Dejected Chen Tianjian

"Your legs are weak, your legwork isn't up to par."

"Here's what we'll do: Ji Baichang, you and Xue Daochao will start with horse stance training. Don't practice footwork yet. Once you can hold a horse stance for an hour without shaking, then I'll teach you footwork."

"Qinglong, you'll go around these trees. There are fallen leaves on the ground. Walk in a figure-eight pattern. When you can walk through the trees without making a sound, I'll teach you the next subject."

Chen Ting devised individual training plans based on the three men's situations.

Among the three, Ji Baichang's fundamentals were much weaker. In comparison, Lü Qinglong was much better.

These subjects were all tied to physical fitness. The better a person's physical fitness, the more efficient they would be at completing these military subjects.

Lü Qinglong had a natural advantage in this regard.

"Squad Leader, how is it possible to walk through the trees without making a sound? That seems too difficult."

Lü Qinglong followed the route Chen Ting had planned, walking in a figure-eight. The fallen leaves crunched loudly under his feet.

This was too difficult for him. He had big feet, and his weight was considerable. Every time his foot touched the ground, it inevitably made a sound.

"Hmm? Watch me demonstrate."

Chen Ting held his rifle, already in a defensive posture for forest searching and shooting.

Then, he moved with a rolling gait, sometimes taking large steps, sometimes small ones, walking through the trees at a very steady pace.

Even though the ground was covered in fallen leaves, Chen Ting's steps on them sounded as if he were walking on sand, not making the slightest noise.

Not only Lü Qinglong, but Ji Baichang and Xue Daochao, who were watching from the side, also widened their eyes in disbelief.

This maneuver completely challenged their understanding. So, walking silently was something that could be trained?

"Pay attention to where you place each step. Who told you to step on the places with the most fallen leaves? Can't you step on places with fewer leaves?"

"Also, pay attention to your stride. Take big steps when you need to, and small steps when you need to. Don't step on higher vegetation when you see it; can't you just step over it?"

"For the early stages of training, you can look at your feet. But in the later stages, don't you dare look down!"

"You're holding a rifle, searching for the enemy! Pay attention to what's directly in front of you. A quick glance at your feet is all you need."

Faced with Chen Ting's reprimand, Lü Qinglong nodded obediently.

What the Squad Leader taught was indeed useful, and he explained it very thoroughly. Lü Qinglong decided to strictly follow the Squad Leader's instructions in his future practice.

One morning was definitely too short. He needed to come here to practice whenever he had the chance!

"Squad Leader, you're amazing! Truly an old Special Forces soldier!"

While holding his horse stance, Ji Baichang couldn't help but shower him with praise.

He would flatter whenever he got the chance; it had become an unconscious habit.

"Stop with the flattery. Focus on improving your own fundamentals first."

"These basic things I'm teaching you are what my former Squad Leader taught me. I'm passing them down to you."

"Later on, I'll teach you other things based on the strengths and specialties of each of you three."

"If any of you can't take it, report it early. Once you report, you can just fold your blankets every morning like the other New Recruits."

It had to be said, Ji Baichang's flattery was quite successful. At least Chen Ting was happy to indulge it.

An hour passed quickly. At precisely six o'clock, the duty officer blew the reveille whistle. The three of them returned to the Company with Chen Ting.

As usual, morning exercises began with a three-kilometer run.

Most of the New Recruits had a numb expression on their faces, their legs moving stiffly as they ran, looking utterly listless.

"Seriously, when will this end? Don't tell me the New Recruit Company will be like this for three whole months?"

Song Si grumbled as he squatted in a corner of the washroom, washing up.

"I think I heard the Squad Leader say the first month will be a bit easier, and the remaining two months will involve other subjects, which might be even more tiring."

Ji Baichang, standing nearby, added fuel to the fire with good intentions.

"No! What the heck! This first month is supposed to be easier? What are we going to do in the next two months? Are we going to switch from three kilometers to five kilometers every morning?!"

Song Si was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He muttered to himself:

"727 days left until retirement."

"Knock knock!"

The door to the Company Headquarters was knocked on. Inside, Company Commander Chen Tianjian put down his yellow gentian basin and replied from his seat, "Come in!"

The door was pushed open from the outside. The duty officer, holding a form, quickly walked up to Chen Tianjian:

"Company Commander, this is our training plan for the week."

"Hmm, it's all drill training, right?"

Chen Tianjian glanced at the form and casually signed his name on it with a pen.

"Yes, Company Commander."

The duty officer suddenly seemed hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

Chen Tianjian seemed to sense that the duty officer still had something to say.

"Company Commander, the cookhouse squad said our company's rations are about half again as much as other companies, and they might be running a bit late with cooking every day."

"Hmm? Those rascals in the cookhouse squad, after all this time, with eight people in their squad supporting two companies, would they be running late?"

Chen Tianjian frowned.

This newly formed training brigade was the most troublesome, spoiled rotten. How could they be running late with cooking time?

"Ahem, Company Commander, the cookhouse squad leader just spoke to me. His meaning is that he hopes we can spare a few new recruits every afternoon to help out, like making dumplings."

The duty officer gave an awkward smile.

"Help out? That's fine too. You can arrange it then."

Chen Tianjian nodded.

"Company Commander."

"What is it now?"

Chen Tianjian asked with some displeasure.

Hadn't everything been said already? Why did he still look like he had more to say?

These veterans from other brigades were so unreliable. Not as efficient as the veterans from the Special Operations Brigade. Even reporting news was so sluggish.

"Well, about half the new recruits might be assigned to an errand in the morning. It seems the septic tank got clogged, and we need to clear it manually."

"Company Commander, should I take the new recruits to handle this?"

"Fine, fine, you take them and handle it."

Chen Tianjian waved his hand impatiently.

After the duty officer left, he finally departed the company headquarters and headed straight for the drying ground.

Along the way, he saw the new recruits busily tidying up the grounds, and his previously gloomy mood improved slightly.

"These veterans are really useless, can't even report things properly. They're not as good as the new recruits."

Thinking this, Chen Tianjian arrived at the drying ground, intending to collect the brand new camouflage uniform he had just washed yesterday.

However, when he got into the drying ground, he discovered that the camouflage uniform he had hung at the very front yesterday was gone, leaving only the empty clothes hanger.

"What? Who 'coordinated' my camouflage uniform!!!"