable."