Chapter 63

When the roaring sound shook the barracks.

A dazzling light appeared in the eyes of all the soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company.

Like dying people crawling in a desert dune, they felt the joy of seeing an oasis.

They had been standing for six full days.

Training during the day, standing in military posture at night.

Their daily sleep time absolutely did not exceed three hours.

For a day or two, these hot-blooded soldiers could hold on.

But after six consecutive days, they had long since lost the will to live.

This was the price for privately gathering to surround the Red Third Company.

This kind of mental torture was even more agonizing than corporal punishment.

Thus, with Feng Yuxiu's arrival.

The corporal punishment finally ended.

This was not his merit, but the Company Commander's kindness.

As for why he was kind.

Gao Cheng always wore an inscrutable smile.

"Sanduo, is your hand better?" As soon as they entered the Third Squad, everyone gathered around.

Bai Tiejun even diligently wiped off a stool.

"Yeah, Sanduo, are you feeling better? You don't know, we almost fought with those bastards from the Third Company because of this," someone said.

"Why are you saying that? Did we do that for praise? Remember, this is the dignity of our Seventh Company, the face of the Seventh Company!" Gan Xiaoning pointed at the private who spoke with a cold face.

"Aren't you all tired?" Wu Liuyi walked in after washing his feet, his gaze mixed with a smile.

Seeing this smile, everyone in the Third Squad shivered and climbed into their beds.

Feng Yuxiu touched his temple and flipped onto his bed.

But his eyes remained open.

Through the brightness of the moonlight, he saw the scratches on Shi Jin's face.

Thus, in the dead of night when the darkness was thick and impenetrable.

Feng Yuxiu flipped over and sat on the bed; his footsteps were very light as he walked out of the Third Squad.

Then he went downstairs, avoided the sentry post, and headed toward the main gate.

He had to synchronize with the vehicle's speed and return within three hours.

The goal was very simple.

To cripple those drunkard's family members who had laid hands on the Squad Leader.

His understanding of hatred was very simple: report it on the spot.

At the latest, don't let it last past the night.

"What a bunch of losers; tomorrow I must re-train these bastards on how to stand guard."

Gao Cheng walked out of the shadows of the barracks gate while smoking.

His gaze was hidden in the night, staring straight at the direction of the Seventh Company.

Feng Yuxiu stopped instantly, the first time a look of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.

This was the first time someone had anticipated his actions.

Gao Cheng seemed to be talking to himself, as if he didn't see Feng Yuxiu in the distance; he puffed on his cigarette, spat out a cloud of white smoke, "Why is the military the military? Why isn't it a street stall? There are rules; once you enter the military, you cannot have personal freedom or slackness."

Gao Cheng threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stepped on it, "A soldier takes orders as the primary principle; you did well on that."

Feng Yuxiu fell silent; the Company Commander was talking about the time he was surrounded by thugs and, upon Wu Liuyi's order, struck instantly.

"However, soldiers are meant to protect the country and shield the people; no matter how helpless you feel, you cannot lay hands on the masses."

"A soldier is a sharp sword, but also a single-edged sword; the sharpened side is always pointed at the enemy."

Thus, after this sentence, Gao Cheng's gaze finally landed on Feng Yuxiu.

"If you go out tonight, beat others to a cripple, then your Squad Leader will be discharged, you will go to a military court, the entire Seventh Company will be reorganized, and the Instructor and I will be demoted."

"Is this what you want?"

Feng Yuxiu was stunned; he finally realized one thing.

Now, he and the Seventh Company were a whole.

If he got into trouble, the Seventh Company would spare no effort to protect him.

Once he went out tonight, the entire Seventh Company would be implicated because of him.

"Xu Sanduo."

Gao Cheng took another step forward; this time he finally saw Feng Yuxiu's eyes in the darkness.

"You are the strongest soldier I have ever seen, and also the most stubborn. You are a natural-born soldier king; in ancient times, you would have been an invincible warrior."

"But now it is the military; you must deeply realize that the barracks are your home and your comrades are your kin."

"Every move you make can cause those who care about you to be fatally implicated!"

After saying this, Gao Cheng turned and left.

The gate behind him was open.

He didn't seem worried at all that Feng Yuxiu would go out.

The moonlight in the dark night was brighter than it would be ten years later.

Feng Yuxiu stood in the dark night for a long, long time.

Until he noticed the approaching figures in the distance.

Only then did he walk into the shadows, step by step bypassing the sentries and patrols, and headed toward the dormitory.

The Company Commander was right.

He was no longer the person he used to be.

The comrades around him all cared about him.

Here, there was friction, but no hatred.

There were grudges, but no overnight scores to settle.

Feng Yuxiu returned to the dormitory and lay down on the bed softly.

Two pairs of eyes opened at the same time.

Shi Jin and Wu Liuyi exchanged a glance, both seeing lingering fear in each other's eyes.

Fortunately, he came back.

This was their only inner thought at this moment.

That night, the soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company slept very soundly.

There were no more all-night military posture sessions, no more hundred push-ups every hour, and no more hour-and-ten-minute sit-ups.

Tonight, they all felt that they were still alive and still like human beings.

"Emergency assembly!!!!"

At dawn, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

A roaring shout accompanied by a shrill, piercing whistle echoed throughout the entire camp.

"Emergency assembly!" Wu Liuyi sat up instantly, his neck turning red, the veins on it bulging.

Immediately, the people in the Third Squad who were fast asleep flipped up.

"Oh mother, we were just tortured for a week, what are they doing now?" Bai Tiejun was almost crying.

"Where are my socks?" Gan Xiaoning bent down and looked under the bed, groping for his socks.

"Hurry up, emergency assembly!" Wu Liuyi roared after getting dressed.

Shi Jin still had his good-natured smile, "Everyone, hurry up."

Everyone got dressed; Bai Tiejun picked at his ear, "Squad Leader, is there any news? There should be a reason for an emergency assembly, right?"

Shi Jin glared, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't."

On the parade ground.

The Steel Seventh Company and the Red Third Company stood neatly on both sides.

Gao Cheng's gaze was heavy and serious, "Just received notice from the Regimental Headquarters; starting today, each company will hold internal company confrontation exercises."

"The duration is one day."

Everyone was a bit confused by this order from Company Commander Gao Cheng.

What is an internal company confrontation exercise?

A company has three platoons, and a platoon has three squads.

A total of ninety people in nine squads; with so few people, how can they have a confrontation exercise?

Gao Cheng began to distribute the tasks on his own.

One-on-one confrontation exercises, conducted with each platoon as a unit.

"The mission objective is very simple: protect the platoon leader of each platoon; if more than half of the platoon's personnel are damaged, or the platoon leader is beheaded, then you fail!"

Feng Yuxiu was in the Third Platoon, Third Squad of the Steel Seventh Company.

"Now the exercise begins! Destination, the 602 landmark jungle one hundred miles away!"

"Charge!!!"

Feng Yuxiu glanced at the platoon leaders of the other two platoons and firmly memorized them.

Is it enough to just behead their platoon leaders?