Pull-up Practice

"Ji Baichang, your skills aren't that great either. I thought you'd be much better."

Xue Daochao, who had recovered a bit, stood beside Ji Baichang with a mocking expression.

Compared to other New Recruits, their speed was clearly very fast, but they shouldn't forget the bet they made before the competition.

The last-place finisher had to wash socks for the first-place finisher.

Lü Qinglong was undoubtedly first place, and the two of them fiercely competed for second.

"Just you wait next time. I didn't perform well this time."

Ji Baichang was a man of his word and didn't argue further. He admitted defeat this time.

"Then Ji Baichang, you have to wash my socks."

Lü Qinglong smiled, blocking the sun and casting a large shadow over Ji Baichang, who was lying on the ground.

"It's just washing socks. What's so difficult about that?"

"No!"

Ji Baichang suddenly sat up, his eyes wide with panic as he looked at Lü Qinglong.

Wash his socks???

His feet could be considered a biological weapon, so what about his socks?

Ji Baichang unconsciously pictured himself wearing a gas mask to wash Lü Qinglong's socks.

"Ah! My heavens, Xue Daochao, you damn Taoist priest, just you wait! In the next competition, you'll definitely be the one washing socks!"

While Ji Baichang was cursing, the other New Recruits behind him gradually crossed the finish line.

"Too slow, hurry up, hurry up!"

The duty officer at the finish line kept urging them on.

Only after the last New Recruit crossed the finish line did he finally stop his stopwatch:

"Alright, alright, the last one took 18 minutes and 56 seconds. This isn't running three kilometers, it's practically walking three kilometers!"

The last-place finisher was a slightly overweight New Recruit, panting heavily after finishing and looking like he was about to faint.

"Which squad is this? Squad Leaders, go back and properly supervise the physical fitness of your new comrades."

"We're in the Army. If you can't even run, what kind of soldier are you?!"

The duty officer lectured the New Recruits gathered in front before telling the Squad Leaders to take their squads away for other training.

It was only five o'clock, and there was still half an hour until dinner at 5:30. This time was enough for some smaller drills.

"Your running results are a bit too sluggish. You don't get enough exercise at home, so your physical fitness isn't up to par for the military."

Squad Leader Chen Ting shook his head. While the New Recruits were running their three kilometers, the Veteran Squad Leaders weren't idle; they had simply warmed up and run a few laps around the field.

"The passing score for the New Recruit Company's three-kilometer run with no equipment is thirteen and a half minutes. Raise your hands if you didn't pass just now."

After Squad Leader Chen Ting spoke, five people in the squad raised their hands one after another, including Song Si from Guangxi.

"Tsk, five people can't even pass. The physical condition of soldiers nowadays is really becoming more and more disparate."

Squad Leader Chen Ting shook his head again and led First Squad's New Recruits to the equipment area.

The "equipment" was actually just two ordinary pieces of equipment found in parks and public squares: the "horizontal bar" and the "parallel bars."

"You all know how to do pull-ups, right? Come over and do ten reps each."

Chen Ting pointed to the horizontal bar in front of the New Recruits and gestured for Song Si, who was at the front of the line, to go first.

The so-called "horizontal bar practice" was pull-ups. Veterans in the army were used to saying "practice one, practice two," and no one used the standard term "pull-ups."

"Yes, Squad Leader."

Song Si swallowed and walked under the horizontal bar. Looking up at the bar hanging above his head, he leaped up and grabbed it firmly.

"Ah!"

Song Si let out a roar, and then his bamboo-stick-like arms exerted force. The great effort caused his entire body to tremble.

The movement was smooth, cool, and fluid. Just when everyone thought he was going to show off his skills, Song Si fell off the horizontal bar. He gave a somewhat embarrassed smile to Squad Leader Chen Ting:

"Squad Leader, I can't do it."

"???"

Ji Baichang, who was closest to Squad Leader Chen Ting, could clearly see the expression on the Squad Leader's face rapidly darkening.

"No! Doesn't this brat have any common sense? He's still joking at a time like this?"

Ji Baichang cursed inwardly.

He was afraid they would have to share a "big pot meal" again because of Song Si.

"Fine, your physical fitness is below passing, you can't even do a pull-up, and you're all flabby! Get to the side and hang on the bar!"

Even a Veteran like Chen Ting, faced with such a disparity in training results and a smiling Song Si, could only curse loudly.

"This is really weird. My eye for picking New Recruits is usually spot on, so how did I end up with a useless lump like you!"

"Next! Get up there one by one and do your pull-ups. I want to see what kind of freaks you all are."

After Song Si's impressive performance, it was clear that the other New Recruits no longer caught Chen Ting's eye.

Most of them managed three pull-ups, some managed five, and the one who did the least still managed two.

"All of you are unqualified! Go hang on the bar over there!"

"Next, Ji Baichang! Let's see what kind of freak you are."

Ji Baichang, whose name was called, stepped forward and stood beneath the horizontal bar. He looked up at the bar directly above him, then jumped and grabbed it with both hands.

Unlike Song Si, he made it look incredibly easy. With a powerful surge from his arms, he began doing pull-ups.

He even managed quite a few, doing twelve before his speed even slightly decreased.

He pushed himself to do another five before finally letting go and dropping to the ground.

He had completed seventeen pull-ups, and his form was perfect!

"You're barely acceptable."

"Alright, go stand over there. You don't have to hang on the bar."

Squad Leader Chen Ting nodded. Finally, not everyone in the squad was a useless lump.

His gaze shifted to Song Si and the other New Recruits hanging painfully on the side bars, forming a stark contrast with the proud Ji Baichang.

(Figure 1)

"Xue Daochao, want to have a competition?"

Ji Baichang jumped off the bar, stretched his arms, and his eyes were full of challenge.

Squad Leader Chen Ting didn't stop them. Instead, he was full of encouragement. It was clear that in this kind of physical training, competition was needed to foster spirit.

Otherwise, what was the point of a listless atmosphere?

"Sure. Your 'Kirin Arms' that you've cultivated for nineteen years are indeed different."

"Fine. Whoever loses has to wash the other person's clothes for a week."

After Xue Daochao finished speaking, he walked steadily to the horizontal bar, a relaxed expression on his face.