Chapter 7: Walking Second-Class Merit?

Lu Yang's offhand comment also shocked Kong Long: how many of the fitness crowd actually train their legs?

They all recklessly pound the upper body—biceps, triceps, chest, trapezius—just to look big and bulky.

At that moment, Zhou Kaidong, fiddling with his phone in the corner, couldn't help but glance at Lu Yang twice, because the kid was spot on.

In the unit, it's not that there are no muscular men, but there is certainly no dead‑hardbody type like a Mr. Bodybuilder.

Soldiers must engage in various high‑intensity aerobic drills and often have to climb up and down, so they value muscle flexibility even more.

But for someone like Kong Long, who builds muscle and bulk in the gym purely for aesthetics, veterans see only two words.

Cumbersome.

To some extent, such a physique even provokes resentment among many veterans.

Because these people usually have their own workout system, adjusting it isn't hard.

But forcing them to shrink from a massive bulk to a normal shape is like holding a knife to their throat.

After all, they've spent a lot of effort on that lump of flesh—diet control, protein powder, nitrogen pump, creatine.

Thus, from a time‑and‑effort‑saving perspective, veterans actually prefer those clueless newbies, because a blank slate is easiest to teach, most receptive to counsel, and simplest to manage.

Lu Yang's reasoned analysis gave Zhou Kaidong a slightly better first impression of him.

He reads a lot, has a broad knowledge base, and it does come in handy to some extent.

But after Lu Yang finished explaining, Kong Long went numb and immediately shouted, "What the hell!"

"Doing cardio every day, won't that just chew away the muscle? This arm girth, this chest, I've been training for ages!"

"They put me on the B… I damn well even brought two massive barrels of protein powder to the unit—am I not a total fool?!"

Lu Yang looked at his rear pack: "You brought two huge barrels of protein powder to the unit?"

Kong Long gave an awkward smile: "It wouldn't fit in the bag, so I packed it into many small packets and strapped them to my body."

Having said that, he lifted his shirt, revealing dozens of white powder packets tied to his body.

The sight scared Zhou Kaidong so much his phone nearly slipped from his grip; he rushed forward and smacked him on the head.

"Who the hell told you to do this? Do you want to die!"

"Those who know it's protein powder; those who don't would think it's some kind of drug!"

"If you're truly not afraid of death, then at least don't be afraid of causing a misunderstanding—being taken for a walking second‑class merit and getting shot on the spot!"

Kong Long clutched his head in shock, fearing he might be treated as a criminal, and hurriedly removed the protein packets from his body, handing them over to Zhou Kaidong for safekeeping.

He explained that a gym buddy had taught him this, saying the small‑dose packaging is convenient for transport and storage, allowing instant mixing and protein replenishment.

This reminded Lu Yang of that cousin who, under the pretense of sending him a whistle, wanted to deliberately prank him.

"If we can avoid that friend, let's just stay away."

"Damn it, later I'll call him a damn dog and curse him for that stupid scheme!"

Amid the joking and banter, time seemed to fly, and the distance between the recruits drew closer.

Someone began pulling snacks from their bag to share with everyone.

Lu Yang also took out his hometown specialty—salted duck eggs—from his bag and handed them out for everyone to try.

In Guangling there is a lake that yields red‑yolk salted duck eggs, the kind that ooze oil when peeled.

Eating them plain can be a bit salty, but with porridge or noodles they're especially delicious.

The carriage still reeked of urine, but the jostling passengers had long grown accustomed.

The recruits huddled together, half‑asleep, leaning on each other.

Suddenly, a harsh scraping sound rang out.

Lu Yang slowly opened his eyes; a beam of sunlight slipped through the door crack and landed on his face.

He rubbed his eyes, sat up slowly, and nudged the still‑sleeping Kong Long beside him.

"Wake up, everyone, get up—looks like we've arrived?"

The recruits groggily opened their eyes, each with sore backs and limbs, yawning listlessly.

At that moment, whistles sounded outside; Zhou Kaidong quickly opened the doors and ordered everyone to disembark.

The glare made it hard to open their eyes; after a moment of adjustment, they could see the outside scene.

Tanks rolled by one after another, belching black smoke, while groups of veterans shouted slogans as they ran past.

Lu Yang breathed a weary sigh: "Finally at the unit! Over twenty hours on the train—what a grind!"

Suddenly, the right carriage door opened, and several recruits tumbled out, kneeling and vomiting dryly.

Lu Yang saw that the unruly youngster from earlier was among them, now on his knees, nearly vomiting bile.

Just as everyone was confused, the guy sprang up, delivered a flying kick to a short recruit, then launched into a barrage of shoving and filthy insults.

"You damn stand‑in, you didn't hold it when we were standing earlier, and now you can't keep it on this stretch—why the hell don't you just die?"

A veteran rushed forward, pulling them apart and scolding the offender harshly.

Lu Yang and the others around Kong Long exchanged glances, collectively looking at the guy who had the stomach upset earlier.

"Thanks for the comrade's 'not‑pulling' favor!"

"Ugh..."

That soldier was also glad he hadn't done anything reckless.

Otherwise it would have been not only embarrassing but could have landed him a beating.

Beep beep beep—

The assembly whistle sounded.

Under the veterans' urging, the recruits sluggishly formed into a full line.

【9】 A sturdy man bearing the rank of captain stood at the front of the line with a cold expression; Lu Yang guessed he was most likely the Company Commander of the New Recruit Company.

【10】 Gao Feng placed his hands on his hips, scanned the crooked formation, his brows knotted, clearly displeased with the quality of these rookie recruits.

A sturdy man with the rank of captain on his shoulder, cold‑faced, appeared at the front of the formation; Lu Yang guessed this was most likely the Company Commander of the New Recruit Company.

Gao Feng put his hands on his hips, scanned the crooked formation, his brows knit into a knot, clearly dissatisfied with the quality of these new recruits.

He had no extra pleasantries; after a brief self-introduction he announced the order: "This is the Special Third Regiment's outdoor training ground; for the next stretch there will be no vehicles to pick us up, everyone must run to the destination!"

"First Platoon Leader leads the way!"

"Yes!"

Zhou Kaidong responded with a sound.

Lu Yang then realized that this reception officer also held the position of platoon leader.

I just don't know how far the New Recruit Company at the destination is from here.

Before anyone could think more, Gao Feng let out a low roar: "Everyone, listen to the command, pick up your luggage, turn right, run... go!"