System Activated

Hao Chengbin was filled with respect.

The War of Resistance, the Construction Corps.

A hero father raised a hero son!

And now they had sent their child to become a soldier. This was the military spirit passed down through generations!

In Hao Chengbin's eyes, Fang Huai instantly became a soldier who had to be carefully molded!

He could not betray the hopes of such a family!

"Mm, from what you're saying, your family sent you here. But do you want to be a soldier yourself?"

"I do!" Fang Huai's eyes immediately lit up.

"Squad Leader, when I was little, I always heard my dad talk about his stories with my great-grandfather! He said there wasn't any war now, but firefighting might not have guns, yet it still had battles. He wanted me to bring home two Military Medals and visit my great-grandfather's grave."

He just did not know whether, after bringing the medals back, his second great-grandfather, who had not even been in the same system, would recognize them.

Fang Huai's heartfelt performance absolutely crushed the industry veterans. His filial devotion was downright thunderous.

What a good kid!

Hao Chengbin had been in the army for ten years and was only twenty-eight—twenty-nine by Chinese reckoning, thirty by the old joke. Faced with the plain, guileless gaze of a youthful-looking man who was actually thirty-five inside, he was thoroughly taken in and felt rather emotional.

He had not expected that picking up this group of pampered recruits would let him hear such a touching story.

Right, Chongqing had belonged to Sichuan back then. That made them Sichuan troops too. Brave men marched out of Sichuan!

Sichuan troops... Hao Chengbin only had a middle school education and had no idea that the Sichuan troops back then had been warlord forces.

As for Fang Huai's second great-grandfather, he had been forcibly conscripted and was only sixteen when he died. Supposedly, before leaving, he cried and made a fuss about wanting a wife. What patriotic sentiment could he possibly have had?

It was all "the dividends of the era."

"Mm, once you get to the unit, I'll put in a good word with your squad leader. Train hard, and I'll definitely make sure you bring a Military Medal home!" Hao Chengbin said, patting Fang Huai on the shoulder.

"Eat your noodles, eat. If it's not enough, buy another bowl."

With five years in the military and more than a decade of struggling through society, Fang Huai felt that he had laid the emotional groundwork well enough.

"Squad Leader, do you train recruits?" Fang Huai opened his instant noodles and circled them with his breath as if blowing on tea, using the rising steam to observe Hao Chengbin.

"Mm, I do. You'll see me often on the training grounds later. If anything comes up, you can talk to me... Right, what's your name?"

"Fang Huai. Fang as in square and upright, Huai as in the Huaihai Campaign. That's how my dad explained my name."

"Oh..." Hao Chengbin nodded.

"Your great-grandfather died in the Huaihai Campaign, right?"

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

In truth, Fang Huai's original name had been Fang Shuhuai. He was from the fifteenth generation of the Fang family in Ziyang, Sichuan, of the Shu generation. "Huai" meant clear waters and also carried the connotations of strength and decisiveness. Later, Zhang Mei thought the name sounded feminine. She always felt that "Shu" sounded like "Shu," a character commonly used in girls' names back in her day, so she forcibly removed the generational character from his household registration.

Later, after Fang Huai failed the college entrance exam, Fang Kaiyang often nagged Zhang Mei, "Without the Shu character, how can he study well?"

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Fang Huai naturally dumped the blame for his college entrance exam failure on feng shui, angering Zhang Mei so much that she wanted to rename him Fang Tsinghua and make him repeat his final year.

"Mm... Work hard in the unit. Don't let down your family's expectations." By the time Hao Chengbin said that, he had already finished his noodles in a few quick motions and started drinking the broth.

Fang Huai grew a little anxious.

"Ahem, Squad Leader, my dad said I should learn more from veteran squad leaders like you if I want to gain real skills... Can I join your squad in the New Recruit Regiment?"

Hao Chengbin froze.

"I train recruits differently from the other squad leaders. I'm very strict."

Fang Huai nearly snickered.

The other squad leaders were not only strict, they were fucking stingy and fucking beasts.

"I'm not afraid of hardship. I just want a strict veteran squad leader!" Right then, Fang Huai wished the train would hurry through a tunnel so he could show Hao Chengbin the wolfish gleam in his eyes.

"Sigh... Your squads have already been assigned. You probably won't even be in the same company as me. The New Recruit Regiment has many companies..."

"Hehe, it's okay, Squad Leader. I understand. I was wrong to put you in a difficult position." Fang Huai cut in, then flashed the simple, honest smile of a country kid.

There was a trace of disappointment mixed into it.

It was not hard to learn. Plenty of idiots selling goods on Kuaishou smiled like that.

Hao Chengbin sighed.

"How about this? If you get assigned to the same company as me, I'll give it a try."

"Okay, Squad Leader. It's a deal!"

When he returned to his seat, the group had stopped playing cards and was discussing Soldiers Sortie.

Some wanted to be Xu Sanduo, while others thought Old A was especially cool—Gao Cheng, Company Commander Gao, Squad Leader Shi, Wu Liuyi...

It was as though everyone on this trip was headed for a massive cosplay event.

Over the next few years, new military dramas came out every year. There were also series like My Chief and My Regiment and Special Forces, getting countless people so fired up that they threw off their blankets, found the allowance their parents gave them for living like losers no longer appealing, and decided to become heroes.

Then they got there, and it was all fucking Story of the Mess Hall.

"Hey, in Soldiers Sortie, who do you like?" The guy who had been about to offer him food earlier raised his chin at him.

With his mission completed, Fang Huai finally had some leisure. He burped, feeling like something was missing, then held up two fingers and waved them.

"Got a cigarette?"

The guy's eyebrows twitched, and he looked sharp.

"Come on, up front."

Fang Huai sat upright and glanced at Hao Chengbin, who seemed to have started dozing off near the front. Then he whispered, "Smoke in the back."

The two went beside the sales counter in the rear carriage and began puffing away.

"Hey, you still haven't said it. Who do you like?"

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

"Li Meng?"

"Mm, the one from Fifth Squad on the grasslands." Thanks to the system's modifications, Fang Huai vividly remembered everything from before his rebirth. He imitated Li Meng, one hand in his pocket and the other held backward with a cigarette between his fingers, speaking with the air of a general.

"I want to write novels. Calmly and steadily write novels. I want to write a three-million-word novel about life."

"Tch, what's worth learning from Li Meng? He's a loser."

"You don't understand. A place like Fifth Squad on the grasslands isn't somewhere people get exiled to. You have to fight for it."

Fang Huai patted the guy on the shoulder, his eyes wreathed in smoke, looking thoroughly worldly-wise.

When the saleswoman, who had just watched Fang Huai meekly eat instant noodles there, discovered that less than ten minutes later he had returned with a cigarette in his mouth and was now holding forth with grand gestures, she could not help clicking her tongue.

Her scalp tingled.

No wonder her ten-year-old son could swindle her so thoroughly with all kinds of tutoring fees and study-material fees. Kids these days had more tricks than a honeycomb briquette!

When they got off the train, it was eight in the evening. The guy beside him, Cao Peng, had already been completely won over by Fang Huai's vast knowledge. He had even revealed his background: he was the nephew of Captain Cao from the Liupanshui Detachment.

He had also talked about secrets like how Captain Cao's wife had been introduced by his mother, and how Captain Cao had nearly failed to find a wife because he had been ugly and short.

A heaven-chosen filial son.

Captain Cao would want to disown him if he heard that.

They transferred vehicles.

It was another new Yaxing air-conditioned coach. The moment they got off the train in Guiyang, they were treated like honored guests. The People's Liberation Army and internal security recruits who had just looked down on firefighters for not being issued guns saw that outstanding bus, its windows fogged up from how warm it was inside. Then they looked at the drafty military cargo trucks that had come to pick them up, exactly like the ones at departure, and they could not help envying them from the bottom of their hearts.

The firefighting brothers stood tall and proud.

Firefighting was great.

Everything before entering the unit was warm and wonderful. Liu Mangong, the cadre leading them, even taught them the song "Unity Is Strength" on the bus.

Everyone was excited, singing all the way to the training base.

Fang Huai knew why they had been taught it. They would need it at lunch tomorrow.

When they got off the bus, they were howling with excitement.

There was a retail shop beside the entrance to the training base. It was not late, and the lights were still on inside.

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

"My ass, that huge freezer is right there. Can't you see it?"

"It is a little small, but it should be enough for buying daily necessities."

Everyone expressed varying degrees of disdain for the retail shop, and Fang Huai could barely resist rolling his eyes.

This place would later become an unattainable paradise for all the fresh recruits in the entire New Recruit Regiment.

After Liu Mangong entered the compound and gave Hao Chengbin a few instructions, he left.

Hao Chengbin made a phone call, grunted a couple of acknowledgments, and hung up.

After a while, a Second Lieutenant arrived. He only had five bars on his service ribbon. He nodded at Hao Chengbin, then walked before the formation.

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

New Recruit Building, Firefighting Training Base, fourth floor.

Company Headquarters Office.

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

"Old Hao, you're back?"

A dark, skinny captain with small eyes sitting beside the grilled fish tray looked up and smiled.

Across from him sat another captain, while two first-class sergeants sat beside a computer, pointing at the screen.

"Holy shit, Company Commander Wang, this is your last feast before the storm!"

Hao Chengbin placed his dress-uniform cap on the table by the door, walked over to the metal-framed bed against the wall, sat down, and rubbed his head.

The dark, skinny, small-eyed Wang Jian laughed, his face creasing all over.

"Yeah. The second group from Chongqing has arrived, and everyone should be here by the day after tomorrow. If we don't have a good meal now, it'll be hard to manage later!"

But Hao Chengbin waved it off with a careless expression.

"What are you afraid of? Once the recruits' lights are out, if you want a midnight snack, just eat. Unless there's an Emergency Assembly, the leaders are basically gone after eleven."

The two officers exchanged a glance. Wang Jian chuckled again. "Director Liang and I are both here to train recruits for the first time. You know Chief of Staff Yang well. If anything comes up in the company later, we'll be relying on you!"

"Old Hei is easygoing. Just don't let Commander Huang catch you. The political commissar is a woman, so she generally won't come up here. Keep good relations with the staff officers at regiment headquarters, and there shouldn't be much trouble. The main thing is that nothing can happen to the recruits." Hao Chengbin spoke with the familiarity of an old hand.

Then he remembered something else.

"Oh, I checked on the way up. One of the aluminum bars on the railing outside the stairwell window in our building is bent. It's a safety hazard, so report it for repairs immediately. Have them replace it with a steel bar while they're at it, one that people can't bend open. That'll save you a lot of trouble over the next few months."

"Alright. This is exactly the kind of thing we're afraid of." Wang Jian took out a notebook and recorded it with great seriousness.

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

The corporal in front of the computer shouted.

The politeness disappeared from Wang Jian's face.

"Didn't I already tell you? Regiment headquarters assigned him. If you can't stand it, then go back to Henan and enlist there!"

The corporal looked disgruntled. "It's not that I can't stand it. I can't understand it! We have a guy from Yunnan in our unit. When he speaks that Yunnan Mandarin, I can only understand half of every two sentences!"

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

Hao Chengbin leaned close to the computer screen, took a look, and smiled. "What are you worried about? He went to junior college. His Mandarin might be better than yours! Twenty-one... not bad, he's old enough too. If his personality checks out, he can be developed and made an Assistant Squad Leader... How about this? If you don't want him, I'll talk to Old Hei tomorrow and transfer him to our squad."

Once Hao Chengbin said that, the corporal hesitated again. After a long while, he gritted his teeth. "Fine, Squad Leader Hao. Take him. He's the same age as me, so he'll be hard to train."

Everyone in the room laughed.

Hao Chengbin tugged at him. "Then move aside. Let me see what needs adjusting. Send everyone who's too old over to me. Later, we'll report it to the Chief of Staff together."

"Fine." The corporal simply left the computer and sat down to eat grilled fish.

Hao Chengbin naturally took over the mouse and scrolled through the list.

Then he suddenly spotted something and froze.

"Fuck, he really is in our company?"

As he spoke, he turned to ask the corporal from earlier, "Sun Qiang, Xiang Zhiyuan is the squad leader of Second Squad, right?"

"Yeah, he went to buy cigarettes."

"...Tell him this: Ninth Squad wants Fang Huai."

Fang Huai was eating noodles.

Noodles again.

But they tasted several grades worse than braised beef noodles.

The cafeteria staff at the Firefighting Training Base were all outsourced. Tonight, only the Chongqing recruits had arrived, so they had not kept many workers on duty. The cadre who brought them to eat had personally stepped in and boiled a huge pot of noodles, then put out some simple salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

There was not even any topping or sauce.

After talking all the way about how good the firefighting benefits were, everyone had looked like this when they entered:

(`)

When they saw the noodles, they looked like this:

(°°)?

And while eating them, everyone felt like this inside:

╭∩╮()╭∩╮

Fang Huai had also been forcing the noodles down when a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Mission completed.

The system is matching the mission reward...

First reward obtained. You may reselect your race...

Orc path: You will gain the basic orc trait: Hardened Skin. (Description: Human skin does not conform to nature's laws of evolution. Atavism may not be a form of evolution.)

Vampire path: You will gain the basic vampire trait: Sharp Teeth. (Description: Say goodbye to brushing your teeth forever.)

Goblin path: You will gain the basic goblin trait: Half Size. (Description: A dwarf inventor—smaller body, but a more developed brain.)

...

Human direction: You have gained all human traits.

Fang Huai: ...

Either this system was screwing with him, or it was playing Warcraft.

Maybe both.

Orcs, vampires, goblins, giants... It would have been one thing if it just gave him strength or talents, but traits first? How was he supposed to hide that?

If I can't get out of the New Recruit Regiment, they'll have to drag me off for dissection, won't they?

Humans! Humans!

Fang Huai instantly felt a surge of heat coursing through his body.

A potential issue has been detected with heart function.

A potential issue has been detected with kidney function.

A potential issue has been detected with lung function.

Detected...

It is recommended that you abandon human traits.

Fuck you, DJ.

People really shouldn't get physical examinations.

He was only nineteen. When he had been reborn that morning, he'd felt young and full of vitality, but now that he looked again, he felt like he was about to croak.

(4,000 words per chapter. Need to keep the word count down.))))