After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 42: Chapter 21: Resist Anti-aircraft Guns, Starting with Me!

[Task Completion.]

[Reward generation in progress...]

Fang Huai saluted with a circuitous gesture and left the stage.

Captain Wang took the stage, visibly moved.

"Comrade Fang Huai’s speech was profound and of a high standard! This is precisely what we should glean from watching an entire news broadcast!"

Captain Wang even forgot his words, calling it a "speech" instead of a "statement."

The new recruits all felt like they were watching a sci-fi movie—since when did the Wu Zhuangyuan also excel in the literary arts?

Is this what they call ... what’s that word? "A talent surpassing Su Shi in literature and Yue Fei in martial prowess?"

Forget watching the news broadcast tomorrow. Why don’t you perform instead?

It was a crushing defeat, a crushing defeat indeed.

The orderly competitive system of a Company was crumbling. Was there really room for showboating in the revolutionary ranks? freewēbnoveℓ.com

As Fang Huai stepped down, Hao Chengbin made a sweeping gesture, and Peng Yingqirui, Lu Zexian, Zhao Bing, and others moved in a row, each taking a seat further in, leaving the two outermost seats vacant.

"Squad leader, do you want to sit here?"

Fang Huai pointed to the seat and asked, then conscientiously sat down.

Hao Chengbin grinned and sat down beside him.

"Little Fang, you really have a practical level of skill! Did you practice this back in school?"

Fang Huai listened in speechlessness and casually replied.

"I’ve read some materials on how to write a speech, squad leader."

This Hao Chengbin, a staunch believer in empirical theory!

If anything went beyond routine, it had to be practice. Couldn’t it be that Fang here was naturally talented?

Alright, he really had practiced.

When Fang had first joined that state-run enterprise after being discharged, the old-timers were all slacking off, leaving the newcomers, who were treated like fish and dogs, to draft speeches, meeting PPTs—anyone with that skill was exploited to death.

Back then, Fang Huai was still a hot-blooded youth; if he didn’t know something, he’d learn it. He believed that those whom heaven is about to place in great positions are first given tough challenges. As long as one worked hard, heaven would surely entrust them with responsibility, ensuring a long and prosperous life.

He had a huge appetite and couldn’t even be satisfied with three big biscuits a day.

"You need to endure hardship while you’re young. The leadership all came up that way."

"If everyone can do it, why can’t you? Just put in a bit more effort than the others, and you’ll earn more."

"It’s good to learn more things, there’s no harm in it."

"Salary isn’t important. What’s important is the platform. Representing your unit means a lot, something many people envy!"

"Don’t always come asking me, is this your job or mine? In the future, if your subordinates ask you these questions, what would you do?"

"Don’t just think about leaving when the clock strikes the hour. Think about how much work you’ve done today, whether you’ve reflected on your experiences, if you could help your colleagues share the load. Those who can carry burdens are the ones fit for greater duties."

Those biscuits were damn delicious.

He dreamt of being a leader for two or three years until the newcomers he trained became his own leaders, and only then did he wake up and resign.

He never dreamt that the hardships of his past life had been in vain, but those outdated insights turned into multi-talented foresight in the present.

The leadership didn’t deceive him. It’s good to learn more things; it will be useful in another life.

"Today’s news review is to cultivate everyone’s speaking and summarizing abilities and to change everyone’s attitude. Don’t think that you don’t need to study once you join the troops. You need to correct your mindset! Learn from Fang Huai. The new-era troops need talents who are skilled both literarily and militarily!

Next, let’s sing our firefighting military song, ’Red, Red Police Camp, Red, Red Me’ together!"

...

"Red, red are the police camp and the red vehicles

Red, red is the youth and red am I

How many times on the training field our sweat falls like rain

How many times we quietly stand firm

We face it all with determination and resolve

Remembering our mission, we strive bravely

We practice our skills with joy, taking hardship as pleasure

For the peace and happiness of our hometown folks

We firefighters are always ready!"

...

Fang Huai sang loudly with everyone else until Hao Chengbin left his seat and went out to smoke. Finally, the system issued a prompt.

[Please choose your reward.]

[1. Memory Lv1 (Description: Like yesterday’s myriad events are like those of today’s, give yourself a stronger hippocampus.)]

[2. Heart Strengthening]

[3. Slight Increase in Leg Strength]

Fang Huai swallowed.

He made up his mind: Only kids make choices; I want them all.

For a while, the selection screen remained static.

The trial was ineffective.

Fang Huai felt helpless. If possible, he wanted to take out a high-interest loan and select all three at once. Not one of the rewards was something he didn’t covet; he needed them all too badly.

Just as the thought emerged, a new line of text flashed abruptly.

[If you select all three rewards at once, the system will charge 1/3 interest. For the following 9 tasks, you will not receive any rewards. (The upcoming 9 tasks cannot be declined; otherwise all three rewards will be revoked.)]

Fang Huai: ???

What in tarnation?

Really, a high-interest loan??? A third as interest???

Wait a minute! Let me think this through!

Three rewards, nine tasks—I’ve already completed three, which means I’m borrowing for six. One-third of that should be the interest for two tasks... I should owe eight!

Owing nine tasks for three rewards... Isn’t this usury??

That’s illegal! Brother! Charging interest on unloaned principal... according to central bank regulations... that’s fraud! I could just not pay back the principal, did you know??

[Interest rule modification: Interest rate adjusted to 50%, interest remains the same.]

The situation started to make sense.

The usury was gone, and now it was a pure high-interest loan; the principal was legit.

But he couldn’t escape the interest either! Did this system need violent collection methods? It would directly deduct from my salary!

The lender is Gao Qiqiang!

If I don’t pay, he’ll have me donating blood!

In these 9.6 million square kilometers, there’s still this lawless space in his mind.