System Startup

Hao Chengbin felt a surge of respect.

The War of Resistance, the Construction Corps.

"My father was a hero, and his son is a brave man!"

Now they've sent their children to become soldiers again. This is the true spirit of the military passed down through generations!

In Hao Chengbin's eyes, Fang Huai instantly transformed into a recruit he absolutely had to shape carefully.

He couldn't let down the hopes of such a family!

"Hmm, hearing you say that, you were sent by your family. Do you want to be a soldier yourself?"

"Yes!" Fang Huai's eyes immediately lit up.

"Squad Leader, when I was little, I always heard my dad tell stories about him and my great-great-grandfather! He also said that nowadays there's no war, and while firefighting doesn't involve guns, there is combat. He wants me to bring back two military decorations to show my great-great-grandfather at his grave."

He just didn't know if the second great-uncle, who wasn't in the same branch, would even recognize the military decorations if he brought them back.

Fang Huai's heartfelt performance completely outshone industry big shots, driven by filial piety that was thunderous.

What a good kid!

Hao Chengbin was in his tenth year of service, only 28 years old, technically 29, actually 30. Facing the simple, unadorned gaze of a young man who was genuinely thirty-five internally, he felt a wave of emotion.

He hadn't expected to hear such a touching story while picking up these veteran soldiers.

Right, Chongqing. Back then it was part of Sichuan, the Sichuan Army, the brave soldiers who marched out of Sichuan!

The Sichuan Army... Hao Chengbin only had a junior high education and had no idea that the Sichuan Army back then was made up of warlord troops.

And Fang Huai's second great-uncle was conscripted and died at only 16 years old. It was said that before he left, he cried and begged for a wife; where was all this sentimentality coming from?

It was all "the benefits of the era."

"Alright, when you get to the unit, I'll have a word with your squad leader. I'll train you well, and I'll definitely make sure you bring home a military decoration!" Hao Chengbin said, patting Fang Huai's shoulder.

"Eat your noodles, eat your noodles. Buy another bowl if you're still hungry."

With five years of military service and over a decade of life experience, Fang Huai felt his emotions were perfectly set.

"Squad Leader, do you lead soldiers?" Fang Huai opened his instant noodles, blew on them like he was drinking tea, and observed Hao Chengbin through the rising steam.

"Yes, I do. You'll see me often on the training grounds. You can tell me if anything comes up... By the way, what's your name?"

"Fang Huai. Fang like 'fang fang zheng zheng' (upright and honest), Huai like the Huaihai Campaign. My dad explained my name like that."

"Oh..." Hao Chengbin nodded.

"Your great-grandfather died in the Huaihai Campaign, didn't he?"

"Mhm, that's what my dad said." Fang Huai nodded immediately.

Actually, Fang Huai's original name was Fang Shuhuai. He was the fifteenth generation of the Fang family in Ziyang, Sichuan, from the "Shu" generation. "Huai" meant clear stream, and also implied strength and courage. Later, Zhang Mei felt the name was too feminine, always thinking "Shu" sounded like "Shu" (virtuous), which she often used when naming girls, so she forcefully removed the "Shu" character from their generation name on the household registration.

Later, when Fang Huai failed his college entrance exams, Fang Kaiyang often nagged Zhang Mei: "Without the 'Shu' character, how can he study well?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Fang Huai, seizing the opportunity, blamed his college entrance exam failure on feng shui. Zhang Mei was so angry that she wanted Fang Huai to change his name to Fang Qinghua and retake the exam for a year.

"Hmm... do well in the army, and don't let your family down." Hao Chengbin said this while quickly finishing his soup.

Fang Huai felt a bit anxious.

"Ahem, Squad Leader, my dad said I need to learn from veteran squad leaders like you to gain real skills... Can I join your squad in the new recruit training corps?"

Hao Chengbin was taken aback.

"My way of leading soldiers is different from other squad leaders; I'm very strict."

Fang Huai almost snorted with laughter.

Other squad leaders weren't just strict; they were also incredibly stingy and utterly beastly.

"I'm not afraid of hardship, I just want a strict veteran squad leader!" Fang Huai wanted the train to quickly pass through a tunnel so he could show Hao Chengbin the wolf-like glint in his eyes.

"Ah... your squads have already been assigned. You're probably not in the same company as me. The new recruit training corps has many companies..."

"Heh, it's okay, Squad Leader. I understand. It was my fault for putting you in a difficult position." Fang Huai interjected quickly, then showed a simple, honest smile of a country boy.

A hint of disappointment was mixed within.

It wasn't hard to learn; many fools on Kuaishou smiled like that when selling products.

Hao Chengbin sighed.

"How about this, if you get assigned to my company, I'll give it a try."

"Okay, Squad Leader, it's a deal!"

Back at their seats, the group had stopped playing cards and were discussing "Soldiers Sortie."

Some wanted to be Xu Sanduo, others thought Old A was incredibly cool, Squad Leader Gao Cheng, Squad Leader Shi, Wu Liuyi...

It seemed like everyone who came on this trip was here for a large-scale cosplay.

In the following years, new military-themed dramas were released annually, including "The Regimental Commander" and the "Special Forces" series, which stirred up patriotic fervor in many. People would throw off their blankets, deeming their parents' allowances insufficient, and aspire to become heroes.

The reality, however, was that they all ended up in "Story of the Mess Hall."

"Hey, 'Soldiers Sortie,' which one do you like?" the brother who had been about to give him food earlier nudged him.

Fang Huai, having completed his mission, had some leisure time. He let out a satisfied burp, feeling something was missing, and held up two fingers.

"Got a smoke?"

The brother's eyebrows twitched, a look of quick understanding on his face.

"Let's go, up front."

Fang Huai sat up straighter and, glancing at Hao Chengbin, who seemed to be dozing off ahead, whispered, "Let's smoke in the back."

The two of them went to the side of the vendor in the back carriage and lit up, puffing away.

"Hey, you still haven't said, which one do you like?"

"Me? 'Soldiers Sortie'... I like Li Meng."

"Li Meng?"

"Yeah, the one from the Fifth Squad on the grassland." Fang Huai, having been modified by the System, remembered his past life vividly. He mimicked Li Meng, putting one hand in his pocket and holding a cigarette reversed in the other, exuding a general's aura.

"I want to write a novel. I want to write a novel about life, calmly and steadily, a novel of three million characters."

"Hmph, what's so great about Li Meng? He's a loser."

"You don't understand. That kind of position in the Fifth Squad on the grassland isn't given; you have to fight for it."

Fang Huai patted the brother's shoulder, his eyes obscured by smoke, looking seasoned beyond his years.

The vendor sister, who had just watched Fang Huai meekly eat instant noodles there, couldn't help but gasp when she saw him return less than ten minutes later, a cigarette dangling from his lips, pontificating with great authority.

Her scalp tingled.

No wonder her ten-year-old son could manipulate her with all sorts of tutoring fees and material costs. Kids nowadays are as cunning as a honeycomb!

They got off the train at 8 PM. The brother beside him, named Cao Peng, was completely won over by his vast knowledge and even revealed his background: he was the nephew of the Cao detachment leader from Liupanshui.

He also shared secrets like how Cao detachment leader's wife was introduced by his mother, and how Cao detachment leader almost couldn't find a wife because he was ugly and short in the past.

A filial son chosen by fate.

Even the Cao detachment leader would have wanted to disown him upon hearing that.

Transfer.

It was still the new model Yaxing air-conditioned bus. Arriving in Guiyang after getting off the train, they felt truly welcomed. The PLA soldiers and internal security personnel, who had previously looked down on the fire department for not issuing guns, saw the distinctive bus standing out from the crowd. Because it was so warm inside, the windows were fogged up. Then they looked at the military open-top trucks that came to pick them up, which were exactly the same as when they departed, and felt a pang of envy.

The firefighters stood up, heads held high.

The fire department is great.

Everything before entering the military was warm. The leading cadre, Liu Mangong, even taught them to sing "Unity is Strength" on the bus.

Everyone was excited and sang all the way to the training base.

Fang Huai knew why they were taught the song: they would need it for lunch the next day.

They got off the bus, cheering excitedly.

Next to the training base gate, there was a retail store, and it wasn't too late; the lights were still on.

"This little shop is so basic... it doesn't even seem to have a freezer."

"My gosh, can't you see that huge freezer?"

"It's a bit small, but it should be enough to buy daily necessities."

Everyone expressed varying degrees of disdain for the retail store. Fang Huai almost rolled his eyes.

This place would later become a paradise unattainable for all the newcomers in the recruit corps.

Liu Mangong went into the compound, gave some instructions to Hao Chengbin, and left.

Hao Chengbin made a phone call, responding with "Mm-hmm" a couple of times.

A moment later, a second lieutenant arrived. His insignia only had 5 bars. He nodded to Hao Chengbin and walked to the front of the formation.

"Comrades, I'll take you to the mess hall for dinner first."

Training Base, New Recruit Building, 4th Floor.

Company Headquarters Office.

As Hao Chengbin opened the door, the aroma of grilled fish wafted out.

"Old Hao, you're back?"

A black, thin lieutenant with small eyes looked up and smiled from beside the plate of grilled fish.

Across from him was another lieutenant. Sitting by the computer were two first-class sergeants, pointing and talking at the screen.

"Damn, Wang Lian, is this your last hurrah!"

Hao Chengbin placed his dress uniform cap on the table by the door and walked over to the metal bunk bed against the wall, sitting down and patting his head.

Wang Jian, who was thin, dark, and had small eyes, chuckled, his face a mass of wrinkles.

"Yeah, the second batch from Chongqing has arrived. Everyone should be here the day after tomorrow. If we don't eat well now, it'll be tough later!"

Hao Chengbin waved his hand dismissively.

"What are you afraid of? After the recruits turn in, if you want a late-night snack, just eat yours. Unless they call for an emergency assembly, the leaders are usually gone after 11."

The two officers exchanged glances. Wang Jian chuckled again, "This is my and Liang Zhidao's first time leading recruits. You're familiar with Yang Canmouzhang, so if anything comes up in the company, we'll be counting on you!"

"Old Hei is easy to talk to, just don't get caught by Regimental Commander Huang. The political commissar is a woman and usually doesn't come up. As for the staff officers in the regiment, as long as you maintain good relations with them, it's not a big problem. The most important thing is that the recruits can't get into trouble," Hao Chengbin said with a familiar air.

Then, he seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right. I just took a look. On this building, one of the aluminum pipes for the window railings on the stairs is bent. It's a safety hazard and needs to be reported for repair immediately. We can have them replace it with a steel pipe that can't be bent. That will save you a lot of trouble these next few months."

"Okay, I was afraid of something like this happening," Wang Jian said, earnestly taking out a notebook to record it.

"Hey? Why was this Jiang Peng assigned to our squad? Wang Lian, didn't I tell you not to assign anyone from Yunnan to our squad? I really can't understand the Yunnan dialect!"

The corporal by the computer exclaimed.

Wang Jian's politeness vanished from his face.

"Didn't I tell you? The regiment assigned him. If you can't stand it, go back to Henan and be a soldier!"

The corporal looked dejected. "It's not that I can't stand it, it's that I can't understand it! We have someone from Yunnan in our squadron, and he speaks that Yunnan Mandarin. I can only understand half of what he says in two sentences!"

Hao Chengbin got up and walked closer. The two corporals made some space for him.

Hao Chengbin leaned over to look at the computer and smiled, "What are you afraid of with this? People who have attended college might speak Mandarin better than you! 21 years old... not bad, old enough too. See if his personality is okay, you can cultivate him, make him a deputy squad leader... How about this, if you don't want him, I'll talk to Old Hei tomorrow and transfer him to our squad."

As soon as Hao Chengbin spoke, the corporal hesitated again. After a pause, he gritted his teeth, "Alright, Squad Leader Hao, you can take him. He's the same age as me, so it's not easy to train him."

The people in the room laughed.

Hao Chengbin pulled him aside, "Then move aside, let me see if there's anything to adjust. All the older ones will be moved to me. Later, we'll report them to the chief of staff together."

"Okay," the corporal readily moved away from the computer and sat down to eat grilled fish.

Hao Chengbin took the mouse smoothly and scrolled.

Suddenly, he saw something and was a bit stunned.

"Holy crap, he's actually in our company?"

Saying that, he turned to ask the corporal who had just spoken, "Sun Qiang, isn't Xiang Zhiyuan the squad leader of Second Squad?"

"Yeah, he went to buy cigarettes."

"...Tell him, we in Ninth Squad want this Fang Huai."

Fang Huai was eating noodles.

Noodles again.

But the taste was several grades below Braised Beef Noodles.

The cafeteria staff at the fire training base were all hired externally. Tonight, only a few of them from Chongqing had come, and they hadn't kept anyone back. The cadres who led them to eat personally cooked a large pot of noodles and gave them some simple salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

There was no sauce or topping.

Everyone had been chatting about how good the fire service benefits were. When they came in, it was like this:

(`)

When they saw the noodles, it was like this:

(°°)?

When eating the noodles, their inner thoughts were like this:

╭∩╮()╭∩╮

Fang Huai was also enduring it, forcing the noodles down his throat, when a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

[Mission Complete.]

[System is matching mission rewards...]

[First time receiving reward, you can choose a race again...]

Fang Huai gulped.

[Orc Path: You will gain Orc Primary Trait: Hardened Skin. (Description: Human skin does not conform to the laws of nature's evolution. Returning to the ancestral state, why not consider it an evolution.)]

[Vampire Path: You will gain Vampire Primary Trait: Sharp Teeth. (Description: Say goodbye to brushing your teeth from now on.)]

[Goblin Path: You will gain Goblin Primary Trait: Half Size. (Description: Dwarf inventor, a smaller body but a more developed brain.)]

[Human Direction: You have acquired all human characteristics.]

Fang Huai: ...

This system is either messing with him or playing Warcraft.

Or maybe both.

Orcs, vampires, goblins, giants… just giving him strength or talent would be one thing, but giving him characteristics first? How could he hide that?

If he couldn't join a new recruit regiment, they'd probably dissect him, right?

Human! Human!

Fang Huai instantly felt a warm current surge through his body, circulating.

[Cardiac function hidden danger detected.]

[Kidney function hidden danger detected.]

[Lung function hidden danger detected.]

[...]

[Recommend abandoning human characteristics.]

What the hell, you DJ.

It turns out people really shouldn't get physicals.

He was only 19 years old. He'd felt young and full of vitality when he'd been reborn that morning, but now he felt like he was about to kick the bucket.

(4000 words per chapter, gotta keep the word count down.)