Chapter 115: The Company Commander Running to Find Help
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
At this moment, Wu Jianfeng felt utterly helpless. He looked back at the recruits and realized he hadn’t distanced himself enough from them. So, he took a few more steps forward, trying to create some privacy.
“Commander, you have to stand up for me. You gave me your word, and 1 can’t believe you’d go back on it!”
He refrained from telling the Chief of Staff about the issue he faced because he knew it wouldn’t make a difference.
It wasn’t the first time he had encountered the Chief of Staff.
This man appeared gentle on the outside, but Wu Jianfeng knew he had a dark side.
In a way, it made sense. After all, the Chief of Staff was a strategist. If he wasn’t willing to resort to underhanded tactics, how could he succeed in his role?
During drills or confrontations with other troops, having a Chief of Staff like him could be advantageous. However, in his current predicament, Wu Jianfeng didn’t expect any support.
He hadn’t seen the Chief of Staff showing up at the regiment commander’s house with gifts, nor did he believe reasoning with him would bear any fruit.
It was simply illogical.
Moreover, he had made a grave mistake by revealing that the regiment commander hadn’t signed a contract with him.
How could he let those words slip out?
Asking the regiment commander to write him a written pledge was absurd. He questioned himself, “Am I still fit to be a company commander?”
“What are you talking about? I’ll make the decision!” Before the regiment commander could reply, the Chief of Staff’s voice cut in once again.
“Haha, alright, alright. We’ll talk about this later,” the regiment commander finally interjected.
“No, Commander, you promised me,” Wu Jianfeng hurriedly pleaded.
“Yes, alright, alright, I know. Let’s put this matter aside. Go and take care of the new recruits first!”
“Yes, sir!” Wu Jianfeng felt a sense of helplessness in his heart, but there was nothing he could do now.
After ending the call, he punched the air forcefully and turned his gaze back to the recruits on the training ground.
In particular, his eyes fell on Wang Ye with a complicated expression.
Good soldiers, but perhaps too good.
1 can’t handle this anymore…
“What’s wrong with the company commander? He looks a little upset. Did she fail at something?”
“How can he dare to be upset with the regiment commander!”
Wu Jianfeng walked away. No one heard his conversation, but when they saw his expression, everyone sensed that something was amiss.
Immediately, the recruits began to whisper amongst themselves.
“Alright, what nonsense are you talking about? Stop gossiping and focus on your training! Don’t think that just because Wang Ye performed well, it reflects on all of you. Each one of you should be aware of your own results! You guys didn’t even manage to get two points, and now you still have the audacity to watch the show. Have some shame!”
A platoon leader glared at the recruits and shouted, trying to put an end to the unnecessary discussions.
After shouting, the platoon leader scanned the training ground and then turned to Ye Sanshi, saying, “Old Ye, go and fetch that soldier from your class yourself. Don’t let him waste any more time. They couldn’t even climb out of the hole, and it’s like they hadn’t eaten. Is the food in our recruit company not good?”
“Yes, sir!” Ye Sanshi promptly responded to the platoon leader’s order and hurried to the training ground.
At this point, there was only one person left on the training ground – Qin Li. He had no trouble jumping into the pit after the ladder was brought over, but now he could only manage to touch the edge of the pit occasionally before sliding back down. He seemed unable to climb out.
Despite the platoon leader’s reminder, most of the recruits were more focused on watching the company commander, Wu Jianfeng.
Wu Jianfeng, with a somber expression, had also made his way to the training ground.
Everyone was eager to see what he would say when he returned.
Wang Ye, on the other hand, was feeling a little nervous. It didn’t appear as if he had succeeded in his challenge.
Could it be that he had lost three skill points?
Despite the tension, Wang Ye remained resolute. He didn’t regret anything he had done.
If he truly lost the bet, he was prepared to accept the consequences.
Skill points didn’t have to be just numbers forever; they could be used to strengthen oneself.
Shortly after, Wu Jianfeng returned with a somber expression.
“The regiment commander said there’s only one chance for this third-class merit!” he announced. The news weighed heavily on Wang Ye’s heart, and he was about to respond when Wu Jianfeng continued.
“However, he also gave us another condition. Currently, the fastest runner in our Iron Bones Hero Regiment is a veteran from the police investigation company. His time is 1 minute 32 seconds 42 milliseconds. The regiment commander said that if the recruits can surpass this result within two months, they’ll be awarded third-class merit!”
Wang Ye’s eyes widened in surprise. His emotions at the moment could be described as a roller coaster ride. From thinking there was no hope, he now saw a glimmer of possibility.
“Really?” Wang Ye asked, hoping it was true.
“Of course it’s true!” Wu Jianfeng confirmed. Seeing Wang Ye’s expression, he momentarily set aside his frustration about the earlier incident with the chief of staff.
“You must work hard. If you’re confident in the future, you can come directly to me, and I’ll bring you here.”
“But don’t get too complacent. Training three times a week is still a must.”
“Yes, sir!” Wang Ye replied with a smile, saluting.
Then, he asked, “Company Commander, can I run again later?”
At this moment, Wang Ye was conflicted. Part of him wanted to push himself harder to achieve the third-class merit today. However, the difference between the current record and the record set by the fastest runner was not insignificant.
Given the 12-second difference, achieving it today seemed quite challenging.
With two skill points remaining, Wang Ye wondered if he could reach the required level by adding the 400-meter obstacle. He believed that even if he didn’t achieve it immediately, he wouldn’t be too far off from the target. In fact, he felt confident that he might surpass it in one attempt.
However, his main concern now was that adding another ten seconds for the second attempt would be too suspicious.
“Sure, you can take some time to recover your strength now. Once all the classes are over, you can try again if you feel ready,” Wu Jianfeng suggested.
A 400-meter run would only take a little over a minute, and since they were already running late for dinner that day, an extra minute wouldn’t cause any issues.
“Yes, sir!” Wang Ye responded gratefully.
“Alright, the rest of you watch them train now. 1’11 be away for a while!” Wu Jianfeng said to Wang Ye and then left without explaining the reason for his earlier displeasure.
He sought out the platoon leader and the other veterans. After a brief exchange, he rushed off to find reinforcements.
Dealing with the shameless Chief of Staff was proving too challenging for Wu Jianfeng alone. Therefore, he had to find someone to assist him in handling the situation.
“Wu Jianfeng, that brat, ran away!” The regiment commander exclaimed on the rooftop of the regiment headquarters building as he held a pair of binoculars and smiled.
He was not peeping but rather supervising the new recruits’ training.
As for the Chief of Staff’s recent call, he had already smoothed things out, so he had no intention of speaking with him at the moment. Using the binoculars to cover his eyes, he playfully shut the Chief of Staff’s metaphorical mouth.
The regiment commander’s feelings were a mix of happiness and helplessness.
He was pleased that his team had produced such an outstanding soldier, Wang Ye.
However, Wang Ye had inadvertently agreed too quickly to Wu Jianfeng’s proposal earlier, causing this situation.
Regardless, everything seemed to be in order now.
But the Chief of Staff’s attitude was still giving him a headache!
“Ready!”
On the training ground, Ye Sanshi pulled Qin Li out of the pit and brought him to the sidelines.
Meanwhile, the remaining five students from Class Five, who had not yet run, lined up at the starting line, preparing for their turn.
Regardless of whether Wang Ye could achieve the third-class merit or not, or where the company commander was, they still needed to proceed with the training they were supposed to do.
The 400-meter run had to be completed, and someone had to be last.
Thankfully, the seasoned soldier had left, so they wouldn’t be pointed at while running. They could focus solely on giving their best effort in the training..