Chapter 5 Lesson "I saw it, but Himmelstoss..." Paul was interrupted by Himmelstoss's roar before he could finish his words. "If you see me, why don't you retreat? Also, when you are talking to a superior officer, you must use the word sir!" "Don't be like that, Himmelstoss, we are old acquaintances," Paul continued. "Shut up! There are no old acquaintances of yours here, only your superiors! I'm ordering you now! Line up right now!" Amid Himmelstoss's roar, Lu Mingfei and his men looked at each other, then stood up straight and lined up. Several new recruits who had come to the barracks earlier and were lying on their beds to watch the show also got up from their beds and stood straight beside Lu Mingfei and his men. Himmelstoss put his hands behind his back and paced back and forth in front of the team formed by Lu Mingfei and his group. He raised his head slightly and glanced at them with contempt in his eyes. "Look at the way you're lined up and your military posture. It's a mess. It looks like you've never lined up before. But it doesn't matter. We have a whole day to practice." "I know you're all pretty stupid, but I'm used to it. You'll have a lot to learn next, and I won't neglect any of you. Even though you're all pretty weak right now, I'll wean you off and turn you into real men!" Himmelstoss's roar echoed in the barracks, and his every word hit the recruits' hearts like a hammer. His sharp eyes seemed to penetrate everyone's soul.
"Next, the first lesson you have to learn is to forget everything you have learned in the past, forget what you were like in the past, forget what you want to be like in the future, and forget everything you knew in the past. You are a soldier here, and the only thing you have to do is to obey orders! That's all!" "If I can't train you into a qualified soldier, I will kill you with my own hands, so that you won't lose face for the empire on the battlefield. Do you understand?" "Understood, sir!" Lu Mingfei and his companions were shocked by Himmelstoss's aura, and they all straightened their bodies and saluted. No one thought that this little dwarf Himmelstoss could be so intimidating. Or maybe it was simply because these greenhouse flowers had never seen the world and were intimidated by Himmelstoss's loud voice. "Well, now everyone go outside and practice lining up!" Himmelstoss nodded with satisfaction, then pointed outside the door and shouted loudly. Lu Mingfei and his group came to the nearby training ground and lined up. They were not the only ones there, there were also some corporals training with new recruits. "Stand at attention now! Salute!" Himmelstoss shouted. Lu Mingfei and his companions all did as they were told. They straightened their bodies, raised their right hands, palms down, fingers together, arms bent, fingertips touching the brim of their hats, and gave what they thought was the best salute. Himmelstoss paced back and forth in front of them, pulling out a black pointer from his waist. "Put your belly away!" The black pointer landed on the belly of a fat recruit in the team. The recruit cried out in pain, but under Himmelstoss's devilish gaze, he dared not say a word. He could only stand up straight while enduring the pain and inhaling to pull his belly in. A trace of humiliation flashed in the recruit's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by fear. "Watch your arms!" Himmelstoss's whip kept hitting Lu Mingfei and his group. Each whip was fierce, as if to break their bones. Lu Mingfei's arms began to ache because he had been holding his hands up for a long time, and his fingertips left the brim of his hat involuntarily. This subtle movement was discovered by Himmelstoss, and he was also whipped a few times. The burning pain made him almost unable to stand, but he could only grit his teeth and persevere. Himmelstoss not only trained Lu Mingfei and his group. While Lu Mingfei and his group were standing, Himmelstoss kicked open the doors of two barracks, drove the people inside out, and stood at attention with Lu Mingfei and his group. Lu Mingfei saw a few familiar faces among these people. They were his classmates. There were more than forty people in total, and almost every one of them was beaten with a stick by Himmelstoss. A few of them were given special treatment and received more beatings than the others, including Paul, who must have said something that angered Himmelstoss. Sweat continued to drip down Lu Mingfei's cheeks into the dirt under his feet. He felt his arms were extremely sore, as if they were about to break. Lu Mingfei was sure that he was not the only one who felt this way, and that everyone standing with him probably felt the same way. Lu Mingfei didn't know how long he had been standing there. One hour? Two hours? Or three hours? He only knew that the sun that had been hanging in the sky was gradually disappearing. The recruits led by other corporals around had already been disbanded, leaving only the forty or so people led by Himmelstoss in the huge training ground. The sky began to darken, and the moon quietly climbed up the branches, but Lu Mingfei and his group still stood there motionless.
Himmelstoss walked back and forth among the 40-odd people with a pointer in his hand. If he saw someone's behavior that did not satisfy him, he would beat them mercilessly with the pointer in his hand. No one dared to speak or move. They were afraid of the snake-like whip in Himmelstoss's hand. At this moment, Himmelstoss's stomach suddenly made a rumbling sound. Hearing this rumbling sound, Lu Mingfei's stomach also started to growl. He hadn't eaten for the entire day because of the physical examination. He originally thought that he would have something to eat when he arrived at the military camp, but he did not expect to have to stand in military posture for several hours in the training ground before he could even sit down. He was so hungry that his eyes were full of stars and his legs were starting to feel weak. This was probably the first time he had felt so hungry since he was born. In the past, when he was hungry after school, he could eat the food cooked by his aunt as soon as he got home. In the past, he didn't care, and sometimes he would complain that his aunt's cooking was not to his liking, and fantasized about going out to eat hamburgers and fried chicken, which adults called junk food. But now, if there is a piece of white steamed bun in front of him, he thinks it is a rare delicacy. The rumbling of Himmelstoss's stomach seemed to be a signal, and the stomachs of the others also began to make noises, and the rumbling sounds, big and small, were like a symphony. Himmelstoss touched his stomach and looked up at the sky. It was completely dark, with a few stars twinkling above. He waved his hand to dismiss the group, then started walking towards the cafeteria. When Lu Mingfei heard Jie San's order, all the strength in his body seemed to be drained away, and he collapsed to the ground. He seemed to no longer be able to feel his feet, which had become numb and swollen from standing for so long without moving. Every muscle was wailing, as if countless ants were gnawing at his nerves. The others also collapsed to the ground like Lu Mingfei, and no one walked towards the cafeteria. Their faces were full of pain and exhaustion. (End of this chapter)
