Chapter 8

“Hurry up! Quick! Gather!” the soldiers shouted, chasing down the recruits like ducks. “Don’t run around. If you lose them, you’ll be dealt with as deserters! Take your things and line up!”

The train station wasn’t big, and there weren’t many outsiders around at this hour. After exiting the station and arriving at the square outside, they could see a row of trucks waiting for them.

Beside a green tarpaulin truck, Yan Zhiming threw his luggage into the truck and mumbled to himself, “This truck doesn’t even have seats. Why can’t we take the bus?” as he looked at the bus not far away.

Just now, the batch of recruits who had just gotten off the train was called out again and divided up. Wang Ye was still with Yan Zhiming, but only five out of fourteen people from the same barracks in their hometown were still together.

“It’s easy if you want to sit on the bus. If you have the ability, you can run to the bus over there and shout that all you new recruits are a bunch of trash. You don’t deserve to sit on the bus. If you can get to the end, you will definitely be able to sit on the bus!” A veteran stood beside the car and laughed as he heard what Yan Zhiming said.

Yan Zhiming immediately shook his head in embarrassment. He did not dare to reply. Saying something like that was equivalent to courting death.

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In a single truck, there were dozens of new recruits, and with a few trucks, there were hundreds of new recruits in total. Yan Zhiming didn’t dare to go over and point at them, calling them trash. Even if the recruits endured it, the veterans wouldn’t.

Under such circumstances, even if he invited his mother over, she wouldn’t be able to recognize him in a minute.

“Alright, cut the crap! Enough with the talk. Sit down quickly and count the number of people one last time. If there’s no problem, we’ll leave!” At this moment, the first lieutenant that Wang Ye had seen in the armed forces department the previous night walked over and roared.

Immediately, the veterans beside the military transport vehicles sprang into action.

He did not call out names. He just counted the heads in each vehicle. After counting them and reporting them, the military transport vehicle quickly started moving.

…..

“They have a bus to take, but we can only take this truck. It looks like the treatment in the army we’re going to isn’t good!” someone muttered as they rode in the back of the military transport vehicle. There were no seats, so everyone either sat directly on the floor or used their luggage as stools.

As the truck moved, the conversation continued. “Those who can take the bus must be from the departments directly under the higher-ups. Didn’t you see that they all look like they grew up eating carbolic acid? I took a look and saw that they were at least 1.8 meters tall. There’s a brother here. Good fellow, I think he’s at least 1.95 meters if not two meters. These people should be going to the honor guard!”

“It should be!”

Despite not knowing each other, the recruits chatted casually throughout the journey.

However, as the road deteriorated towards the end, curses and complaints filled the air. The military transport vehicle’s shock absorption was poor, and the driver was speeding on the broken road, causing the recruits to feel like they were in the air for at least 30 seconds every minute. Fortunately, the broken roads were only in segments, and the journey eventually came to an end after over an hour.

“Quick, quick…The new recruits are here!” someone shouted as the truck came to a stop.

Before the truck could fully come to a halt, Wang Ye, who had been tormented throughout the journey and felt a little uneasy in his stomach, heard the sound of a gong coming from outside.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened: a large group of soldiers dressed in the same clothes as everyone else appeared. Some were holding gongs and striking them, while others went to the back of the truck and greeted everyone with smiles.

“Hey, brothers, how are you? We’re here. Come, come down…” they exclaimed.

“Hey, just give it to me. I’ll help you get it!”

“Hey, slow down if you can’t stand properly. Don’t be anxious. It’s like going home here. Don’t be afraid. Haha, come, brother. Let me help you!”

…

He was very enthusiastic, more enthusiastic than all the recruits expected.

He was very enthusiastic, even more so than all the recruits had expected. In the car, everyone was chatting about their expectations for the army and the possible situations they could face. However, they did not expect what was about to happen.

As the gongs and drums beat, a veteran carried Wang Ye’s luggage while the recruits were greeted by a brightly lit venue with banners that read “Welcome to the camp”. Wang Ye couldn’t help but think of what he had read on the Internet about the veterans celebrating when a new batch of recruits join their ranks because now they can relax.

But he hadn’t even arrived at the recruit company yet. What was going on?

“Shh!”

Just as the group of recruits was a little overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the veterans, the whistle sounded.

“Let’s go…Brothers, let’s gather and divide into classes first!”

“Yes, yes, it’s very late. The cooking class even prepared noodles for you. Hurry up and divide your classes. After you’re done putting your things away, let’s go eat noodles!”

The veterans were incredibly enthusiastic. Even when the lieutenant blew his whistle, they didn’t leave. They helped carry the recruits’ things and supported them as they made their way to the gathering spot.

This wasn’t an exaggeration. Some of the recruits were so shaken by the jolting of the ride that their legs were wobbling, but now they had veterans to lean on.

Even Wang Ye’s bag was carried by one of the veterans. “The weasel wishes the chicken a happy new year,” he thought cynically. As someone who had been whipped into shape by society, he couldn’t help but feel like the veterans were currying favor for no reason.

Were military units really this harmonious? It didn’t match his understanding from either of his lifetimes. Even as a first-time soldier, he wasn’t naive enough to think he knew everything. Despite that, he was like a fish out of water now in a completely unfamiliar environment where he couldn’t do anything except take things as they come.

“Comrades, it’s very late and the weather is very cold, so I won’t waste your time with a long speech. Allow me to introduce myself first. I’m Wu Jianfeng, the new recruit company commander of our Iron Bones Hero Regiment,” announced the captain on the flag platform, his voice booming without the aid of any loudspeaker equipment.

As everyone gathered around, the enthusiastic veterans stood on both sides, helping to carry the recruits’ belongings and guiding them to the designated area. The captain’s introduction was brief and to the point, so much so that Yan Zhiming, who stood next to Wang Ye, couldn’t help but murmur, “Is this really the army leader? I like it. Our old Principal Niu would talk for hours. This guy only took a minute or two. I really like it!”

“I agree,” replied Wang Ye, nodding in agreement. He despised leaders who talked too much. It was pointless and only served to bore the listeners. This new recruit company commander, on the other hand, was efficient and had already made a good impression on most of the recruits with his concise introduction.