Unfair

The remaining ten soldiers returned one after another, but the second-place finisher had already taken over 105 minutes—nearly twenty minutes slower than Jiang Yan Hai. Even so, if Jiang Yan Hai's result had not come first, it would still have counted as an exceptionally outstanding performance.

By then, Jiang Yan Hai's breathing had already steadied, and most of his strength had recovered.

Unlike Jiang Yan Hai, the second soldier to cross the finish line collapsed limply to the ground. The soldiers waiting nearby had to go over, forcibly help him up, and get him walking slowly while assisting with massages to ease his muscles.

The gap between them was obvious. No one needed to say it; everyone understood just how vast that gap was.

There was even less need to mention the times of those who came after. The last-place finisher took 125 minutes, nearly forty minutes slower than Jiang Yan Hai.

Clearly, the Iron Fist Regiment did not conduct this kind of extreme Physical Training very often.

After the last person returned, everyone rested for another half hour before Gong Jian announced the next assessment: shooting.

The shooting assessment was divided into two parts. The first was fixed-target shooting at different distances, and the second was 100-meter moving rapid fire.

"Report!" After Gong Jian finished his announcement, Jiang Yan Hai immediately called out loudly.

"Speak." Gong Jian immediately looked at Jiang Yan Hai.

"This is unfair to them. Let's test tomorrow. Their physical strength has been severely depleted, and their muscles haven't recovered to normal condition yet. It will affect their shooting results," Jiang Yan Hai said calmly.

As soon as Jiang Yan Hai spoke, silence fell over the area. If this had been before the earlier assessments, these soldiers would probably have immediately argued back, perhaps even mocked him.

But now, his overwhelming ability stood right before them. No matter how unwilling they were or how much they did not want to believe it, this was the truth—an indisputable truth.

The observing soldiers understood the difference between the two sides even more clearly. So far, aside from shooting scores, the gap between them and Jiang Yan Hai in every previous assessment had been enormous. It felt as though they were not even on the same level.

Forget the Sharpshooter Fourth Company—even in the entire Iron Fist Regiment, Jiang Yan Hai would probably rank among the very best. No matter what anyone said, those results had already earned the recognition of most of the soldiers. The few who still refused to acknowledge him likely had an issue with Jiang Yan Hai himself, not with his performance.

"Hey, Old Gong, how about this? I don't think there's any need to compare results anymore. Our Sixth Company wants Jiang Yan Hai." The Sixth Company Commander suddenly walked over with a smile.

"Oh? Old Six, when did I become Old Gong to you?" Gong Jian looked at the Sixth Company Commander who had come over and smiled as well.

"Come on, Old Gong, what are you saying? We're brothers. What's left to compete over? Shooting is something you feed with bullets. How good can a new recruit's marksmanship possibly be? Besides, let me ask you all—if Jiang Yan Hai's shooting score is worse than yours, would any of you dare say he isn't capable?"

The latter half of the Sixth Company Commander's words was directed at the other soldiers standing in a line with Jiang Yan Hai.

The soldiers fell silent. No one spoke. It was not as though they did not understand what the Sixth Company Commander meant. None of them were recruits anymore. They had done target practice and shooting drills more times than they could count. Was it fair to compare shooting with Jiang Yan Hai?

Not to mention, after seeing how badly their physical strength had been depleted, Jiang Yan Hai had just voluntarily requested that the shooting competition be held tomorrow.

They were all soldiers, and they all had their pride. They had joined this assessment because they were dissatisfied that Jiang Yan Hai had entered Fourth Company through connections. But now... his actual ability was superior to theirs, so what was there left to compete over?

The Sixth Company Commander was right. Shooting certainly involved talent, but what sharpshooter had not been fed bullets? How many shots could Jiang Yan Hai possibly have fired in total?

"Report!" Jiang Yan Hai called out loudly again.

"Speak." The Sixth Company Commander answered directly.

"Report, sir. As a soldier, once you are on the battlefield, no one will care how many times you have practiced shooting. Your enemy will not spare you just because you have fired fewer rounds. Likewise, as a soldier, once you participate in an assessment, you must complete it," Jiang Yan Hai said loudly.

"Pfft... heh heh..." The Sixth Company Commander could not help snickering. He teased, "You're an interesting kid. So you get to say all the good and bad things, huh? Since you said that as a soldier, no one on the battlefield cares how much shooting practice you've had, then will the enemy care whether you still have the strength to fight? Are you mocking us?"

Jiang Yan Hai: "..."

Fine. The Sixth Company Commander was clearly throwing Jiang Yan Hai's earlier words—that it was unfair to the others and that the shooting should be held tomorrow—right back at him.

"Report. I request to go first," Jiang Yan Hai said directly.

"Fine." This time, the Sixth Company Commander agreed readily. After all, this assessment was only being overseen by several company commanders.

"May I do the 100-meter moving rapid fire first?" Jiang Yan Hai asked directly.

"Oh, kid, not bad. You've got some nerve. What, you've probably only done similar training once, right? And you dare jump straight into it?"

The Sixth Company Commander could not help laughing. In theory, privates like Jiang Yan Hai, who had only completed recruit training a little over a month ago, should not even have been exposed to 100-meter moving rapid fire.

At least, they would not receive intensified training in this area yet. However, each of them had tried it once, mainly so they could experience the gap between themselves and veteran soldiers. Usually, squad leaders demonstrated this during training for the recruits, using it to put the newcomers in their place.

Jiang Yan Hai choosing this right away clearly meant he was looking to stir things up.

"Report, sir. Since you said I'm mocking you, then I might as well mock you all the way," Jiang Yan Hai said loudly.

"Fine. Everyone, move out. To the firing range," the Sixth Company Commander announced directly.

The group quickly moved to the firing range. The 100-meter moving rapid fire was a relatively difficult military training drill, with prescribed military movements required throughout.

Of course, it could still be completed without following those movements, but in theory, every prescribed movement had been developed through the exploration of countless soldiers.

While it could not perfectly represent a battlefield environment, it did represent the most common battlefield conditions.

"When you're ready, call start yourself." Gong Jian stood at the entrance to the 100-meter moving rapid-fire range and spoke directly. He would personally keep time.

Jiang Yan Hai stood at the entrance and took a deep breath. He first adjusted the rifle in his hands, then decisively used his second Special Forces Experience Card.