Forcing Me to Improve!

It's not impossible.

"My specialty is using computer office software, and I enjoy basketball and soccer."

Fang Huai set aside his only talent, playing and singing guitar, and stated the practical.

Having too many scattered traits doesn't make for a memorable impression.

Hao Chengbin's eyes lit up: "Computer office software? How proficient are you?"

Basketball and soccer weren't uncommon, but knowing computers... that depended on how well. If he could handle clerical work, he'd be a treasure.

Just a few days ago, the company clerk had stayed up late every day organizing the digital files for new recruits, complaining bitterly. The company commander and political instructor had even held meetings, hoping for any non-commissioned officers who knew Word and Excel to help out.

As soon as the task was announced, the NCOs all became evasive, pretending ignorance: "Where's the power button for this computer?"

Let alone the fact that they only knew how to play CS and typed slowly, even if the clerk was willing to teach, no one wanted to learn.

It was a joke. They had to shout themselves hoarse leading the new recruits during the day, and then work overtime at night. Who would want that?

Fang Huai was well aware of this.

It wasn't just now; even when he was nearing his discharge, communications soldiers and clerks who could skillfully operate various office software and communication equipment were still highly sought after. Plus, there were specialized communications soldier competitions every year.

"Squad leader, I'm familiar with most of the office software on the market."

Hao Chengbin's face finally broke into a visible smile.

"Good, you'll come with me to the company headquarters office later."

The other new recruits immediately caught a whiff of a perk.

The new recruit who had been walking in front of Fang Huai and talking the whole way upstairs immediately stood up, speaking with some confidence.

"Reporting, squad leader, I know computers too!"

Double happiness?

Hao Chengbin nodded: "Alright, you come too! Just right, introduce yourself first."

"Reporting, squad leader, my name is Jiang Peng!"

"Oh... you're Jiang Peng, from Yunnan, right? Did you attend college?"

"Yes, squad leader!" Seeing that the squad leader knew him, Jiang Peng's mind raced with countless speculations, and he spoke spiritedly.

"Squad leader, my name is Jiang Peng, 21 years old, graduated from college, from Kunming, Yunnan..."

"I saw your file, it says you're from Qujing?" Hao Chengbin interrupted.

Jiang Peng's face showed a hint of embarrassment.

"Squad leader... I, my grandpa is from Kunming, and I usually live with him."

Fang Huai listened and chuckled.

Inventing a grandpa, a fellow traveler!

But what was the use of saying he was from Kunming? To make his family environment seem better?

Hao Chengbin waved his hand: "Just state your registered permanent residence."

"...I'm from Qujing. I like to sing and play guitar! I'm also quite proficient with computers! Back in high school... I was also a deputy class monitor!" Jiang Peng quickly listed a few advantages, burying his recent embarrassment.

Jiang Peng was older after all, and he knew he had to show some strengths to compete for the deputy class monitor position.

But he was still a bit too green.

Hao Chengbin saw through it but didn't expose him.

Who hadn't studied for a few days? In school, class cadres were selected based on grades. If you could really be a deputy class monitor, at this day and age, would you still need to attend a vocational college?

If it were a real selection for deputy class monitor... this Fang Huai seemed more suitable.

As Hao Chengbin had this thought, Fang Huai next to him stared wide-eyed.

[Mission: Become the Deputy Squad Leader for New Recruits. (Mission complete, Merit System unlocked)]

Merit System?!

There was a sub-system too?

[The Merit System will reward the host for honors above commendation.]

Fang Huai's adrenaline began to flow, and all the drowsiness brought on by the gradually quiet and warm atmosphere in the room vanished.

This wasn't just about a Merit System!

Merit was hard to come by, commendation or above, meaning "Outstanding Soldier" or higher. Even if he served for another five years, he probably wouldn't receive many rewards.

But since there was a Merit System... were there other systems too??

What were the rewards?

And he could take on multiple missions simultaneously! That would greatly increase the chances of completing them!

His thoughts flashed like lightning.

"Hmm, 21 years old, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes... if I get into military school, we'll get married then," Jiang Peng said, unable to hide his pride.

"Oh... military school... do you have the books?"

For non-university graduates to become officers, military school required passing a basic cultural exam, covering Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, and politics. Each subject had a standard study guide.

"Yes, they're in my bag," Jiang Peng said, pointing outside the door.

"Good ambition to become an officer by studying! If there's no extra training this weekend, you can spend more time reading!"

"Thank you, squad leader! I'll work hard!"

After saying that, Jiang Peng felt as if he had already become an officer, sitting down with a touch of spirited confidence.

Hao Chengbin seemed to recall something, his eyes scanning the room.

"For those of you who want to study and don't have the books, Huang, the clerk at the company headquarters, has a set. You can tell him, and the company headquarters will help you photocopy them."

After a pause, no one spoke.

Hao Chengbin looked slightly disappointed.

After all, bringing out an officer was something to be proud of.

Jiang Peng's face became even more elated.

"Fang Huai, you graduated high school, right? You're not that old, you can still aim for a university-level military academy... aren't you going to try?"

Fang Huai snapped out of his earlier shock.

"Reporting, squad leader! My family wants me to try, and I have the books! After... later, my family will send me more. Squad leader, I just joined the army, so for now, I just need to focus on training."

In his past life, after he was awarded his rank, his uncle had visited him and brought him a set of books. They were left by a top student and were filled with notes, making them much more valuable than ordinary books.

Besides, the recruit regiment often had extra training on weekends. If they got a rare chance to rest, why not just collapse on their small stools and catch up on sleep instead of reading?

Just looking at books made his head hurt.

"Oh, alright then," Hao Chengbin nodded again after hearing Fang Huai's explanation, his good impression of him deepening.

This kid gave him the right feeling – he had ideas, plans, but wasn't showy, just down-to-earth.

Hao Chengbin looked towards the corner where someone was almost asleep.

"Hey... you, little guy, come here."

The fair-skinned, thin young man was nudged by the recruit next to him. His eyes were unfocused, like a newborn infant. He slowly opened his eyes, realized everyone was looking at him, and was startled.

"Ah... me?"

Hao Chengbin was both amused and exasperated. "Yes! You! Introduce yourself... and wipe your drool first!"

The recruit immediately wiped his mouth with his sleeve and stood up.

Clang.

His head made intimate contact with the bed frame.

"Hahaha..." A burst of laughter erupted.

Fang Huai also chuckled. This kid's every move felt like performance art from a cartoon.

"My name is Peng Yingqirui, from Bijie, Guizhou. Ssss... I don't have any special skills."

Peng Yingqirui rubbed his head as he spoke slowly.

"Hobbies? None?" Hao Chengbin asked, slightly dissatisfied.

"Yes, sleeping..."

"Hahaha..."

Hao Chengbin couldn't help but laugh either, waving his hands.

"Alright, sit down, sit down. Next!"

The recruit next to Zhao Bing stood up. He was tall, thin, dark, and looked rough and old, clearly someone who had done a lot of farm work at home. His smile was simple and honest.

"Reporting, comrades. My name is Zhao Bing, from Fai Fa! My lifelong ambition has been to be a soldier! Back home, I listen to the radio, no other hobbies!"

Hao Chengbin frowned. "Which place?"

"Fai Fa! Funan Fai Fa!"

"Oh... Huaihua, Hunan, right?"

"Yes, squad leader!"

Yue Tao excitedly mimicked him. "Haha! Hunan Fai Fa! Oh, Funan!"

Hao Chengbin finally couldn't hold back and flicked Yue Tao's forehead.

Now there were two people in the room rubbing their heads.

"Next!"

The tall, thin recruit next to Zhao Bing stood up.

"Squad leader, my name is Lu Zexian..."

As they were talking, there was a knock-knock sound, and the door opened.

Company Commander Wang Jian poked his head in, "Old Hao, it's your squad's turn."

Hao Chengbin nodded, got up, and walked out the door. The two of them carried the new recruits' bags and packages to the company headquarters.

He returned a moment later, a smile on his face.

"None of you brought a large amount of cash, right?"

Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads.

"That's good, let's continue the introduction..."

When they went downstairs to assemble, they heard big news: a new recruit in Squad Eight had brought over 300,000 yuan in cash. It was said that a large group of relatives from the People's Armed Forces Department, fearing he wouldn't do well in the military, had given him money, some 30,000, others 50,000.

The company headquarters didn't dare to keep it and would have to take the new recruit to the bank specifically tomorrow to deposit it into his card.

The entire Seventh Company was in an uproar, and everyone on the way down to assemble was discussing it.

"Holy crap, his name is Han Yong, right? I heard his dad is the provincial agent for Furong Wang..."

"Damn, people with money have different units of counting for their pocket money..."

"Zhang Wei, he's in your squad, right? Big brother! You have to treat him well from now on, right?"

"Treat him well, my ass! Squad Leader Pan just scolded him for half an hour! He told him if he wants to be a rich guy, he shouldn't come to the military!"

"Right, right! I heard this at home, too. Everyone really dislikes it when rich people come to the military! It's going to be tough for him from now on!"

Fang Huai followed behind, curling his lip.

What Furong Wang agent? Furong Wang doesn't have agents.

However, these people still had the mood to worry about others having a tough time. You'll know what "Dad's happiness is beyond your imagination" means later.

Sigh, so young, and already no worries. How will they live in the future!

Everyone ate happily at the welcome meal.

Tomato and egg, green pepper and minced meat, and two basins of minced meat sauce. The taste was excellent, so much better than the soy sauce noodles Fang Huai ate yesterday.

Seven or eight cafeteria aunts busied themselves, feeding everyone until they were full.

Fang Huai had seen many jokes in his previous life, saying that the People's Liberation Army's welcome meals were served in small yellow basins used for washing faces and feet. Looking at the large aluminum basins, more than half a meter wide, they were quite professional!

They were probably just placed behind the cafeteria normally with some dish soap for the new recruits to wash dishes in!

Sometimes, when the swill buckets were too full, they would temporarily put some swill in them or something!

That swill oil was thick and had plenty of ingredients; pigs would fight over it, so why couldn't people eat it?

Don't overthink the utensils that constantly appeared in various places in the military. Thinking too much makes you uncomfortable.

Fang Huai looked at the large, weathered, multi-purpose aluminum basin. The clear soup noodles had a bit of oil floating on top. He pushed aside the distracting thoughts in his mind and forced himself to eat a bowl.

During this time, Yue Tao even prepared to add another bowl for him, telling him to eat more.

Only those new recruits like them, who had arrived early and already experienced the cafeteria's food, knew how precious this meal was.

The Base had two cafeterias.

Their new recruit cafeteria was the large cafeteria, with ten people per table and six dishes and one soup. It couldn't be said to be bad, but there was no choice, and there was more rice than dishes.

Across from the large cafeteria, about 100 meters away, was the small cafeteria, where the base's internal staff ate. It was a buffet, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an Air Force meal. Because the base had more civilian cadres, more colonels than lieutenants, and more lieutenants than soldiers, the average rank was very high, and the food standard was also high. There were over ten large buffet dishes at each meal, with at least two types of seafood.

The two cafeterias were like the African region and the European region.

The base's swill mainly came from the European region; the African region basically didn't have any oil left.

Today, the African region was celebrating the New Year. Hundreds of new recruits were full to the point of burping. There was still quite a bit of the minced meat sauce left in the basin.

Fang Huai made a blind guess that they would probably eat this again tomorrow morning, but the portion would definitely not be enough.

Hao Chengbin led the team back to the squad. After instructing the new recruits to go to the bathroom, he immediately called Fang Huai and Jiang Peng to the company headquarters office.

When they pushed the door open, only Company Commander Wang Jian and a dark, chubby corporal were inside. The two of them were gathered around a stove, warming themselves, with a circle of peanuts placed on the stove.

Hao Chengbin glanced at an empty bed in the corner.

"Director Liang isn't here again, Commander Wang?"

Wang Jian turned his head, threw the peanut shell in his hand into the trash can, grabbed a handful of peanuts from the table and handed them to him. He then looked at Fang Huai and Jiang Peng behind Hao Chengbin. After a while, he said in a low voice.

"His wife is sick and hospitalized here. Everyone has their own issues... If there's anything going on in the company... please be more understanding."

Hao Chengbin took the hot peanuts, peeled one, and popped it into his mouth. He said.

"If he needs to be hospitalized for a long time and needs care... it's best to ask for leave from the regimental headquarters and have someone else take over. The company has a lot of new recruits, and you can't always be the only one doing everything."

Wang Jian waved his hand, "We're all comrades. Director Liang was in the same squad as me at the military academy. If I can help, I'll help. And with Huang Yi here, there's nothing that can't be handled."

As he spoke, he pointed at the dark, chubby corporal.

The non-commissioned officer, Huang Yi, immediately widened his eyes, pushed back his stool, and looked at the computer beside him.

"Commander Wang, you can't just rely on me! I've been working overtime for days. I never worked like this even when I was in the squadron!"

Wang Jian smiled and patted Huang Yi's shoulder. "We'll take turns! I'm not asking you to do it alone! Don't worry, you'll definitely be one of our outstanding squad leaders!"

Upon hearing this, Hao Chengbin turned back to look at Fang Huai and Jiang Peng with a hint of pride.

"I knew you guys wouldn't be able to finish. Here! Fresh blood, brought them for you! Two who know computers!"

Wang Jian and Huang Yi's eyes lit up.

Jiang Peng immediately took a slight step forward, blocking Fang Huai.

Wang Jian looked down, spat out a peanut shell, and then looked up at Jiang Peng, hesitating.

"You two know computers? Are you proficient?"

Jiang Peng replied with a slightly reserved expression, "Reporting, Company Commander, I type very fast! I can also use documents!"

"Can you create tables? Is that okay?" Wang Jian continued.

Jiang Peng hesitated for a moment.

"It should… be fine too."

As Wang Jian was about to ask more, Huang Yi quickly interrupted, unwilling to miss this opportunity to get some help.

"Hey, Commander Wang, don't be too demanding. As long as they can type! They can help by typing reports, as long as there are no typos! Let him try!"

Wang Jian had no choice but to nod, get up, find two statistical forms from the computer desk, and hand them to Jiang Peng.

"Fill out the forms, can you do it?"

Jiang Peng picked up the forms, looked at them, and asked cautiously, "Is there a template for this?"