Lü Qinglong shook his head and hurriedly pulled Ji Baichang away from the neighboring squad's doorway.
Looks like he'd just been overthinking it. The military had changed and developed over the years, with one generation of soldiers after another, but some things had always been passed down.
Though the military now required officers to lead with civility, beating up new recruits was undoubtedly the most memorable way to teach them a lesson.
And since today was the first day of formal training, the veterans would surely have all kinds of ways to put these new recruits in their place.
It was practically standard practice. They had to get the recruits to fall in line, so they'd listen to them from then on.
The only thing was, the veterans might be a little too brutal in how they went about it.
"Qinglong, I think I've finally seen the truth about the military. Our squad leader, Chen Ting, is a good guy. He only made us crouch, unlike the squad leader next door, who went straight to beating his recruits."
"Forget it. No need to panic. Time for a smoke~"
Ji Baichang tried the bathroom stalls and made sure they were empty. Then he slipped into the innermost stall, struck his lighter, and enjoyed a cigarette.
After rinsing his mouth thoroughly at the sink to make sure there was no smell of smoke, he finally walked out of the bathroom.
Lü Qinglong had been keeping watch outside the whole time.
A new recruit had just come by to use the bathroom, but when he saw Lü Qinglong's massive frame standing in the doorway, he turned around and obediently took the stairs to the second-floor bathroom.
"Qinglong, I've realized you were born to be a soldier!"
"With a build like yours, I wish I could trade bodies with you. Let's see which veteran would dare bully me then!"
Still riding high after his cigarette, Ji Baichang reached out and patted Lü Qinglong's sturdy forearm.
He could already picture himself punching veterans and stomping on officers.
That would be so cool!
But Lü Qinglong gave him a strange impression: simple and unassuming, yet with a hint of cleverness.
At first glance, he might look like a vicious murderer. But the longer you spent with him, the more you saw a gentle boy with a tiger in his heart.
In some ways, he was truly innocent.
Especially when he smiled at Ji Baichang. The fat on his cheeks wobbled, making him look like a child acting cute.
Hearing Ji Baichang's words, Lü Qinglong smiled.
(Image 1)
Yes! That was exactly the smile.
Ji Baichang felt more and more that Lü Qinglong was such a pure-hearted person.
When the two returned to the squad room, Squad Leader Chen Ting was already asleep. The whole room was quiet, with only the recruits working hard to press down their quilts, the little stools knocking against the fabric.
"The squad leader's asleep. I'll help you press your quilt. Let's switch."
Lü Qinglong lowered his voice and spoke softly to Ji Baichang.
"Sure! You're a great guy, Qinglong. Just call on me whenever you need anything. You're my closest buddy."
Ji Baichang excitedly patted his chest.
The two switched quilts, and Lü Qinglong easily pressed Ji Baichang's thick quilt into a firm, flat slab.
Then, without drawing attention to himself, he handed it back to Ji Baichang.
Ji Baichang immediately got to work on his own quilt. It really did feel different; the fold was already taking on the shape of a tofu block.
The other recruits in the squad room had also been practicing the crouching posture under Squad Leader Chen Ting's orders, so they didn't dare slack off. They spent the whole noon pressing their quilts.
"Fwee!"
"First Company, wake up!"
The duty officer called from the barracks entrance.
The recruits who'd spent the whole noon pressing their quilts all looked miserable.
What kind of nonsense was this? Did they have to spend every lunch break folding quilts from now on? This was unbearable!
But under Squad Leader Chen Ting's intimidating authority, the recruits didn't dare complain. They could only obediently form up and stand outside the barracks.
The recruits from the other squads all looked just as miserable.
Things like what had happened to the recruits next door must have been happening to them all the time.
If you didn't get beaten up in the military, could you even call yourself a soldier?
"Mm, not bad!"
"You all look like you're in great spirits! Very lively! Looks like you all had a nice, restful lunch break!"
The duty officer stood up front and shamelessly spouted nonsense. The recruits below were so tired they looked ready to wilt, yet he insisted they were full of energy.
What was the difference between that and telling a cripple he walked fast?
"For this afternoon's formation training, everyone will wear their caps, put on their belts, and wear their combat boots."
"All right. Squads, return to your rooms in an orderly fashion."
The duty officer waved and turned back into the barracks.
"Combat boots?"
Back in the squad room, the recruits pulled a pair of all-black, mid-calf boots from under their beds. The toes had a matte finish. They put them on.
(Image 2)
They usually wore camouflage rubber shoes, which were light and comfortable, but the soles were very thin. If they stepped on a pebble or something, it hurt like hell.
These combat boots were different. The Armed Forces Department had issued them along with their uniforms. Their full name was Type 07 Combat Boots.
"Wow! These boots have some heft. They look so cool!"
Song Si stamped his feet in his combat boots and stood up. He felt like he'd grown taller.
"Especially this part around the toe. It seems reinforced. I feel like I could kick a nail without any problem."
The other recruits changed into theirs one after another and found them pretty novel, too.
The only downside was that they felt a little heavy. Walking in them wasn't as comfortable as in the camouflage rubber shoes.
"What's up, Qinglong? Why aren't you changing into your combat boots?"
Everyone else had changed into their black combat boots and was admiring their own footwear, but Lü Qinglong still hadn't changed.
"Oh, I think I left my boots in the storage room. I'll go get them."
Lü Qinglong asked Squad Leader Chen Ting for the storage room key. A little while later, he walked into the squad room carrying a pair of enormous combat boots.
"My god! Brother Long, what size are those? They look more than twice as big as ours!"
"Damn! I bet Brother Long's shoe size is over sixty! I'm six feet tall, and my shoes are only size 42."
As the recruits spoke, they instinctively looked down at Lü Qinglong's feet. They were so huge, a cooking pot couldn't hold them all...
"My feet are fine. They're only about size 65."
"How about you all go outside first while I change my shoes?"
Lü Qinglong's expression was a little strange.
"Huh? Why, Brother Long? You're not a girl. Why can't we watch you change your shoes?"
"Exactly. It makes sense that you wouldn't let us see a girl's Jade Foot, but there's no need for that with you, Brother Long..."
"I'd say Brother Long's feet could even be called Prison Foot."
Before you continue