Chapter 91: If Excellence Is a Crime, Sentence Me to Life

Damn, those bastards were way too ruthless!

Good thing I fought tooth and nail to protect my face!

Otherwise, my handsome looks would've been ruined!

By the flowerbed, Wan Baoshan clutched an ice pack and pressed it against his reddened, swollen cheek.

Both eyes were as black as a giant panda's, and his nostrils were still stuffed with paper wads, clearly having taken a hard beating.

As the saying goes, disaster comes from the mouth; regarding his beating, Lu Yang felt it was not at all undeserved.

This wasn't just exposing someone's secrets; it was publicly pulling down someone's underwear, giving a little JJ a couple of flicks, then looking up and sneering.

Who could stand that, whoever it is?

Nevertheless, out of humanitarian concern, Lu Yang still tended the cut on his forehead, using cotton pads, medical tape, and a band‑aide.

As for the bruises on his elbow, arm, and calf, he used cotton swabs dipped in medicated oil, repeatedly massaging to reduce swelling and promote blood circulation.

Wan Baoshan, amazed by Lu Yang's skills comparable to a professional medical soldier, asked, "Where did you learn this craft?"

Lu Yang smiled, "The New Recruit Company taught us battlefield first aid."

Wan Baoshan replied, "Don't try to fool me; I also came out of the New Recruit Company. Battlefield first aid is just a routine, a token gesture—who would teach it so meticulously?"

Lu Yang didn't elaborate much, just said his Squad Leader taught him.

Wan Baoshan asked, "Who is your New Recruit Squad Leader?"

Lu Yang: "Zhou Kaidong."

Wan Baoshan shook his head, "I don't know him."

He's a soldier in the Third Company, just a private.

Not knowing Zhou Kaidong of the Sixth Company is also normal; after all, the units in the regiment aren't all adjacent.

Some garrisons are rather remote; it takes dozens of minutes by vehicle to reach the Tuan Bu.

But I do know your Company Commander Gao Feng. He led our cohort of the New Recruit Company; he's a celebrity in our regiment!

What, could he be some sort of general's son?

That's not the case.

Wan Baoshan waved his fingers, pompously saying,

"Company Commander Gao is one of the top talents in the regiment; who hasn't heard of the armored Seventh Company's reputation?"

"But even louder than that reputation is that he dated the female officer of the regiment's Medical Team, who is the dream girl of many veterans."

Lu Yang pictured the Female Lieutenant; she wasn't exceptionally beautiful, just rather easy on the eyes.

But rarity makes value; the Special Third Regiment has few women soldiers, and those in the regiment's offices are even scarcer, making female officers extremely rare.

Gao Feng managing to win a beauty among the ranks indeed shows he has some skill.

"But!"

Wan Baoshan shifted tone, lowering his voice: "Your Company Commander's love life is rocky; he might not succeed after all."

Lu Yang, seeing his demeanor like a divine calculator, asked, "What's up, you can even divine love fate?"

Wan Baoshan chuckled, "Not really; it's mainly because that female officer's older brother is the Sixth Company Commander, and the Sixth and Seventh Company Commanders have always been mortal enemies."

Lu Yang laughed, "Just because of that?"

Wan Baoshan: "Don't think this is trivial; the Sixth Company is a light infantry unit, while the Seventh is a heavy armor unit, and every time in drills Gao Feng can smash the opponent's head."

He asked, "If someone rode on your head and beat you every day, would you be willing to marry your younger sister to him?"

Lu Yang imagined Gao Feng riding on someone's head, hammering with a tiny mallet until the other's scalp was a mess, and couldn't help but smile.

If that were true, that big brother‑in‑law would definitely refuse to let his younger sister marry the 'enemy.'

Otherwise, it would be like the elbow bending outward—losing a sister and losing troops.

"But these days arranged marriages don't really exist; if the sister insists on marrying, even her brother can't stop her."

"You don't know that? Let me tell you, don't tell anyone else; many in the regiment aren't clear on the exact reason. I heard it by chance from a female soldier in the office unit during a duty trip back to the regiment."

"What did you hear?"

"The Sixth Company Commander's parents were both veterans."

"And then?"

"They both died in the 1980s Southern Frontier Defense War, leaving a son and a daughter; the Sixth Company Commander became both brother, father, and mother, raising his sister."

"So that's how it is…"

Lu Yang knew this meant the sister was an orphan of a martyr.

With no one else at home, the elder brother acted as a father.

Thus, Gao Feng wasn't just smashing his brother‑in‑law's head.

It was riding on the heads of his father‑in‑law, mother‑in‑law, and big brother‑in‑law, playing a deadly game.

Lu Yang covered his face with a wry smile, feeling that having been cooped up in the New Recruit Company, he knew little about the outside world.

Now it seemed the various relationships within the unit were more tangled than he had imagined.

No wonder he had always sensed Gao Feng's gaze toward Zhou Kaidong was odd, a mix of closeness and distance, love and hate.

It turned out to be because the Sixth Company Commander's connection was in the mix.

"Besides, there's another matter concerning you."

"Me?"

Lu Yang began to reassess Wan Baoshan's nickname as the 'Jack of all trades.'

This guy truly could dig up any matter; as long as something happened in the regiment, there was nothing he didn't know.

Moreover, his information was often fresh and first‑hand, with an accuracy that was frightening.

Lu Yang thought that if this guy didn't join the Intelligence Section, it would be a waste of talent.

Wan Baoshan glanced toward the distant training ground, then said, "Do you know why the Guo always targets you?"

Lu Yang: "Is he targeting me?"

Wan Baoshan widened his eyes: "Making you run with a load until you're exhausted, then being carried away—doesn't that count as targeting?"

"It's not that, buddy; your temperament is too good. If it were me, I'd at least curse his ancestors for eighteen generations, then while giving him soup spit some phlegm into it, and pick his nose!"

That buddy was so funny that Lu Yang burst out laughing.

But before arriving, Lu Yang had already built his mental preparation.

As a new recruit sent to a place like this, it already feels like a little lamb entering a wolf's den.

In the troops, martial prowess is valued; the stronger you are, the more respect you earn, and the weaker you are, the more scorn you receive.

And the four characters "new recruit" stick to Lu Yang's forehead like a label of weakness.

So on the first day of the intensive training, he was assigned to follow Wan Baoshan into the shooting range tunnel, serving as the pit master.

This is a form of marginalization, hoping you'll have self‑awareness and show the ability to retreat when faced with difficulty.

But sorry, Lu Yang has always become braver after setbacks, especially with the system's "break before you build" mechanism.

Even if he's knocked down, as long as he gets back up, he's a hero again—and a stronger hero than before!

"You continue,"

Lu Yang, while stuffing bottles and jars into the first‑aid kit, stared at him.

Wan Baoshan whispered slyly, "Guo Yongwen has always been the soldier most favored by the Seventh Company Commander, his pride. But now you arrived, and you were personally sent by the Seventh Company Commander from the New Recruit Company. Do you know what that means?"

Lu Yang shook his head: "I don't know."

Wan Baoshan laughed, "It means Guo Yongwen is about to fall out of favor; he's become useless, his age is catching up. He can't be promoted to officer, and he may have to pack up and leave."

Lu Yang felt puzzled, why does this sound like the drama "Zhen Huan"?

He is just a new recruit, hasn't even been assigned to a company, let alone the armored Seventh Company.

How does Guo Yongwen, a veteran of over ten years, create such a sense of urgency?

Could it be simply because I'm too outstanding?

If you're not envied, you're mediocre; if excellence is a crime, then Lu Yang deserves life imprisonment!

Wan Baoshan originally wanted to reveal something, but Guo Yongwen, with that dead face, walked toward them, frightening him into shutting his mouth quickly...