Be a Human After All

Fang Huai took a deep breath and once again firmly chose the human path.

Honestly, survival comes first.

Even if I get another heart attack, I can still live for more than ten years. It's better to be human.

And it's more convenient for continuing the family line. I don't want to end up with some ox-human family, which wouldn't be good, and my parents wouldn't accept it either.

[Human Enhancement Path is binding…]

[Generating rewards…]

[Please choose your reward.]

[1. Folded Military Quilt Lv1 (Skill Description: You know it)]

[2. Slight Lumbar Strength Enhancement (Strength increased, simultaneously enhancing the upper limit of strength per unit of muscle)]

[3. Heart Enhancement]

This time, it's somewhat reliable.

Fang Huai was rather weak when it came to the Folded Military Quilt skill. After so many years away from military life, he had probably regressed, but wasting such a precious reward opportunity to learn it felt a bit absurd.

Moreover, even with the best techniques, outside quilts couldn't be folded like military ones. Military quilts were so neat and rigid because they had to have lines drawn on them, the edges pressed down with a small stool, and then slowly rubbed and smoothed by hand. Once you rubbed them enough, they would obey you.

Some old soldiers called this process "flirting."

If conditions allowed, you even had to take it apart, use the quilt cover to press and secure the edges of the inner mattress, and then sew it back up. This way, the inner mattress wouldn't shift around when folding.

This was called "training."

They all say folding is three parts, finishing is seven, but before that, the quilt had to be polished properly. It was easiest to fold your own quilt; you knew exactly where every line was.

Heart Enhancement… definitely had to get it, but no need to rush.

Later. First, let's feel the strength enhancement. See if I can become Superman.

Fang Huai stayed true to his original intention. Don't look too far ahead.

New recruits can swing on the horizontal bar; good waist strength means winning half the battle.

Push-ups would also last longer. New recruit life would be much easier, and a good waist… hehe.

He was only 19 years old now, his heart was definitely fine. The heart attacks in his previous life weren't hereditary; they were purely caused by insomnia and long-term staying up late. Fang Huai could even remember experiencing angina symptoms after three consecutive days of overtime and sleeplessness.

His parents were dead, his life was a mess, and as he got older, various ailments started to appear.

He only completed three tasks in one day, so he had quite a few reward opportunities, right?

With a thought, Fang Huai chose the lumbar strength enhancement.

Fang Huai twisted his waist.

The change didn't feel significant, not even as noticeable as the physical examination just now.

He lifted his shirt to look; the small patch of fat on his stomach was still there.

He couldn't see any abs even when he stretched out.

Was it really just "slight"?

System, my friend?

The unresponsive attitude seemed to tell him: there's no after-sales service for this.

Fang Huai was a bit troubled now. Was this system a bit weak?

But the other evolutionary paths it offered him didn't seem weak at all!

They were definitely beyond human limits!

But at this moment, it didn't seem to have any amazing functions. Just something like folding a quilt, which didn't even have a cooldown, what kind of skill was that?

Money matters… I probably still have to deal with that.

After all… I still have some knowledge from being reborn.

Fang Huai stood up with a stomach full of worries, glanced at the Second Lieutenant, and smoothly poured the half-bowl of noodles, which were truly difficult to swallow, into the nearby slop bucket.

Cao Peng, sitting across the large round table, stared wide-eyed. Seeing Fang Huai return and sit down, then looking at the Second Lieutenant waiting for them to finish their noodles at a side table, he whispered in disbelief, "You poured away the noodles that the commander personally cooked for you?"

The other new recruits, who were somewhat tipsy from eating noodles, also looked up at him.

Fang Huai wiped his mouth and nodded generously, "Yeah, it wasn't tasty. They didn't force you to eat it, so if you don't want to eat it, don't."

Saying that, he turned to the Second Lieutenant and asked, "Commander, can I pour it out if I can't finish it?"

The Second Lieutenant smiled sheepishly and nodded, "The cafeteria staff aren't here tonight, and I'm not very good at cooking. Pour it out if you don't want to eat it."

Everyone else got up one after another and lined up to pour out their noodles.

It was truly, utterly disgusting. Not only was there little seasoning, but some of it wasn't even cooked through. Even pigs would be picky about these noodles.

Cao Peng, somewhat worried, pulled him aside and whispered, "This… they won't report us, will they? I heard that not eating properly in the military gets you in trouble."

Fang Huai smiled and said in a low voice, "The Second Lieutenant has checked his phone and watch several times. They're probably just base cadres. This is an office, and they operate on a standard workday here. If we weren't here, they would have already gotten off work."

You guys are dawdling here, can't eat, can't throw it away, and can't say anything. You're wasting their rest time, and what if their girlfriends are waiting outside!"

Cao Peng turned his head and indeed saw the Second Lieutenant standing up with a clear smile, already taking out his phone to reply to messages.

"Holy crap, you're amazing!"

Actually, Fang Huai had one more thing to say.

The fact that the officer led a group of new recruits with big bags and small bags to get food in a hurry, without even waiting for them to put down their bags and check them, already showed how urgent it was.

"Your squad leader will teach you. Besides training, how to conduct yourselves is also very important in the military."

After Fang Huai said this with an air of calm composure, he stood by the table, taking the first position, and turned back to shout loudly.

"Line up!"

The ten new recruits quickly formed a line behind him.

The Second Lieutenant patted Fang Huai with satisfaction.

"Target: New Recruit Building. Quick march, go!"

Downstairs at the New Recruit Building.

"Fifth Company, Xu Xinliang!"

"Here!"

"Zhang Ke!"

"Here!"

"Step out and follow Squad Leader Chen."

After the Second Lieutenant finished calling out the last two names on the roster, the six non-commissioned officers each took one or two new recruits.

"You're dismissed."

Fang Huai was the only one from the Seventh Company.

A strange Corporal, who didn't introduce himself, proactively helped take Fang Huai's bag.

The moment the Corporal took the bag, he weighed it with some surprise and then looked at Fang Huai's hands, seeing nothing else.

"You didn't bring anything?"

"Reporting, Squad Leader. I brought the overcoat, socks and shoes issued by the People's Armed Forces Department, as well as a towel, a water cup, and a shirt."

"Nothing else?"

Fang Huai somewhat honestly opened his camouflage jacket, revealing a gray collar. "And a set of thermal underwear."

The Corporal chuckled, "No wonder your Squad Leader Hao thinks highly of you."

As he spoke, he also observed Fang Huai's expression, curious about their relationship.

Fang Huai smiled shyly, "Thank you, Squad Leader."

Squad leaders hated it when new recruits talked too much, but they also feared when new recruits said nothing. The former was too energetic, and the latter too neurotic. Fang Huai struck the right balance.

The Corporal nodded again and led him upstairs.

The sounds of "Squad Leader" and "Reporting" echoing from within the building gradually stirred up memories.

Two years in the headquarters, nearly three years in the grassroots squadron.

Over 700 dispatches, but no commendations.

When he was about to retire in his fifth year, he was awarded a third-class merit, more as an encouragement.

In his previous life, his uncle transferred him from the squadron to the training base headquarters to take the military academy exam. His academic scores weren't high enough, and as a civilian candidate, he didn't get in. His uncle passed away, leaving him as a non-commissioned officer. He tried to qualify as a squad leader and backbone cadre, but failed due to his physical fitness. He returned to the squadron, focusing on recording his dispatch numbers, hoping his five years in the military wouldn't be in vain.

His internal affairs, skills, and physical fitness were all mediocre. In a squadron of over a dozen people, with three squads, he never even became a deputy squad leader by his fifth year. He was the epitome of a failure.

Failure has inertia. For the next decade and more, he spiraled uncontrollably. He learned a lot about human relationships and social dynamics, firmly believing that his life's failures were due to "others having connections, while I only had my back," and he never learned any real skills. He could spend an entire afternoon brainwashing young newcomers at the company with his excuses about blaming society.

His skill tree was almost entirely focused on his mouth.

He knew the truth of his failure, and he had once struggled to break free from the cycle of failure, but the pit of being a "rotten person" was so addictive, so rotten that he couldn't pull himself out.

When those new recruits were discussing on the train earlier, he had also thought about it. He didn't like watching "Soldiers Sortie," he preferred "My Chief and My Regiment," because every different stage of his life found a shadow in that TV series.

At first, he was like Meng Fanli, who lost a leg and cursed his way to 25. Later, he was like Milong, content with a wife, children, and a warm hearth. Finally, he was like Kang Ya, searching for hope in a mirror made of bayonets before his death.

He wanted to be Chief Long, but the reality was that he wasn't even as good as Long's dog, Gou Rou.

At least Gou Rou had followed the right big brother/leader.

This was another complaint.

The inertia of a rotten old man.

From here, I'll start again.

"Knock knock."

"Report!"

The corporal leading the way knocked on the door and then looked back at him.

Fang Huai knew in his heart that this was to set an example for him; the corporal had a bit of a soft spot for talent.

"Enter."

Fang Huai followed him into the office and found that Hao Chengbin wasn't there, only a Second Lieutenant, a Captain, and three corporals.

His former squad leader, Xiang Zhiyuan, was also there. He glanced at Fang Huai as he entered but didn't speak, his expression seemingly displeased.

"Greetings, superiors! Greetings, squad leader!" Fang Huai found a spot by the wall that didn't block the door and stood at attention, calling out in a clear voice.

Wang Jian, seeing no one behind him, casually gestured with his chopsticks.

"Sit, have something to eat."

"Report, superiors, I've already eaten!"

Wang Jian nodded, realizing this was an easygoing person. He smiled and pointed to an empty stool. "Alright, then sit here and wait a bit. Your squad leader Hao went to Regimental Headquarters."

Fang Huai shifted slightly, indicating he'd heard, but didn't sit.

Regimental Headquarters was on the third floor. Hao Chengbin was probably going to find Old Hei.

No one here knew the situation at the Base better than he did; he had been stationed here for two years.

This was a full regimental unit. Every winter, they would pull in junior non-commissioned officers and officers from various cities and counties for about ten days of intensive training, and then they would begin training new recruits.

Starting in the spring, once the new recruits were assigned to their companies, it was all about various types of fire safety training for local enterprises, as well as hosting provincial firefighting competitions.

The leaders of the new recruit regiment's headquarters were concurrently held by leaders from the Base. His uncle had also served as a principal leader at the Base before being transferred to the Provincial City Detachment as a deputy detachment commander.

The Provincial City Detachment had a high-level deputy division commander position, and a deputy detachment commander at the full regimental level.

"Are you and Squad Leader Hao very familiar?" Xiang Zhiyuan suddenly spoke, with two fish bones still at the corner of his mouth.

His eyebrows were thick, and when he spoke, they bobbed like Shin-chan's.

"Report, squad leader, Squad Leader Hao brought us here! We didn't know each other before!"

"Sports school student?"

"Report, squad leader, a regular high school science student!"

"Any special talents?"

"Report, squad leader… none!"

"Any artistic talents? Do you have any?"

"Report, squad leader… I can play a little guitar, but not very well."

Xiang Zhiyuan put down his chopsticks and looked at him, his expression calm.

"Then why did Squad Leader Hao want to take you from our squad? Did you ask for it yourself?"

Fang Huai's heart tightened.

It's over. I've offended someone.

His great-grandfather's story wouldn't work anymore. If he said he was following the old squad leader to learn things, wouldn't these three corporals in the office make his life hell later?

"...Report, squad leader, my grandfather is from Jiangxi... Squad Leader Hao's accent is very familiar, so... I chatted with Squad Leader Hao for a while."

Fang Huai gritted his teeth and changed his grandfather's birthplace from Jiangjin to Jiangxi.

Everyone understood.

When fellow countrymen meet, tears flow. Since Hao Chengbin wanted to look after a fellow countryman, they couldn't say much.

Wang Jian stood up. "Alright, put down your backpack and things. Wait outside the door for a bit."

"Yes!"

Fang Huai placed his backpack on the stool, put his only contraband, his phone, on the table, and his camouflage bag on the ground. He walked out the door to await inspection.

It took quite a while. It seemed they were also a bit uneasy about Fang Huai's adaptable mind, which was good at building connections, and thoroughly checked if he had anything smuggled.

"Why are you standing here?" Hao Chengbin walked over with two pages of paper from the other end of the corridor.

"Squad leader, inside... they're inspecting." Fang Huai whispered.

"Oh." Hao Chengbin pushed the door open and went inside.

Less than two minutes later, he came out carrying Fang Huai's camouflage bag and backpack.

Of course, the phone was gone. Hao Chengbin didn't offer any explanation, likely feeling that someone from his family would surely understand.

"You don't have enough things. Go back to the squad and rest. I'll go buy you some things."

Hao Chengbin said as he led him into the squad.

Squad Nine was actually diagonally opposite the company headquarters, just two steps away.

As Hao Chengbin pushed open the door and turned on the light, the two people inside immediately sat up.

On the upper bunk on the left side, near the door, was someone slightly overweight with a face full of acne, still groggy with sleep.

On the lower bunk on the right side, by the door, was someone with a flat, round head, dark-skinned, and an unnatural expression. After a two-second pause, he pulled his quilt up higher.

Fang Huai glanced at the half-used pack of tissues on the upper bunk and let out a half-chuckle, quickly stifling it.

Hao Chengbin, accustomed to the scene, walked in. As he passed the bed, he kicked the frame hard.

"CLANG!"

The entire bed shook. Fang Huai, suppressing a smile, couldn't help but wonder if this startled brother would have trouble later.

The squad room wasn't large. Against the wall by the entrance was a desk. Three bunk beds stood vertically on the left, two on the right, and one horizontally at the very back, with upper and lower bunks.

The "squad room" was the dormitory, and usually, if there was nothing else going on, their activity space was confined to these ten-odd square meters.

Hao Chengbin placed his camouflage bag on the upper bunk of the horizontal bed at the back. He turned and asked him, "Fang Huai, you got here early. Pick a bed."

"I'll take this one, Squad Leader," Fang Huai said, pointing to the bed in front of Hao Chengbin.

Hao Chengbin casually placed his backpack on the lower bunk and turned to him. "Those two are from Fujian and arrived two days before you. You guys can chat and introduce yourselves. I'll go buy you some toiletries."

Fang Huai's expression turned troubled. "Squad Leader, I don't have any money..."

"I know. You can pay me back when you get your allowance," Hao Chengbin said, waving his hand, and left the room.

The room fell into silence.

The person on the lower right bunk, with the pointed head, stared at the door, his eyes still wide with shock. He fumbled under the covers, his gaze darting around as if confirming whether his life was still intact.

The little fatty on the upper left bunk watched as the other person's eyes gradually cleared, a flicker of hope beginning to build.

"Bro... got a smoke on you?"