Free Web NovelChapter 125: Chapter 82: Awe-inspiring Dismount
Wang Jian left.
He looked back three times with each step, his expression tinged with regret.
Fang Huai turned to head back to his squad and ran right into Hao Chengbin coming his way.
Hao Chengbin trusted Fang Huai’s willpower and didn’t ask what Wang Jian had said. Instead, he frowned and said,
"Has Han Yong already talked things over with his family? Is the transfer all arranged?"
Fang Huai could probably guess what this meant.
If Han Yong was notified to assist as well, it meant that his family had already arranged for his transfer to Special Service Squadron 2.
"Probably? I’ve been busy these past two days and didn’t ask him, but a couple of days ago, the company had the new recruits call home, so he must have mentioned it."
Hao Chengbin was surprised. "That quickly? They made phone calls... the day before yesterday, right?"
He was a bit resentful, his own transfer to the squadron had dragged on for half a year, while this guy... his was done in two days?
Fang Huai laughed. "Given that family, isn’t it very normal? I guess even if he wanted to change military branches, he could. I reckon his family sent him to firefighting to keep him from touching guns. That stuff, it’s dangerous."
Hao Chengbin scoffed. "Firefighting is dangerous too. You only know part of it... Let’s go, training!"
...
That day, Han Yong was really put through the wringer.
Hao Chengbin made him do extra drill practice alone. In the middle of the day, while everyone else was napping, Han Yong was called out to practice marching.
He was also told to start running five kilometers with the late training class tonight.
Han Yong strangely didn’t say much, as if he had understood something.
However, everyone else didn’t sympathize with him; some even envied him.
That afternoon, Yue Tao and Zhao Bing talked to him several times, saying that after he finished assisting with the Special Duty Team’s training and returned, he had to describe to them what the Special Duty Team normally trained for.
It couldn’t be helped. Now, Fang Huai was training during the day and often went out at night. From time to time, he would even assist Hao Chengbin with drills, looking less like a Deputy Squad Leader and more like a Squad Leader.
Han Yong seemed a bit easier to talk to.
If Fang Huai knew, he would definitely have mocked them, "You don’t trust me, a pure and noble person with impeccable credentials, but believe in the offspring of a capitalist?"
...
At 5:30 in the afternoon, the training ended, and they started to eat. Fang Huai and Han Yong left the formation, walking towards the training tower amid the envious glances of the other new recruits.
But the two leaving the formation were somewhat anxious.
"Deputy Squad Leader, what’s their intention? Are they going to train us?" Han Yong asked with an indignant air.
Fang Huai finally chuckled. "Your brain sure does think of a lot more than they do."
Han Yong immediately looked disdainful. "What about Special Duty? Special Duty can’t stop my ultimate move!"
Fang Huai was stunned. "Ultimate move?"
Han Yong’s walking suddenly became inconsistent, taking steps slowly with a defiant look on his face.
"My leg’s crippled! A comminuted fracture!"
Fang Huai marveled and genuinely wanted to applaud him.
"Damn, I thought your parents named you Yong because of the ’bravery’ character that soldiers had on their clothing in ancient times. Turns out it’s the ’surging’ from ’damn surging’!"
...
Joking around, the two reached the assembly area in front of the training tower.
Of course, Brother Yong didn’t really want to attract hatred even before he’d left his squadron, so after faking a limp for a while, he honestly recovered.
All the new recruits had arrived, but the Special Duty people hadn’t come yet.
Fang Huai glanced around, and including himself, there were 10 people. These probably were the new recruits set to be allocated to the Provincial Special Duty Team.
Most of them were from the new recruit group’s late training class.
It was a den of dragons and tigers, and the competition wasn’t small.
Fang Huai had a good idea about these people’s physical fitness.
None of them could beat him in the dead hang, but he couldn’t beat any of them in a five-kilometer run. freёweɓnovel.com
Of course, except for Han Yong.
Fang Huai thought back to his aspirations when he had enlisted and couldn’t help but laugh.
It really turned out to be quite the aerial acrobatics.
It’s just that he had only learned to fly, not how to run.
"Hey, Fang Huai, there’s no one here, and typically when the evening exercise instructor isn’t around, you’re in charge of the formation. Why don’t you take charge?" someone shouted from behind him.
Even the ones who didn’t join the evening training class turned to look at him.
"Stop messing around!" Fang Huai said exasperatedly. "You’re all standing so neatly. What formation do I need to lead?"
"Haha, Squad Leader Fang, your reputation precedes you. If the Special Duty old soldiers don’t listen later, lead us to take them on!"
A bunch of troublemakers made jokes as time hurried by.
5:40, 5:50... 6 o’clock came, and they still hadn’t arrived.
The new recruits started to get restless. The wind blew from both sides of the playground, creating a draught. No matter how good their physique was, they couldn’t help but shiver.
"Damn, what’s going on? Are they coming or not?"
"Yeah, Fang Huai, if they don’t come, why don’t you go report it and take us back?"
But Fang Huai shook his head. "Let’s wait a bit longer. It’s possible they’ve been dispatched to police duties. It’s very normal for firefighting to be late."
"Then let’s wait under the tower! The wind’s blowing from both sides here; who can withstand it?"
...
At the entrance of the playground, several non-commissioned officers were dozing off in their seats in a red-painted IVECO, while the driver woke up from time to time to glance at the situation on the playground.
The empty playground and every move of the two rows of new recruits were clearly visible to him.
Grabbing the two-way radio, the sergeant smiled and said, "Captain, captain, they haven’t moved. They’re just standing and chatting in front of the training tower."
The radio crackled, and a laughing voice came through. "They’re pretty resilient. Let’s wait another half-hour... Damn it! The weather forecast clearly said there would be showers today, why hasn’t it rained yet?"
A second-stage officer from the back grabbed the radio and pressed the Push-to-Talk button, sounding a bit impatient, "Captain, why waste time with a bunch of rookie new recruits? We won’t even get to eat soon! There have been a lot of dispatches recently!"
The voice on the other end came through, "Don’t talk rubbish! Liu Jianfeng, are you the only one who wants to eat?"
Hearing the instructor’s voice switch on the other end, the IVECO fell silent again.
...
6:15 a.m.
"Fang Huai, it looks like it’s starting to rain! It’s hitting my face!"
"Damn, it’s already dark, and they’re still doing training? They shouldn’t be coming anymore, right?"
"Let’s go inside!"
"Yeah, they definitely won’t come now. Let’s wait in the training tower, and if they don’t show up by seven, we’ll leave!"
As the raindrops grew heavier, Fang Huai felt somewhat helpless and had to step out, moving to the front of the squad.
"Look right!"
The squad immediately started to move, filling in the gap left by Fang Huai.
"Look forward!"
"Target, training tower, below the exterior staircase! March!"
Fang Huai couldn’t just take them inside the training tower to hide, so he led them under the makeshift iron-framed staircase to shelter from the rain.
But just after taking cover for two minutes, and quite unfortunately, someone arrived.
An IVECO suddenly turned on its lights and swiftly entered the training ground, parking in a direction that faced the new recruits, and even turned on the high beams, the glaring lights hitting their faces.
Five fire engines, flashing their lights but without sounding their sirens, drove up the small slope at the entrance to the training ground and lined up in front of the road outside the training tower.
Seeing this, Fang Huai couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
"Damn, all day long I play with eagles, and now I’ve been pecked in the eye by one."
A trap set patiently by a bunch of people, and even an old soldier like Fang Huai had been played.
From the leading Isuzu fire engine, two second lieutenants got out, and from the back two lieutenants, and a couple of captains.
There was even a lieutenant colonel.
And, looking through the light, all six vehicles were full of people.
From just one IVECO, seven or eight non-commissioned officers and soldiers got out.
No, it should be first-class soldiers wearing the rank of soldier.
In some bizarre squadrons, until new recruits leave the group, first-class soldiers were not permitted to wear the insignia of a first-class soldier.
This means that in these squadrons, new recruits should have a one-year period, plus three months of training for the next group of new recruits.
As long as Fang Huai’s group didn’t leave the squadron, the newly promoted first-class soldiers were essentially treated like new recruits.
Those "soldiers" looked at them, their eyes green with envy.
"First Squadron, get off and assemble!"
"Second Squadron, get off and assemble!"
In front of each vehicle, cadres called out.
The speed at which they got out this time was fast; the old soldiers almost instantly formed up in front of the two squads within five seconds, starting to align.
"Where are the new recruits? Where have they run off to?"
Angrily, as if blind, a captain bellowed.
The furthest distance in the world is when I can’t see you because you’re not in the designated spot.
Fang Huai and his squad were clearly standing on the side of the training tower, ten people, yet were completely ignored.
"Present!" Fang Huai yelled out.
Only then did the captain "see" them and then pointed to a spot in front of him and ordered, "Gather here!"
Fang Huai didn’t dare lead the squad anymore since he hadn’t been given the authority of a commander.
Under the flickering police lights and the stares of a big gang emerging from the vehicles to assemble, they sheepishly ran to the front of the training tower to form up.
Honestly, this scene wasn’t much different from a vice raid.
Once they were in position, the captain straightened the lineup, then looked at the new recruits and loudly asked, "Where were you supposed to assemble as agreed?"
"Sir! At the training tower!"
"In front of the training tower!"
The captain grew impatient, "Is it at the training tower or in front of the training tower? Hasn’t the new recruit group made it clear to you?!"
"Sir! We were clearly told to assemble in front of the training tower!" Fang Huai shouted loudly.
Better to admit fault early and move on to the next phase of being berated.
Today, they probably wouldn’t be beaten anyway.
There were too many cadres around; even if they wanted to reprimand the recruits, they would need to squat for so long and find a proper reason to do so.
The others began to echo, "Sir! In front of the training tower!"
The captain immediately seized the slip-up and pointing to the side staircase said, "Who told you to go over there?"
Everyone was silent.
But within seconds, a courageous one loudly said, "Sir! We had been waiting for almost an hour with no one coming, and it started to rain, so we went to take shelter from the rain!"
Fang Huai sighed silently.
Was it not fun for him to just wander around in front of the tower and mock on public channels?
Now he couldn’t even escape from the tower! Why go out and feed the enemy?
The captain’s speech box flew open, and he came closer, spraying words right in their faces.
"Rain? Is rain an excuse?
You’re in the firefighting service and you’re afraid of water?!
The order was clear: in front of the training tower, that’s in front of the training tower! Not the side! Not the back!
An order is to be followed to the letter! There is no room for negotiation! If people trapped were to jump down from the front of the training tower, could you save them if you were on the side?!
How to execute an order, is it that the squad leader has not taught you, or did you simply not listen?"
"Sir! We thought since it was already dark, you wouldn’t be coming!" a new recruit argued back.
At hearing this, the cadre glared furiously, his voice thunderous.
"Don’t give me excuses! Who told you, you can’t train at night?
Hu Hongzhi! Zhou Yong! Get to the vehicles and turn on the lights!"
Two non-commissioned officers immediately climbed up the backs of their respective fire trucks, and within seconds, intense incandescent lights burst forth from the tops of the two fire trucks, shooting into the sky.
The entire playground was as if touched by a mythological being, scattered with a handful of light spells.
(Just got back; this is the second Chapter, released at midnight. The third Chapter will come later, around 9 p.m.)
