Chapter 22: Review

Zhou Zhong'ai was well aware of what Lai Yanlong meant by his words.

Every year, the chief instructor for new recruits was typically a senior officer at the lieutenant colonel level or above from the regiment with the greatest personnel shortage; this arrangement facilitated fast integration with the incoming soldiers.

Lai Yanlong happened to be the deputy regiment commander of the 68th Brigade’s Second Regiment—the unit that suffered the most losses in the recent Xintun incident.

Zhou Zhong'ai parted her red lips and feigned helplessness, saying, “Oh, Commander Lai, what unfortunate timing. Du Huaishan was rescued from the Xintun battlefield by Chang Sui’an, so our Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment has already made its move for this promising recruit!”

“Oh?” Lai Yanlong was a little surprised. He glanced back at Chang Sui’an, “So that boy has already agreed to join your cavalry brigade?”

“Not yet, Commander Lai,” replied Chang Sui’an, his tone showing respect but his gaze unwavering, as if he was determined to secure Du Huaishan.

“Well, if nothing’s been settled, that means the boy is still free. My 68th Brigade won’t be shy, then—hahaha!” Lai Yanlong waved his hand, acting utterly shameless, a far cry from his stern demeanor during the earlier lecture.

Once he had walked away, Zhou Zhong’ai approached and scolded, “I kept signaling you, didn’t you see?”

Chang Sui’an replied, “I saw.”

“If you saw, why did you still say that?” Hearing this, Zhou Zhong’ai grew even more exasperated, pinching Chang Sui’an’s shoulder. “After all these years, you’re still so stubborn! If you’d changed your tune, Commander Lai wouldn’t dare challenge our cavalry!”

“Commander Lai isn’t a fool. He’ll definitely ask Du Huaishan,” Chang Sui’an frowned slightly, unsure if he was pondering the conversation or if Zhou Zhong’ai’s pinch had simply hurt.

“That’s true.” Zhou Zhong’ai sighed. “If we lose Du Huaishan this time, Old Chen will skin us alive!”

At last, seeing that Chang Sui’an didn’t respond, she let go and asked, “So, does it hurt?”

“It’s fine. I’ll take my leave now, Lieutenant Zhou.” With that, Chang Sui’an tightened his woolen military coat and strode out of the mess hall.

“Ugh, stubborn fool!” Zhou Zhong’ai watched his hurried departure, sneered softly, and left as well.

On the training grounds for new recruits at the Military Academy—

“Hurry up! Start running from the starting point—five kilometers, no slacking!!”

A soldier in uniform shouted at the members of Squad Eight.

“Bah!” Tan Hai spat discreetly.

He had hoped to use the excuse of visiting the infirmary to find an opportunity to slip away with his brothers amidst the chaos, but to his surprise, Lai Yanlong had specifically assigned a soldier to supervise them.

“This Lai Yanlong is truly ruthless. Five kilometers, not a step less, and he even sent someone to watch us. He doesn’t trust us!”

“Hey! Lai Yanlong… Tan Hai, you’re talented, that nickname is spot on!” Wu Ming, walking behind him, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Yang Anfu rubbed the red mark on his chubby face, “I actually think Old Lai isn’t so bad. Didn’t he make those veteran soldiers apologize to us? At least his heart is on our side!”

Fair is fair.

Wu Ming and Tan Hai nodded in agreement.

“I’m sorry I dragged everyone into this! Especially you, Brother Du—thanks for standing up for me first,” Guo Tingyu said quietly in the middle of the group.

“No worries, that buzz-cut deserved a beating!” Du Huaishan replied.

“Yeah, no need to talk about being a burden. Those veterans were too arrogant. If Tan Hai hadn’t held me back, I would’ve started a fight during the queue!” Wu Ming’s face darkened at the mention.

“Hey! From the moment we were assigned to the Military Academy, we became a family. No matter who gets in trouble, it’s Squad Eight’s business!” Yang Anfu chimed in at the end.

His words brought a brief silence among the squad.

Everyone recalled the scenes that had unfolded in the mess hall.

Du Huaishan had been the first to act, and Wu Ming and the others had jumped in without hesitation.

Then there was the punishment from Lai Yanlong.

When Tan Hai misspoke, Du Huaishan wanted to shoulder the blame, but Guo Tingyu immediately stood up, along with Wu Ming and Yang Anfu.

“If we’re a family, let’s drop the ‘Brother’ formalities. I’m just a rough guy, can’t handle those refined titles. Tingyu, Huaishan, Fatty—those sound friendlier,” said Wu Ming.

“Wait, Old Wu, why am I just ‘Fatty’?” Yang Anfu only caught on after the last part.

Perhaps Yang Anfu’s voice was too loud, because the supervising soldier heard him: “No talking!”

“Well, brothers, let’s run~”

Tan Hai started off reluctantly, leading the way, with the others following close behind.

Though it was late autumn, they wore thick winter uniforms.

As they ran, sweat began to bead on their foreheads; Yang Anfu, being the heaviest, was already panting and lagging behind.

Following the principle of “family,” the others slowed their pace.

Thanks to the boost from his guardian spirit, Du Huaishan’s stamina was now better than it had been in college. After two or three kilometers, he didn’t feel tired at all.

He took the opportunity to mentally review the earlier fight.

He’d picked up this habit from a college roommate obsessed with stock trading, who would analyze market trends every night, looking for problems and opportunities.

Gradually, Du Huaishan adopted this habit in competitions.

During his senior year, after every professional match, he’d rewatch the footage and analyze it.

His Sanda coach was right: fighting multiple opponents is incredibly difficult.

Today, if not for Tan Hai and Wu Ming helping out, once the melee started, after knocking out the buzz-cut guy with his first punch, he might have been overwhelmed by the veterans.

He realized this when he was bound by the chubby veteran from behind.

He couldn’t break free immediately.

Had he not been experienced in real combat and remembered to break the hold by twisting the opponent’s fingers, he would never have pulled off the counter-throw.

I need to be more vigilant—strength, stamina, reaction speed, all need improvement.

And my guardian spirit.

That chubby guy, as well as Guo Tingyu, had mastered the Oni state, but I still barely understand it.

Today was just a regular fight; on the battlefield, enemies won’t hold back, and neither will demons.

With a year of training ahead,

I need to make a detailed training plan.

In his previous life, Du Huaishan had teachers and coaches to help him plan, and he learned a lot from them. Sticking to the schedule every day not only gave him a sense of achievement, but also made it easier to track his progress and adjust for weaknesses.

He decided to buy a notebook and a fountain pen tomorrow.

Although the Military Academy was a military school, when he received his supplies today, he saw some shops on campus where soldiers could buy daily necessities.