"Our squad leader just gave me a quick lesson on shooting posture and a few things about modern warfare."
Lü Qinglong glanced back toward Chen Ting to make sure he wasn't looking their way, then lowered his voice and told Ji Baichang.
"Holy crap! The squad leader gave you special lessons?!"
Ji Baichang's eyes widened.
He knew Lü Qinglong had connections at home, but he hadn't expected them to be this powerful.
A veteran special forces soldier with sixteen years of service was already teaching him things only Special Forces could learn. That was going too far!
Damn it! He wanted to learn, too!
"I'm not sure. Baichang, do you want to learn as well? Why don't you ask the squad leader? You could come with me every day."
"I want to learn, too. Ask the squad leader if he'll take me along."
Xue Daochao had somehow squeezed over beside them.
He'd probably been listening with his ears pricked up. The moment he heard about special lessons, he was interested, too.
After all, their squad leader was a veteran special forces soldier with sixteen years of service, not like the other old soldiers who just coasted through their time in the army.
Wang Yuan, the squad leader of Second Squad next door, had also said that their squad leader was one of the best in the entire Special Operations Brigade when it came to military skills.
If they could learn even a little from him, wouldn't that be a huge leg up?
"Sure. I'll find a chance to ask our squad leader today."
Lü Qinglong nodded. As he spoke, he kept working, and soon he'd finished folding his blanket into a perfect tofu block.
Just then, the duty officer's whistle sounded outside:
"Fweee!"
"First Company, get up!"
The recruits stood in neat formation and, led by the formation leader, marched in an orderly line to the open area in front of the barracks.
Most of the recruits looked half asleep.
They'd been exhausted the day before, yet before five that morning, their squad leaders had dragged them out of bed to fold their blankets.
Were these squad leaders even human? Could they just go without sleep? The most infuriating part was that after getting the recruits up, those squad leaders had gone right back to bed.
Was this kind of torment just what they had to put up with because they were recruits?
"Hey! You new recruits look pretty alert today!"
"Well, in that case, I guess I won't have you run a kilometer to warm up!"
The recruits' eyes lit up at the duty officer's words.
The duty officer really was a good guy! Much better than their squad leaders.
He'd seen how tired they were and canceled their usual run!
He must have known their legs were so sore from yesterday's run that they could barely walk. How considerate!
"But!"
"On the other hand, the company commander was very dissatisfied with your results on yesterday's three-kilometer test."
"According to Army tradition, if your results are poor, you train more!"
"So this morning, you'll run three kilometers to warm up. From now on, you'll run three kilometers every morning after getting up!"
By the time the duty officer finished speaking, the recruits were cursing him in their heads.
They'd just thought he was a good guy who felt sorry for them. What a joke!
He'd been saving the worst for last!
"Formation leader, what are you standing there for? Head for the field behind the barracks. Double time!"
The duty officer called to Song Si, who was at the head of the formation. Song Si finally came to his senses and started jogging toward the field with stiff, awkward strides.
With every step, it felt as though his thigh muscles were bound tight. Even the slightest movement brought a sharp ache.
Song Si wasn't the only one who felt that way. Most of the recruits who weren't used to regular training were hurting, too.
Their legs felt like lead, and with every stride, their muscles seemed ready to tear apart.
The soreness made them ache all over.
Of course, Ji Baichang, Xue Daochao, and Lü Qinglong were exceptions.
"Qinglong, you're really going all out. You stuffed all those weight plates into your camouflage pack?"
Ji Baichang eyed the bulging camouflage pack on Lü Qinglong's back and reached over to test its weight.
It was alarmingly heavy. Only a freak like Lü Qinglong could carry it.
(Camouflage duffel bag, image 1)
"It's fine. Just three hundred kilos. Nothing to it."
Lü Qinglong smiled. His steps were light and quick, and running with the group didn't trouble him at all.
To him, the recruits' current pace was no different from an ordinary stroll.
"That's ridiculous. Being around you makes me feel incredibly safe!"
By the time they finished the three-kilometer run, most of the recruits were gasping for breath.
The duty officer had the recruits shout a couple of slogans, then sent them back to tidy their bunks and clean their squad rooms.
In the early days of New Recruit Company, the recruits' lives were extremely monotonous and dull.
Their daily training focused mainly on formation drills, with a few other basic subjects on the side.
It wouldn't be until the second month that they gradually began training in tactics, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, chemical defense, building individual fighting positions, grenade throwing, and a range of other subjects.
The first month also served as an adjustment period for the recruits, while helping improve their physical fitness.
Most of them needed to reach the level of an average adult man before they could move on to the next set of subjects.
"I talked to the squad leader. He agreed. Just come with me tomorrow morning!"
"But he said..."
After dinner, Lü Qinglong found Ji Baichang and Xue Daochao and told them the squad leader had agreed to let them train together in the morning.
"What did he say?"
The two immediately urged Lü Qinglong to stop keeping them in suspense.
"He said he'd only teach each thing once. Whether you learn it is up to you."
"You can follow along and learn, but he'll only correct your movements once, too. If you still don't get it right after that, he said there's no point teaching you again."
Lü Qinglong repeated Chen Ting's words exactly.
"No problem! As long as the squad leader's willing to teach us, that's all that matters!"
"I learn quickly! That won't be a problem."
The two nodded eagerly. It was fine as long as he was willing to teach them. They'd only been worried he might refuse!
"What are you talking about? Have you folded your blankets properly?"
Just then, Squad Leader Chen came into the squad room and looked sternly at the three of them.
"Reporting, Squad Leader! We'll go fold our blankets right away!"
Ji Baichang immediately stood ramrod straight and answered loudly.
His face was beaming, a stark contrast to the other recruits.
The other recruits looked at their blankets as if they were the bane of their existence, while Ji Baichang and Xue Daochao were full of enthusiasm.
"Knock, knock!"
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door of First Squad's room from outside.
A moment later, Wang Yuan, the squad leader of Second Squad next door, hurried in, an excited smile on his face.
"Squad Leader Chen! You're about to earn a merit!"
Before you continue