Chapter 33
“Ah, it’s difficult to deal with. This recruit has to leave,” he sighed. He pointed at the officer standing in the company commander’s office. After the officer entered, he took off his hat and spoke with a helpless expression. Wu Jianfeng stood by the window smoking and did not react to the news.
“Hey, Company Commander, what do you think we should do about this?” Kang Hua looked at the captain again and asked.
“We need to inform the authorities and contact his family,” Wu Jianfeng turned around and said directly.
“Ah!” Kang Hua was slightly stunned. He obviously did not expect Wu Jianfeng to be so decisive.
“No, Company Commander. Discharging him because of this kind of thing won’t be good…” the instructor tried to object.
“I know!” Without waiting for the instructor to finish, Wu Jianfeng raised his hand and interrupted him. “Isn’t it just writing a report? You’re a top student in the military academy. I’ll leave this matter to you. Yes, including mine.”
The instructor looked helpless. “It’s not just about that…”
“I know, but it’s just a soldier being discharged. There’s no need to use this reason directly. Just say that he was not feeling well and could not continue with the army training. This way, it’s good for him and good for us. It’s nothing,” Wu Jianfeng replied calmly.
“Alright then!” Kang Hua was a little helpless, but in the end, he could only accept this plan. He understood that it was for the best of the soldier.
The recruit had no background to speak of, and while it was a harsh reality, society itself was very pragmatic. He had no connections, and he didn’t possess any unique skills or value that would make the army favor him. For an ordinary recruit to strike the squad leader, no matter the circumstances, staying in the military would be an uphill battle.
Knowing this, Wu Jianfeng realized that the best course of action was to discharge the soldier. Although he was forced to leave, retreating due to physical reasons would not have much of an impact. The recruit’s future would still be intact, and any other minor issues that arose from his departure would have to be dealt with.
In the end, they were all adults who had to be accountable for their actions. Wu Jianfeng understood this principle and made his decision accordingly. As a leader, he had to make difficult choices sometimes, and this situation was no exception.
It was hard to believe that the recruit who had the audacity to hit the class monitor would be completely unscathed. He had to face some consequences, even if it was just a minor punishment.
The instructor came and went quickly, spending less than two minutes in Wu Jianfeng’s office. Shortly after he left, someone knocked on the door again.
“Report!” A first-class soldier stood outside the door.
“Come in!” Wu Jianfeng responded.
The fourth squad leader had already been locked up in the detention room to write a self-reflection. Wu Jianfeng felt that he was no longer fit to lead the new recruits in the fourth squad. Although this was not a significant matter in the army, it was still necessary to ensure that discipline was maintained.
In modern times, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and corporal punishment were not commonplace, but they were not entirely banned in grassroots military units. In this morning’s gathering, the fourth squad leader had even kicked one of the recruits, although not with excessive force. Nonetheless, his behavior demonstrated a careless and disrespectful attitude toward his fellow soldiers.
As for the incident with the recruit who had hit him, it was unfortunate that he had encountered someone with a bad temper. If nothing had happened, there would have been no repercussions. But now that the situation had escalated, the squad leader who initiated the violence would undoubtedly be punished. Confinement, disqualification from leading new recruits, and self-reflection were all necessary measures that had to be taken. It was essential to maintain discipline in the army, and every soldier had to be held accountable for their actions.
…
Wang Ye was unaware of the events occurring in the immediate vicinity. He was focused on checking his personal attribute list, and to his surprise, he noticed a difference.
As expected, performing tasks could indeed increase one’s attributes. Although folding blankets hadn’t increased his fundamental attributes, he noticed that his hands were much steadier after leveling up to Level 2. This could be considered an increase in a portion of his hidden attributes.
The Halting Rotation Technique had given Wang Ye a pleasant surprise. He noticed that his reaction speed had increased by 0.1%, which may not seem like much, but the average value of a regular person was only one. With a few more levels, his reaction speed could surpass that of ordinary people.
Additionally, this was just a Halting Rotation Technique. Who knew how much his Military Posture Skill would improve if he continued to practice and level up?
Wang Ye was curious about how the upgrades would affect his performance in a three-kilometer light off-road vehicle. He was excited to find out.
Zhang Ping’an, noticing his excitement, asked, “What’s wrong? Did you figure out the trick?”
Wang Ye smiled and replied, “No, I just wanted to try it out, but it seems like it’s not possible.”
“Okay, let’s go. No one’s nearby,” Zhang Ping’an said.
What trick was he talking about? He was only interested in leveling up. Since he had achieved that goal, he simply wanted to move on.
Zhang Ping’an was disappointed, but Deng Hai laughed and teased him, saying, “Only you would believe that there’s a trick to this. I suspect that Brother Wang is deliberately messing with you!”
Zhang Ping’an looked at Wang Ye, confused, not knowing what to believe. Wang Ye felt frustrated with Deng Hai’s comment and wanted to hit him. He wondered why Deng Hai was making such absurd claims.
Wang Ye decided to move on from the topic quickly and urged his companions to follow him. “Don’t listen to him. Let’s go. We have only twenty minutes,” he said, and they started running.
To his relief, the distance was only twenty minutes away, and he had to run faster. After his reminder, Deng Hai ran the fastest among them. He took the lead and exclaimed, “I’ll go ahead!”
Wang Ye observed his friend’s sudden burst of speed and realized that he was up to something.
As they arrived at the dormitory, Wang Ye noticed that the first and third platoons were not present, and the second platoon was resting. However, the class monitor was missing as well. He must have wanted to rush back and smoke in hiding.
Wang Ye didn’t care about him and was confident that he would be caught one day. As they walked by the river, their shoes became wet.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, Wang Ye took a sip of water and headed to the bathroom. As he entered, he noticed a faint smell of smoke, indicating that Deng Hai was indeed smoking. However, when Wang Ye entered the bathroom, he did not see anyone smoking inside.
Wang Ye pretended not to know about the smoking incident and engaged in casual conversation with some of the recruits inside the bathroom. After he finished using the toilet, he went back to the dormitory and sat there for a few more minutes before the group of recruits headed back to the basketball court together.
To his surprise, Squad Leader Li had already left, and Ye Sanshi had returned. The sixth squad leader, who was also the second platoon leader, was standing there with an unfamiliar veteran.
…
“From the moment you put on your military uniforms and stepped on the train, you ceased to be ordinary people. As soldiers, you must be disciplined, obedient, and patient. The army does not belong to just one person; there are millions of soldiers. Without rules, there can be no unity. Without a sense of hierarchy, there can be no unity.”
The second platoon leader stood in front of the new recruits of the second platoon and third squad, pausing for a moment before continuing. “The original fourth class monitor was undoubtedly wrong, but I also want to emphasize that some of our veteran class monitors can be too harsh and unyielding in their methods of managing the troops.”
The second platoon leader continued, “However, we still hope that you can become qualified soldiers as soon as possible. It is unquestionably wrong to hit someone, but you must be obedient and work hard. I believe that no class monitor would hit someone without reason. If such a situation does arise, you can report it to me at any time.”
The recruits could sense the main point of his message. The fourth class monitor had been replaced, and the unfamiliar veteran standing beside him was probably the new fourth squad leader.
As training resumed, the unfamiliar veteran took charge of the fourth class, and Wang Ye and his group were once again led by Ye Sanshi.