Chapter 1 Section 12 Chicken and Monkey

  Three shots off target, it's simply ridiculous. Even if the shooting level is poor, to come here and select special forces, can't be so far-fetched, right? And the most critical issue is that with Sun Erpao's record, his rapid-fire score would actually be like this, which really makes everyone's eyes drop in shock.

  400-meter hurdles, uneven bars, 5-kilometer cross-country, rapid fire. Four events, two first-place finishes, one second-place finish, and the other event didn't even qualify for scoring, being declared unqualified directly, perhaps this has never happened in previous selections.

  Let's not mention Sun Di's sympathy, astonishment, relief and attention-grabbing performance. Just look at Chen Yang's results. None of his scores are impressive, but overall, he made it into the top 10 in the first three events. However, when it came to rapid fire, his score was disappointingly poor. 5 bullets, 27 rings, one shot off target.

  As soon as the results were announced, Sun Erpao laughed and said: "Chen Yang, it's settled then. Your score is worse than mine, I'm probably going to be eliminated, and you won't make it either."

  "Get lost."

  The next score announcement, Chen Yang couldn't muster up any interest. It was now very clear that he and Sun Erpao were equally unqualified in this rapid-fire segment. Even with the scores from the first three items propping him up, it's likely that his top thirty ranking would be ruined this time.

  Just then, a man with a national character face sitting on the small stage took over the microphone, and the lieutenant general's epaulets shone brightly on his shoulders. The lieutenant standing beside him announcing the results saw him and hastily shouted loudly: "Attention! At ease! Welcome to the leader's speech." After that, he led the applause, but the applause from below was obviously not in sync with him, and the scattered applause sounded like a fool knocking on a rice bowl.

  The lieutenant frowned and said, "As for your performance, I don't want to say much. However, I found some problems in this selection. It seems that some brigades need to be rectified. This temporary selection has made the conditions very clear. Each regiment must select its own elite, with a military age of more than one year. But look at you, what kind of soldiers are you? Within 100 meters, you actually missed the target. Is this still on the training ground? If you really go to the battlefield, can you expect to kill the enemy?"

  The response to him was still sparse applause. Anyone who can be recommended by the team must be a master who is willing to admit defeat. Although the lieutenant's words were clearly referring to Chen Yang and Sun Erpao, as soldiers in the military camp, what do they rely on to gain recognition from their peers? Passion, affection, various military skills, Chen Yang, Sun Erpao, even if it's just based on their performance in these three aspects, no soldier can look down on them.

  Looking at the lukewarm performance below, General Shao's eyebrows furrowed even tighter. He lowered his head to flip through the documents in his hand, then raised it and said: "Sun Erpao!" There was no response from below, so General Shao called out again: "Sun Erpao!" It wasn't until then that Sun Erpao suddenly remembered and took a step forward, responding: "Present!" General Shao gave him a sidelong glance but didn't say anything. He continued to call out: "Chen Yang!" "Present!" Although Chen Yang's mind was somewhat preoccupied, when Sun Erpao was called, he had already guessed that he would be next.

  "Both of you come on stage."

  As the two of them stepped onto the stage, the lieutenant general's voice grew even colder: "Take a look, among all of you who came to participate in the selection, there are only two people who can hit the target from 100 meters away, and they're both from the same team. After training for over a year in their unit, this is the kind of result they achieve? And they're even the elites of their regiment! What's the use of soldiers like them?"

  Sun Erpao's face turned red, somewhat like Guan Gong. Chen Yang's face turned white, somewhat like Cao Cao. Unlike Sun Erpao who felt ashamed, Chen Yang's heart rose with anger. It was very clear that this unknown lieutenant general had already treated Sun Erpao and him as chickens, while the soldiers standing below were monkeys.

  "Colonel continued: "The elite of a brigade, missing the target at a distance of 100 meters, you can imagine the quality of their ordinary soldiers. What I want to emphasize here is only one point, that is, no matter who you are, whether you have passed this selection or not, please live up to the uniform on your body, don't waste the blood and sweat of your compatriots, the country, the people, and the food they provide for you. You are soldiers, and you should stand out to protect them at critical moments, rather than wasting bullets again and again."

  The entire small auditorium was silent as if everyone had been stunned by General Xiao's words.

  The lieutenant colonel swept a cold glance over the warriors below, his voice calm yet strong with emotion: "Perhaps my words are somewhat extreme, but I'm really disappointed in this selection. Our country has become stronger, people's living standards have improved, but our warriors have degenerated!" He pointed at Chen Yang and Sun Erbao on stage, saying: "Look at them, they wear and eat what the country and people provide, yet after serving for over a year, what have they done? Do they deserve their military uniforms?"

  "Get out!" Almost in unison, Chen Yang and Sun Erpao's roar was like a cannonball that had been fired, blasting fiercely at this lieutenant general.

  The quiet little auditorium was briefly silent before erupting into a flurry of whispers, the voices gathering together in a hum that almost rivaled the sound of an F-15 fighter jet. The major who had announced the results was stunned, standing there not knowing what to say. But facing Chen Yang and Sun Erbao's eyes filled with anger, the general's face gradually regained its composure, stroking his chin where some stubble itched, the general smiled: "Oh! So you guys tell me, did I say something wrong?"

  Sun Erpao was so anxious that he looked like his buttocks were on fire, and he said with a red neck: "I didn't waste food! I'm a pipeline soldier, my task is to guard the oil pipeline, I guarded the pipeline very well, no one can steal oil."

  The lieutenant was stunned, while the urgent and incoherent Sun Erpao still managed to convey the general meaning: "My gun doesn't fire bullets, I'm not allowed to smoke, and I'm not allowed to shoot."

  The warriors under the stage were stunned, while the expressions of the military officers on the stage were somewhat complicated. It was very clear that when Sun Erpao said he was a pipe soldier, some of them already knew the detailed situation. The face of this major general was ugly and crumbling: "You are a pipe soldier?"

  Sun Erpao nodded.

  The lieutenant slowly turned his head, and on the other side was Chen Yang, who looked at Sun Erpao with a surprised face. He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you also a pipeline soldier?"

  Chen Yang came back to his senses and shook his head: "No, I'm not a pipeline soldier."

  The lieutenant colonel listened and felt an inexplicable sense of relief in his heart, only to be followed by a more shocking answer.

  "I am Zhuang Bao, in charge of feeding pigs in the squad."

  PS: To be honest, my update speed is indeed very slow, and currently there aren't many friends reading this book. What I want to say is simple - for a novel, the hardest part to write is always the beginning, because the plot hasn't unfolded yet, and every scene, every character, requires careful consideration. As the director, in order to have my actors perform well, I must think carefully about everything. Once the plot unfolds, I believe the speed will pick up.

  At least one post per day, more writing and posting, please support me, friends!