Chapter 34: Nothing Beats the Subtle Art of Showing Off

After Instructor Gong Jian’s opening remarks, he immediately revealed his true identity, explained the backgrounds of the veteran soldiers, what kind of unit Sharpshooter Battalion Four was, and introduced the names and general functions of the various firearms laid out on the ground.

The final assessment was imminent, and every new recruit listened with extraordinary attentiveness.

Especially when they learned that only a select few of the most outstanding soldiers would qualify to join Sharpshooter Battalion Four and use the impressive array of equipment before them.

Furthermore, all the veteran soldiers stood tall and declared, with resolute conviction, the battalion’s motto—

In a narrow path, the brave shall win!

The battalion's combat creed—

Strike to kill, invincible with me!

The battalion’s pride—

Undefeated in battle, unstoppable in assault!

These fervent slogans, brimming with contagious energy, thoroughly stirred the enthusiasm of the new recruits.

Xing Xiaolong, Wang Yanbing, and Li Erniu bit their lips, clenched their fists, and set their sights on only one goal—

To join the most formidable Sharpshooter Battalion Four!

Though all three knew there were only two spots available, reserved for those with the highest scores, none would yield because of their camaraderie.

To do so would be a disgrace. All were determined to compete with everything they had.

Only He Chenguang’s expression flickered as he looked at the driven Wang Yanbing, recalling the words Wang had muttered in his sleep the previous night: “Grandma, don’t worry. I’ll definitely join the best unit and come see you in uniform.”

He Chenguang’s eyes finally grew resolute, as if making a decision, and he silently thought, “Yanbing, go for it. You’ll make your grandmother proud.”

…

Motivating the recruits was Gong Jian’s purpose in speaking at such length, and now that he had achieved it, he moved directly to the main event—

The recruit assessment!

With Gong Jian personally overseeing, Old Hei assisting with command, and several veteran squad leaders responsible for recording results, the assessment proceeded in a tense and orderly fashion.

The first event was push-ups, with the standard: the upper arms must be level with the back when lowering, and only consecutive repetitions within one minute counted. Any pause longer than one second would immediately end the assessment.

A score of five was passing, ten was excellent.

He Chenguang, first among the Four Musketeers, grunted his way to eighty-one push-ups in one minute, crushing the average of eight among most recruits and sparking a wave of excitement.

Gong Jian, who had been watching He Chenguang closely, smiled with satisfaction from the sidelines.

Li Erniu was second. Once known as the weakest in physical fitness, his final score was nineteen push-ups—placing him in the leading group of recruits.

Though nowhere near He Chenguang’s achievement, Li Erniu was quite satisfied.

Simple-minded as he might be, Li Erniu was self-aware. With only two spots for Sharpshooter Battalion Four, Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang were the most likely candidates. If Wang Yanbing performed exceptionally, he might have a chance, but Li Erniu knew he lagged far behind.

His achievements were thanks to their support and his sole advantage—resilience.

To force himself to compete would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Wang Yanbing, brimming with ambition, was third. His overall strength was slightly less than Xing Xiaolong and He Chenguang, but the gap was small.

He Chenguang had already done eighty-one, and everyone had witnessed Xing Xiaolong’s freakish push-up prowess when he first enlisted. Wang Yanbing knew he could not match him.

To increase his chances of joining the elite unit, Wang Yanbing had to surpass He Chenguang.

Driven by determination, Wang Yanbing pushed himself for a minute, his face pale as paper, and astonishingly matched He Chenguang’s score of eighty-one.

A tie!

Finally, Xing Xiaolong’s turn caused the greatest uproar and the highest climax of the assessment.

Back on the first day of enlistment, Xing Xiaolong had demonstrated what it meant to be a human pile driver. Even after nearly three months, no one had forgotten; all were eager to witness another miracle.

But to everyone’s surprise, Xing Xiaolong did only ten push-ups—stopping precisely at the excellent mark, rising, dusting off his hands, and calmly leaving the field without a word.

He finished in 4.6 seconds!

No one expected this result, and it instantly ignited the assessment venue.

At that rate, Xing Xiaolong could easily take first place. Why only ten? Nobody understood.

Most concluded that Xing Xiaolong was overconfident, certain he would join Sharpshooter Battalion Four, and deliberately showing off by doing only ten push-ups.

Gong Jian and Old Hei shared this opinion.

After the freakish push-up incident on the first day and the explosive charge up the mountain afterward, the two had labeled Xing Xiaolong as someone who liked to show off in subtle ways.

This seemingly abnormal act fit perfectly with that reputation.

Among the minority who didn’t think he was showing off, He Chenguang and Li Erniu were baffled, unable to figure out what Xing Xiaolong was up to.

Wang Yanbing thought Xing Xiaolong was deliberately letting him win. Furious, he sought Xing Xiaolong out and said seriously, “I may come from the streets, but I have dignity. If you let me win on purpose, it’s an insult—we’re not brothers anymore.”

Xing Xiaolong was nearly in tears.

But there was no way to explain, so he could only reply helplessly that he would give his all next time.

In fact, Xing Xiaolong had no choice. Last time, he had relied on a burst of strength thanks to some “enhancement,” managing over eighty push-ups in thirty seconds.

Now, with only one dose left, he was reluctant to use it.

Without it, even if he pushed himself to the limit, he might surpass He Chenguang, but could never break his previous record.

That raised a problem—

Last time, exhausted, he did eighty-five push-ups in thirty seconds. Why, now at full strength for a minute, could he only manage ninety or a hundred?

This inconsistency would be obvious not only to the recruits, but also to Gong Jian and Old Hei, creating indirect risks.

With no way out, Xing Xiaolong improvised—doing only ten push-ups, then stopping and calmly leaving, making it look like a deliberate show of confidence.

Subjectively, objectively, and theoretically…

Xing Xiaolong’s performance could easily score 9.9 out of 10 for showing off, with the missing 0.1 reserved in case he becomes too proud and stops showing off next time.

After all, to show off—

One must persist to truly enjoy it!