Ace Special Forces in Movies and TV Shows

Chapter 0036: Model Recruit

That night, Wu Liuyi and Zheng Yingqi wandered the vast training ground like lone wolves for a long time without encountering any rides. There were many armored vehicles and tanks patrolling the training ground, but the two were unlucky and didn't encounter a single one along the way, so they had to rely on their own two legs to walk back.

The only advantage of walking at night here is that you don't have to worry about wolves. On the training grounds where mechanized divisions roam, the kings of the wasteland are soldiers who bleed and sweat, not wolves. In front of them, wolves would have long since wandered off and dared not roam here.

There's no need to go into details about what happened after they returned. This incident quickly became a forgotten memory in Zheng Yingqi's career with the Steel Seventh Company, like an interlude. In the following period, the entire Steel Seventh Company entered into training for mechanized human-vehicle coordination.

As dawn broke, the whistle blew, and the soldiers in the darkness fell to the ground with a thud. By the time the lights were turned on, the soldiers had already folded their blankets. The blankets of more than a dozen people in the third squad's dormitory were neatly stacked into tofu blocks, which was quite a sight.

This is the rhythm of the Seventh Company; Zheng Yingqi has become completely accustomed to it over the past two months.

Shi Jin inspected the room and found that even Bai Tiejun, who had the shortest plank, had done a good job of tidying up. He nodded and then said goodbye. The whole class filed out of the dormitory and into the corridor.

In the dimly lit corridor, the soldiers, dressed in uniform, walked out in a tense but orderly manner. After entering the parade ground, they began to line up and count off in soft but clear voices.

Then the soldiers of the Seventh Company began to board the vehicles. Several military trucks that had been assembled and preheated were quickly filled with soldiers and started to drive away in the blink of an eye, kicking up clouds of dust.

All of this actually happened within two or three minutes—the terrifying yet admirable efficiency of the Seventh Company, the efficiency of Chinese soldiers.

Zheng Yingqi sat in the crowded truck, huddling closer with his comrades in the drafty compartment to keep warm. Some of them even took the opportunity to light their first cigarette after getting up.

A cigarette was handed over; it was from Cheng Cai. Zheng Yingqi subconsciously glanced at the brand of the cigarette. It was not bad; it was Honghe. This was a cigarette that Cheng Cai gave to the squad leader and deputy squad leader. He didn't expect that his treatment was as good as that of the squad leader and deputy squad leader.

"You know I don't smoke," Zheng Yingqi refused. Cheng Cai didn't mind and lit one for himself. Just then, someone asked him for a cigarette. He subconsciously pulled out a pack from his pocket and generously offered it to the person who asked for one—it was a one-yuan Jianshe cigarette. The person looked at the cigarette, wanted to say something but then shut up. Finally, he quietly crushed the cigarette and tossed it outside without making a sound.

Zheng Yingqi saw all this but remained silent. Cheng Cai, unaware of the reaction his lavishly distributed cigarettes had elicited, instead asked Zheng Yingqi:

"You went to see San Duo the other day? How is he?"

Although Cheng Cai and Zheng Yingqi were in the same company, their contact seemed to be cut off as soon as they joined the Seventh Company—or perhaps Cheng Cai deliberately avoided Zheng Yingqi. However, as Cheng Cai was trained as a sniper by the Seventh Platoon, he regained his confidence in facing Zheng Yingqi. Since Zheng Yingqi did not become a sniper in the company, Cheng Cai felt confident in facing Zheng Yingqi after seeing the new list of snipers.

Zheng Yingqi didn't seem to care much about Cheng Cai's desire to reconcile. He said, "It's not bad. It's just that the place is rather desolate, but it's good for training people."

After saying that, he looked at Cheng Cai again. From that place emerged Xu Sanduo, who paved the way. Later, Cheng Cai, who ran to the Third Company, also went there and eventually grew up. He was recommended to the Old A again by the group army as an outstanding sergeant. It was there that Cheng Cai truly grew up.

But Cheng Cai, at this moment, has no idea that it was the place where he was reborn. He can't even imagine that one day he will return there twice. After hearing Zheng Yingqi say that it was a good place, a mocking smile flashed across his face, which he quickly concealed, saying insincerely:

"Really? That's good then, it's good for Sanduo."

Zheng Yingqi lost the desire to speak again, staring blankly at the still dim sky. Cheng Cai also wisely shut his mouth, smoking a Honghe cigarette and lost in thought.

The vehicle was heading to a firing range, which was essentially a vast armored vehicle firing range. Everywhere there were crisscrossing tire tracks, and at the end were hazy mountains—it was a testament to the countless rounds of ammunition that had been poured out here, and to the sheer volume of training this elite armored unit had undergone.

Three infantry fighting vehicles in a row were driving around the open ground, warming up their vehicles. The drivers inside were controlling the steel monsters with great enthusiasm. The loose soil that had already been crushed to a depth of nearly a foot was excitedly lifted up by the steel monsters, like a bewildering fog.

For armored soldiers, this is considered normal—two ounces of soil a day, if not enough in the morning, they have to make up for it in the afternoon, and that's no exaggeration.

This was the first time the new recruits had been to an armored vehicle firing range. Their initial excitement turned into disappointment in the face of such a harsh environment. The infantry fighting vehicles, as if they disliked the environment for not being harsh enough, were deliberately kicking up dust.

Bai Tiejun muttered:

"I really want to drag the guys out of the car and let them experience what it's like outside."

"They're not much more comfortable than we are," Gan Xiaoning said softly. "You'll get used to it." He then looked at Zheng Yingqi and saw that Zheng Yingqi was standing motionless. Gan Xiaoning quietly nudged Zheng Yingqi: "Aren't you uncomfortable?"

"I'm wondering, if this were wartime, would this environment be considered harsh?"

As Zheng Yingqi spoke, Gao Cheng was making his way through the dust and dirt, each step leaving a pockmark. The sharp-eared Company Commander Gao glanced at Zheng Yingqi, his eyes filled with satisfaction. Unconcerned about his abrupt appearance, he interjected:

"There's still strong wind today, and the sandstorm will be even worse, making the environment even harsher than it is now. But I hope everyone understands that the battlefield will never give you the best environment; it might be even worse than this. But does that mean we won't fight? We're a reconnaissance company on the edge of a knife; we must learn to shoot by feel, not just with our eyes!"

After Gao Cheng finished speaking, he patted Zheng Yingqi on the shoulder again, which was his habit to show his appreciation to his favorite subordinates. However, in this environment, he patted a large amount of dust on Zheng Yingqi's shoulder.

After Gao Cheng finished speaking, he left and began to address the entire company:

"Attention! At ease!"

Today's main subject is the coordination of infantry and armored vehicle firepower. Your vehicle company has twelve drivers, but in my eyes, your section has one rifle and one cannon. You are not twelve units, but one unit. So I hope you can imprint the concept of coordination into your minds..."

As Gao Cheng was giving his speech, the wind picked up again, even stronger than before. A gust of evil wind blew towards Gao Cheng's face, and countless specks of dust entered his mouth, but he seemed oblivious and continued speaking. Seeing this, the soldiers stood even straighter.

After the training was completed, Gao Cheng ordered the soldiers to collect their ammunition before they dispersed.

After receiving their ammunition, the third squad lined up. An infantry fighting vehicle drove up from the side, its massive body stopping in front of them. As if showing off its skills, the side of the vehicle was less than a meter away from the behemoth. Bai Tiejun subconsciously took a few steps back, only to be met with Wu Liuyi's glare. The veterans were used to this kind of "demonstration" and "testing courage," but today they were astonished to find that Zheng Yingqi, who was coming for the first time, was just like a veteran, completely unconcerned about the behemoth passing by.

Faced with such an example, Bai Tiejun sighed inwardly once again, "Zheng Yingqi is no ordinary person!"

The massive vehicle parked in front of the third shift had three white numbers painted on its side: 207.

Shi Jin said to Zheng Yingqi and Bai Tiejun, "Remember 207! This is our class's battle chariot!"

"yes!"

Shi Jin called the veterans aside to load their ammunition, while Wu Liuyi stood in front of the two new recruits: "You are new recruits, so we will be lenient with you during this period, but you also need to pay attention to your studies. For example, the vehicle is parked here, so you can practice boarding it yourself. Of course, no one will be watching you if you don't practice, but in the end, you will be the one who falls behind."

Newcomers should act like newcomers, and the two naturally agreed. Zheng Yingqi agreed, and Wu Liuyi didn't care because he knew that whatever Zheng Yingqi said went. But Bai Tiejun was still worried and took a special look. Bai Tiejun was already used to this kind of treatment and nodded vigorously to show that he really understood.

Wu Liuyi then said, "Come on, let me take a look first."

Zheng Yingqi wanted to go up first, but Bai Tiejun took the spot. He was worried that Zheng Yingqi would perform superhuman again and he would be scolded for his ordinary performance later, so he decided to make a fool of himself first.

He stepped forward, opened the hatch, and jumped in through what he thought was a cool move, even though the hatch was only 1.2 meters high. Bai Tiejun, feeling that his move was pretty good, wanted to chuckle to himself, but considering that Zheng Yingqi was behind him, he could only keep a straight face and steal a glance at Wu Liuyi. He saw that Wu Liuyi was expressionless, and Bai Tiejun became uneasy, wondering if Squad Leader Wu was satisfied with his performance.

He stepped down nervously, and then it was Zheng Yingqi's turn.

Zheng Yingqi leaped into the cabin, without Bai Tiejun's fancy movements, but it took significantly less time. Most importantly, he deliberately slammed the door shut behind him after he got in.

The hatch was reopened, and Zheng Yingqi immediately jumped down, forming a line with Bai Tiejun, awaiting Wu Liuyi's assessment.

Instead of offering a direct comment, Wu Liuyi asked Zheng Yingqi, "Why did you close the hatch?"

"Report: Since I was the only passenger, it was assumed that I was the last one to board the train, and closing the door was just a convenient action."

Bai Tiejun felt ashamed again, as was his habit.

"Which of you two felt took less time?" Wu Liuyi asked again.

Zheng Yingqi remained silent, and Bai Tiejun habitually pointed at Zheng Yingqi: "Him."

"But it's still too slow! On the battlefield, time is life. Every extra second spent getting on the vehicle means ten extra seconds for ten people, and in those ten seconds the enemy might lock onto us and destroy us! So we must emphasize one word: speed!"

"Watch my moves!" Wu Liuyi said and then demonstrated. He curled up into a ball and leaped into the 1.2-meter-wide hatch in a flash, closing the hatch behind him—all in just one second!

After getting off the bus, he shared his tips for boarding: "The key to boarding a bus is one goal and three things to note!"

One target is your seats in the car, and three things to watch out for are your head, your feet, and the hand that's closing the door!

Do you know how much force it takes to slam a car door that weighs tens of kilograms shut? I personally witnessed a soldier lose two fingers when a door was slammed shut!

Upon hearing this, Bai Tiejun became frightened, swallowing hard as he stared at the thick car door—only then did he realize that this thing was several times thicker than the door of a bus…

"practice!"

At Wu Liuyi's command, the two continued practicing. Zheng Yingqi went first this time. He followed Wu Liuyi's movements and rushed into the cabin, followed by a loud slam of the door closing. Five months of training had greatly improved his coordination, and he no longer appeared clumsy.

The bored pilot was watching the recruits' training. He heard Wu Liuyi repeating about breaking his finger, so he wanted to see if the recruits would dare to slam the hatch shut. But Zheng Yingqi shocked him more. This guy actually slammed the hatch shut, as if he hadn't heard the example Wu Liuyi had just given.

But to the driver's surprise, Zheng Yingqi rushed through the closed door and headed straight for a seat, completing the standard boarding maneuver.

Zheng Yingqi got off the bus, and it was Bai Tiejun's turn. Bai Tiejun was still traumatized by Wu Liuyi's words. After rushing into the bus, he slowed down when closing the door, successfully delaying for a second. After closing the door, he quickly opened it again and got off the bus without sitting down, completing the whole process.

"This..." The driver didn't know what to say. He was just surprised by the strength of the new recruits, but he didn't expect that someone would immediately show a normal level of performance. Couldn't he have been impressed for a minute longer?

(Long chapter, more tonight, back to two chapters a day! Please vote!)