Only Three Push-Ups

"Two minutes! Get dressed, put your pillows and mattress pads into the storage boxes under the beds, spread your blankets flat on the beds, move!"

"What are you standing around for?!"

"You little runt, want me to drag you down myself? Hurry it up!"

"Whoever's slow, go outside and do a hundred push-ups before coming back!"

The entire Ninth Squad echoed with Hao Chengbin's curses and the clattering of people rummaging through boxes.

No one made a sound. Even the little runt, who had been jolted awake with red-rimmed eyes, did not dare complain, because Hao Chengbin had already opened the door. The sounds of squad leaders chewing out their recruits kept echoing through the corridor.

An occasional scream could be heard as well.

Maybe someone had gotten out of bed too fast and smacked into something.

Tradition. Those who knew, knew.

Anyway, no one dared stick their head out to look.

Hao Chengbin said two minutes, but with ten people scrambling about in such a cramped space, there was no way they could finish everything in two minutes. By the time everyone had arranged things as required, Squad Leader Hao smiled as he glanced at his Rlelx watch, made in the Yangtze River Delta.

Fang Huai had seen it clearly these past few days. It really was Rlelx.

Seeing how much Squad Leader Hao treasured that watch—taking it off even before washing his face—he could not bear to point it out.

Hao Chengbin raised his head and gave the order.

"Five minutes. You're three minutes late. Everyone, get ready for push-ups!"

While everyone was still stunned, Fang Huai had already quickly claimed a favorable spot. He planted his hands on the floor and braced his feet against the side of his bed for leverage.

The floor tiles were too slippery. Having somewhere to brace his feet made things much easier.

One after another, people copied Fang Huai and dropped down, but half of them still could not find anywhere to place their feet.

"Hurry up! Get ready for push-ups, don't you understand? Yue Tao, Lu Zexian, Sun Lianhai, there's no room here. Go outside! Line up on the ground where I can see you!" Hao Chengbin pointed toward the door and casually herded them out with his foot.

Soon, everyone was down.

Hao Chengbin walked among the prone recruits, constantly adjusting their posture with his feet.

"Keep your waists straight! You were three minutes late today, so you'll only do three push-ups. When I call one, go down. When I call two, come back up. Do them properly. Don't touch the ground. Understand?"

Holy shit, only three push-ups, and they were already going this hard on the first day?

"Understood, Squad Leader!" Fang Huai was the first to drop down. He was already feeling the strain, so he hurriedly set the example with a loud response.

"Understood!"

"Understood, Squad Leader!"

Everyone hurried to play nice, all of them naively thinking: It was only three push-ups. Not many. Finish them quickly and they would be free.

Hao Chengbin smiled and scratched his ear, pretending to be deaf. "What did you say? I can't hear you!"

"Understood, Squad Leader!" This time, everyone answered in unison.

Hao Chengbin smiled, checked his watch, and said, "One..."

Everyone lowered themselves, but their bodies did not go down much. Only Fang Huai tucked his arms close and did a narrow-arm push-up, which saved him some strength on the way down.

It was extremely difficult. This body had never been trained, and it was much weaker than he had been at thirty-five.

But at that moment, Fang Huai finally felt that the most relaxed part of his body was his waist. As the strength in his entire body steadily drained away, he could feel the improvement in his core strength especially clearly.

A squad leader outside suddenly roared.

"What are you laughing at? You want to do them too? Everyone, get ready for push-ups!"

The neighboring room started howling too.

Soon, rooms farther away began howling as well.

The dog-headed squad leaders' competitive instincts had suddenly flared up.

Hao Chengbin heard the noise, poked his head out of the room, and watched the excitement for a while.

Time dragged on endlessly. The teammates inside began quietly talking among themselves.

"Someone call the squad leader! I can't hold it anymore!" Jiang Peng secretly pushed himself up to switch hands.

"Holy shit... does this count as one? This is one push-up? We have to do three?"

Fang Huai gritted his teeth and whispered toward Chen Zhongqiang's butt in front of him, "Quit whining! If these three push-ups average out to one every two minutes, you should be thanking your lucky stars!"

About a minute later, just as everyone was starting to give out, Hao Chengbin turned back with a grin.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot about you guys. Two!"

"Huff, huff..." Violent panting filled the room as everyone hurriedly switched hands to brace themselves against the floor, sticking their asses high in the air while shaking out their arms.

Hao Chengbin swept his gaze around. Only Jiang Peng, Zhao Bing, and Fang Huai at the very back were still holding a decent form.

"One!" The next count came immediately.

A chorus of sharp breaths sounded out. Yue Tao and several others had already started losing form.

"Report!" Peng Yingqirui shouted, then collapsed straight onto the floor, wheezing for breath.

Hao Chengbin grabbed his clothes and yanked him directly into the air.

"Get up! Otherwise everyone gets one more!"

He had no choice but to hold himself up. Peng Yingqirui's hands were shaking so badly that he could not lower himself, but he did not collapse again, and Hao Chengbin did not bother with him further.

"Report! Squad Leader, I really can't hold it anymore!"

"You still have the strength to talk. I think you can do one more."

After Hao Chengbin said that, no one dared speak again. The only sounds inside and outside the room were heavy breaths.

"Two!"

Half the people could not push themselves back up.

When Fang Huai finally got up with great difficulty, he felt as though his wrists were about to snap. His entire hands were trembling.

He really wanted to stay down forever.

The whole process had taken less than five minutes, but the underpowered radiator seemed to have turned scorching hot. All ten men's sweat glands had opened up, and the room was already starting to smell of sweat.

Task: Break through your limits. Hold on for three minutes.

Requirement: Maintain the support position for three minutes without collapsing to the ground.

Before he could even confirm acceptance of the task, the 180-second countdown on the system interface had already begun.

"Holy fuck!"

Fang Huai shouted as adrenaline surged through his body. He quickly switched hands to rest them.

He had already felt the effect of his improved core strength. It was not a minor improvement at all. He had kept his waist and hips in a straight line the entire time. His arms were shaking violently, yet his waist could still hold on.

The strength in his hands and waist was clearly disproportionate.

He needed to obtain more rewards as quickly as possible!

But this system really did not give anything away for free! If he broke through his limits a few more times, he could probably improve his strength quite a bit even on his own, right?

Don't call it, don't call it!

Fang Huai kept begging inwardly. In this state, holding himself up was manageable because he could switch hands. If he went down again now, there was no way he could last three minutes.

Squad Leader Hao did not give the Chinese team any chance.

"One! Last one, hold on! Those on the ground, get up immediately! Otherwise, you get one more!"

Hao Chengbin began hauling up everyone on the ground one by one.

"Ah!!" Fang Huai roared and lowered himself.

"What are you roaring for? Fang Huai, look at Jiang Peng and Zhao Bing! Hold on!"

Fang Huai's forehead was soaked in sweat. When he raised his head, the stinging sweat burned his eyelids.

Jiang Peng looked like he was barely holding on too, but Zhao Bing did not even show any sign of blushing or gritting his teeth.

Damn it, my son Zhao Bing was terrifyingly strong.

Fang Huai cursed inwardly, gaining a little psychological comfort. Somehow, he even felt a bit of strength return.

"Squad Leader... I can't hold it anymore!"

"Squad Leader! Really..."

People kept collapsing to the ground, and Hao Chengbin hauled them up one by one.

122 seconds.

107 seconds.

90 seconds.

His hands began trembling nonstop, and he could no longer catch his breath. Fang Huai felt the world before his eyes beginning to blur.

Jiang Peng seemed to have pushed himself up and was sneakily switching hands, but Squad Leader Hao did not call him out.

Squad Leader Hao... seemed to be staring at him.

70 seconds.

Zhao Bing finally seemed to start panting.

My son Zhao Bing has the bearing of an emperor. Your father cannot compare to you!

Fang Huai cursed inwardly again to console himself.

That damn Funnan farming build was just too fierce! I can't even feel my hands anymore!

40 seconds.

Fuck your mother!

30 seconds.

"Two! Get up!" Hao Chengbin finally relented.

Everyone lay sprawled on the floor with their tongues hanging out. The cold ground was the perfect destination in the Ninth Squad recruits' hearts at that moment. They could have even slept right there.

After the butt in front of him moved away, Fang Huai felt a gust of cold air blow in through the doorway.

It seemed like he had breathed in two more mouthfuls of fresh air.

Fang Huai and Zhao Bing were still lying there.

"Fang Huai, get up!" Hao Chengbin saw Fang Huai keeping his eyes tightly shut against the sweat and began to worry.

This kid was stubborn.

"Zhao Bing, you get up too." Hao Chengbin figured Fang Huai was probably competing with Zhao Bing, so he turned to look at Zhao Bing.

Zhao Bing smiled, jerked his chin toward Fang Huai, and said between gasps, "Squad... Squad Leader, I'll keep him company for a little longer."

Hao Chengbin frowned. "Get up!"

Fang Huai's whole back was shaking, and his legs were trembling too.

He wanted to say something, but he needed to gulp down air right now, or his lungs might explode.

The entire room was filled with Fang Huai's violent panting. The sound had become almost horse-like.

Seeing Fang Huai like that, Hao Chengbin rose from where he had been sitting on the bed. Pointing at Fang Huai, he said to Zhao Bing, "Your comrade's already like that, and you're still trying to show off? If you like lying there so much, then lie there until noon!"

Zhao Bing hurriedly got up. Unlike the recruits still sprawled on the ground, he was shaking out his arms and legs, but he clearly still had strength left.

Fang Huai still had not gotten up.

Zhao Bing became worried too and shouted, "Brother, I lost. Get up!"

Fang Huai could not hear him at all. His mind was filled with a countdown crawling as slowly as a turtle, and his ears were filled with the languid droning of a Buddha chanting sutras.

He thought he saw his great-grandmother.

Hao Chengbin hesitated no longer. He strode over several people, stepped forward, and pulled him up.

Fang Huai's entire upper body hung in the air, and he finally let out a breath.

"Fang... Huai..."

"Move... aside!"

"Hello, Chief!"

People around him kept talking.

Task completed.

Host brain hypoxia detected. Increasing oxygen concentration.

Fang Huai had his eyes closed, but the system text appeared clearly in his mind.

His collar seemed to have been tugged open a little. A huge rush of oxygen poured in, and with the system acting on him at the same time, Fang Huai immediately felt much clearer-headed.

"Move farther away! Open the window and let some air in! Stop crowding around here. Give him more space!"

"Squad Leader, should we give him CPR or something? Press on his chest?"

"Bullshit! He didn't drown! He's breathing on his own. You want to choke him to death?"

Although Fang Huai felt terrible, his hearing and mind were clear. Hearing that, he could not help laughing inwardly.

Would you dare torture me again after this?

Before you even get to three push-ups, you'll be kneeling and begging me! Begging me not to die!

Two minutes later, Fang Huai opened his eyes, only to shut them again as his cooling sweat stung them.

"He's awake, he's awake!"

"Yue Tao, take Fang Huai's basin and bring back some hot water!"

By the time Fang Huai felt a warm towel cover his face, his breathing had already evened out.

"Squad Leader, I'm fine." Fang Huai forced his hand up and waved it.

"Hao Chengbin, take him to Baiyun First Military Hospital and have him checked."

"Yes!"

Fang Huai heard a familiar voice. When he opened his eyes again, he found the room quiet. Turning his head, he saw several officers standing outside the door while Hao Chengbin stood nearby, quietly explaining something.

The major in the middle was dark enough to shine with oil.

Holy shit, Old Hei.

Fang Huai jolted upright in shock, springing up from the brink of death.

"Hiss..."

His waist was fine, but his back hurt.

"Hello, Chief of Staff!"

The people by the door were stunned as well. Seeing the pale recruit suddenly sit upright, Chief of Staff Yang Yonghua frowned deeply and stepped forward to inspect him again.

Just now, Wang Jian had come running to report that a recruit needed emergency treatment and hospitalization.

By the time he arrived in a rush, listening to the situation along the way, Hao Chengbin said Fang Huai's breathing had already steadied by the time he got upstairs.

Less than two minutes later, Fang Huai sat up.

A medical miracle? Or a final burst before death?

"Lie down and get some proper rest!" Yang Yonghua stepped forward and patted him.

"I'm fine, Chief of Staff, really! I was just exhausted!" Fang Huai hurriedly explained.

If this caused trouble for the company, it really wouldn't be worth it.

Yang Yonghua frowned and asked suspiciously, "Did your squad leader hit you just now?"

"No."

"Did he force you to do push-ups? Refuse to let you get up?"

"No. I just wanted to see if I could hold on for ten minutes, but... I couldn't."

Yang Yonghua was both annoyed and amused.

Someone who could have given up but instead held on until he passed out was certainly strong-willed.

"Your spirit is commendable, but your method is unacceptable! If you keep pushing your body this hard, you'll be ruined in less than two years!... Hao Chengbin!"

"Here!"

"This recruit is to rest properly this morning. He is not to go to the training ground for now."

"No! Chief of Staff, there's no need. I can get up." Fang Huai hurriedly rose, twisting his waist through the pain. "Chief of Staff, moving around will make me feel better. If I lie here and let my body get cold, it'll only hurt more the longer I lie down!"

Seeing him bouncing around to prove himself, Yang Yonghua could not help laughing. "You really are promising. Keep it up! I'll see your physical test results after training ends. If you can do more than twenty pull-ups, I'll apply to give you an Outstanding Soldier award!"

As he spoke, he patted Fang Huai on the shoulder.

The pat made Fang Huai sway, and he nearly dropped back onto the bed.

"Yes, Chief of Staff!"

Seeing how unsteady he was, Yang Yonghua chuckled, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked out, taking several regimental staff officers with him.

A false alarm.

Wang Jian, who had been so tense that his eyes were wide open, finally relaxed. He walked into the squad room and complained to Fang Huai, who had sat back down.

"Brother, it's your first day. Why push yourself so hard? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Company Commander, I caused you trouble. Next time, I definitely... I'll try not to."

As Fang Huai spoke, he thought of that bizarre system, and his tone became less certain.

"Try?" Wang Jian's eyes widened again.

"Of... Company Commander, it's normal to get dizzy from overexertion, right?" Fang Huai asked awkwardly.

Hao Chengbin stepped forward, patted Wang Jian, and shook his head. "Company Commander Wang, I'll keep an eye on him. What happened today won't happen again."

Wang Jian exchanged a look with Hao Chengbin, then pointed at the stars on his own shoulder.

"Brother, this year, I... take it easy on me."

"Don't worry, Company Commander!" Fang Huai quickly stood up and promised.

"I'll definitely watch my own safety!"

Wang Jian rolled his eyes, clasped his hands behind his back, and left the room.