Chapter 29: Destroying the Troops (6)

  Xiao Lie raised his head to look at the sun setting in the western sky, and on the eastern side, a round moon was already hanging high. Due to the sun's radiance, the moon didn't stand out much. At noon, it was still relatively warm, but by afternoon, when the wind picked up, the cold air blowing from the snowy mountains made one feel especially chilly. Now, as he gazed at the desolate mountain terrain and the houses nestled between the peaks, he wondered how the residents managed to survive in such an environment. The sheep on the mountain didn't seem to be eating anything either. There were no green plants, and the air was crisp with a hint of coldness.

  Xiao Lie tightened the straps on his shoulders and continued to run up the mountain with a 20-kilogram load, after three kilometers of climbing, he felt extremely exhausted with every step. Although he was accustomed to the climate here, it didn't mean he was superhuman. Now, with every step, he felt his body heat up, hot sweat seeping into his undershirt and then into his cotton jacket. The weather was cold, and three layers of clothing seemed excessive, especially on a mountain still covered in snow. He had grown accustomed to the weather in the north, but one couldn't let their guard down - the sky might suddenly turn dark and cloudy, with goose feather-like snowflakes falling thick and fast, or hailstones of varying sizes pounding down. And that was still okay. What was really troublesome was when a sandstorm hit, sending dust swirling everywhere, carried by the wind to any place. Once, the cook had just prepared a pot of soy milk, but before long, the surface of the pot was covered in a thick layer of black dust.

  "Ah."

  Xiao Lie accidentally fell to the ground, doing a five-body landing. His face was pressed against the accumulated snow on the ground, and the 20 kilograms of weight on his back also pressed down on him at once. The feeling was not comfortable at all.

  "Xiao Lie is back, I said this kid is better than I thought, he's almost lasted a month now, looks like I lost." Tang Fei said, some time ago he had made a bet with someone that Xiao Lie wouldn't last more than a month practicing like this, but in just two days it would be a month already, and during this period not only hadn't Xiao Lie's enthusiasm decreased, on the contrary, there was a kind of habitual look.

  "Come on, come on, you must be tired, have a drink of water." Tang Fei handed over a cup of warm boiled water.

  "Thanks." Xiao Lie took the water without hesitation and slowly drank it down.

  "I'm saying, aren't you tired?"

  "No."

  "Why?"

  "You'll get used to it. A scientist once said that if a person wants to develop a habit, 21 days is enough. After 21 days, the habit will take hold of him. I think he makes sense," Xiao Lie said.

  "But scientists also say that you should balance work and rest, look at you practicing every day, it's quite tiring, I feel heartache just watching you. Isn't it said that if you rush, you won't achieve your goal? You've been practicing every day for this period of time, there's no other way, otherwise, why don't you take a break for four or five days?" Tang Fei said with some heartache.

  "Haha, no need, I'm already used to it."

  "Comrade Xiao Lie, although your body is yours, it also belongs to the country. What if you exhaust yourself from training and can't complete an urgent task assigned by a superior? Wouldn't that cause great losses for the country and the army? Comrade Xiao Lie, when I told you to rest for four or five days, it wasn't for your personal sake, but for the greater good of the nation and the army. Do you understand?" Tang Fei looked like he was in deep pain.

  "Huh? I'm that important?" Xiao Lie was made to feel a bit embarrassed by Tang Fei's words. What if he were to suddenly receive an urgent mission, and his body couldn't handle it due to overtraining? That would be terrible. Xiao Lie suddenly felt a sense of being cared for, which even moved him a little.

  "Yes, it's really that important, you take a rest." Tang Fei said firmly.

  "Oh, okay, I'll listen to you, let's take a break for four or five days."

  "Ah, this is right, I'm also doing it for your own good."

  Tang Fei turned around a wall and made sure no one could see him before he exclaimed excitedly: "Yes! Done!"

  As long as Xiao Lie persists for four days without training, then he will win the bet. He knows that winning one family is better than losing to four families. Otherwise, he would lose big time. He couldn't help but feel excited about the success of this small plan.

  "It seems that from now on, I can go and be the instructor of our base." Tang Fei said to himself.

  "Huh? What instructor? Has our new instructor arrived?"

  Upon hearing this voice, Tang Fei was startled and jumped up. Standing in front of him wasn't it Lian Zhang Zhiqiang? It had been almost half a year since Lian Zhang went to study and hadn't been seen.

  "Really, really, really long time, you're back?"

  "Ah, back already, just got back this afternoon. Half a year without seeing you, still good, huh? You little guy has gotten fatter!" Zhang Zhiqiang laughed.

  "Section Chief, don't say that, I've already been awarded the second-class merit badge twice." Tang Feisheng was afraid that Zhang Zhiqiang's words were a veiled criticism, implying that he was slacking off.

  "Look what you said, I was just joking with you. You just mentioned instructor, have we even had an instructor come yet?" Zhang Zhiqiang asked.

  "Oh, that's what I mean, we should have a platoon leader already, otherwise the platoon commander has to be both father and mother, how tiring."

  "You little brat, I won't say anything else, I'll leave first."

  "Dragged on for a long time."

  The next day, after finishing his work in the garage, Tang Fei saw Xiao Lie go to change his clothes without going back to training or the shooting range. His heart finally settled down, it seemed that Xiao Lie had indeed listened to him yesterday. At this moment, he was a little happy and even wanted to help Xiao Lie wash his clothes.

  "I told you, Xiao Lie can't last a month." Tang Fei said.

  "There's only two days left until a month is up, what a pity." Gu Yu said.

  "Yes, just two more days. Two more days." Gaoyuan Shan said with a bit of heartache, making those who didn't know the situation think he was anxious about something.

  "Yes, how can we bear to see our comrades being like us? We ourselves are not making progress, but seeing Xiao Lie, such a good comrade, and such a good seedling also giving up, how can this be?" Li Xiaojiao said.

  "That's right, we should do something for our comrades." another old soldier said.

  "What's wrong? Can't you afford to lose? You should know what it means to concede graciously. If you go and make him do something, that would be against the rules. At that time, it would also mean you've lost." Tang Fei heard the four people's words and felt something was off, immediately standing up and saying this, fearing they would instruct Xiao Lie like he had done yesterday.

  "Hey, we also said Xiao Lie couldn't last a month before." Li Xiaoqiao said.

  "What's the big deal? No matter what you thought at the time, but when you made the bet, you said they could last a month. Now it's too late to regret it. You guys are just petty, we're soldiers, can't our words be counted on? Look at you all, isn't it just two packs of cigarettes and five catties of braised beef per person? Is that worth it?" Tang Fei was filled with disappointment.

  The conversation in the room was not clear to Xiao Lie, when he hung up his clothes and looked at the sky. In Xinjiang, the sun sets two hours later than in the mainland. If it were on the mainland, many people would have finished dinner or started their nightlife. But in Xinjiang, 6-7 pm is not much different from 3-4 pm on the mainland. He stretched his body and felt a bit uncomfortable, like something was missing. Ah, this habit feels a bit awkward, with an itchy feeling all over, like he needs some exercise to solve it. Although every day at the base, soldiers also conduct military training, but compared to combat troops, that intensity is not worth mentioning. Under Wei Qidong's guidance, Xiao Lie strengthened his physical and weapon training. At first, the soldiers in the base thought it was strange for someone to work so hard, but after a long time, they got used to it. The sound of gunfire on the shooting range every day also added some excitement to the base, although it was just a bit noisy.

  Xiao Lie thought for a moment, then returned to his dormitory, took out the weighted backpack he had made himself from the closet and put it on his back.

  "Do you want to go out and exercise?" Tang Fei asked after seeing him.

  "Yes, if I don't exercise a bit, it really doesn't feel like habit." Xiao Lie said.

  When Tang Fei was about to say something, Gao Yuanshan pulled him back and smiled: "Tang Fei, let's talk. Why are you so worried about Xiao Lie? As comrades-in-arms, shouldn't we encourage each other's good qualities?"

  Everyone hastened to echo in agreement.

  "I'm out of here."

  Xiao Lie finished speaking and left, leaving Tang Fei with a bitter melon face.

  "What's the big deal? No matter what you thought at the time, but when you made the bet, you said they could last a month. Now it's too late to regret it. You guys are just petty, we're soldiers, can't our words be counted? Look at you all, isn't it just two packs of cigarettes and five catties of braised beef per person? Is that worth it?"

  Gu Yu stood up and imitated Tang Fei's tone, making that expression seem so vivid and lifelike that it left Tang Fei speechless.

  "Commander, this is our talent! Look, a university student, not only can he endure hardship and labor, but also insists on military training every day. Who knows, maybe next time we let him participate in the martial arts competition, our base will no longer be at the bottom." Wei Qidong said to Zhang Zhiqiang with an expression like a monkey presenting treasure.

  "I heard you're quite concerned about that soldier of yours. I've reviewed his file, and he's got great potential. Without any special treatment, he was top of the class in boot camp. A gem like that is coveted by every combat unit, so why did they send him to our disposal base? Have you ever thought about what might be going on?" Zhang Zhiqiang analyzed: "Maybe we're planting trees for others to pick the fruit."