Chapter 6: A Ten Percent Elimination Rate

  "Attention, all rise!" With the command of Feng Shaojun, the squadron leader on duty in the second district, a rustling sound of chairs moving filled the large classroom on the fourth floor of the student dormitory.

  The team leader, Yan Weidong, who was standing on the podium, frowned and scanned the students below with a look of dissatisfaction. The students who were swept by his gaze couldn't help but straighten their backs, making themselves stand even more upright.

  "Take a short rest."

  "Attention!" Feng Shaonian made a crisp turn, saluting the captain, "Captain comrade, the mobilization meeting for the intensified training of the 14th squad is ready. There should be 144 people present, but only 143 are here, with one guard missing. Please instruct! On duty, Feng Shaonian."

  "Sit down!" Yan Weidong said coldly.

  "Yes!" Feng Shaojun saluted again, turned around to face all the students, and gave an order, "Sit down!"

  Another burst of scraping and screeching sounds from moving chairs.

  Yan Weidong let out a loud "hmm" from his nose, looking at the tense faces in the audience below, but he didn't say anything for a while.

  "Rise!" Yan Weidong suddenly shouted in a loud voice.

  Suddenly, there was a commotion in the auditorium. The old soldiers stood up almost simultaneously with the command, while the new students got up one after another, accompanied by the inevitable scraping of chairs on the floor. It took a while for the room to quiet down again. Just as Yan Weidong was about to speak, he heard a loud "bang!" from the back row - a chair had fallen over.

  The room, which had just quieted down, was suddenly shattered by this abrupt and jarring sound, as if it had struck the hearts of all the students. Instantly, every face began to change color, some furrowed their brows, others couldn't help but look around, while still others were on the verge of bursting out laughing. Naturally, Ma Xiaotian's bright red face was also part of this scene.

  Without turning around, he knew it was someone from his own class who had blown the whistle. Guo Xiangyang's face turned slightly red, but more so with annoyance. Ma Xiaotian's classmate Qu Mingjun in front of him also furrowed his brow, feeling quite displeased.

  "Pick up the stool!" Yan Weidong shook his head helplessly, unsure whether it meant no or something else. Ma Xiaotian hastily bent down to pick up the stool, his face growing even redder.

  "What are you laughing at? What's so funny? You tell me, what are you doing now? Is this a mobilization meeting or something? I feel like we're moving house!" Yan Weidong's voice rose higher and higher. "Look at those few times when we sat down and stood up, creaking and groaning, is that acceptable? No way?"

  "I know most of you are still civilians wearing military uniforms, but it's been a few days since enlistment, don't you have the basic sense of discipline and uniformity? Hmm? And what about you veteran soldiers, you're doing fine yourselves, but what about your exemplary educational role? You can't even teach these new recruits to stand at attention properly, is that okay?"

  Qu Mingjun glanced at the stools of several old soldiers nearby with his eyes, and indeed there was some mystery. The stools of the old soldiers were basically placed upright at a certain distance behind their legs, while those of the new recruits were all crooked and irregular. It seems that the old soldiers had reserved leg space for standing up before sitting down, so they could stand up quickly and quietly.

  Every point and every drop is a lesson, and at all times and in all places I have my teacher. For some reason, the phrase suddenly popped into Qu Mingjun's mind.

  "Sit down!" Yan Weidong ordered suddenly after a moment of silence.

  This time, although there is still a distinction between the old and new soldiers, it's much quieter than before. No one dares to adjust their stool after sitting down. The veterans are seated relatively comfortably, but some of the new recruits who didn't adjust their stools properly have only managed to sit on one corner, looking like they'll be in for a rough time soon.

  Coach Jia Jie glanced at the captain, who was sitting down but still had a dissatisfied expression on his face. He smiled and pushed the steaming cup towards Yan Weidong, indicating for him to take a break.

  "Comrades, after three days of adjustment and preparation of various equipment, from tomorrow, no, from tonight, we will enter a three-month intensified training phase. Some comrades may not fully understand what intensified training is, so let me explain it here. Intensified training refers to the use of maximum military training to strengthen your physical fitness, temper your spirit, toughen your willpower, and establish your future goals. Some comrades might think that these three months are just a period of physical exercise, nothing special, and can be easily passed through. But I tell you, in the dictionary of the Stone Gate Army Academy's Reconnaissance Department, there is no room for the word 'mix'. And these three months are not only a period of physical training but also a period where you will touch and move towards becoming professional soldiers." Jiajie paused for a moment, calmly scanning all the students below.

  "I don't know what purpose you all came to the military academy for. Maybe for some of you, joining the army is a fun adventure; maybe for some of you, taking the military academy exam can guarantee a stable job in the future; or maybe for some of you, you hope to become a high-ranking officer in the army; and perhaps for some of you, this is just a life path arranged by your family. Of course, there are also those who genuinely love the military and have come to the academy with the desire to serve the country.

  No matter what your purpose is, I congratulate you on achieving your goal - you've finally stepped through the door, and one foot has already crossed the threshold of becoming a professional soldier.

  However, please allow me to pour a bucket of cold water over you. You have entered the academy and are seated here, but this doesn't mean you can safely make it to the end. Until now, your student status has not been registered. Only those who pass the three-month intensive training and meet our set targets will be truly recognized as students of the Stone Gate Military Academy. Otherwise, please return to wherever you came from."

  "Hmm——" A sudden sound, all the students in the classroom were shocked by this unexpected news and forgot about the discipline of the meeting, whispering to each other. Qu Mingjun and Wang Jin both understood the smile with hidden meaning on the face of the security officer they saw at the entrance on their first day of school, as well as the true meaning of his last words to Qu Mingjun: "Welcome to school, I hope I won't see you here again within three months!" For a moment, all Qu Mingjun could see in front of him was that damned smile of the nameless security guard. If he saw himself again within three months, it would mean he had been kicked out. Damn it, he had never been looked down on like this before, and Qu Mingjun felt some anger in his heart.

  Three months, those damned three months. If he can't pass that damned reconnaissance system military standard, then his previous high school entrance exam, the excitement of receiving the admission letter, and even the strict political review at the armed forces department, as well as the three times of rigorous physical examination in various places, will all become a mere illusion. No, not just an illusion, but also a laughing stock among friends and family. Although the electric fan above his head was blowing hard, sweat still poured down Ma Xiaotian's face.

  Captain Yan Weidong and instructor Jia Jie should have anticipated this, but they didn't immediately speak up to restore order in the meeting. After a moment, the voices on the scene gradually subsided, and Jia Jie tapped his hand on the table, refocusing everyone's attention on him.

  "Some comrades with better physical fitness, ah, and some old soldiers, don't you think that you're fine, that it's just running and whatnot, very easy. Alright, I admit, for comrades with good physical fitness, the physical training that takes up the majority of the three months of intensified training isn't too much of a problem. However, the three months of intensified training aren't just about that, there's also political learning, military knowledge, and other military skills. And then there's university-level humanities and science courses. All these will be included in the final evaluation. Moreover, I reckon some comrades have already heard this before, our team is an experimental team, it's the first time we're recruiting a mixed batch of soldiers from both the army and local areas, so our elimination rate is also unprecedented. Every year...” Jia Jie paused on purpose, took a sip of water, “every year, we can have as high as 10% elimination rate."

  A louder buzz of voices rose in the auditorium, at this time not only new recruits but also old soldiers furrowed their brows, cultural learning was not an easy task, especially for people like them who had been abandoned by the troops for two or three years.

  "In previous years, the recruits we selected were basically all top-notch individuals from various units and assessments, with no major issues in terms of physical quality. However, the problem lies here: future wars will be high-tech wars, comrades are aware of the Gulf War, right? Future battles will no longer be like the past where a bugle call would sound, everyone would shout and charge forward to victory.

  Especially for our reconnaissance team, in recent years, many high-tech equipment have started to be distributed to units and schools. Without knowledge of high-tech, do you know what GPS is? Can you use the new single-soldier wearable communication device?

  So starting this year, our reconnaissance team will no longer just emphasize military quality like in the past, but also cultural quality and high-tech quality.

  Mentioning this, veteran comrades, your future study life won't be easy either."

  The instructor still had an innocent smile on his face, but the veterans sitting below him no longer had a relaxed expression.

  "It's exciting, isn't it? We have 144 people present today. It can be predicted that during the four years of study, there will be a group of people who either leave the team or change their major, whether they are old or new soldiers. This is the difficulty we face. I hope to see that after four years, we still have 144 people graduating together, but this estimate is likely to be difficult. For the weak, these difficulties are an insurmountable barrier, while for the strong, they will become their greatest driving force. Are you heroes or cowards? I don't know, and I hope you can prove it to me. Three months later, success or failure will determine who is a hero! Next, our team leader will announce the course arrangement for the three-month intensive training..."

  PS: If you think this book is still worth reading, please introduce it to your friends. The story will only get more exciting from now on.