Volume 1: Rebirth from the Inferno Chapter 5: Sprouting

  Before entering the army, I actually still admired the career of being a soldier. People all say that men have two major regrets in their lives: one is not serving in the military and the other is not attending college.

  University? Look at me now, I'm probably not going to make it!

  But after all, I have become a soldier, and I have one less regret.

  Besides, although I didn't originally intend to join the army, when I saw my father's photo in my parents' album, wearing a green military uniform, looking majestic and heroic, I couldn't help but feel envious. It seemed like my blood was boiling at that moment. So, I don't actually dislike joining the army; on the contrary, I even have some expectations about it.

  "MD, aren't you quite capable? You're running away, if you can run half as fast as me, I'll let the new recruits have three months of no training every day, and they can be idle every day. How about it? I heard you're a city soldier, and you've even studied in high school for two years, so you're considered an educated soldier. What's wrong with you? Did you come to the army to take the military academy exam? With your current state?"

  Qiao Chun Nan looked at me with disdain as I lay in the deep pit, making me feel ashamed and unable to show my face.

  Human endurance is limited, the troops are not as we imagined, the new recruits do not have those handsome uniforms, dazzling weapons, and the first week of the new recruits seems to be useless drills and chores.

  I don't know what I did to provoke him, but because I'm a city boy and made a deep impression on him on the first day of boot camp. After finding out that I was a city soldier, he actually took great care of me, often making me feel extremely embarrassed.

  I've been trained in the ranks and internal affairs, I'm also willing to train seriously, but how can I feel a bit of dignity? ***, this sergeant acting as platoon leader is really bad, treating us like we're not human, scolding people until our ancestors are greeted, for someone like me who's considered NB and cool in my hometown, it's finally ignited.

  Seeing the expectant eyes of countless new comrades around me, and feeling the sympathetic gaze of an old soldier beside me, I angrily issued a challenge to him. Think about it, Lin Dahai didn't grow up eating plain food, in local fights, one against two or three, I took them down just the same. You're just a sergeant, not some kind of superman, what's so special? Come on! I'll race you in the 400-meter obstacle course, although looking at that 400-meter obstacle course makes my heart sink, but I think my physical quality is pretty good, let's run then.

  Seeing my boldness, Qiao Chun Nan's face showed a hint of surprise, but in his eyes, I saw a kind of teasing. Moreover, to 'take care' of me, Qiao Chun Nan very 'generously' said that he would run the full course, while I only needed to cross the high wall, deep ditch, and single-plank bridge.

  Being despised like this, I was naturally extremely dissatisfied in my heart. However, since there's a bargain to be had, it's still necessary to seize it - after all, winning is the best policy, right? I thought very sinisterly that at least this way, the chances of winning would increase greatly.

  We started running together, and at first, the fifty-meter dash didn't leave him much behind. However, as soon as we hit obstacles, his speed actually increased! To keep up with him, I had to expend a lot of energy, completely being led by the nose. As a result, when my lungs were exaggeratedly like an air pump, Qiao Chun Nan had already finished the entire course, while I was deeply buried in that deep pit, unable to climb out no matter what. At that moment, I felt so miserable that I wished they would immediately bury me alive with soil.

  "I'm not afraid to tell you, I didn't even finish elementary school, and I'm a rural soldier. I don't like you city soldiers. What's it going to be? Now I'm in charge of you. Either you become a real fighter or you become an unbearable deserter. Although I can't do anything to you personally, I just don't like your kind of trash. You run away and enjoy yourself at home, why come here to suffer? You escape!"

  Run away!? Go home!?

  Yes, what an attractive word it is. I feel the pain all over my body and how much I miss that soft and comfortable big bed at home.

  But can it run?

  It's said that after running away, one will become a black household, and the troops are keeping an eye on them, even if they have a home, they can't return.

  And it would also leave a shameful record in one's file, and even one's family members would be implicated. If caught by the army, it would be even more miserable, being locked up, punished, and then sent back to the countryside, from then on, one would not be able to live as a human being anymore!

  MD, you think I'll run? I know what you're thinking, I gritted my teeth and the blood in my body seemed to be ignited. I thought angrily, I won't run, and I will live with dignity. You can try to kill me like during new recruit training.

  "So I'll just wait for you to get tired of running, go ahead and run!"

  Qiao Chun sneered at me from the south, but his voice no longer had much effect on me. Although his voice was still so annoying and his facial expression was still extremely punchable, once I made up my mind, I became calm instead.

  One day I will lose to you on this 400-meter hurdle, but I will also defeat you on this 4-meter hurdle.

  It wasn't until later that I realized I had chosen a competition project with the least chance of winning against Qiao Chun Nan. It turned out that Qiao Chun Nan was the champion of the 400-meter hurdles in the XX regiment, ranking second in the whole regiment. No wonder the old soldiers on the sidelines looked at me with such obvious pity and sympathy back then. A new recruit like me competing in the 400-meter hurdles against a veteran soldier who ranked second in the whole regiment was like comparing a turtle to a dragon, it was simply not worth mentioning.

  And running 400 meters hurdles is scientific, simply put, it's about maintaining a certain speed, and the faster you go when you encounter obstacles. The first 100 meters should be run at 70% of your speed, then the next 200 meters at 60%, and you must maintain an even pace. The last 100 meters are where one's willpower is tested. The 400-meter military hurdles are the most exhausting and also the most physically demanding. Old soldiers all say they'd rather run 5 kilometers than run the 400-meter hurdles, because it's just too draining.

  Like me running, the old soldiers later said that even if you risk your life, you can't run faster than that. You know I was exhausted at the time, so I couldn't even climb out of a deep ditch. If I had to add plum blossom piles, crawling forward, and crossing low walls, I would have died on the spot from exhaustion.

  But it was just like that, because of Qiao Chunnan's way of despising my dignity, because of Qiao Chunnan's eyes that looked down on my ability, thoroughly provoked my strong will to fight. When my dignity is trampled by others, when my abilities are verbally abused by others, I become even stronger, a strong desire to grow stronger quietly sprouted in my heart!