Can't Sleep at Noon?

"Huh, the mess hall door is closed."

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Lü Qinglong raised his hand and knocked twice on the mess hall door. The loud noise startled the veteran inside who was playing a game, almost making him fall off his stool.

"What the heck, who's knocking so loud? Don't they have any manners?"

"Could it be that new recruit, the meatball, coming to bring us the big iron basins?"

"That makes sense, I'll go open the door!"

A veteran with the rank of Corporal put away his phone and angrily walked to the door, grumbling, "What kind of soldier is this! Don't you know to knock quieter? What if you break our iron door?!"

Then, the veteran pushed open the mess hall door.

"Huh? It's dark? Wasn't it just light a moment ago?"

The veteran scratched his head in confusion. His vision was pitch black.

The weather forecast said it wasn't going to rain today? How did it get dark so suddenly?

"Oi! (Extremely loud)"

"Squad Leader, look up!"

Lü Qinglong's rough voice and the sudden loud noise scared the veteran so much he plopped onto the ground.

Only then did he slowly look up and meet Lü Qinglong's face, which could only be described as terrifying.

At the same time, the other veterans playing on their phones heard the commotion and looked up. When they saw Lü Qinglong's fierce appearance and exaggerated physique, their eyes widened.

"Squad Leader, I've washed your mess hall's iron plates. Where should I put them?"

Lü Qinglong, carrying two large iron basins in one hand, asked the mess hall veterans.

Although the veteran who opened the door for him earlier hadn't spoken nicely, he was in a good mood after just finishing his meal and didn't want to argue with anyone.

After three to four seconds, a veteran with a stiff expression pointed to the ground:

"Uh, you can just put them on the floor. Anywhere is fine for the iron plates."

"Okay."

Lü Qinglong nodded and neatly placed the plates on the floor near the kitchen rack, then strode out of the mess hall.

Only after Lü Qinglong's figure disappeared from sight did the other veterans dare to breathe deeply.

"My goodness! Is that guy even human? He looks more monstrous than a monster!"

"When he came in just now, I thought a bear had stood up!"

"He's really scary. No wonder he eats so much. He's so strong, it makes sense that he eats a lot, right?"

The mess hall veterans forgot about the games in their hands, their eyes blankly staring at the back of Lü Qinglong as he left.

"Does this mean our workload in the mess hall is doubled from now on?"

Suddenly, a veteran asked tentatively.

"Nonsense, it's just cooking a bit more food. Honestly though, if we don't cook enough for him one day, will he go berserk and beat us up?"

"That's entirely possible! Although it's rare for new recruits to beat up veterans, with his physique..."

This veteran didn't dare to think further.

In the military, the consequences for a new recruit who dared to openly hit a veteran were usually dire.

Because there were many veterans, if one new recruit dared to hit a veteran, a whole group of veterans would beat up that new recruit.

No matter how skilled you were, whether you were a Sanda champion or a boxing king, once you joined the army, you had to obediently listen to the Squad Leader.

But with Lü Qinglong's physique...

He could probably take down ten veterans easily if they tried to beat him up, right?

After leaving the mess hall, Lü Qinglong joined the other new recruits from First Squad and marched back to the barracks.

"Nap time, finally some rest. I didn't expect the military to have a midday nap, it's much better than my previous job."

Song Si stretched as he returned to the barracks, then happily lay down on his bed.

"Where did you work before? My dad's companies all strictly follow the 9-to-5 schedule and have a two-hour lunch break. Isn't a midday nap normal?"

Ji Baichang climbed onto the upper bunk and lay on his own bed, asking somewhat grumpily.

Are there still people working these days without a midday break, working from morning till night?

"I get it now, you're just a rich young master who doesn't understand the hardships of us workers."

"I've learned quite a few tricks over the years of working!"

"For example, when I wake up feeling completely comfortable every morning, I know I've overslept."

"When I was a waiter, I knew what customers wanted to eat just by asking."

"And my master, he's been an electrician for over twenty years, he can tell if there's electricity just by touching it."

Ji Baichang listened to Song Si's nonsensical ramblings and rolled his eyes at him in exasperation:

"Alright, alright, you're getting all abstract now, huh?"

"I know your intention in saying all this is to liven up the atmosphere in the barracks, but don't get ahead of yourself."

The new recruits were chatting and laughing in the barracks. Most of them had already gotten into their beds, and some, like Song Si, had already stripped down to just their underwear.

In the entire barracks, only Lü Qinglong was sitting on a small stool, fiddling with a grip strengthener he'd "borrowed" from the iron gym.

A moment later, Squad Leader Chen Ting walked in from outside the barracks. Seeing that the new recruits were already in their beds, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Who told you you could get into bed?"

Chen Ting's voice wasn't loud, but to the other new recruits, it sounded like a clap of thunder.

The new recruits all sat up in their beds, looking at Chen Ting with confusion.

Didn't the duty officer say it was a lunch break? Why couldn't they sleep in their beds during the break?

"Report, Squad Leader! The duty officer said it was a lunch break. Can't we sleep in our beds during the lunch break?"

Song Si asked Chen Ting, still confused, as he got dressed.

"You've already taken off your clothes?"

"Have you folded your blankets into perfect squares yet? Look at Lü Qinglong, his blanket is folded better than yours! He's still practicing his grip strength at noon, and you're just going straight to sleep?"

"And you, Song Si, why does your tone when you speak to me feel increasingly strange? Am I the Squad Leader, or are you?"

Chen Ting's eyes narrowed, and he let out a cold laugh:

"Come on, everyone, gather in the open space in the middle."

Although Song Si was unwilling, he knew that confronting the Squad Leader at this point was unreasonable.

So, along with the other new recruits, he obediently stood in the open space in the middle of the barracks.

"Remember, for your three months in the recruit company, you are not allowed to touch your beds during the midday break without my permission."

"I originally didn't plan to say anything about this, after all, you're all new recruits."

"But because of Song Si, I've changed my mind."

"Since we have formation training this afternoon, you won't be sleeping now. I'll teach you a formation movement in advance."

"Attention, everyone, squat!"

"Left leg forward, squat down with your buttocks resting on your heels!"