Chapter 30: The Chief Instructor of the Intensive Training Camp Is Vulture?

Three days later, just as everyone was finishing lunch and preparing for their afternoon rest, a Dongfeng military truck suddenly drove through the main gate.

Soon, the company communications officer rushed to the first squad's barracks, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Su Yang, Sun Weihao, pack your gear immediately and head to the company office to pick up your rifles and equipment. You are being sent to the division headquarters."

A few minutes later, Su Yang had packed his bags, collected his gear from the company office, and stood at the dormitory entrance, waiting for the officer who was to take them away, as he was still in the political instructor's office.

"Su Yang, you're going to be gone for three months. What am I supposed to do alone?" Xiwu followed him downstairs, looking at Su Yang with envy.

"What are you afraid of? Everyone in the squad treats you well; just keep up with your normal training," Su Yang said with a smile.

"Exactly, Xiwu. What's the matter? Do you think we’d bully you?" Deputy Squad Leader Xu chimed in, sounding disgruntled.

"No, that’s not what I meant. Su Yang has been training with me. With him gone, I’ll be the only one doing extra training, and I’m afraid I won't have the same pressure," Xiwu said naively.

Zheng Sanpao ignored them both and looked at Su Yang, saying, "You'll only be gone for three months, so we won't see you off. In any case, once you reach the training camp, work hard and show them the strength of the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company."

"Don't worry, Squad Leader. If I don't earn a ranking, I won't call myself Su Yang," Su Yang said confidently. Of course, he didn't dare make any absolute promises about taking first place; after all, he didn't have a system.

A while later, Political Instructor Wang emerged from the office with a first lieutenant.

"Su Yang, don't worry about the platoon leader. He was just speaking out of anger at the time; he knows you care about him. Once you get to the training camp, do your best." Instructor Wang didn't say much to the others, but he patted Su Yang on the shoulder to comfort him.

"Instructor, I understand," Su Yang replied. He didn't take Chen Guotao's anger to heart. First, he knew Chen Guotao wasn't that kind of person, and second, he didn't regret his actions. He had already learned from Company Commander Miao that if Chen Guotao persisted with his treatment, he could still remain in the military, even if his dream of joining the special forces had been shattered. As for Commander Miao, he was still at the hospital looking after Chen Guotao.

The four of them finally sat in the back of the truck and departed under the watchful eyes and waves of the company officers and soldiers. The truck drove out of the company gates, picked up other soldiers from the battalion at the regimental guest house, and left the regimental base. The place where he had lived for nearly half a year suddenly vanished behind the foothills.

Two or three hours later, the truck carrying the soldiers from the Great Merit Regiment tore through the veil of the training camp amidst a faint sound of braking. Unlike what Su Yang had imagined, the training camp was not at the division headquarters, but in the deep mountains, even more remote than the Great Merit Regiment’s location.

After being checked by the sentries, the truck pulled up in front of several three-story barracks located halfway up the hillside. Looking up and down, one could see the entire base. On the flat ground below the slope, there were patches of neatly manicured turf, divided by cement paths into sections like green blankets covering the earth. In front of the turf was a basketball court, and beside it was a wide cement road. Further south lay a large parade ground, a shooting range, and a tactical training field—each area laid out according to a strict plan. It was a very well-organized training base.

Several three-meter-high and three-meter-wide concrete signs stood on the large parade ground, inscribed with the words: "Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in war."

The massive, bold red characters were exceptionally striking, and paired with the training fields in front of them, they were a real eye-opener for Su Yang, as the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company’s training grounds were neither as grand nor as large.

After stepping off the truck, Su Yang noticed a sign standing in front of the barracks that read: "B Group Army Comprehensive Training Base!"

This left Su Yang very confused. If their training was organized by the division, why were they at a Group Army training base? He turned to Sun Weihao and asked, "Old Sun, weren't we told this was a division-level training camp? Why are we here?"

Sun Weihao understood his confusion and guessed, "I'm not entirely sure either. Maybe it’s a new training base established by the Group Army, and the division sent us here to conduct the training."

Seeing that Sun Weihao didn't know either, Su Yang stopped asking. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; he would just have to face it earnestly. However, he knew that the next three months would be a cruel, life-risking, and highly challenging period. He had heard from veterans like Old Pao that everyone here was essentially an elite scout from their respective units. In the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, a training standout could be full of spirit, but here, everyone was an elite, making the competition much fiercer.

"Great Merit Regiment! Great Merit Regiment! Get over here and assemble immediately!"

Just as everyone was observing their surroundings, Su Yang saw a tall, thin first lieutenant in summer training fatigues holding a roster, accompanied by a captain with a somewhat familiar face, walking out of the barracks. The first lieutenant stood under the national flag and loudly called for assembly.

Su Yang was shocked. Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, he rubbed them, only to realize that the smiling captain next to the lieutenant looked just like "Vulture" from the Special Forces.

"Su Yang, they’re calling us. Let's go." Seeing Su Yang dazed, Sun Weihao reminded him, then ran over with the remaining veterans.

Su Yang shook his head to clear his thoughts and hurried to join the formation. Whatever—if he was here, he must be an instructor, and he would find out sooner or later.

Seeing that everyone had formed up, the first lieutenant swept his gaze over the group, his eyes landing on Su Yang's shoulder boards. Surprised, he walked over and asked, "Still a private? Which unit are you from?"

Su Yang straightened his posture, standing like a pine tree, and shouted, "Report! Great Merit Regiment, Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company!"

"The Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company?" The lieutenant must have heard of it, as he immediately said, "Coming from a hero company, are you? Not bad." After saying this, he didn't even look up, just made a few marks on the roster with his pen. It was clear that while he knew the name of the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, it didn't stir much curiosity in him.

"Attention! Parade rest!"

The lieutenant organized the team and began his introduction: "Alright, welcome to the training camp. My name is Zhou Lin, the political instructor of this camp. This is your chief instructor, Cai Xiaochun, from the most formidable special operations unit in our military region, the Wolf Fang Special Forces Brigade. From now on, Chief Instructor Cai will be in charge of your training."

The lieutenant's introduction caused a stir among the veterans, who all stared at Cai Xiaochun. Wolf Fang—as scouts, they knew exactly what that name meant!

After letting the group express their surprise, Instructor Zhou continued: "First, I have a piece of news for you. Starting this year, the scout training will no longer be conducted by individual divisions. From now on, everyone will come to the Group Army’s directly affiliated training camp. That is why you are all here!"

"Next, we will divide you into squads." As he spoke, Instructor Zhou flipped through the roster in his hand and, without looking up, began calling names and assigning squads.

"Sun Weihao!"
"Here!"
"Third Squad!"
...
Soon, Su Yang's name came up.
"Su Yang!"
"Here!"
"Ninth Squad!"

After the assignment, Zhou Lin added, "Your dormitories are in the building behind us. There are squad signs on the doors; find them yourselves. Now, I invite our chief instructor to speak."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man Su Yang recognized as Vulture smiled and said, "Welcome to the most grueling place you will ever know. From this moment on, regardless of your rank—whether you are a private first class or a private—you are all the same here. You have one shared name: Trainee!"

"For the next three months, you will undergo scout training here: one month of physical training, one month of professional skills, and one month of field operations. The instructors at this camp are the most elite scouts in the entire Group Army."

"Therefore, the training here will be brutal. I hope everyone will persevere, because once you leave here, you will be the cornerstones of your respective companies. The future of your companies will be decided by you!"

"No more nonsense. Return to your rooms, put away your luggage, take your mess kits, and assemble for dinner. Dismissed!"

Vulture's speech was different from the "Old Gao" Su Yang was familiar with; it was gentle, and he even spoke with a smile. But Su Yang knew that the people who smiled on the surface were often the most terrifying.