Deputy Squad Leader, I Invested in This Project

Fang Huai went upstairs carrying a large guitar case. Dressed in his camouflage uniform, he looked like he was going to the rooftop to scout the area.

Hao Chengbin, with a smile all over his face, patted Fang Huai on the shoulder.

"You kid, it's good to have many skills..."

Fang Huai replied humbly, "Heh, I just practice it for fun at home."

Wang Jian, walking behind them, was silently engrossed in his phone, furiously texting Chief of Staff Huang of his detachment.

Wang Jian: Chief of Staff, about that soldier Fang Huai I mentioned last time, if we wait until he's assigned to a unit, he might not be available. Can we ask Chief of Staff Yang of the New Recruit Regiment earlier to...

Wang Jian cautiously looked up, saw no one was paying attention to him, and then typed the final word "greet him?" on his phone before sending it.

This Fang Huai is becoming more famous and more sought after. If they wait until he's assigned to a unit to request him, with Anshun Detachment's ranking at the bottom of the province, it'll be too late.

Guizhou is currently the poorest province in the country. Among its nine prefectures, Anshun ranked ninth in economy this year.

Anshun Detachment, the child prospers because the mother... no, the child prospers because the mother is poor.

Guiyang is the provincial capital, Zunyi has Moutai and the conference site, Liupanshui and Bijie have mines...

Anshun, Anshun has snakes.

When the Political Instructor returns, he might also be vying for Fang Huai.

The Political Instructor is from the Liupanshui Detachment.

Liupanshui is full of mines, and its benefits are even higher than the provincial capital. For dangerous duty allowance, they receive 500 yuan, Guiyang offers 800, and Liupanshui gives 1000...

Half of the soldiers in the company are non-commissioned officers from the Liupanshui Detachment. When they talk about their benefits, they always hold their heads high.

"Oh, our detachment always gets money! Post allowance here, holiday bonus there, and NCO performance bonuses at the end of the year! We can't spend it all, we just can't spend it all!"

Anshun Detachment NCO: "What? What do you mean NCO performance bonuses?"

This competitive situation is truly difficult.

As soon as the guitar arrived at the dormitory, it attracted a crowd.

Musical instruments were rare items in this New Recruit Regiment, akin to spiritual food that could liven up life. Especially on this weekend, surrounded by the solemnity of regulations.

Yue Tao, with his hands behind his back like Zhao Benshan, looked at the semi-open guitar case leaning against the bed for a long time. He pursed his thick upper lip and let out a definitive sound.

"Hmm... none of you can play this thing."

Hao Chengbin, seeing this clown acting foolish, couldn't help himself. "Nonsense! It wasn't brought back for you guys to play! It's for Fang Huai!"

Zhao Bing chuckled, "Squad Leader! We all saw Fang Huai playing downstairs just now! The people nearby were clapping. We couldn't hear it, so could you ask the deputy squad leader to perform for us?"

Hao Chengbin checked the time. There were still 40 minutes before dinner, so he looked at Fang Huai with a questioning gaze.

Just as Fang Huai was about to speak, Lu Zexian teased him.

"Squad Leader, Yue Tao said he could play when he saw the guitar just now! He was even making gestures!"

Saying that, he raised his hands and strummed in the air, striking a rock-and-roll pose.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Yue Tao just said so!"

The guys in the squad loved watching Yue Tao perform, especially his signature move of playing with his left hand on the sixth string and his right hand on the seventh, which was incredibly realistic.

They couldn't let him make a fool of himself; he was too good at it.

Unexpectedly, Yue Tao looked unconvinced and said loudly, "Do you all think I can't play? Do you all think I can't play?"

Everyone had been quiet all morning. As soon as the squad leader returned, the atmosphere immediately livened up, and they all started egging him on, "Yue Tao, do it!"

What's the point of watching someone who can play the guitar? It's more fun to watch a fool play!

Yue Tao, amidst the crowd's calls, became increasingly lost in the moment.

Hao Chengbin was in a good mood. He waved his hand, started rubbing his leg that he had injured earlier, and pretended not to hear anything.

Play if you want, whatever.

Upon receiving the implicit permission, Yue Tao immediately tilted his head, cupped his fists, and shook them at everyone.

Fang Huai wanted to remind him not to damage it, but seeing him take out the guitar, cross his legs, and rest his right thumb on the fifth string, he knew what he was about to do.

He stopped talking.

Yue Tao struck a pose and shouted.

"Forgive my clumsiness!"

5323, 1323, 5323, 1323, 5323...

Yue Tao narrowed his eyes, looking entranced, occasionally looking down to find the strings.

After repeating the sequence seven or eight times, everyone started to zone out.

"What song is this?"

Yue Tao confidently replied, "I can sing any song!"

Lu Zexian didn't believe in evil and followed the rhythm, letting out a shout.

"Travel the four directions! Ah, the road is long, the water is long..."

His rough singing style struck the soul, utterly dominating.

Brother Tao's rhythm faltered. He stopped and looked at Lu Zexian with annoyance, blaming him for disturbing his musical muse.

"Can't you sing something gentler!"

Lu Zexian immediately retorted, "If you've got the guts, change the tune! Sing 'I Really Want to Live Another Five Hundred Years'!"

Fang Huai was speechless. "That's called 'Borrowing Five Hundred Years from Heaven'!"

Yue Tao felt mocked, gritting his teeth. "I'll borrow a thousand years! I'll borrow all your lifespans!"

"Hahahahaha..." A burst of laughter erupted.

"Let Fang Huai play a couple of songs for us!" everyone suggested.

Fang Huai didn't refuse and played and sang a song he was more familiar with, "If You Also Heard," by A-Mei.

It wasn't that he particularly liked the song, but rather he'd heard someone humming it downstairs a couple of days prior. There were many classic songs released in the last decade, a time when Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China's gods battled it out. He wasn't sure if it had been released yet, and he didn't want to sing something wrong.

"It's so beautiful..."

"Play another one!"

While everyone was amazed, Hao Chengbin sat up, energized.

"This song... did you write it too?"

Fang Huai looked a bit embarrassed. "It's A-Mei's, Squad Leader... it might be a new song, you haven't heard it."

"Oh..." Hao Chengbin leaned back against the wall.

"I was thinking of asking you to write a song for me when I propose to my girlfriend."

Hao Chengbin clearly didn't understand the value of a song, saying it quite casually.

Fang Huai, however, was stunned.

What, Hao Chengbin, that blockhead, is going to propose?

Fang Huai's eyes flickered, and he smiled. "I wanted to help you, but I can't get out, Squad Leader."

"It's fine, I'll just propose in our company... as long as you..." Hao Chengbin suddenly stopped.

He'd exposed himself.

The other recruits also caught on.

"Squad Leader, you're going to take Fang Huai to the company!"

Hao Chengbin chuckled and didn't answer. He turned and looked at Fang Huai. "Fang Huai, are you willing to come to my company? The new company."

Fang Huai certainly wanted to go, but he was unsure if Hao Chengbin had the capability. He asked, "Squad Leader... can you transfer me?"

"No," Hao Chengbin answered directly. "But the Captain of the Special Services can. I've already called them."

"Did they agree?" Fang Huai continued to ask.

Hao Chengbin was silent for a moment.

"In a couple of days. If you agree, I'll give you an answer in a couple of days."

"I definitely agree!" Fang Huai stood up, expressing a sincere attitude.

"Alright! Perform well!" Hao Chengbin immediately showed a gratified smile.

Fang Huai also smiled.

I just don't know if you have the capability. If it doesn't work out, I'll have to do it myself!

Their eyes met, and for a moment, there was a lot of jealousy. Provincial Capital Special Services!

But they also knew Fang Huai's abilities were beyond their reach, and they could only secretly marvel.

Hao Chengbin took in all their envious expressions and offered a glimmer of hope with a smile.

"You don't need to be envious. Perform well! When I ask for soldiers, I'll ask for two more! But whether you can get into Special Services depends on luck! The Provincial Capital Detachment is also good!"

Today was the weekend.

It was also the day the "Steel Seventh Company" began to diverge completely from Fang Huai's memories of his previous life.

Over the course of the afternoon, the squad leaders began to spread the legendary story of Fang Huai, the deputy squad leader of the ninth squad.

The instigator, of course, was the sixth squad leader. Wang Jian wished Fang Huai would remain low-key and unnoticed. After all, he didn't want another competitor for recruits, the Liupanshui Detachment, in addition to Hao Chengbin.

The enthusiasm for recruiting firefighters far surpassed that of other units. This was because a company, at full strength, only had ten to twenty people, rarely exceeding thirty. Among them were three to four officers. With two or three outstanding new recruits, if trained well, it was possible to elevate the entire company's performance.

A versatile person like Fang Huai, placed in a company, would be a guarantee of peace of mind for the officers.

However, the sixth squad leader, Yang Hui, besides his nickname "Daredevil," was also known for his "matchmaking mouth." And unlike Hao Chengbin, as a first-term non-commissioned officer, he was different from veteran non-commissioned officers like Hao Chengbin and Pan Zhaohui, who enjoyed going home or out. They couldn't go out, so their primary form of entertainment was bragging.

Over the afternoon, he praised Fang Huai to the skies.

His physical fitness was excellent; everyone had seen his performance on the parallel bars and horizontal bar.

His emotional intelligence was high; Class Nine's management was orderly.

He had skills. According to the clerk Huang Yi, he was more than capable of being his apprentice. Of course, Huang Yi's exact words were, "Compared to you guys who only play CS, Red Alert, and StarCraft, you're just a bunch of clueless idiots."

He could talk. With his summary of the evening news, he could even serve as their Political Instructor.

He even had talent. He could play and sing guitar, write songs, and the Chief of Staff even said he deserved a commendation!

He was the epitome of "the vice-squad leader from someone else's family."

Yang Hui proposed the idea, and everyone seconded it. They ultimately concluded that the problem might lie with the "vice-squad leader" position itself.

The squad leaders were all unconvinced!

I, too, carry the authority of squad leader bestowed by the Party and the people. How is it that I can't select a decent vice-squad leader?

The main issue was that they hadn't properly stimulated the new recruits' enthusiasm to perform!

A vice-squad leader is necessary. If a suitable candidate can't be found, then one should be cultivated.

I vote for the vice-squad leader project!

There was a class meeting on Saturday evening.

After dinner, each class rushed to implement the "Vice-Squad Leader Selection" project, notifying the new recruits in their classes to prepare all their various talents, as the squad leaders would be inspecting them that evening!

Those with special talents could be promoted to acting vice-squad leaders first!

This kind of collective selection of vice-squad leaders just a week after training began was quite explosive in any military unit.

Cao Peng, after learning the reason, specifically went to Class Nine to inform Fang Huai and asked for advice on how to become a vice-squad leader.

Fang Huai, of course, enthusiastically offered advice: before the weekend ended and while the squad leader was away, wash his clothes... and his quilt.

Cao Peng looked disgusted: I treat you like a brother, and you treat me like an idiot.

Fang Huai laughed and retorted: "You, wanting to be a vice-squad leader? You're treating me like an idiot! Your only chance to become a vice-squad leader is to go to your uncle's detachment and have him directly appoint you. A vice-squad leader directly appointed by the detachment commander, you'd be more awesome than the squad leader."

Jokes aside.

As Fang Huai walked down the corridor, he overheard two new recruits who had just come from the restroom chatting about showing the squad leader their imitation of the Yunnan dialect animation "Happy Montage" and its "showy corn" segment. He couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

How many beatings would these new recruits get when they returned!

Damn it, in his previous life, Steel Seventh Company didn't have many vice-squad leaders, only one or two in his memory. This time... why did it feel like a fantasy novel?

Before the protagonist became a half-step great cultivator, half-step great cultivators were scarce across the entire continent. Once the protagonist leveled up, half-step great cultivators became as common as dogs?

I'm Fang Huai, not Fang Ping, damn it!