Chapter 28: This Is a Master

Li Ernui had just pulled off a nerve-racking stunt, but fortunately, the outcome was a good one.

The remaining recruits, having witnessed both a successful demonstration and a glaring mistake, gained a clear understanding of what it meant to challenge their courage. The entire exercise concluded without further incident.

Though on the surface these green recruits seemed unchanged by the challenge, in truth, they had undergone a profound transformation—they had taken the most crucial step toward becoming true soldiers.

For a soldier, defending home and country begins with courage.

It must be said, the political instructor, Gong Jian, truly possessed unique and insightful perspectives on modern, scientific methods of leading troops—so much so that his approach was at the forefront in the country.

However, this “advanced” training method also landed Gong Jian in trouble.

The Iron Fist Regiment’s commander had watched Gong Jian grow from a raw recruit to a military academy graduate, then study abroad, and become an instructor. With their similar ages, the commander had long since regarded Gong Jian as a younger brother.

But when Gong Jian drove a tank over the new recruits, nearly scaring the commander into cardiac arrest, he summoned Gong Jian to headquarters at once.

He launched into a fierce and stern reprimand.

If a recruit had died during training, the responsibility wouldn’t have fallen solely on Gong Jian—there was a good chance even the commander would have lost his position.

Fortunately, Gong Jian’s greatest strength as a political officer was his eloquence and quick wit, paired with a deep understanding of military theory. After all, indoctrinating recruits required a certain mastery.

Relying on his rhetorical skills, Gong Jian spent an entire afternoon in a battle of words with his commander in the office. In the end, not only did he avoid punishment, but he managed to persuade the commander—who had been fuming with anger.

The commander came to believe in Gong Jian’s modern scientific leadership methods, a blend of foreign knowledge and personal philosophy.

He no longer firmly opposed the training plan, only reminded Gong Jian to be more mindful of safety.

Finally, he joked that Gong Jian hadn’t visited his sister-in-law in ages, and insisted that Gong Jian stay for dinner, so the two brothers could catch up.

Night fell.

With the instructor called away to headquarters and Old Hei receiving no new orders, the regular training was put on hold. For once, the recruits were free from evening physical drills and could relax around the barracks.

All except one: Li Ernui.

While the others rested, Li Ernui was running laps around the track in his winter training gear, helmet on, sandbag vest strapped to his back, sandbags tied to his arms and legs—seizing every moment to improve his stamina.

Xing Xiaolong, He Chenguang, and Wang Yanbing were also running on the track, though unburdened by extra gear.

Li Ernui’s rapid improvement in physical fitness was due in part to the selfless support of these three, but mostly to his own diligence.

As the saying goes: Hard work makes up for lack of talent.

The three were true brothers-in-arms, unwilling to let Li Ernui train alone, so they always joined him on his runs, improving themselves along the way.

After more than a month of accompanying each other, all had made significant progress.

Xing Xiaolong, whose fitness was good but not quite on par with He Chenguang’s, saw the greatest gains—especially given that he’d relied on stimulants just to keep up before. Compared to when he first enlisted, his stamina had increased by at least twenty percent.

Why the results were so dramatic, even He Chenguang and Wang Yanbing felt envious, and Xing Xiaolong himself couldn’t explain it.

Perhaps it was untapped potential from his previous five years of service being awakened—a second spring, so to speak.

Or perhaps it was just a “side effect” of those stimulants.

“Hey, did you guys hear?” Wang Yanbing, ever talkative, couldn’t resist after just two laps. He lowered his voice conspiratorially as they ran: “I heard our instructor—the one from the regiment’s Sharpshooter Fourth Company—was once a special forces operative. He even studied abroad, and now he’s a doctoral student in the Department of Strategic Operations at the National Defense University. That’s incredible.”

“My goodness, that’s impressive!” Li Ernui exclaimed.

“Special forces, doctoral student, studied at a foreign military academy—now that’s a real soldier. You have to respect that,” He Chenguang said, and Xing Xiaolong asked curiously, “Then why is he just an instructor? Isn’t it said that doctoral graduates start as full company officers? With his credentials, he should at least be an instructor at battalion headquarters.”

“How would I know? I’m not a mind reader—maybe he just made a bad decision…”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” He Chenguang cut Wang Yanbing off, not wanting to speak ill of others behind their backs. He changed the subject, “So what’s the deal with the Sharpshooter Fourth Company? Is everyone in that unit a sharpshooter?”

“That’s right!” Wang Yanbing replied emphatically. “They say even the guys feeding pigs in that company are sharpshooters. It’s the regiment’s elite unit, with a reputation dating back to the Red Army era.”

“My goodness, that’s amazing. If I could serve in the Sharpshooter Fourth Company, I’d be content for life,” Li Ernui said, his face full of envy and longing.

“That company is the real deal. If you make it in, becoming special forces is even easier,” Xing Xiaolong admitted, clearly tempted.

“Dragon, you might stand a chance. But as for you, Ernui—well, let me give you some advice: wash up, lie down, and dream about it instead,” Wang Yanbing finished with his usual sharp tongue.

He continued, “It’s not easy to get into Sharpshooter Fourth Company. Their selection standards are insane. Every year, they only pick the best recruits from the whole regiment. I hear each recruit company rarely gets more than two spots.”

“Only two? That’s strict—then I’m done for!” Li Ernui’s face turned ashen, but then a thought struck him and he said, “Didn’t you say there’s a logistics squad? I can feed pigs and farm. If all else fails, I’ll do that for them.”

“Oh, come on.” Wang Yanbing flicked him on the forehead in exasperation, “Didn’t I just say? Even the pig feeders are sharpshooters. Are you a sharpshooter?”

“Uh…” Li Ernui scratched his head with an embarrassed grin.

“Ernui, I believe in you. Maybe you really are a sharpshooter,” Xing Xiaolong encouraged him.

“Shooting isn’t just about training—it takes talent too. In my experience, Ernui, you’ll be a good marksman. Tomorrow we start live-fire exercises. I’m looking forward to your performance. Most importantly…” He Chenguang grinned, “You have to outshoot Wang Yanbing. That would be something!”

“That’s right, Ernui. This is a rare chance—you have to seize it and beat Wang Yanbing, so he’ll stop teasing you all the time,” Xing Xiaolong said, sharing a look with He Chenguang, and both burst out laughing.

“Hmph, you think you can beat me?” Wang Yanbing wasn’t the least bit offended. He even wagged his finger at Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang, boasting, “When it comes to marksmanship, I’m second to none. Not just Ernui—even you two can’t beat me.”