Chapter 22: Sprint Training Under Maximum Load

Page (1/3)

Driven by the lure of mission rewards, Xing Xiaolong stood out in the recruit camp training, his performance always far ahead of the others, whether it was the initial housekeeping drills or the second phase of formation training. The rest could only look up to him. After all, these two subjects relied on proficiency through repeated practice, not something easily mastered in a short time. Having spent five years being retrained, Xing Xiaolong was already a seasoned soldier, and standing among a group of fresh-faced recruits, he was unmatched.

Taking the lead was simply routine for him.

Even Wang Yanbing and He Chenguang, both of whom had entered through back channels and had been competing with Xing Xiaolong since the first day, had to concede to his superiority in these areas.

But that was only in these two fields.

It's important to note that neither Wang Yanbing, the streetwise troublemaker, nor He Chenguang, born into a military family, were the type to accept defeat easily; both were fiercely competitive by nature.

Having been overshadowed by Xing Xiaolong, the two harbored a growing resentment, which only intensified with time.

Unable to best Xing Xiaolong in these aspects, Wang Yanbing and He Chenguang refused to admit defeat. Both waited for an opportunity to turn the tables.

And that opportunity soon arrived.

After the first month of recruit training, the newcomers had become accustomed to military life. The third phase began, focusing on military skills.

Equipment training, physical conditioning, tactical maneuvers, the 400-meter obstacle course, long and short distance runs—these were all compulsory subjects.

Unlike the earlier phases, which tested character and required little physical prowess, this third stage truly embodied the grueling discipline of the army and demonstrated what hard training really meant.

The recruits, accustomed to an easier life outside the military, suffered under Old Black’s relentless regimen, tormented by each increasingly difficult exercise to the point of despair.

Among them, Li Erniu—whom no one could fathom why Fan Tianlei had brought him in—earned the dubious honor of “first in the company.”

From the bottom!

Li Erniu had never received any professional training; his only experience was cleaning windows on a construction site, his overweight body becoming his greatest hindrance. One run left him gasping, drenched in sweat, crying out for relief.

Coupled with his straightforward, simple-minded nature, he was the epitome of someone who neither ran well nor possessed much wit—a complete misfit.

Meanwhile, Wang Yanbing, with his impressive stamina and clever mind, and He Chenguang, raised with military discipline since childhood, rose swiftly in this stage, closing in on Xing Xiaolong and forming the company’s elite first tier.

Page (2/3)

For the sake of the store rewards, Xing Xiaolong had to take first place.

He Chenguang’s grandfather was a former commander-in-chief of the military district, and his father a top special forces officer. Coming from a military family, he couldn’t let his grandfather and father down.

He had to become the best soldier to live up to their expectations.

Both Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang were ruthless in their pursuit, and Wang Yanbing, who had always competed fiercely with them, certainly couldn’t afford to lose to his two arch rivals and risk losing face.

But Wang Yanbing, lacking any special advantages and not born into a military family, found it hard to keep up with the other two.

So what could he do?

There was only one option: go all out, showing the same ferocity he’d once wielded as a streetwise hustler.

Being tough on himself was one of his hallmarks, along with his cunning and thick-skinned, shameless demeanor.

Though he couldn’t match Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang in regular training, Wang Yanbing somehow managed not to fall behind.

The reason was simple…

Wang Yanbing knew that Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang had a good relationship with Li Erniu, the perennial last place finisher, so he deliberately ran beside them during training, repeatedly lamenting how miserable Li Erniu was and that he seemed about to give up.

At these moments, unable to bear seeing Li Erniu in such pain, Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang would step forward to help.

With only a casual acquaintance with Li Erniu, Wang Yanbing would take advantage of these moments, using his shamelessness to surpass the others in training scores.

Even when Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang realized what was happening, they could only help Li Erniu for a bit before accelerating to chase down the “shameless” Wang Yanbing.

Though Wang Yanbing’s tactics were somewhat unsporting, it was a mutually accepted arrangement, and no one could really criticize him.

At most, they would grumble about Wang Yanbing’s cunning.

However, through this ongoing rivalry, Xing Xiaolong, He Chenguang, and Wang Yanbing, who fiercely competed on the training grounds like enemies, gradually developed a subtle bond outside of training.

Though not as close as true brothers who shared everything, a special camaraderie was quietly brewing between them.

Only, none of them had realized it yet.

As the drill instructor, Old Black was delighted to see the trio’s relentless efforts, their training scores far surpassing the other recruits, making them exemplary models for the company.

Despite his perpetually stern demeanor, deep down, he was jubilant and satisfied.

Page (3/3)

After all, training outstanding soldiers is every squad leader's honor; no one wants their men to be dead weight.

Old Black saw only the positives, but Gong Jian, the recruit company’s instructor, noticed the negatives.

Having studied at overseas military academies and adopted the latest military concepts, Gong Jian, while pleased with the trio’s excellent training scores, harbored some unease and concern about their antagonistic rivalry.

Soldiers must be comrades-in-arms, brothers whose lives depend on each other in battle, not adversaries who ignore each other and secretly plot to outdo one another.

Gong Jian knew this couldn’t continue, so he devised a clever solution.

…

Day 45 of recruit training!

All the recruits, fully armed with camouflage backpacks, gathered at the foot of a gravel-strewn mountain, forming circles by squads and filling each other’s packs with stones.

Today’s new exercise was called “Extreme Weighted Sprint.”

Every backpack had to be packed full of stones from the ground, then, starting at the base, they had to sprint up the nearly forty-degree steep slope to the summit.

This was a test of individual strength, endurance, and willpower.

Naturally, this new physical training became another battlefield for the three exemplary soldiers, each quietly preparing to compete once again.

Of course, there was no shortage of daily banter.

—

…

Thanks to “Bloodshadow Life” and “All Things Have Form” for the 1,000 reward, “Immortal Fish” for 500, and “Qin Xiaoshou 333” for 100.

Thank you all!

Sending love!!!!