Chapter 246: Veterans Watching the Show
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Quick, quick…Those behind me, run in front of me.
How can you guys not be able to run faster than me? Did you guys really gain weight during the three months 1 took the recruits?
Charge!”
In the early morning, Fourth Company was led to the track by Wu Jianfeng.
Eight kilometers.
It wasn’t armed gear this time; it was sandbags tied to their legs and weighted vests.
Of course, it wasn’t just the veterans who had completed the 400 meters in one minute and forty seconds yesterday; the entire company ran together.
No one dared to question why those who didn’t achieve the one-minute and forty seconds mark yesterday were exempt from running eight kilometers today.
The 14 seasoned soldiers who had managed the one minute and forty seconds mark didn’t even bother asking. They were mentally prepared.
As for the new recruits, they didn’t have the qualifications or the courage to speak up.
The only person who could potentially question this was Wang Ye.
However, Wang Ye wasn’t a fool.
Wasn’t the song about unity and strength sung almost every day?
Wouldn’t he be asking for trouble by questioning this?
Thus, Zheng Ke’s additional practice of the 400-meter obstacle course, for those who finished in under one minute and forty seconds, turned into a full team training today.
As Wang Ye looked at Wu Jianfeng, who was yelling in front of them, he couldn’t help but have the urge to run over and give him a flying kick.
Wu Jianfeng was so infuriating. He didn’t have any weights on him. Furthermore, after just two laps, he stopped and began shouting from the sidelines. Once everyone finished a lap, he continued running ahead of the group.
Yes, he was running, but with his running style, no one could possibly catch up to him.
It was agonizing, but the greatest agony didn’t come from Wu Jianfeng’s words; it came from the burden beside him.
The recruits from the two training camps of Class Eight were really weak.
Before they even covered five kilometers out of the eight, some couldn’t run any longer. Although Wu Jianfeng had pushed them too hard and exhausted their strength, they had only completed half the distance, so they had to be supported.
Wang Ye and Qiao Xuan were assigned to Peng Yuhang. Each of them dragged him along the track, adding at least a few dozen pounds of weight.
This made Wang Ye’s run even more challenging.
“Wan… Brother Wang… Dep… Deputy class officer… You…
You guys… Throwing… Leave… Me!
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Peng Yuhang, with one arm held by Wang Ye and the other by Qiao Xuan, looked pale as he ran, weakly uttering these words.
“Shut… Shut up!” Qiao Xuan turned his head and glared at him before Wang Ye could respond.
Then, he turned back around, focusing on what lay ahead. As they continued to drag him, he gritted his teeth and said, “The fourth Company doesn’t have a tradition of abandoning comrades and running away. I won’t leave you, I won’t give up!”
He was also drenched in sweat. As he spoke, his face flushed, and he gasped for breath to finish his sentence.
After running for a few more meters, he turned to look at Wang Ye. Panting heavily, he asked, “You okay?”
“Yes!” Wang Ye replied with just one word.
In the next moment, something surprising happened.
Qiao Xuan abruptly let go.
He had just declared that he wouldn’t abandon or give up, but now he had decisively let go. Wang Ye was a bit puzzled by this sudden change.
“Then… Hold on, I’ll go relieve Li Bing.”
After saying this, he slowed down and turned around.
Wang Ye also turned to look.
Indeed, Li Bing seemed like he couldn’t go on any longer.
He didn’t run alone; he and Zhou Qi were also dragging Zhang Wen, which had contributed to this situation.
In terms of physical fitness, the officers of Class Eight were quite fit. However, apart from the two recruits, the two private classes were somewhat weaker. They occasionally needed someone to push them or even pull them for a while.
This made the officers very busy and exhausted.
Naturally, Wang Ye wasn’t getting off easy either.
He had been running the entire distance with Peng Yuhang from start to finish.
“Brother… Brother Wang… You’re really my brother!” Everyone lay on the grass beside the track, not caring if they were getting dirty.
Peng Yuhang turned his head to look at Wang Ye with a grateful expression.
This made Wang Ye, who was panting heavily, turn his head and roll his eyes. “If I really had a brother like you, I’d die of exhaustion!”
“I… I’ll buy you a drink. Seriously, wait… I’ll get you a Coke during our break later!”
“I’d prefer orange juice…”
Wang Ye turned around and looked at the sky after saying this.
At this moment, Wang Ye felt a bit down.
Of course, it had nothing to do with Peng Yuhang.
It was because his attempt to transform a skill had failed.
It was unclear whether it was because running eight kilometers wasn’t considered a typical military training exercise or because the techniques and other aspects of running eight kilometers were similar to running five kilometers, but when Wang Ye attempted to convert it into a skill after completing the run, he failed.
This dashed Wang Ye’s hopes of acquiring a skill that could enhance his stamina.
“Here, one for each of you!”
At eight o’clock, after the exercise session, the entire company was taken to the 400-meter obstacle course for a run.
Once that was over, the recruits received their new equipment.
Engineer shovels, one for each recruit.
“Why are they giving us these shovels? Are we going camping again?”
H
Hehe, these roasted seeds are really good. Did you use the shovel for that?”
There was no formal ceremony when the shovels were distributed.
The veterans moved out in front of the dormitory building, and the recruits each received one before standing to the side.
So now, recruits held their new equipment and chatted happily.
I
Did your recruit company let you cook during camping?” Wang Ye asked the recruits from the Iron Bones Hero Regiment.
“Yeah, didn’t you do that too? We also requested to cook for ourselves. They even gave us a shovel. This is the pot we used for cooking!”
A soldier from the training camp raised his shovel with a smile.
“Brother Wang, did your recruit company not do camping?” Peng Yuhang, now Wang Ye’s sidekick, approached him and asked with a smile.
“We did go camping, but why would they give you engineer shovels for cooking?”
During Wang Ye’s recruit company period, they did go camping. Field training meant camping in the wilderness, but they had never seen engineer shovels for that purpose.
“Beep, beep, beep!”
Zheng Ke blew his whistle loudly.
“Line up!”
Soon, the recruits and veterans returned to their positions according to their shifts.
“Atten-tion! At ease…”
Without much ado, Zheng Ke organized the team and led them, under Wu Jianfeng’s watchful eye, to run.
As the recruits holding the shovels wondered what they were going to do, they left the camp area and climbed a mountain outside. It didn’t take long for everyone to figure out their task.
Digging trenches, or more accurately, digging foxholes.
Each recruit had to dig one for themselves.
Moreover, it had to be more than one meter deep, adjusted according to the individual’s height.
Additionally, this depth was measured from the ground to the bottom of the pit, and the soil dug out had to be piled up in front to create cover.
The total height had to reach 1.6 meters, and at the same time, they had to dig a cliffside cave in the opposite direction.
“Defensive fortifications are our lifeline.” Zheng Ke’s expression was stern as he addressed the recruits, who were bent over with shovels in hand.
“Building foxholes is the most basic form of defense, and it’s one of the most common methods used on the battlefield.
In the past, on our side’s southern border…
Our ancestors relied on these foxholes and various fortifications to significantly reduce casualties.”
Pausing for a moment, Zheng Ke continued loudly, “On a modern battlefield where artillery fire is rampant, a foxhole can increase our chances of survival tenfold.
This is your first and most crucial lesson!”
Everyone understood what Zheng Ke was saying, but understanding and enduring were two different things.
Digging a hole in the mountainside with just an engineer shovel was a grueling task. They were required to dig a meter deep and about 80 meters in size, and it was certainly no walk in the park.
What made it even more challenging was the fact that it had to be completed before dinner.
This forced everyone to put their backs into it.
Of course, it would’ve been if that was just that.
The most frustrating part was that there were seasoned soldiers watching them and offering guidance.
They referred to themselves as supervisors and guided the recruits in their work, but they were actually just enjoying the show.
Wang Ye, in particular, had a few seasoned soldiers from Class Eight standing nearby, and seasoned soldiers from other classes would occasionally come over to give pointers.
They were truly enjoying themselves. If they weren’t afraid of retribution and Zheng Ke wasn’t around, they would probably go buy some popcorn from the canteen.
As Wang Ye watched the veterans watch them while he sweated profusely, occasionally offering advice on how to dig the soil more efficiently, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed.
Yesterday, when Wang Ye completed the 400 meters, the veterans were the ones who struggled. Now, they were just standing by, watching a new recruit do the work that was typically assigned to recruits.
How could they not be delighted?