A Stumble That Caused a Bloody Case

The next day.

It was bitingly cold outside.

But Squad Leader Hao had given the order that the lights in the barracks wouldn't be turned on until 5:30 AM. Since it was still dark, the new recruits could only go to the corridor to fold their blankets before then.

As the nearby roosters crowed, the barracks lights flickered on. The new recruits quickly grabbed their blankets and hurried back inside to tidy them up.

"Holy shit!"

A loud shout echoed from the corridor.

Less than half a minute later, the door to Squad 9's barracks burst open.

Wang Jian stood at the doorway, holding a military overcoat, with Yue Tao beside him, looking utterly pathetic.

"Old Hao, it's one thing for your new recruits to sleep in the corridor, but wrapping themselves up like a ball and sleeping at the turn of the stairs? What if someone trips and falls, who's responsible?"

Wang Jian had stumbled and was full of anger. However, as an officer, he couldn't resort to scolding or physical punishment, so he could only hand the matter over to Hao Chengbin.

Hao Chengbin, who was leaning on his bed supervising the new recruits folding their blankets, was startled by this.

He knew two of his men were out folding blankets and hadn't returned yet, but he hadn't expected Yue Tao to go out and sleep.

Hao Chengbin didn't respond to Wang Jian. With a cold snort, he got up, grabbed Yue Tao by the collar, and with a mighty heave, tossed him into the barracks.

He literally threw him in.

The force of Hao Chengbin's throw was considerable. Yue Tao stumbled several times, crashing into two bed frames and then knocking into Zhao Bing, who was sitting on a stool. Zhao Bing raised his hand to block, and Yue Tao tripped and fell to the ground.

Seeing Hao Chengbin's anger, Wang Jian said no more. He turned and left, closing the door behind him.

This was the first time the new recruits in the barracks had witnessed such a scene. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly. One by one, they stood up from their stools and moved aside.

Fang Huai quickly dodged as well, not daring to court disaster.

No matter how much the squad leader favored him, speaking up now would be suicidal.

"Squad leader, I know I was wrong!" Yue Tao, being quick-witted, immediately bowed on the ground and covered his head.

"Heh, you're not wrong, I'm wrong. I've been too lenient with you all. Sleeping outside wrapped in a military overcoat, I suppose you all think you're going to fly!"

After speaking, Hao Chengbin scanned the room and noticed that Peng Yingqirui also hadn't returned. Without further ado, he turned and walked out the door.

Fang Huai shook his head inwardly.

Peng Yingqirui, you're in danger.

Less than two minutes later, Peng Yingqirui entered the barracks, one hand covering his bright red face and the other holding a messily folded blanket.

His expression was even more wronged than Yue Tao's had been moments before.

Hao Chengbin appeared behind him and delivered a kick.

Peng Yingqirui yelped "Aow!" and was propelled forward, ultimately landing on top of Yue Tao.

Hao Chengbin, holding Yue Tao's blanket, pointed at Peng Yingqirui on the ground.

"You sleep even better than Yue Tao, huh? At least Yue Tao's blanket was folded; yours was just wrapped around you!"

Hao Chengbin casually tossed Yue Tao's blanket onto an upper bunk and sat down on his own bed, pointing in front of him.

"Everyone stand here! Line up!"

The new recruits' worldview had already collapsed and been rebuilt in the last few moments. They once again realized the vast difference in status between their squad leader and themselves.

He actually hit them!

Two people were still lying on the ground, and the atmosphere in the room was thick with the scent of impending punishment.

Lu Zexian chuckled slightly as he looked at Yue Tao.

This guy was always breaking rules, and he'd finally gotten himself into trouble.

Jiang Peng glanced at his own blanket, thinking that since he'd folded his so neatly, he probably wouldn't be dragged into this mess.

The two on the ground got up, looking extremely anxious.

It took them over a minute of dawdling before all ten new recruits lined up in order of height.

Hao Chengbin stood up and started with the shortest, Sun Lianhai.

Backhand.

A universal, resounding slap for each of them.

The two most fragile in the squad, Peng Yingqirui, had already been hit outside, so their faces were now evenly bruised. Sun Lianhai had tears welling up in his eyes.

The others covered their faces with one hand, their movements perfectly synchronized.

The silence was deafening, accompanied by a slight dizziness.

Fang Huai felt that the slap wasn't that hard, and Hao Chengbin had likely held back on him. He quickly lowered his hand and stood straight.

This really wasn't anything.

In his previous life, the squadron he was assigned to was known for turning murderers into well-behaved children. Every weekend, all the new recruits would gather at the armory. Once the doors were closed, it would be pitch black, with only a few glowing cigarette butts and indistinct faces visible.

The squad leader would ask each person, one by one, if they were wrong.

It's not that you're wrong, you figure it out yourself. The squad leader has a whole list of your mistakes from this week.

Hiding to smoke in the training tower, sleeping in hidden spots in the morning, being late for assembly, not washing vegetables clean, fighting with fellow recruits...

He doesn't punish you daily, but settles the score on the weekend.

If you don't confess, just wait. By the time you get out, you won't even know whose size 42 shoe print is on you.

Of course, even if you confess, there's no leniency.

Later, the squad leader will find you for a chat with a smile.

The main goal is to persuade people with virtue.

If someone's mistake is very serious, it might also be: The main goal is to persuade people with virtue.

The bird that sticks its head out, the wolf that fights well? They're all chickens being made an example of.

"What are you crying about? You guys are the worst soldiers I've ever led!"

Hao Chengbin walked with his hands behind his back, scanning everyone's faces, looking for defiance.

The defiant bird quickly appeared.

"Squad leader, I got up at four-thirty this morning to fold my blanket..."

Slap.

Within three meters, accurate and fast, Hao Chengbin took a step forward, a precision strike.

Jiang Peng, two hard slaps.

"Did I ask you to speak?! Did you forget what I said yesterday? If one person makes a mistake, the whole squad is punished!"

Hao Chengbin turned and sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his legs.

"We practiced with our hands yesterday, today we switch to legs. Each of you, one hundred squats, and shout while you do them: 'Squad leader, I was wrong!' Whoever is the slowest gets an extra fifty!"

"Report, Squad Leader! I'm not wrong! I don't want to be punished for him!" The second tough guy, Lu Zexian, appeared.

Lu Zexian, who had been quite happy moments ago, was now unhappy at being punished with squats after taking that hit.

"Heh," Hao Chengbin chuckled and said.

"Fang Huai, get your backpack rope."

"Yes!" Fang Huai stepped out of line, walked to his bunk's backpack, found the rope, and handed it to Hao Chengbin.

Hao Chengbin pointed at Yue Tao: "Stand next to Lu Zexian!"

Yue Tao immediately obeyed.

Hao Chengbin took the backpack rope, wound it around several times, and tied Lu Zexian's right hand to Yue Tao's left hand, leaving about 20 centimeters of slack between them.

"Starting today, you two eat, drink, relieve yourselves, and train, all together! Everyone else supervise! If they dare to untie themselves, you all get punished together! Alright, you two don't need to do the squats! Everyone else, do them! Is there anyone else unwilling to be punished?"

Eight silent donkeys.

Yue Tao, usually as docile as mud, showed a bit of stubbornness now.

"Report, Squad Leader! I made a mistake, I deserve punishment! If he doesn't do it, I will!"

"Alright, then ask him if he'll do it? Or maybe you can drag him to do it?" Hao Chengbin said with a smile.

Yue Tao turned his head, a look of challenge on his face: "Are you going to do it or not?"

Lu Zexian ignored him.

Yue Tao, being quite tough, just squatted down, doing squats one after another, constantly pulling Lu Zexian with his hand.

"Squad leader, I was wrong!"

This time, Fang Huai didn't lead everyone in the exercise, but waited. What Hao Chengbin wanted now wasn't for everyone to follow suit and learn the rules, but for them to understand what they would face after joining the army.

Soon, others also started moving one by one, and Fang Huai joined in.

"Squad leader, I was wrong!"

Lu Zexian gritted his teeth, unwilling to squat. He felt he wasn't a troublemaker, just that the world owed him justice.

Seeing this, Hao Chengbin turned and started tidying his own bunk.

Sun Lianhai beside him had a look of wronged, dried-up expression, but he kindly pulled Lu Zexian and whispered.

"Just do it! We're all doing it!"

Lu Zexian muttered softly, "Why? Why should I pay for his mistakes? If I encounter a comrade who always drags me down like this after we're assigned to a unit, I won't be polite either!"

Hao Chengbin turned, his eyes narrowing.

"Lu Zexian, are you so confident that you never drag others down? How many pull-ups did you do on the parallel bars? How many did Yue Tao do? Who is dragging whom down? Who is the one holding everyone back?"

Lu Zexian was speechless. After taking a few deep breaths, he suddenly shouted.

"At worst, I won't be a soldier! If we don't compare on the parallel bars, what else can he do better than me?"

Hao Chengbin, his face dark, turned around, opened the door, and pointed towards the company headquarters.

"Go ahead then! We have no precedent for discharging soldiers! Here's a clear path for you! Cause trouble! Resist training! You'll be removed from the roster! If you make a bigger scene, you'll be expelled from the military! You'll become an undocumented person! You'll be repatriated! You'll carry that record with you for the rest of your life, and your children won't be able to apply for public service, so they'll know you were a deserter!"

Fang Huai, untie him and let him go!

Tie him and Yue Tao together, I'm afraid he'll influence Yue Tao! I think Yue Tao will have a much brighter future than him!

I don't believe it, with your mindset, you'll be able to get by in society? You'll just be trash!"

Everyone stopped and started to reflect.

The big talk they'd made to their families when they enlisted, their families pulling strings to get them in, the bragging to their friends when they departed…

Only by deserting would they be kicked out of the army, burdened with a lifelong record, becoming fugitives, affecting their descendants…

It wasn't that no one present had thought about how to go home, most of them had thought about not being soldiers anymore, but hearing the squad leader's words, they all became a little scared.

Fang Huai walked up to Lu Zexian, slowly untying the backpack rope, and let out a long sigh.

"Sigh..."

"Take a step back, and the world opens up..."

"Apologize properly to the squad leader and accept your punishment... Aren't we all making mistakes? What do you have to complain about? Can you guarantee you won't mess up... and drag us down with you?" "Paving the way for others is paving the way for yourself."

To dissuade him, Fang Huai had to resort to the PUA tactics from his previous life.

Hao Chengbin heard Fang Huai's words clearly but remained silent, pretending not to hear.

In reality, if this matter escalated to the company or regimental headquarters, Lu Zexian wouldn't be able to leave either; it would just mean someone of higher rank would try to talk him around. However, it would spread internally and eventually reach the ears of his future company leaders, causing him to be looked down upon even more.

Fighting a fight might earn you some admiration from leaders who see you as upright.

Constantly thinking about running away is definitely not well-received. Realistically speaking, in others' eyes, it represents trouble.

Finally, Lu Zexian grabbed the rope.

"Squad leader... I know I was wrong."

Lu Zexian was quite lucky.

He was facing a veteran of nearly ten years, and Hao Chengbin didn't want to jeopardize his own future for this rookie. If it had been one of the squad leaders from the neighboring company, still full of aggression after three or four years, he would have inevitably faced physical persuasion today.

The whole squad would have suffered along with him.

Who among these veterans hadn't endured hardship like this?

Hao Chengbin regained his stern demeanor: "I'll give you one last chance. 100 squats... no, you'll do 150! Starting today, for any mistake anyone makes, you will do half of the punishment!

When you reach the average physical fitness level of the whole squad, you will receive the same treatment!

You want fairness? There's no absolute fairness in this world; fairness is earned!"

Lu Zexian tried to speak up again, but Fang Huai squeezed his arm once more.

If he said anything more, it would double.

"Yes... Squad leader," Lu Zexian said dejectedly.

"Louder!"

"Yes! Squad leader!"

Hao Chengbin then glanced at his watch: "Hurry up and do them! It's 5:49 now! In 41 minutes, I'll be inspecting the bunks! For any unmade beds, hmph, just you wait!"

"Oh my god!"

Yue Tao saw that his own blanket, casually tossed onto the top bunk by Hao Chengbin, was already in a scattered state. He quickly sped up, and Fang Huai and the other new recruits also hurried to continue.

"Slow down!" Lu Zexian yelped in pain as his hand was roughly pulled.

Yue Tao finally remembered something: no matter how fast he did it, Lu Zexian was still tied up.

So, he said with a hint of despair, "Squad leader! Can you untie the rope? My blanket is all messed up!"

Hao Chengbin quickly folded his own blanket and turned around, saying, "Weren't you guys arguing? Why untie it? Keep it tied! Get more familiar with each other!

If you're still not familiar by noon, I'll arrange for you to clean the toilets together! Come find me when you're willing to apologize to each other!"

Yue Tao said with a pained expression, "I wasn't arguing with him! He was the one arguing!"

Then, he turned and said, "Lu Zexian! You don't want to be a soldier, but I do!"

Lu Zexian was still a bit defiant but didn't dare to speak.

Yue Tao's expression immediately relaxed, and shamelessly, he said, "Brother Lu! I apologize to you, I'm sorry, okay? I've dragged you down!"

Lu Zexian was stunned, and Hao Chengbin smiled subtly.

"What did you just call me?" Lu Zexian confirmed again.

"Lu Zexian, don't be excessive, I already said I'm sorry!" Yue Tao said with annoyance.

Lu Zexian suddenly felt that all the anger he had been holding onto had hit cotton. Yue Tao, who seemed like a child in his eyes, had naturally let go, but he was the only one still holding a grudge.

And he almost caused trouble for the company over this petty anger.

It was a lie to say he didn't want to be a soldier. As a high school student with no special skills, what could he do in society?

His father had told him that only by joining the army could he go home and ask his youngest uncle to pull strings to get him a position in a public institution that had relaxed educational requirements for veterans.

Of course, if Fang Huai had to say it, with Lu Zexian's height and a bit more training, he'd definitely be a catch in the wealthy older woman market.

Finding an older sugar mama and achieving upward mobility in one go wasn't impossible.

"Cough." Lu Zexian looked a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, Yue Tao, I misunderstood you. You're stronger than me... Squad leader, I'm sorry. I won't talk about him anymore. I'm the one holding us back, I accept the punishment."

"A teachable student. Untie him!"

Hao Chengbin looked relieved. He had been a bit nervous just now.

If he took him to the training ground tied up like this, and the leaders asked about it, he wouldn't have a good explanation.

Dealing with new recruits was like beating your wife behind closed doors. As long as the issue was handled before going out, no matter how big the commotion was at the time, it was fine. But it couldn't happen in a formal setting.

Of course, given the toughness of women in the southwestern region, comparing it to beating a jinxed husband behind closed doors would be more fitting.

Hao Chengbin tidied up the blankets and went out. The moment he opened the door, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The scolding session was finally over.

However, Hao Chengbin remembered something and turned back with a grimace.

"Peng Yingqirui, I forgot to mention you. I'll warn you one more time! If I catch you sleeping with your blanket untucked again, no one will be there to share the punishment with you next time!"

Peng Yingqirui nodded sadly and bitterly.

Everyone else is showing off, and I'm the only one getting beaten!

He looked at his own messy blanket.

"Brother Fang, save me!"

Fang Huai sat leisurely by the bed with a bamboo slip, raising an eyebrow.

"The Buddha said: Those who save others must first save themselves... No time!"