Chapter 20: Charging the Hilltop

The enlistment ceremony concluded, and Su Yang finally met Zheng Sanpao.

Seeing the man return from the company commander’s office on the first floor with his luggage—the same way they had—Su Yang knew he had just finished handing over his duties with Zhuang Yan.

"Squad Leader!" Su Yang and Xi Wa saluted.

"It’s you two. Where are the others? Didn't they take you out to show you around the company grounds?" Zheng Sanpao frowned, seeing only Xi Wa and Su Yang in the dormitory.

"Deputy Squad Leader Xu and the others went to clean their equipment. He told us to stay in the dorm to tidy up our personal gear. As for the company grounds, Deputy Squad Leader Xu already showed us around before the ceremony," Su Yang explained.

In truth, Su Yang and Xi Wa had wanted to look around, but as new arrivals, they hadn't been issued their own service weapons yet. According to Deputy Squad Leader Xu, they would have to wait a week. Since everyone was responsible for maintaining their own gear, they had no choice but to remain idle.

"That's fine," Zheng Sanpao nodded. He placed his luggage on his bunk, called the two over, and said, "You both performed excellently in the recruit company. I won't say much now that you’re in our squad; just continue to work hard and strive to become elite scouts."

"Yes, Squad Leader!" they replied in unison.

"Let me introduce you to the rules of the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company." Fearing that Deputy Squad Leader Xu hadn't been thorough enough, Zheng Sanpao decided to reiterate the rules of the First Squad.

Su Yang felt a bit surprised watching Zheng Sanpao nag on about various precautions. He felt the "Old Pao" of now was vastly different from the one in the recruit company. For all his tough-guy appearance, he was rambling on just like a political officer. Of course, Su Yang understood that these rules were mandatory for every new soldier, and Old Pao couldn't afford not to be long-winded. He just found the contrast between the two versions of Old Pao quite stark.

Just as Xi Wa was beginning to look overwhelmed, a whistle blew.

"Tweet!"

"Emergency assembly!" Old Pao instantly stopped talking and led Su Yang and Xi Wa sprinting downstairs.

Once in formation, Su Yang saw Company Commander Miao holding his watch, his face dark. Gone was the affable man who had greeted them earlier; he stared coldly at the recruits who had arrived late.

"Do you think you can relax now that you’ve joined the company? Let me tell you, here in the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, there is no such thing as an easy life. The training intensity will only be higher!" Commander Miao paced back and forth in front of the formation as he spoke.

"Su Yang, tell me, what was the assembly time requirement in your recruit company?" Commander Miao took two steps, turned, and locked his gaze on Su Yang.

"Report! Three minutes for light gear, five minutes for full gear," Su Yang replied.

Commander Miao stared at Su Yang and shouted to Zheng Sanpao, "First Squad Leader, tell him what the standard is for the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company!"

"Report! Two minutes for light gear, three minutes for full gear!" Zheng Sanpao responded loudly.

"Good. The last recruit just now took two minutes and forty seconds. That’s barely passing the recruit company standard. Don't give me excuses about being new; you’re still in your grace period, and you’re already this slow. If this were at night, wouldn’t you be even slower?"

"Since you’ve joined the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, there is no distinction between new soldiers and veterans. Everyone is assessed by the same standards. I don't care what methods you use—if anyone messes up during the next assembly, I’ll punish the entire platoon! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!"

Commander Miao’s gaze was so sharp it made the recruits' hearts pound. Once he finished, they felt as if they had stopped breathing, terrified that even the sound of their breath might draw his attention.

"First Platoon Leader!"

"Here!" Chen Guotao stepped forward.

"Since the new recruits have joined, as veterans, you should show them around our territory. The mountain behind us is quite nice. Take them for a few laps so they can get a good look! Move out!" Commander Miao’s eyes glinted like a tiger playing with its prey.

"Yes, sir! Everyone listen up! The forest behind the mountain is completely natural, untouched by machinery—a true masterpiece of nature. It’s absolutely beautiful! Follow me, charge! Let’s take you up the mountain to enjoy the scenery!"

Chen Guotao roared, blew his whistle, and took the lead at a run. "Run! Keep running! Once you leave the gate, run up the mountain! Run fast, and maybe you'll catch the sunset at the peak!"

Su Yang couldn't help but scoff inwardly. *Beautiful scenery? Catching the sunset? This is just a mountain sprint.* He realized that the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company was either full of tricksters or professional at pumping everyone full of adrenaline. However, he didn't feel resentful; instead, he felt his blood boiling. "Charge!"

Su Yang let out a roar and quickly chased after Chen Guotao.

Watching the squad head into the distance, Political Instructor Wang of the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company stepped out of the office and said to Commander Miao, "Su Yang is truly a good seedling. Look at that drive—he’s really something!"

Commander Miao smiled and said, "Of course. The kid has the same personality as Chen. No need to worry about him."

Instructor Wang pointed to a young figure in the office who was organizing files on a desk. "What about that kid? You think highly of him, right? Why leave him behind to do paperwork?" As the instructor, he knew that if Commander Miao wanted Zhuang Yan to be in a squad, he only needed to give the order.

"You mean Xiao Zhuang? That kid still needs his temper tempered," Commander Miao replied, shaking his head.

On the mountain, the veterans watched as Su Yang kept pace with Chen Guotao, unable to believe their eyes. They knew he had been the top recruit in the competition, but no matter how good he was, he was still just a recruit. He shouldn't have been able to compete with elite veterans who trained daily. Yet, Su Yang’s performance was blinding them.

At the front of the pack, Su Yang looked at the muddy mountain path and shook his head. *So much for "purely natural." These paths were all worn down by people, step by step.*

"What? Can't keep up?" Chen Guotao, breathing heavily, turned to look at him.

"Are you kidding? This little bit of a trail is nothing. Any path in my hometown is steeper than this. I was just curious, that’s all. Besides, this is much better than climbing hills under a hail of gunfire during real war," Su Yang retorted.

"Hah, well said! Compared to war, this little scene is nothing!" Chen Guotao shouted, "Whether you’re a veteran or a recruit, the first ten to finish get to rest! Everyone else keeps going!"

This directive sent the veterans and recruits alike into a panic. The veterans began to sprint, no longer pacing themselves. Aside from Su Yang, the other recruits were miserable. *Who the hell said life would be easy after leaving the recruit company? It’s only the first day, and they’re already trying to kill us.*

Depressed as they were, the recruits had no choice but to keep running.