BXBX NOVEL Chapter 119 - 119: Extremely Good News
“Quick, climb faster…!”
“Get your butt down, crawl, crawl! Didn’t you see how it was demonstrated just now? Who told you to crawl!”
“Quick, quick, quick! The last ten will be rewarded with an extra lap. The first ten to arrive will get a bowl of instant noodles!” Wu Jianfeng’s voice echoed through the loudspeaker, provoking a mixture of annoyance and motivation among the recruits.
“I’m telling you, tonight’s training is going to be intense. With instant noodles as a reward, you’ll be feeling extra happy tonight. So, rookies, give it your all!” It was a mix of coercion and bribery.
The offer of a reward for the first and last ten to complete the task fueled the recruits’ determination to push through the exercise.
As Wang Ye crawled, he could feel the tires’ weight and the friction on the muddy and partly wet track. It was exhausting and painful. The tire had only one outer casing without any steel rims or other internal components, yet it was still challenging to drag on the muddy ground.
In dry conditions, he could manage with around 50% of his strength, but today, he had to exert 80% to 90% of his power.
One lap, 4.00 meters.
Wang Ye gritted his teeth and persevered, knowing that tonight’s training might not be as straightforward as just one lap. He had a feeling that more challenges were yet to come. Nonetheless, he pushed himself, focusing on the task at hand.
As Wang Ye continued to crawl, he felt the straps around his shoulders tighten, causing immense pain. His hands and feet were also numb and throbbing. This training was the most painful he had experienced since joining the army, surpassing even the standing and kneeling positions, as well as the 400-meter obstacle course.
After only a few dozen meters, a recruit called out from the ground, unable to crawl any further.
The soldier next to him, a squad leader, scowled and shouted, “You coward! It’s only a short distance, and you’re already giving up? You can’t crawl anymore? How do you have the energy to talk? Keep crawling!”
The recruit pleaded, “Class monitor, my hands are scraped, I… I request to go to the infirmary!”
His eyes were red, and he tried to roll up his sleeves to show his squad leader the injury.
However, the class monitor ignored his request and sternly said, “You’re here to be a soldier, not a pampered young master. You want to go to the infirmary? Should I call a helicopter to fly you directly to the headquarters hospital and invite the country’s top medical experts for a consultation?”
At that moment, the other struggling recruits, who had been nursing resentment and might have even muttered curses under their breaths, couldn’t help but grin in pain at the class monitor’s sarcasm.
The harsh training continued, pushing the recruits to their limits. The promise of rewards provided some motivation, but the physical strain was immense, and complaints filled the air.
Wang Ye pressed on, refusing to give up despite the agony. He was determined to prove himself, not only to his comrades but to himself as well.
Of course, with this smile, the crawling movements naturally slowed down and even stopped.
And then…
“What are you doing? Why are you stopping? Do you want to be rewarded with a lap?
Get up, whoever dares to stop will be added to the circle later!”
Immediately, the others became obedient, including Wang Ye. He gritted his teeth and quickly dragged Lun Tai along.
Crawling 400 meters felt like an eternity. Even the top soldiers took no more than a minute to complete it. Wang Ye believed that he could probably run it in 50 seconds if he were doing it barehanded.
However, the added challenge of dragging a tire on the ground increased the difficulty a hundredfold.
“Crawl! If I hear anyone stop and complain about their skin being broken, I’ll give them a shot. I’ll even fetch the needle used for injecting pigs from the kitchen and let them experience it!” yelled the class monitor from behind.
The recruits who had considered going on strike gritted their teeth and continued. There was no other way. They couldn’t escape this grueling exercise; they could only persist. Otherwise, they would face even harsher consequences later.
The class monitor’s threat of using the pig injection needle to punish them was beyond ridiculous. It was utterly absurd!
“Hiss ~ Brother Wang, be gentler…Be gentle!”
In the dormitory, Qin Li sucked in a breath of cold air.
At this moment, he was sitting beside Wang Ye on his iron bed.
Wang Ye was helping him remove the bandage and apply medicine to his hand. The sound was from the pain caused by the treatment.
It had been three days since that intense tire dragging night. Wu Jianfeng, their instructor, seemed to have gone crazy, and the entire recruit company was pushed to their limits.
For the past three days, they endured relentless physical training. Running five kilometers in the morning, five kilometers in the afternoon, and another five kilometers after roll call became the norm.
Three five-kilometer runs a day were nearly impossible to handle.
During exercise time, they were subjected to various grueling activities, from crawling forward and doing deep squats to push-ups, sit-ups, and frog jumps.
The once-hated formation now seemed like a blessing compared to the constant exhausting drills they were put through.
After treating Qin Li’s hands, Wang Ye attended to his feet, changing the bandages with care.
Additionally, he helped Qin Li put ointment on his shoulders, which had developed sores due to the rigorous training.
After completing Qin Li’s treatment, it was now Wang Ye’s turn to receive care.
In fact, at this moment, it was not only Wang Ye and Qin Li. In the entire dormitory, except for Ye Sanshi, who was not present, everyone else was helping their comrades change their bandages.
According to Ye Sanshi and the other squad leaders, this bandaging session was a compulsory subject for the recruits, falling under hygiene and first aid training.
While this specific class hadn’t been formally taught, the recruits found this an opportune time to practice their skills with external injuries.
“Hiss!”
When it was Wang Ye’s turn, he couldn’t help but gasp as he removed the old bandage.
The scab on the wound had stuck to the bandage, and peeling it off was naturally painful.
Nevertheless, no one complained or spoke a word. Even Ye Sanshi’s return from a meeting didn’t disrupt the solemn atmosphere in the dormitory.
Ye Sanshi walked in with a smile, but he was met with indifference from everyone. No one stood up or paid him much attention.
It was an unspoken understanding among them that they would not get up while changing dressings, and Ye Sanshi had granted them special permission to do so. They were all trying to conserve their strength to endure the pain that would come later during training.
Though it had only been three days, the relentless training had already made everyone adapt to a silent endurance.
“Haha, alright, don’t look so bitter as if your wives ran away. I have good news for you!”
Ye Sanshi’s cheerful announcement was met with little reaction from the exhausted recruits.
Everyone had grown accustomed to these so-called “good news” from their squad leaders and company commanders, which often turned out to be additional challenges or tasks.
For instance, in the morning, Wu Jianfeng had shared what he called good news – new straps for the tires and their bodies. But, of course, that also meant more intense training using those straps.
Similarly, the day before, during an afternoon training session, Wu Jianfeng promised them a reward. And what was that reward? A grueling five-kilometer run on a real mountain road.
On top of that, the class leaders had also promised rewards such as 100 extra push-ups after each training session, adding to the already exhausting routine.
The recruits were tired and frustrated, and many of them secretly wished to retort, “Keep your good news to yourself! We’ve had enough!”