Episode 1 Section 13: Results Annulled

  The small auditorium fell completely silent, so quiet that the sound of ants crawling could be heard. Everyone, including Sun Erpao, who was usually a bit more reckless than others, stared at Chen Yang in a daze, as if they were looking at an alien. For five minutes, or at least five minutes, the absolute silence made Chen Yang feel somewhat uneasy.

  The lieutenant general suddenly came back to his senses and rubbed his face hard, as if he had thought of something. He roared: "Phone! Bring me the phone!"

  A warrior who looked like a signal corps soldier handed him a satellite phone. He dialed several numbers in succession and finally got through to the 523rd Regiment.

  "I am Lieutenant General Zhao Zhenjun, let your regimental commander answer the phone." The lieutenant general's voice echoed in the quiet small hall, and everyone quietly stared at him. It was clear that everyone wanted to know if Chen Yang was indeed a "pig soldier". If Sun Erpao, this pipe soldier, had already made it difficult for them to accept, then Chen Yang, who had rushed into the top ten in three events, was no different from giving all the soldiers present a hard slap in the face.

  Time was not long, the voice of Liu Changyi, Liu Tuanzhang came from the other end of the phone. The lieutenant general thought for a moment and pressed the button to switch the phone to "hands-free" mode.

  "I am... Commander Liu Changyi of the 523 Brigade, may I ask who you are."

  "Colonel, to put it bluntly, I am Zhao Zhenjun. The two soldiers from your regiment who participated in the special forces selection, Sun Erpao and Chen Yang, what were they doing in your regiment?"

  "On the other end of the phone, Liu Changyi's voice became noticeably tense: 'Reporting to the superior officer, Chen Yang was a breeder at the breeding base before participating in the selection, and Sun Erpao is an ordinary soldier under the 7th company, stationed at maintenance station sixty-seven. Finished, please instruct.'"

  The voice of Liu Changyi, the captain of the 523 team, floated in the small auditorium. Everyone present had a mixture of emotions in their hearts. The lieutenant general's eyes became somewhat strange, staring tightly at Chen Yang and Sun Erpao, but then Liu Changyi carefully asked on the phone: "Uh... that... they didn't make any trouble, did they?"

  The lieutenant colonel came back to his senses and said: "Very good, the soldiers you brought are not bad..."

  The phone hung up, and the atmosphere in the small hall became awkward again. The fact is clear: a pipe soldier, a warrior who only fires guns but not bullets. In terms of rapid fire, 5 bullets can hit 2, which should be passable.

  But this "Pig Soldier" is a bit magical, think about it, a pig soldier, so the training he received should be just those three months in the new recruit regiment, and everyone's heart is very clear, how many targets can a pig soldier hit? How many bullets can he shoot?

  But most importantly, Chen Yang and Sun Erpao, two warriors who have nothing to do with fighting in the strict sense, can achieve such results in this selection. What will be the real combat power of the 523rd Regiment?

  He took a deep breath, and suddenly stood at attention, giving Chen Yang and Sun Erpao a standard military salute. Chen Yang was taken aback for a moment, but quickly reacted and returned the salute with equal formality. Sun Erpao, that muddled person, however, made another blunder, flailing about in confusion, but fortunately, seeing Chen Yang's actions, he managed to follow suit without losing too much face.

  "I apologize sincerely for my previous words, you have done well and I hope you can forgive my ignorance." The lieutenant general's expression was somewhat cold, but genuinely showed the kind of respect between soldiers.

  Chen Yang didn't know what to say, but he was indeed shocked in his heart. He had never thought that a lieutenant general would apologize to him, a "pig soldier". And Sun Erpao, this mixed-up person, actually said with a red face: "Ah, whatever, I didn't take it to heart."

  "Chen Yang! Sun Erpao! Attention! At ease!" The general walked to the front of the stage, without a microphone, but his impassioned speech was heard by the silent crowd: "As a major general, I am proud of these two soldiers from the 523rd regiment. At the same time, I also feel deeply guilty. It is clear that some comrades in our army may have been soldiers for several years, but only fired a few bullets, but their contributions to us are no less!"

  The lieutenant colonel swept his eyes over the soldiers below, some of whom excitedly asked: "Are there any brothers from non-combat units down there? If so, take a step forward!" The small auditorium was quiet, it seemed that only Chen Yang and Sun Erpao were from non-combat units.

  "Look at these two people, one is a breeder and the other is a pipeline soldier for pipe maintenance. But how did they perform in the selection? Sun Erpao, two first places in individual events, one second place; Chen Yang, one ninth place, one fourth place, one fifth place. Putting aside shooting skills, don't you feel ashamed? As fighters from combat troops, you were defeated by them, what a shame! Too shameful!"

  The crows and sparrows under the stage were silent, and the lieutenant standing beside the young general reminded him in a low voice: "Commander, you've used coarse language..." The young general's eyes swept sideways: "I'm speaking privately to friends, not making some public speech, what's wrong with using a couple of coarse words?" He ignored the lieutenant and turned back to continue: "Alright, let's cut the nonsense. I've decided that next month I'll go to the 523rd regiment to take a look, see how they train their soldiers into top-notch fighters! But there's one thing I must say, no matter what reason or excuse, the selection rules are set in stone, and anyone who doesn't meet all four criteria will definitely not pass! So, Chen Yang, Sun Erpao's scores are invalid, and the rankings will be adjusted..."

  Chen Yang's mind buzzed with a loud noise, and he felt as if the sky was spinning and the earth was turning upside down. Was he going to go back to feeding pigs again?

  The humming noise from below grew louder again, and the lieutenant general couldn't help but frown. After a moment, he discovered that the sound was getting bigger and more driving, and he couldn't help but roar: "Silence! Shut your mouths! Can't you understand what I'm saying? Soldiers! Must unconditionally obey! ***, all of you shut up, I said, anyone who doesn't meet the requirements must be eliminated!"

  At this moment, a lieutenant colonel stood up and walked to the side of the major general. If Chen Yang and Sun Erpao were not distracted by the major general, they would have recognized him - he was the same lieutenant colonel they met on the night they arrived at the base.

  He walked up to the lieutenant general and whispered a sentence, unexpectedly the lieutenant general's eyes widened: "Comprehensive results? No way! If they said their scores are invalid then they must be invalid!"