Chapter 125: Numbed
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
A song played at the New Year’s Eve party had an unexpected impact on the class monitor and company commander.
For several nights, she couldn’t sleep well, disturbed by its influence.
However, to the recruits, many of them were secretly delighted with the song.
In the days that followed, everyone began running five kilometers daily before New Year’s Day. The routine turned into three kilometers in the morning, three kilometers in the afternoon, and five kilometers after the roll call.
The song also seemed to bring a positive change in the treatment during their usual training in the week after New Year’s Day. The class monitors became much gentler, even when they were visibly upset. They managed to control their anger and communicate in a more respectful tone.
However, this harmonious atmosphere only lasted for about ten days.
As the first batch of letters from home arrived, they were distributed among some of the recruits in each squad.
With the letters came a shift in the training regimen.
The two-hour daily ideology education class was discontinued, and the intensity of physical training increased significantly.
The reason behind this change was that the letters from home comforted the new recruits’ homesickness. Even for those who hadn’t received replies, hope blossomed, knowing that their families were well.
With their emotions stabilized, the focus turned back to rigorous training.
“Fuck… Are you a fucking pig? I told you not to move, but you still moved…” “You can’t do anything right. Are your legs filled with lead? It takes twenty-six minutes to run five kilometers. Do you believe that I will whip you next time?”
The class monitors’ harsh words and occasional fights returned as the recruits dove back into their demanding training routine.
“Hey, that’s Ye Sanshi from the Four Company!”
“Yeah, it’s him. Why did he bring a new recruit over?”
It had been almost 40 days since Wang Ye joined the army, and half a month had passed since he first ran the 400 meters.
In the past two weeks, he had already come here four times, and today marked his fifth visit.
However, every time he came, it seemed that there was always some company training happening.
“Do you think he’s here to run the 400-meter obstacle course? I heard there’s a tough guy among the new recruits. He aced the obstacle course during the education class after the formation.”
“Now, the Four Companies are doing four 400-meter runs every day. Even the strongest soldiers are struggling with the tactical climbs and five-kilometer runs…”
“Damn, he can’t possibly be running around here at this time, right? Should we wait?”
As Ye Sanshi and Wang Ye approached, some veterans who had just finished running or were waiting couldn’t hide their agitation.
This was the typical army atmosphere. Regardless of whether the new recruits were exceptional or not, the veterans would feel the pressure to work harder during training.
There was a well-known saying in the army – “Two shoulders carry one head.” You couldn’t slack off just because someone else was putting in extra effort.
There was no room for excuses. If you were worse than others, you had to train harder.
The veterans had become somewhat numb to such situations. They had learned to ignore any complaints and just focus on pushing themselves further.
Although they had never seen Wang Ye run before, news of his results had leaked out – he completed the 400-meter run in one minute and forty-four seconds.
In the Iron Blood Fourth Company, this result was actually considered decent. During the previous run, Wu Jianfeng had selected the class with the strongest individuals for the 400-meter run.
However, compared to the elite class of the Iron Blood Company, Wang Ye’s result didn’t stand out much. He had only surpassed one veteran.
Yet, when compared to their current company, which wasn’t as physically fit as the Iron Blood Company, Wang Ye’s result was outstanding. At least half of their company wouldn’t be able to achieve such a time.
What bothered many veterans was that it was Wang Ye’s first attempt at the run. Who knew how many seconds he could shave off with more practice? Perhaps he could run even faster, maybe even one minute and forty seconds.
The truth was that only one or two people in their entire company could achieve that time.
Thus, many veterans found themselves silently cursing in their hearts. They wondered why a new recruit like him wasn’t sleeping or resting during the afternoon like most recruits would.
Meanwhile, other veterans were scolding the soldier who was supposed to be the fastest in their company. They believed that if he couldn’t win against Wang Ye, then he shouldn’t have run at all. By running and losing, he had dragged the whole company into an afternoon obstacle course session.
In their eyes, encountering an abnormal recruit like Wang Ye was both frustrating and challenging.
“Class monitor, why don’t you talk to the platoon leader on duty and let’s run five kilometers first!”
A soldier whispered to his squad leader, hoping to avoid facing Wang Ye in the obstacle course.
However, his suggestion was met with a disdainful look and a swift kick.
“Get lost, are you trying to get us all killed?”
It was clear that such an idea was out of the question. Trying to escape from the training just because of Wang Ye’s presence would have severe consequences. Even if the incident wasn’t made public, it would still significantly impact the company’s morale.
Soldiers trained to prepare for battles, and the training ground was like their battlefield. Running away because of someone’s arrival would be considered abandoning their position and cowardly fleeing from the battle.
If such behavior were to occur, the company commander would undoubtedly face severe repercussions from higher-ups, and the soldiers themselves would have to endure the company commander’s wrath when he returned after facing the regiment commander.
Facing the potential storm, they were all mentally prepared for the intense reprimand from their company commander.
“That’s the Second Company, the Tank Company. They can be a bunch of trash. Show them the strength of our Four Companies when you go up there,” Ye Sanshi said as he introduced Wang Ye to the situation.
Ye Sanshi knew very well about Wang Ye’s strength, and he was the one who had brought Wang Ye here for training these few times. Wang Ye had already proven his ability during the last run, achieving a time of 1 minute 36.47 seconds, a result even Ye Sanshi himself couldn’t match.
The tank soldiers were not necessarily physically weak, but there was a saying in the army that referred to the different physical training intensity among the infantry, artillery, and tank soldiers. Tank soldiers were considered to have a lighter training routine compared to the infantry, as their profession required more specialized skills.
Upon hearing Ye Sanshi’s words, Wang Ye simply responded, “Yes, sir!”
In the army, actions spoke louder than words. If Ye Sanshi didn’t say anything, Wang Ye wouldn’t hold back either. Winning in any external competition would bring glory to their company, while losing would mean losing face.
As they approached the Second Company, Ye Sanshi playfully called out, “Hey, brothers from Second Company, why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the day? You have time to come to the 400-meter obstacle course to play. Are you planning to secretly work harder and then surprise us by surpassing our Four Companies?”
Wang Ye followed closely behind Ye Sanshi, and from a distance, he noticed two young first lieutenants present as the captain was nowhere to be seen.
Ye Sanshi was definitely not afraid of such a situation. Being a second-phase veteran of the Fourth Company, he carried a certain level of confidence and authority. Since the captain of the tank company was absent, he didn’t pay much attention to the first lieutenants present.