Appointment at Two Thirty in the Morning

Fang Huai had no choice but to come out.

This enhancement felt incredibly strange. He had nearly lost control just now.

His scalp itched so badly, like his brain was about to grow.

And it was not just his scalp. His whole body felt a little itchy.

Fang Huai hurried to the window at the end of the corridor, took a couple breaths of fresh air, and twisted his body awkwardly.

Damn! The independent reward really was different. The reaction was way too intense!

Painful, yet blissful.

Two or three meters outside the window, a bird standing on a dead branch pecked at something. From the pecking to the swallowing, every movement gradually became clear in his eyes.

For the first time, Fang Huai felt the improvement in his abilities so distinctly. He felt that if the bird flew past him, he could catch it with one reach of his hand.

Once the discomfort passed, Fang Huai skeptically pulled a wad of toilet paper from his pocket and pinched off a tiny paper ball.

He tossed it into the air.

Reached out.

His index and middle fingers caught it precisely.

Not only faster, but more precise.

Thinking of that, Fang Huai carefully sensed himself, with a bad feeling rising in him.

Phew... seemed all right.

If his whole body reacted that quickly, his life would be over.

Seriously, what time was this to be thinking about that?

Fang Huai mocked himself, hurried to the washroom to fill a basin with water and wash his face and feet, then returned to the squad room.

As he entered, he happened to run into a group of recruits coming out of the room, all wearing satisfied smiles like they had picked the right big brother. Even Peng Yingqirui and Zhao Bing were grinning.

The moment he entered the room, Hao Chengbin tossed him a piece of candy.

Alps.

The old squad leader had the recruits' needs firmly in hand. Everyone in the class got something; those who had not received cigarettes got a piece of candy instead.

"Thanks, Squad Leader. Can I eat it tomorrow? I already brushed my teeth," Fang Huai said, taking it.

"Mm. Get to sleep early tonight. And don't worry about the physical examination. It won't be much trouble. Even if there really is some problem, you've already enlisted. I can put in a word for you with the regiment." After saying that, Hao Chengbin took his basin and left the room without waiting for Fang Huai's response.

Fang Huai felt a surge of gratitude.

An old squad leader was an old squad leader. Even his pep talks were this forceful.

At 2:20 a.m., outside the company office.

Sun Yi, the first squad leader, had barely stepped out before he could not help covering his nose.

"Fuck... this corridor is poisonous! It's like a damn Hydrogen Sulfide leak!" Sun Yi said through his hand.

Wang Jian pointed outside and laughed. "You finally smelled it? Eighty or ninety pairs of shoes all lined up at the door. Every night when I pass through here, it feels like biological warfare!"

Before he had even finished, someone from Seventh Squad came out too, covering his mouth in exactly the same way.

"Fuck, that's wicked!"

"Company Commander Wang, why are we doing this so early today?"

"Duh!" Wang Jian whispered, though he was still fairly loud.

"Do you know what time the earliest recruits get up? Regimental Headquarters said some recruits in Fifth Company got up at three! They were afraid they wouldn't wake up and would get scolded by their squad leaders, so they wrapped themselves in quilts and slept in the corridor at three. Yesterday, they scared Staff Officer Zhang half to death when he came back from outside!

"If Emergency Assembly is still at three thirty like before, some recruits will already be awake!"

The Seventh Squad leader stared wide-eyed and repeated, "Fuck... that's wicked!"

Pan Zhaohui came out of his room yawning at that moment. He had only let out half a yawn before clamping his mouth shut.

He sniffed, and his frown deepened.

"Damn! Why does it stink so bad?"

"Old Pan, keep it down! There are still eight minutes before the whistle!"

Pan Zhaohui waved a hand and fanned the air.

"It's fine! I checked. Every last one of them is sleeping like a pig!... Huh? Hao Chengbin didn't come out?"

"He said he'd stay in the room and see how the recruits reacted."

The first squad leader suddenly understood. "The old squad leader! That's experience for you! I'm heading back to my room too! Let's watch the show in a bit!"

Pan Zhaohui glanced at his own squad room door, suspicion in his eyes.

Inside Ninth Squad's room, Hao Chengbin wore his regular uniform and leaned against the wall, his feet propped on a bed frame as he quietly watched the recruits sleep soundly.

The door silently opened, and Pan Zhaohui poked his head in. Hao Chengbin turned, saw him, and nodded.

Pan Zhaohui swept his gaze across the room and spotted Yue Tao, wearing only cotton pants, hugging a quilt and sleeping with half his butt exposed. Only then did he close the door in relief.

Hao Chengbin could not help shaking his head with a smile.

Was this Old Pan afraid he would cheat?

After all these years in service, did he still lack that much awareness?

Forget deliberately reminding them. Even if no one woke up today, he would not wake them. He wanted to see just how slow these recruits could be.

Jiang Peng's snoring rose and fell in the room, while Chen Zhongqiang provided emergency support whenever Jiang Peng's snoring weakened. The room was full of croaking frogs.

Peng Yingqirui slept like he was buried, his quilt pulled over his head.

Zhao Bing was even stranger. He slept face-down, yet somehow snored from time to time.

By the window, Fang Huai tossed and turned irritably.

Hao Chengbin checked the time again.

Perfect. Exactly 2:30.

The light spilling in from the hallway through the crack in the door suddenly went out.

"Beep beep beep beep beep..." A burst of short, piercing whistle blasts rang through the entire building.

The Chief of Staff's booming voice followed.

"Entire regiment! Assemble downstairs within five minutes!!"

Wang Jian's voice was even clearer.

"Seventh Company! Downstairs! Emergency Assembly!"

With a bang, a figure sprang upright.

Peng Yingqirui.

First bewildered, then furious.

"Fuck! The sky isn't even light yet! What the hell are we doing this for?"

After saying that, he immediately flopped back down.

Fang Huai was already on his feet. He quickly found his bag on the upper bunk, then shouted, "Emergency Assembly! Wake up! Emergency Assembly!"

Only then did the entire room gradually descend into chaos.

"Fuck..."

"What is it? What Emergency Assembly?"

"Hurry, hurry, get up! Fang Huai, please pass me my bag! The fourth one from the bottom!"

Whoosh. A bag flew onto Zhao Bing's bed.

"Fang Huai, help me grab mine too!"

"I need mine too! Second from the left on top!"

Fang Huai was closest to the Camouflage Bags, and for a moment, he seemed to become everyone's moving service.

After throwing the third one, Fang Huai stopped bothering. As he packed his own bedroll, he shouted, "Come get your own bags!"

Only then did Peng Yingqirui groggily sit up again.

"What are you getting bags for?"

"Idiot! Pack your bedroll! Emergency Assembly!!" Hao Chengbin could not help cursing when he saw how sluggish he was.

He had been the first one up, yet everyone else was already out of bed and he still had not moved!

Fang Huai's first reaction had also been to find his own pack rather than remind his comrades.

Aside from that... he was already up to Outstanding Soldier standards in other respects. While the others were still rummaging through their bags for bedroll ropes, he had already folded his quilt, fastened the pack straps, and begun tying it up.

Sixteen seconds.

From the start to the finish of tying the ropes, in the nighttime lighting, that was very fast.

"Fuck, where are my pants? Jiang Peng, did you wear my pants?" Liu Yue sounded close to losing it.

"Huh? How could I? I'm wearing my own! Look again!"

"Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!" Liu Yue panicked.

"What lights? The hallway power's been cut! There's no electricity!"

Fang Huai had already finished packing his bedroll and ran over to help Liu Yue search. After only a couple moves, he saw a pair of pants beside Jiang Peng's bed.

He said nothing and directly tossed them to Liu Yue.

"Hurry, wear his!"

Fang Huai had no time to curse Jiang Peng, because the moment he woke up, he had received a system mission.

During the Emergency Assembly, help every recruit in the squad avoid falling behind.

At that moment, Hao Chengbin suddenly spoke with his arms folded.

"Fang Huai, leave them alone! Go down first. The Chief of Staff is downstairs. Get us a good ranking!"

If Fang Huai went out now, he would very likely be first in the entire company. Leaving a good impression on the Chief of Staff would also make it easier to request that Outstanding Soldier award for him later.

But Hao Chengbin did not know that the Chief of Staff had already ruled Fang Huai out.

Fang Huai froze at those words, then put on a righteous expression.

"Squad Leader... how can an individual ranking compare to the squad? I'll help them first!"

I appreciate the thought, bro, but the Chief of Staff is only a passing figure in life. Rewards are the final destination.

Hao Chengbin was moved!

Just moments ago, he had thought this kid was a little lacking in team awareness. Ah! He had misjudged him!

Right, the kid understood it better than he did. In this situation, only by taking care of oneself first could one have the ability to help others.

Fang Huai targeted Peng Yingqirui, the last one remaining, and taught him how to pack his bedroll and arrange the straps as if taking a child to school.

"Right, thread it through here!"

Peng Yingqirui tied the last knot, then noticed something was wrong. "But I saw Squad Leader tie three horizontal loops!"

"Two loops is fine! As long as the straps don't come apart! Stuff the extra rope in, arrange it neatly, and don't redo it! There's no time!"

"Get your clothes and pants on, then get down!"

A medical miracle.

In one minute, Fang Huai had somehow gotten Peng Yingqirui, this half-disabled child, successfully out of bed.

Then he looked around again and found a new person to help: Liu Yue.

Hao Chengbin finally began giving reminders as well.

"I taught you how to pack bedrolls yesterday! Is that how you do it? Didn't you all tell me you understood? What are you doing now? Lu Zexian, how are you supposed to pack a bedroll while holding it like that? Turn it over! Flip it!"

Fang Huai quickly gave Liu Yue some guidance, then ran over to Lu Zexian and corrected his mistake.

"Undo the knot in your hands first! Flip those two ropes over before tying them! Tighten it! Tighter!"

Seeing the room in complete disarray, Hao Chengbin opened the door. "Those who have packed their bedrolls, put on your caps and belts and assemble outside! Don't crowd around in here!"

Originally, Hao Chengbin had intended to let these people fend for themselves today, then come back and teach them a harsh lesson. After all, he knew what kind of results they could produce. As their squad leader, he could not step in to help them. Rather than struggle, he might as well watch coldly.

Since he was going to lose his temper later, he needed to start silently gathering his energy now and prepare to unleash it.

But watching Fang Huai drag this one along and pull that one along, actually raising the overall speed of the slowest people in the squad, changed his mind somewhat.

A little over five minutes after the whistle blew, all of Ninth Squad came out.

"Get downstairs quickly! Line up and don't scatter! Fang Huai, lead them downstairs!" Hao Chengbin called out one final order, then walked downstairs with his hands clasped behind his back.

The nearby squad leaders stood at their own doors, staring somewhat dumbfoundedly as Ninth Squad's recruits emerged in formation. Fang Huai from Ninth Squad stood at the doorway, helping them straighten their bedroll ropes one by one, then led them downstairs in formation.

The squad leaders became even more anxious.

Damn it, Ninth Squad had left them far behind!

Could Squad Leader Hao have activated some kind of cheat?

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Those with packed bedrolls, get downstairs and assemble at our squad's position!"

"Stay in formation! Keep right and go downstairs in an orderly manner!"

With Hao Chengbin's clear instructions, Fang Huai stood to one side and directed everyone to maintain formation, refusing to be assimilated by the scattered stragglers rushing down the stairs around them.

When they reached the entrance, Ninth Squad's complete formation caught the Chief of Staff's attention as he stood by the door.

The recruit without shoulder insignia directing them beside it made him even more puzzled.

"You there! The one leading the formation! Why is a recruit leading them?"

Fang Huai hurriedly stopped.

The Chief of Staff turned and recognized him, clicking his tongue.

"Kid, why is it you? Where's your Squad Leader Hao?"

"Here!"

A loud response came from the front of the recruit formation by the entrance.

Hao Chengbin jogged over and said,

"Chief of Staff, he's our squad's Assistant Squad Leader! I had him lead the formation!"

"Oh?"

The Chief of Staff voiced his doubt but did not ask further. Whether to appoint an Assistant Squad Leader was the squad leader's own business. Although most appointments came later, everyone might follow the same path while using different methods.

He simply had not expected that this weak kid who was always passing out could become an Assistant Squad Leader.

The Chief of Staff did not waste time. He nodded and said.

"Alright, go! The formation was neat and orderly, and not too slow either. Not bad! Hao Chengbin, you handled this batch of recruits well!"

In truth, they had definitely gone over five minutes.

It was just picking the tallest among the short.

For the first Emergency Assembly of the recruits, even taking seven or eight minutes was considered pretty good if the entire squad could come down in formation, without recruits carrying loose backpacks or simply hugging their blankets.

When Hao Chengbin said, "the Assistant Squad Leader of our squad," the Chief of Staff remained impassive, but the recruits' hearts were in turmoil.

Assistant Squad Leader... was it decided just like that?

Hearing this, Fang Huai was also overwhelmed with excitement, intently watching for any system prompt to appear.

Two pieces of good news in one night!

What functions did this new branch system have?

Without any military merit... could it at least give him some kind of trial feature?

Ninth Squad merged into the formation and quickly lined up.

Although Ninth Squad's recruits had arrived late, once they lined up, they realized their squad was the longest and most complete. They all felt a little more spirited.

As Hao Chengbin watched people continue to come down, he suddenly turned around to face the crowd of recruits behind him.

"Did you all hear that? Fang Huai will be Ninth Squad's Assistant Squad Leader from now on!"

His voice was not quiet. Several nearby squads, as well as the recruits from the neighboring Eighth Company, all looked over.

Damn, it was only the start of the fourth day, and they already had an Assistant Squad Leader?

Quite a few people from Seventh Company looked toward Jiang Peng, whose expression had darkened.

This guy was Ninth Squad's "social butterfly." He usually chatted with people from other squads whenever he had nothing to do. After a few days, he had gotten familiar with quite a few people in their squads. Wasn't Ninth Squad's Assistant Squad Leader supposed to be him?

Of course, Fang Huai was famous too.

With his results on the Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar... it was not strange for him to become Assistant Squad Leader. Still, plenty of people's gossip instincts had been stirred.

Jiang Peng really hadn't been honest. Just two days ago, he had said he wanted to run for Assistant Squad Leader! He had acted so damn cocky, and now he had screwed himself over?

Ninth Squad's emperor didn't give a damn about him at all!

Jiang Peng also felt rather wronged. When he arrived, he had failed to read the situation and brought over the whole college student-union election routine, hoping to work through internal and external public opinion. In the end, the New Recruit Regiment ran on absolute squad leader control.

The chairman did not even hold a meeting. He simply gave a verbal order, and the CEO position was settled!

Fang Huai had no time to care about such petty thoughts.

His mood was like someone who had just been drenched by February's cold rain.

Merit Exchange Shop unlocked.

With a thought from Fang Huai, a flood of reward information appeared in his mind.

After looking through it all, there were only two rewards related to physical improvement: Core strength Enhancement and Immunity Enhancement.

Both required a Third Class Merit to exchange!

Everything else was knowledge! Different categories of knowledge required different amounts of Military Merit Points to exchange!

Firefighting specialties, medicine, languages, business, music... there were at least seventy or eighty types!

The range of categories was utterly insane!

A perfectly good Merit System, yet instead of selling combat power, it was selling book learning!

Fang Huai stared blankly at the huge slogan painted on the wall of the New Recruit Building.

Learning is necessary for improving soldiers' qualities!

Learning is necessary for fulfilling the military's mission!

Learning is necessary for strengthening national defense!

This system had a strong political awareness!