"Commander... I'm really not as good as you."
Qin Fengyun swallowed with some difficulty, then spoke softly.
For him, with his proud nature, saying such words made him wish he could find a hole to crawl into.
Zhao Yi smiled and looked at Qin Fengyun:
"How about it? Qin Fengyun, is that reason enough?"
"Come to the Special Forces; I can train you to be even stronger."
"That's enough, Commander! I want to apply to join your Special Forces!"
"Good." Zhao Yi nodded slightly, then his gaze swept over Qin Fengyun, and then Li Daniu and Fan Lei.
"However, I must also tell you in advance that you have only gained the status of Special Forces reservists."
"When the Special Forces officially begin training, even if you are the best soldiers from your respective units, even if I personally sought each of you out, if you fail to meet the training requirements, I will still eliminate you!"
"The Special Forces prioritize quality over quantity. Soldiers who can become Special Forces warriors are elites, one in a hundred thousand, one in a million!"
Zhao Yi's few simple words, though meant as a precaution, ignited a fierce fighting spirit in the eyes of Qin Fengyun and the other two.
They were the best soldiers, naturally possessing a strong drive and sense of honor, otherwise they wouldn't have trained themselves with all their might, or bravely taken the lead in various competitions and missions.
The Special Forces described by Zhao Yi were exactly the kind of unit these elite soldiers yearned for; no one wanted to be eliminated!
Twenty-five minutes later.
Zhao Yi's military vehicle left the 369th Regiment. Zhao Yi and Ma Ping'an had arrived as two, but they left as six: Zhao Yi, Ma Ping'an, Li Daniu, Gao Huowang, Qin Fengyun, and Fan Lei.
Li Daniu was driving the car because Ma Ping'an was still unconscious, and Zhao Yi had been drinking. Even if Zhao Yi didn't get drunk from alcohol, he stuck to his principle:
Don't drink and drive, don't drive and drink!
...
A few hours later.
369th Regiment Mess Hall, Cookhouse Squad Dormitory.
Zheng Renyi, clutching his head, slowly woke up from his bed:
"Hiss—where am I?"
Zheng Renyi reached out, threw off the blanket, sat up from the bed, and then rubbed his temples with his hand, his eyes filled with confusion and thought.
However, he quickly recalled what happened before he got drunk:
"No! Shouldn't I be drinking with Zhao Yi? I should have gotten him drunk and sent him back, to prevent him from setting his sights on my regiment's best soldiers. How did I get drunk myself?!"
Zheng Renyi sobered up instantly and quickly jumped out of bed, wanting to know if the matter had been handled properly.
"Regimental Commander, I heard movement in the dormitory and knew you were awake. I'll get you some hot water to drink."
Just then, the round-faced quartermaster heard the commotion and walked over.
"Xiao Wang, don't leave yet, come here!"
Seeing this, Zheng Renyi immediately reached out and motioned for the quartermaster to come closer.
"I ask you, that Zhao Yi, who is in charge of the Special Forces and came to our regiment to poach people, has he left yet?"
Zheng Renyi asked, this being his most pressing concern at the moment.
"He left, not long after lunch," the quartermaster replied.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Renyi felt much more at ease:
"Good, Zhao Yi got drunk just like me. It's good he left, it's good!"
Hearing this, the quartermaster knew Zheng Renyi had misunderstood and quickly spoke:
"That... Regimental Commander, Instructor Zhao wasn't drunk. He was the one who instructed me to send you and a few staff officers back to the dormitory to rest."
"What? Zhao Yi wasn't drunk?!"
Zheng Renyi's voice instantly rose several octaves, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
He had watched himself down a glass of baijiu, and Zhao Yi down a glass of baijiu, and then both of them had chugged a lot of beer.
He, who was publicly recognized for his excellent alcohol tolerance, was drunk to this extent, yet Zhao Yi wasn't drunk?
How was this possible?
"Regimental Commander, Instructor Zhao, he... he might have been drunk, but it wasn't obvious. At least when I saw him, he could still stand and talk to me, and his speech and logic were clear."
Seeing Zheng Renyi so shocked, the quartermaster added weakly.
He was also very shocked; Zheng Renyi and the others were all passed out, but Zhao Yi was lively as if nothing had happened.
Zheng Renyi vigorously shook his head and cursed:
"Damn it! Did that kid Zhao Yi put something in the liquor? How could I lose to a mere youngster?"
"Regimental Commander, the liquor was prepared by our regiment headquarters..."
"Alright, alright, stop talking!"
Zheng Renyi waved his hand. The quartermaster had no tact at all; wasn't he just saying that his alcohol tolerance was not as good as Zhao Yi's?
Didn't Zheng Renyi care about his reputation?
"Wait, the soldiers!"
Suddenly, Zheng Renyi immediately remembered the crucial point; drinking wasn't the goal, the best soldiers in their regiment were the key!
"Did Zhao Yi take the soldiers with him?!"
Zheng Renyi quickly asked the quartermaster.
"You mean Xiao Gao? Our Cookhouse Squad's Gao Huowang, according to your instructions and transfer order, was taken to the Special Forces by Instructor Zhao."
The quartermaster spoke truthfully. When Zhao Yi took the men, he not only had Zheng Renyi's written order, but Gao Huowang also personally confirmed that it was Regimental Commander Zheng Renyi's order.
So the quartermaster let them go directly.
"He only took the cookhouse soldier? That's good..." Zheng Renyi's emotions calmed down.
"Regimental Commander, you must have blacked out. It wasn't just Xiao Gao; Instructor Zhao also took Li Daniu, Qin Fengyun, and Fan Lei from our regiment, with documents signed by you."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Renyi's pupils widened sharply. He stumbled back two steps and collapsed onto the bed.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"I, as the Regimental Commander, haven't even agreed to release them yet! How could Zhao Yi just take them away? Who agreed?!"
"Regimental Commander, you agreed," the quartermaster said softly. "When Instructor Zhao took the men, the documents he presented all had your signature."
"Copies of those documents should still be in your office."
Upon hearing this, several images flashed through Zheng Renyi's mind.
It was himself at the drinking table, Zhao Yi taking out several documents and asking him to sign. At that time, because it was a document to transfer Gao Huowang, he signed it directly.
Now that he thought about it, Zhao Yi probably slipped in the documents to transfer the best soldiers as well!
Thinking of this, Zheng Renyi felt as if he had lost all his strength and means, slumping onto the bed.
It's over!
It's all over!
Regret, Zheng Renyi was now full of regret.
He wished he could give his past self from before noon a few big slaps!
What kind of terrible idea did you come up with!
Not only did you fail to get Zhao Yi drunk, but you got yourself drunk instead.
Now look, not only did he lose three of his best soldiers, but he also lost a cookhouse soldier who made delicious food.
Zheng Renyi suffered a huge loss!
Seeing Zheng Renyi's appearance, the quartermaster felt he had to say something:
"Regimental Commander, actually, I also think Instructor Zhao's actions are wrong. There are so many units in the entire army, so many good soldiers, so many best soldiers. He can't just keep poaching people from our 369th Regiment!"
"Why don't you go to the Special Forces tomorrow and talk to Instructor Zhao, and ask for two of them back?"
Zheng Renyi sighed deeply and shook his head:
"They won't come back—"
"If we hadn't let go when they were here, it would have been fine. But now that they're gone, and the Special Forces is a key project watched by the higher-ups, there's no hope."
"Sigh—I just hope that Instructor Zhao can achieve something, and not let down the three best soldiers we painstakingly trained, giving them a good future."