Chapter 37: The squad leader is the kind of person whose mouth is still stubborn after the duck dies!
After everyone learned about “lying down” and “standing up,” the squad leader explained the third tactical action: “forward.” Forward is further divided into ‘bending quickly forward” and “creeping forward.” Crawling forward is further divided into “crawling forward sideways,” “crawling forward in a high posture,” and “crawling forward in a low posture.”
Time passed quickly under the continuous practice of these basic movements, and soon, the whole morning would end.
They haven’t connected all the movements yet. The ground has worn away the skin on their knees, elbows, and palms, with blood oozing out, staining their training ground.
Each of them, grinning, endured the pain of their scraped knees, elbows, and palms. Finally, at 11:30, they closed the team and returned to prepare for lunch. Chen Ming looked at his frayed palms in the dormitory, with blood continuously flowing from them.
“This broken system, why doesn’t it give me a skill like self-healing or Deadpool’s?” He thought. Today was more bearable if he had such a skill.
Chen Ming is already like this. Let alone the others.
Especially the plump He Dong. His palms were worn out, and even his elbows were covered in bloodstains. His knees were fine but also purple and black, and a light touch made him gasp for breath.
Seeing their miserable state, the squad leader took out iodine and cotton swabs, carefully applying them to the wounds. Although most of the iodine is alcohol, when it touches the wounds, it’s a painful experience for everyone.
Even when Chen Ming applied iodine, his face turned pale from the pain. A chorus of pig-like screams echoed in the dormitory.
Upon returning, Chen Ming thought about his painful hands.
“This system, why not give me a skill like self-repair?” He muttered. Even though he didn’t say it out loud, the pain was truly piercing.
As the month passed, they learned that the squad leader was strict in training but cared about his soldiers daily. Despite his strictness, the squad leader was also there with iodine and cotton swabs for their wounds.
At lunch, as they prepared for a break, He Dong, looking at his wounds, whispered anxiously, “I hope there’s no tactical training in the afternoon.”
The wounds might have stopped bleeding, but the pain persisted, especially after the application of iodine. If there were more tactical training in the afternoon, like in the morning, it would be unbearable.
Chen Ming, shrugging, responded with a subdued voice, “Who knows.”
To be honest, he didn’t want more tactical training. The pain was already too much.
“If you don’t sleep, go run laps for me!” The squad leader heard them and rebuked them loudly.
Quickly silencing, they closed their eyes, hoping the injuries on their bodies would ease a bit after the afternoon nap. Otherwise, the afternoon training would be truly challenging!
As the wake-up whistle sounded promptly, the squad woke up, immediately checking their injuries. The pain from their wounds determined the level of despair for the afternoon training. However, the pain persisted.
Observing their reactions, the squad leader snorted and said, “Alright, this afternoon, we’ll practice gun postures!” The crowd, relieved, erupted in cheers.
“Long live the monitor! Thank you, monitor! Good monitor!” They exclaimed. Compared to tactical training, gun posture training felt much more comfortable.
While putting on his shoes, Chen Ming couldn’t help but chuckle at the excited crowd. Did they forget they couldn’t lift their arms while holding guns yesterday?
Although he complained internally, he couldn’t help but smile. Holding a gun was indeed much more comfortable than tactical training!
Seeing their enthusiasm, the squad leader urged them, “Hurry up, grab your gun, and head to the training ground!”
“Yes!” They responded, shouldering their guns and running quickly to the training ground.
Watching them, the squad leader shook his head at their excitement. People are like this – without comparison, there’s no perspective.
After experiencing tactical training, the gun posture practice that made them complain yesterday seemed much easier. The military posture when they first joined, something they once despised, now seemed like a simpler and more enjoyable alternative to the increasingly complex and challenging exercises.
Later, despite the same miserable situation, they could not lift their arms when they returned from the afternoon training. Yet, an inexplicable excitement lingered. After dinner, watching the news, reciting commands and regulations, showering, and sleeping – another day passed.
In the following weeks, they continued this training routine. A three-kilometer armed run upon waking gradually increased to five kilometers. Mornings were dedicated to unchanging tactical training. After mastering basic tactical movements, the squad leader introduced coherent tactical exercises, combining actions like lying down, standing up, and moving forward.
They could be seen on the training ground each day, repeating these movements tirelessly. The actions became engraved in their minds. Sometimes, even when crawling into bed at night, they unconsciously continued crawling forward until hitting the bed rail, waking up abruptly, flipping over, and continuing to sleep.
Initially, they complained, but as time passed, these exercises, once terrifying, became familiar and less intimidating. Unlike the fixed tactical training in the morning, afternoon sessions included diverse training methods. With proficiency in gun postures, the squad leader reduced the gun posture training and introduced more physical exercises like frog jumps, five-kilometer cross-country runs, and push-ups.
After each physical training, they were exhausted but often exchanged banter or discussed topics that brought laughter. During monotonous training, a bit of fun was added. Additionally, they underwent special individual training, such as chemical defense and battlefield first aid, adding variety to their routine. Though tiring, they were adapting.