Ultraman? (Please Follow on Tuesday)

The next day.

As the young men gradually grew familiar with their surroundings, time began to race by like a speeding train.

But time was strange. Once a person started running, it felt as though time slowed down.

The faster they ran, the worse it felt, and the slower time seemed to pass.

To some extent, it fit the theory of relativity.

"Fang Huai! Three laps left, time to speed up!"

Hao Chengbin stood at the finish line with his arms folded, watching Fang Huai run closer and then farther away while constantly checking his stopwatch.

Four and a half laps, 1,600 meters, nine minutes already, and he still wasn't speeding up? This was the New Recruit Regiment's first physical fitness test... Was he trying to hide his abilities?

When Fang Huai heard Hao Chengbin tell him to speed up, a thousand curses exploded in his heart.

I fucking sped up two laps ago, okay?

My lungs are about to burst!

This was way too awkward.

If he said he couldn't run anymore, Hao Chengbin wouldn't believe him!

Fang Huai gritted his teeth and sucked in two sharp breaths of cold air, changing his breathing rhythm from one breath every four steps to one breath every three steps.

He put both hands on his waist and twisted a little to ease the stabbing pain in his lower back, then accelerated again.

Chen Zhongqiang and Hu Deli were ahead of him. Fang Huai could only keep his eyes on them and make sure he didn't fall behind.

"Fang Huai... You lapped me by so much! No wonder I didn't see you!"

A voice came from not far behind him.

It was Zhao Bing.

Zhao Bing was nearly catching up from behind and was about to lap him.

Those words nearly killed Fang Huai on the spot.

He had the engine of a cheap little scooter, yet he was carrying the expectations of a Lamborghini.

The dignity he had painstakingly built up was about to be tossed away in one go.

Natural evolution simply couldn't keep up with the system's explosive boosts.

Before half a lap had passed, Zhao Bing ran by him.

Three Kilometer Run, seven and a half laps, with three laps still remaining.

Fang Huai had originally planned it out perfectly. He would breathe once every four steps for the first five laps to keep his rhythm steady, switch to every three steps on the sixth lap, then switch to every two steps for the final half lap and sprint.

The plan had been great, but he had been far too slow at the start.

He could only switch early into desperate mode, breathing once every two steps. His arms swung wider, his mouth hung open as he gulped down air, and he forcibly accelerated, chasing right behind Zhao Bing's ass.

His legs were nearly numb, and his lungs were flooded with cold air. Fang Huai watched thick clouds of mist pour from his mouth and drift away with the wind.

Luckily, if he ran like this, catching up to Zhao Bing, who was maintaining a steady pace, wasn't too difficult. For a lap and a half, Zhao Bing didn't pull too far ahead.

But when Fang Huai had two laps left, Zhao Bing had only one lap left.

Zhao Bing sped up.

Fang Huai could only watch him pull away, lower his head, and use the forward momentum of his falling body to save some strength.

When he had a little over one lap left, Jiang Peng lapped him too.

That guy obviously knew Fang Huai still had another lap to go. After crossing the finish line, he even spread his arms wide as if he had won a championship.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Fang Huai! One minute twenty left!" Hao Chengbin stared intently at Fang Huai. His expectations had rapidly fallen from first place in the whole company to merely hoping Fang Huai would pass.

For recruits, the passing standard was fourteen minutes ten seconds.

Fang Huai clearly remembered that, in his previous life, his first running test had taken him sixteen minutes forty seconds to finish the Three Kilometer Run.

That had been the result he was most proud of during his first test. He couldn't do the Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar at all, scoring a zero, but at least he had managed to finish the Three Kilometer Run.

Only after he was assigned to a unit did he find out there wasn't even a Three Kilometer Run anymore. The only Three Kilometer Run test was for military academy entrance, with a passing time of thirteen minutes twenty seconds.

His Three Kilometer Run time was the same amount of time it took veterans competing in the Iron Army Tournament to run the Five Kilometer Run.

The really impressive ones could even run it in under seventeen minutes while carrying an eight-pound air respirator.

One minute twenty seconds left.

Fang Huai went all out again.

He had no idea how many steps he took per breath anymore. With his mouth wide open, Fang Huai frantically snatched every bit of oxygen he could.

Running hurt somewhat less than the push-ups that day, but breathing was far harder. The more cold air entered his lungs, the more they burned like fire.

Three hundred meters. Accelerate.

Two hundred meters. Accelerate.

Fang Huai kept reminding himself to speed up, but his running had already become completely chaotic.

When he saw Hao Chengbin, his throat was burning fiercely. Fang Huai lowered his head again and charged forward with all his strength, carried by momentum.

He crossed the line, but couldn't catch his breath.

Then he passed out on the ground.

At least this time, he managed to hold on until he reached the large mat used for sit-ups before blacking out.

"Fourteen thirty-two... He didn't pass... Fang Huai, don't lie on the ground after you finish! Walk around!"

"He passed out again?"

"Get him to the infirmary!"

"Turn him over, loosen him up! Take off his jacket!"

This time, Fang Huai heard every voice around him clearly.

Because he was faking it.

He hadn't expected the experience of directly faking a faint that he had taught Chen Shuang at the People's Armed Forces Department would end up being used on himself.

If he didn't fake it, he would still have to do the 100-meter test half an hour later. With his current leg explosiveness, that would be absolute misery, and he would definitely have to drag out his old face and lose it again.

Better leave Squad Leader Hao something to remember him by.

A stretcher was quickly brought over. There were plenty of those at the fire department training base.

Two veterans carried Fang Huai toward the infirmary.

"Damn, this kid can pass out from the Three Kilometer Run too?"

"Hurry up! It's not like he hasn't passed out during training before. He fainted doing push-ups that day, and I saw it. He was really going all out!"

"Could he be the type who faints easily? Poor blood supply? Maybe something's wrong with his heart!"

The infirmary was in the administration building, quite far away. The two sergeants carrying him chatted as they walked, one in front and one behind.

Jiang Peng was nearby, catching his breath and loosening up. He heard every word.

The moment they entered the warm infirmary, Fang Huai gradually started blinking, preparing to "wake up."

"Doctor! Someone fainted! Take a look!"

No one answered. A rapid clatter of high heels approached.

A woman. She wore perfume.

It wasn't strong, but it smelled expensive.

It smelled nice.

Fang Huai made his assessment, then sensed a hand about to pry open his eyelid. He quickly twitched and slowly opened his eyes.

"Where am I..."

He looked up and around, only to find familiar faces everywhere.

Crouching extremely close to him was a female captain.

Squad leader Sun Yi.

Sixth Squad leader Yang Hui, whose newest nickname was Flying Over the Bars.

There was also someone sitting by the bench.

Fang Huai had never expected that someone else from the company would be in the infirmary with him this time.

Han Yong.

The guy who had brought more than three hundred thousand yuan when he enlisted and had fainted during the run yesterday.

Fuck, miscalculation.

Now he had been reduced to the same level as Han Yong.

The Sixth Squad leader apparently didn't think he was faking it. Seeing him try to get up, Yang Hui quickly said, "Lie down first! You just fainted!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, Squad Leader. I... I can do it! Let's go back!"

"You... are doing physical fitness testing?" The female captain asked suspiciously when she saw how quickly he had recovered.

Military doctors saw plenty of cases like this. There were countless people who faked illness to avoid training.

The recruit sitting there was one of them. He insisted he had twisted his ankle, and the sergeant who had brought him said he really had twisted it, but she couldn't see anything wrong. No matter where she pressed his foot, he cried out in pain. That didn't look like a sprain. It looked like he had been run over by a truck.

The two squad leaders understood what she meant as well.

Yang Hui glanced at Han Yong with some disdain, then explained, "Three Kilometer Run. He only fainted after finishing. He's one of our company's top trainees, first in the Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar."

Those words made Fang Huai blush with shame. He wished he could take out a high-interest loan from the system and run it all over again.

Damn it... That anti-aircraft cannon is too expensive!

"Oh..." The female captain nodded.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm really fine! I just ran too hard!" Fang Huai hurriedly got up, then staggered again.

"Alright." The female captain looked Fang Huai over and felt there was indeed nothing seriously wrong with him. She nodded. "It shouldn't be a major issue. Go back and rest for a while. Sit down for a bit and you'll be fine."

That suited Fang Huai perfectly. As long as he could go back and avoid the 100-meter test, he wouldn't embarrass himself.

Both squad leaders nodded. Yang Hui seemed to remember something, looked at Fang Huai, and asked, "Doctor, he fainted once a couple days ago too. Is he alright?"

Fang Huai rushed to answer, "I'm fine, Squad Leader. I just pushed myself a little too hard in training."

The female captain added, "Next week, the recruits will be arranged to go to the People's Liberation Army No. 44 Hospital for a physical examination. Have your heart and blood sugar checked then... It's most likely a blood sugar issue. Young man, don't just train. Eat more too."

Fang Huai quickly nodded.

"Yes, yes, yes, I haven't been eating enough!"

Yang Hui nodded and pointed at Han Yong.

"Doctor, that one is from our company too. Can he go back?"

The female captain looked at Han Yong and said meaningfully, "If he wants to go back, he should be able to."

"Squad Leader, it hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!" Han Yong was supported by the two squad leaders, wailing through the administration building like a machine gun.

Fang Huai followed behind them, lost in thought as he walked.

Just now... he had actually missed women.

The female captain was pretty... No, it was more that she had a softness unique to women, along with that faint scent of perfume. In this iron-blooded barracks... perhaps because his body was young again, he had begun to look forward to women once more.

Of course, he wasn't thinking about that female captain.

There were plenty of beautiful female officers in the fire department. If he wanted one, he wouldn't choose an older sister at least ten years older than him.

Even after being reborn, he couldn't use the aesthetic standards of his former thirty-five-year-old self to judge women. Those women might have become younger, but Fang Huai had to face reality: when he had been thirty-five in his previous life, they had already been around forty-five.

He was young now. It was much easier to accept youthful, beautiful girls, and it didn't even count as an old bull eating tender grass.

It felt pretty great.

So after thinking it over and over, the person he ultimately thought of was still Yang Shaoqing.

The soft sensation and maidenly shyness he had ignored when he hugged Brother Yang on enlistment day now made his palms itch faintly.

His spring fever lasted less than half a minute before a loud voice shattered his fantasy.

"Who's howling over there?"

Another Brother Yang appeared.

Chief of Staff Yang Yonghua.

The real Brother Yang.

The moment Fang Huai heard that voice, his hormones retreated like a falling tide.

That dark face made Han Yong's wailing stop abruptly too.

"Chief of Staff! A recruit twisted his ankle and came to the infirmary. We brought another recruit over, so we're taking him back while we're here!" Little Brother Yang, Yang Hui, immediately answered.

Old Brother Yang, Yang Yonghua, stood with his hands behind his back and looked at Han Yong, then spotted Fang Huai behind them.

He frowned.

He knew this kid.

"Kid, why is it you again? You're in Hao Chengbin's squad, right? What happened this time?"

Fang Huai regretted it too. He had actually embarrassed himself all the way to Regimental Headquarters.

"Reporting to the Chief of Staff! Nothing!"

"He fainted while running just now, but woke up as soon as he got to the infirmary. He said he wanted to hurry back for training." Yang Hui helped explain.

Yang Yonghua rubbed his forehead. "Why did he faint again?"

"Three Kilometer Run test. He fainted at the finish line. The doctor said it might be low blood sugar!" Yang Hui answered.

Yang Yonghua suddenly understood. No wonder someone had needed to support him just to eat a meal.

"If you're physically weak, then rest properly! Build yourself up! If you can't handle training, don't force it! Don't cause trouble for the regiment!"

Fang Huai's mouth twitched. He had no idea how to explain himself.

The two squad leaders were even more speechless.

Physically weak? Couldn't handle training?

The day before yesterday, he had been grunting and yelling on the bars! Dozens upon dozens of reps!

"Understood... Chief of Staff!"

Yang Yonghua said nothing more. With his hands behind his back, he sighed and left.

These recruits were in far too poor physical condition. He had wanted to select an Outstanding Soldier as a model of perseverance in training, to encourage the recruits to keep training hard after joining their units. Who would have thought the example he picked would be such a sickly weakling?

Back at the Training Ground, Hao Chengbin stood with his hands on his hips, urging Yue Tao, who was being tested on sit-ups, to move faster.

When he turned and saw the four of them returning, he looked somewhat surprised.

"Why are you back again? He's awake already?"

Yang Hui waved a hand. "The doctor said he might not have eaten properly and had a bit of low blood sugar. He just needs to eat more and rest up."

"Pfft..."

Yue Tao, who was huffing and puffing through sit-ups on the mat, nearly failed to catch his breath.

That morning, Fang Huai had eaten two big bowls of noodles. Yue Tao had seen it with his own eyes.

"Squad Leader... he, he didn't eat anything?"

Hao Chengbin turned impatiently. "Keep going! Why are you talking so much?"

Hao Chengbin could not quite make sense of Fang Huai's physique either. When he was at his peak, he could shovel down several basins of food and fly up and down the Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar. When he was weak, two buns were enough to fill him up, and even passing the Three Kilometer Run was difficult.

He was like Ultraman—powered up one moment, out of power the next.

That would not do! What if he ran out of juice during a callout? That could cost lives!

Even if his family had trained him, who trained by grinding away on the Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar? The recruits' Three Kilometer Run standard had been lowered by fifty seconds. Forget twelve minutes for Outstanding—he should at least be able to pass, right?

"All right, Squad Leader Hao, he's yours now. I still need to hand the Eighth Squad recruits over to Squad Leader Pan... They'll probably be joining the Flying Tigers Squad."

After Yang Hui finished speaking, he and Sun Yi led Han Yong away.

Hao Chengbin stepped forward, pulled Fang Huai aside, and asked in a low voice with concern on his face.

"What's going on? You were breathing that hard after running?... You didn't train at home?"

Fang Huai had already prepared his answer.

"Squad Leader... I really never trained! My home is in Chongqing, you know that! Take two steps there and you're climbing slopes and crossing ridges—how was I supposed to train? I used to be a student! But... Squad Leader, if you have time to watch me, I can sleep half an hour less at night and come to the Training Ground for extra drills. I'll train the Five Kilometer Run directly!"

Hao Chengbin came to a realization. "Oh... right. Fine, as long as you're willing to train, I'll find you an opportunity. With your height, training for middle- and long-distance running won't be hard. But you definitely can't train every night. I'll need to speak to the duty officer. Also, you can't run five kilometers every day either—it'll hurt your knees. You need scientific training!"

Fang Huai nodded gratefully. "All right! Thank you, Squad Leader!"

Fang Huai had no other choice.

No matter how he silently recited the words throughout the entire day, no more missions had been triggered. Perhaps the "newbie gift pack" had already been handed out, and missions were not so easy to get.

Good thing I didn't borrow that anti-aircraft gun. Otherwise, who knew when I'd be able to pay it off? This system even knows how to charge usurious interest. It's probably no worse at predatory lending. What if it deliberately stops issuing missions, then hits me with overdue interest or something? I can forget about leveling up for the rest of my life.

So he had already made up his mind. Even without Butcher Zhang, one could not eat a pig with bristles still on it. He had to make up for this weakness somehow.

"Yue Tao, fifty-two!" the noncommissioned officer in charge of counting shouted.

Yue Tao immediately got to his feet, his face full of anticipation.

"Squad Leader... that squad leader just mentioned the Flying Tigers Squad... What is the Flying Tigers Squad? Is it like those Hong Kong movies... Special Forces?"

Hao Chengbin turned around and gave him a hard rap on the head.

"That's right, Special Forces! Do you want to go? I'll sign you up!"

(Big shots, please turn one more page to the latest chapter and keep reading. Thanks!)