Hao Chengbin could roughly guess that Fang Huai wanted him to bring along a protective talisman and borrow someone else's prestige.
But he flatly refused.
"No. With his physical fitness and connections, if he gets assigned to a unit, he'll have to go to headquarters. He can't possibly stay in a grassroots company, much less Special Services. You're harming him. Recruiting a new soldier like that would be harming Special Services too."
But Fang Huai said with certainty, "Squad Leader, as long as you put Han Yong's name forward, leave the rest to me. I guarantee that once you leave the New Recruit Regiment, you'll be able to go to Special Services."
Hao Chengbin shook his head. "What exactly do you mean? Explain yourself."
With Fang Huai arranging things for him like this, where would that leave his dignity as squad leader?
Did Fang Huai understand anything about human relationships?
But thinking that Fang Huai genuinely cared about him, Hao Chengbin was rather touched as well.
Fang Huai scratched his head and could only say, "Squad Leader, put it this way. Han Yong's family sent him here to toughen him up. If he doesn't go to Special Services, he won't go to headquarters either. He'll probably end up in some smaller grassroots company. He knows that himself too, and we've talked about it."
"Oh... then his family has the right idea! If he doesn't suffer a little, what kind of soldier would he be?" Hao Chengbin nodded.
Fang Huai continued, "I'll talk him into it and tell him that following you and me won't be a loss. Do you think he'd be willing to go?
Then I'll have him call home during the New Year and say that you've taken good care of him, that you're heading to Provincial Capital Special Services and are willing to take him along, train him well, and look after him. His family runs a business; would they not understand this much about human relationships?
Then when his family puts in a word with President Luo, wouldn't they mention your name too?
As long as President Luo mentions your name when arranging things below, you were already supposed to be transferred anyway. Who could stop you?
And even if, worst-case scenario, they don't mention you and you don't get transferred, I'll stay with him and have him call home again, asking his family to help inquire about it. Wouldn't that settle it? By then, you'd be a soldier personally mentioned by President Luo. You'd count as someone with connections too."
Hao Chengbin was utterly stunned.
This kid had planned it out pretty thoroughly.
The veterans all felt ashamed to bring up the subject of "using connections," yet from Fang Huai's mouth, it seemed to carry no psychological burden at all. He was even quite adept at it.
Then Hao Chengbin recalled how Fang Huai had always seemed to look after Han Yong. Could it be that he had long been planning to coax Han Yong into "lending" him his connections?
Hao Chengbin's expression turned serious.
"Fang Huai, I always thought you had received proper ideological education. How could you think like this?
These social schemes aren't good things! Stop messing around with crooked tricks all day!
If you keep thinking this way, you'll be finished!"
Fang Huai chuckled, his presence no weaker as he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Squad Leader, what you're saying is a grand principle, not a way of getting things done. Do you think the older generation never used this or that connection to get things accomplished?
When Old Chiang's troops persuaded people to surrender, which ones didn't start with connections?
The study of connections is a discipline!
Weren't you supposed to be transferred anyway? As long as the result is good and the process doesn't violate regulations, it's fine! At most, you're asking someone to help collect a debt. As long as there's no kickback involved, it isn't illegal!
And is taking bullying without making a sound supposed to be some fine tradition? That's not how it works, right?
And why can't Han Yong do it? He's incredibly strong and has explosive power too. His endurance is just poor, but he can absolutely be trained into a good soldier. Besides, following a squad leader like you, he can receive an ideological cleansing too. Later, when he enters society and becomes an entrepreneur, wouldn't he be able to benefit society as well?
Since the outcome is good, why care about a few minor tactics?
If you really find it troublesome, leave Han Yong to me. I'll train him."
"No, thinking like that is definitely wrong. Fang Huai, you need to watch your thinking. Bottom lines cannot be crossed!" Hao Chengbin insisted.
Fang Huai smiled. "Squad Leader, how can a bottom line be defined by human nature? Human nature has highs and lows. Bottom lines are defined by the law."
Hao Chengbin thought for a long while but could not find suitable words to refute him.
If they had been discussing military rules, Hao Chengbin could easily have pulled out plenty of regulations to argue back. But they were talking about life.
In this clash of values, Hao Chengbin lost this round.
Why did Fang Huai know he had won?
Because the mission was complete.
The system text had already appeared.
Mission complete. Please select your reward. 1. Memory lv1 2. Lung Enhancement 3. Slight Leg Strength Improvement
It was time to agonize again.
In the first week, he had received three rewards from ten missions. In the second week, there were only two.
Fang Huai felt that this might be a system designed to train "social skills," because aside from that special mission involving smoking, every mission trigger had something to do with other people.
This was not a proper system.
Making a guess, if he went a long time without receiving a mission, then the only way to increase the odds of getting one was to broaden his social circle.
There were still plenty of missions in the regiment that had not been triggered.
Lung Enhancement would definitely improve long-distance running. At least long runs would no longer feel so miserable, while Leg Enhancement would improve all kinds of running.
He was a lazy person. Choosing an improvement to his lungs or legs would undoubtedly reduce much of the suffering he had to endure.
If life became too comfortable, his motivation to actively seek missions would decline.
Comfort or initiative—which should he choose?
Heh, I choose comfort.
3.
Fuck, here it came again. Again.
Choose an internal organ! Choose 2!
In an instant, Fang Huai felt a violent storm surge through him, a fierce force rushing into his lungs.
Even breathing became difficult.
He felt so awful that he wanted to say something, but he could not open his mouth and could only gasp for air.
Damn, this enhancement felt like they hadn't given him anesthesia!
For the first time, Fang Huai felt the system's subjective will so intensely.
This system would not let him slack off!
Across from him, Hao Chengbin was still leaning against the wall, staring out the corridor window as he contemplated life. He had not noticed Fang Huai's abnormal state at all.
"Mm... what you said... makes some sense."
"Sometimes, people can't be too weak either... letting others do whatever they want..."
"Squad Leader got some things wrong, but doing it this way, isn't it a little too... huh? What do you think, Fang Huai?"
Think my ass!
Brother, I'm begging for help!
By the time Hao Chengbin finished sighing over life and turned his head, Fang Huai had already curled up like a cooked shrimp.
"Fuck! What's wrong with you?
Why are you... hurting somewhere again?"
"No... lie down, lie down." Fang Huai clutched his stomach and painfully forced out a few words.
This was definitely Fang Huai's most agonizing enhancement. It tormented him for more than ten minutes, and he clearly experienced how an enhancement gradually went from intense to weak.
Hao Chengbin stood beside Fang Huai's bed, rubbing his head with a frown.
"Damn, Fang Huai, the reexamination is tomorrow. Nothing's going to happen, right?"
Fang Huai waved his hand. "It's fine... definitely fine. Maybe I ate something bad."
Hao Chengbin immediately said, "Bullshit. The place you were holding just now was your chest cavity. The lungs are on both sides of the chest, and the heart is in the middle! They're important! Don't think it's some minor problem! Tomorrow, go to the military hospital and have the doctor examine you properly!"
"Squad Leader, if Fang Huai gets discharged, can we choose a new Assistant Squad Leader?" Yue Tao saw that Squad Leader Hao had become talkative again and came over with his hands behind his back, looking to get scolded.
Hao Chengbin was about to kick him when Fang Huai reached out and grabbed him.
"Squad Leader, can I deal with him myself?"
Hao Chengbin turned around, saw the smile on Fang Huai's face, and smiled too as he put on a thoughtful expression.
After a while, he said, "Mm... don't beat him crippled. It'd be hard to explain."
Yue Tao's eyes widened, and he turned to flee through the door.
Fang Huai shouted, "Stop him!"
Chen Zhongqiang, who had been standing by the door drinking water, shifted sideways and blocked Yue Tao's path.
"Chen Zhongqiang, we're fellow townsmen!!"
As Yue Tao howled, Fang Huai had already taken off his jacket and, with lightning speed, pulled it over Yue Tao's head. He let out a roar.
"Settle old scores, or get a free beating if there aren't any!"
A flurry of noise immediately erupted in the room. Even Peng Yingqirui came over and smacked Yue Tao twice on the forehead.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Yue Tao had inherited Peng Yingqirui's ow-ow-howling mantle.
A few seconds later, a sharp dark head poked out from under the jacket, his face full of resentment.
Han Yong had been the slowest to move and had only just reached him, still holding out a hand.
Han Yong was awkward. He had already struck the pose; if he said he had not hit Yue Tao, no one would believe him!
Since he was already here.
Smack.
Han Yong openly made his move, and Yue Tao took another hit on the top of his head.
Yue Tao's eyes went wide as brass bells as he rubbed his head.
Han Yong coughed. "They all hit you. It wouldn't have been appropriate if I didn't."
"Hahahahaha..."
The entire squad erupted into the long-missed sound of laughter.
A dark-skinned head and a chubby pale boy chased and tussled in the cramped space. Everyone watched with laughter, finding some of the innocent joy from their school days. Even Hao Chengbin laughed, his smile filled with nostalgia.
It was just a pity that back then, the stacks of books had been too high and they had slept too soundly, blocking out both the sunset and the good times that would never return.
Fortunately, it was not too late to start cherishing things now.
The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago. The next best time was now.
The next day.
Outside 925 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.
"Fried dough balls! Sweet and crispy fried dough balls!"
A pushcart carrying a tireless advertising loudspeaker passed in front of the new recruits.
Thin and crisp with golden edges, coated in white sesame seeds, the beautifully round fried dough balls drew the hungry gazes of most of the refugee-like recruits.
"Grrr..."
Han Yong's stomach growled right on cue. Fang Huai explained with a teasing smile.
"Fried dough balls is what they call them in Zunyi. Locally, they should be called sugar sesame balls. They're hollow glutinous rice inside, and when you bite into one, they're fucking crispy. You'll remember how good they are after eating them once."
After saying that, he pointed at another pushcart nearby, where the fragrant scent of chili oil drifted over.
"That one is called love tofu fruit. The outside is fried tofu, and inside are chili peppers and houttuynia. It's a representative spicy snack. There's Changwang noodles, Huaxi beef noodles, tofu pudding noodles..."
"Grrr..."
Another rumbling growl sounded, long and drawn out.
Han Yong was nearly starving to the point that his eyes had turned red. With a mournful face, he said, "Brother, I didn't eat dinner yesterday afternoon... stop talking..."
Fang Huai said with a chuckle, "Want to stay in the provincial capital?"
"What, do you have connections..." Han Yong asked weakly.
"You do! Want to come with me to the Special Services Team, make a name for yourself, and earn two Third Class Merits before going home?" Fang Huai asked temptingly.
"Forget it. If I go, I'll just be a gatekeeper. Even the Special Services Team's dogs would earn merit faster than me, right?"
Han Yong's body went limp, looking completely resigned.
But Fang Huai tirelessly continued, "Do you want to become a hero, or be the person applauding heroes?"
"Brother, I don't have the strength right now. I don't even want to clap."
This kid was hard to coax.
Helpless, Fang Huai could only pull a ten-yuan bill from his pocket, crumpled nearly into the size of a marble.
He slowly unfolded it and waved it in front of Han Yong.
"Come on, follow Brother Huai, eat eight meals a day. As long as you behave, when we get out, I'll use my last bit of money to treat you to a meal."
Han Yong's eyes had already begun to glow green.
"Okay, Brother!"
Before you continue