Chapter 27: I Am Not a Coward!

Wang Yanbing was fastening his helmet, ready to set out. When he saw Li Erniu acting timid once again, he couldn’t help but sneer, “Hey, Li Erniu, can you ever be quick for once? Every time you’re just like a woman, can’t get anything done. Sometimes I wonder if you’re really here to be a soldier, or just to hold us back…”

“Wang Yanbing, what are you doing?” He Chenguang, always protective of Li Erniu, cut him off with a stern look and patted Li Erniu on the shoulder in comfort. “Erniu, don’t be afraid. Let’s go first. You just watch from behind. It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I know, Chenguang. I’ll do my best,” Li Erniu replied, lacking confidence.

“Tch, all brawn, no guts,” Wang Yanbing shot Li Erniu a look of disdain, fastened his helmet strap, and strode toward the road.

“Don’t take it to heart, Erniu. Wang Yanbing’s just got a foul mouth. He only means well for you—he’s just a bit harsh in how he says things. I believe you can overcome this,” He Chenguang encouraged him as much as he could before joining Wang Yanbing on the road.

Wang Yanbing lay down on the left side, while He Chenguang took a parallel position on the right. Old Hei signaled to the tanks, and two tanks rumbled down the road once more.

Fear is an instinct that cannot be controlled, but a strong will can suppress it. The more competitive a person is, the stronger their resolve tends to be. Both Wang Yanbing and He Chenguang were not the type to admit defeat. Lying on the ground, watching the tanks draw nearer, made their scalps tingle—they wanted nothing more than to get up and run. But their determination held fast, and they forced down their terror.

Imitating Old Hei’s posture, both men crossed their arms above their heads, faces buried in the crooks of their elbows, legs straight and parallel to the road.

The tank drivers were elite members of the Iron Fist Regiment. He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing’s movements were precise, and the tanks passed safely overhead, causing them no harm at all.

“Well done, amazing!” As the two men stood up, all the recruits cheered and applauded, not only in admiration, but also to encourage themselves.

The first group’s courage challenge was a complete success. Instructor Gong Jian, who had been somewhat worried, relaxed at last and signaled for the second group to step forward.

“You can do it, hang in there.” Xing Xiaolong threw an arm over Li Erniu’s shoulders, gave him a hearty pat for encouragement, and strode onto the road.

With the first group and Old Hei’s demonstration, Xing Xiaolong had no hesitation. He lay down at the chalk mark, buried his head in his arms, and waited for the tanks.

The diesel engines roared, the steel treads grated, and the sound grew louder as the tanks approached.

“Is it coming?” To be honest, Xing Xiaolong was a bit nervous too—the hair on his arms stood on end, a sign of the real danger in this training. But after five years in the military and with the confidence of his own secret advantage, he easily suppressed his fear.

But just as the tanks came within twenty meters, something unexpected happened.

Li Erniu, who had been lying still, suddenly couldn’t hold his nerve as the tanks drew closer. Instead of staying still as required, he started crawling backward, panic-stricken, as if he’d seen a ghost.

Gong Jian, who had just relaxed, suddenly looked grim, his eyes fixed on both the tank and Li Erniu, ready to call off the exercise at any moment.

“Instructor, should we stop?” Old Hei suggested, his face tense.

“No. In my eyes, there’s no such thing as a soldier with no talent, only a lazy one who doesn’t try. Li Erniu’s just a little less gifted. Let’s wait, give him a chance. If he’s still like this within ten meters…”

Gong Jian didn’t finish his sentence. He didn’t want to see it happen, but if it did, it would mean Li Erniu was hopeless—unworthy of all their effort.

Old Hei understood and stepped to the roadside, ready to halt the exercise.

He Chenguang, who cared most for Li Erniu, and even Wang Yanbing, who despite his sharp tongue had a soft heart, both noticed Li Erniu’s distress. Their nerves taut, they shouted in unison, “Li Erniu, hold on! Don’t give up!”

All four of them came from the same place, and through countless quarrels and laughter, had come this far together. After basic training, the recruits would be assigned to different companies based on their performance. If Li Erniu failed this test of courage, he was doomed to be separated from his three friends.

None of them wanted to see that happen.

This anxious feeling was one they all understood.

The recruits’ collective cries, along with He Chenguang’s and Wang Yanbing’s shouts, made Xing Xiaolong, who was bracing himself for the challenge, realize something was wrong. He jerked his head up to see what was happening.

He saw Li Erniu’s face, white as a sheet and full of terror, as he scrambled backward, desperate to escape the approaching steel behemoth.

Xing Xiaolong knew how dangerous this was. He also knew that if Li Erniu failed the courage challenge, it would stunt his future in the military, no matter how well he did in other training—he’d be reassigned to an ordinary unit.

As the only one in a position to help, Xing Xiaolong panicked. He grabbed a fist-sized clod of hard dirt and hurled it at Li Erniu’s head, shouting in frustration, “Erniu, have you forgotten your oath? Are you going to let us down?”

The clod hit Li Erniu’s forehead with a crack, shattering into fragments.

“Oath? Expectations?”

Perhaps the pain jolted him awake, or maybe Xing Xiaolong’s words struck a chord—Li Erniu stopped retreating.

He remembered the past two months—how Xing Xiaolong, He Chenguang, and Wang Yanbing had helped him tirelessly and without complaint, how they’d encouraged him time and again.

He remembered the oath he’d sworn after his grades improved, grateful for his brothers’ support—

“I, Li Erniu, swear from this day on never to hold you back again. No matter how hard or exhausting the training, even if I die on the field, I’ll fight forward with you. If I break this oath, I’m no man.”

“My mother always told me, a man’s word should be as solid as a nail—a promise once made must never be broken.”

Li Erniu thought of his brothers, of his oath, and at last, the courage of a man surged up within him.

“I can do it, I really can! Come on, you iron monster, I’m not afraid of you, not afraid at all!”

His first words were quiet, as if to bolster his own resolve. The second time, he raised his head and shouted, as if telling everyone that he, Li Erniu, was no coward.

“That’s it, you’ve got it, Erniu!”

Seeing him summon his courage, Xing Xiaolong smiled with relief and gave Li Erniu a thumbs-up. Then, with an unspoken understanding, they both buried their heads and lay down, feeling the rumbling earth as they awaited the challenge.

“Whew, that gave me a fright. That fool, Erniu…”

“That scaredy-cat, he’s going to be the death of me. How did I end up like this?” He Chenguang, who’d almost rushed out in panic, patted his chest in relief, while Wang Yanbing, worried but still sharp-tongued, grinned and slapped his hand in a high-five.

Meanwhile, Gong Jian and Old Hei, hearts in their throats a moment before, could finally breathe again.

Gong Jian, for once a little self-satisfied, remarked, “Looks like pairing Xing Xiaolong and Li Erniu together was the wisest choice I could have made.”

“Brilliant, Instructor!” Old Hei flattered him, then, watching Xing Xiaolong gradually disappear beneath the tank, added with genuine admiration, “This Xing Xiaolong—sometimes he’s a bit uncanny, but when it comes to all-around qualities, he’s one of the finest soldiers I’ve ever seen.”

“Without a doubt. This year, the Iron Fist Regiment is in for a stroke of luck,” Gong Jian agreed, his gaze sweeping over the recruits, lingering on the equally outstanding He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing, unable to hold back a smile.