Chapter 9: The Weight of Badges (Part 2)

  The explosives on his body were finally ignited, and the instructor shouted in a nearly crazy voice: "Trash, what else do you have to drag it around for sixteen laps?"

  This Mitsubishi off-road vehicle is his treasure, and he usually treats it like a son, no wonder he got so angry.

  "Kid, you dare to make a move on Tai Sui's head, you're the first one in history. I admire your courage for this point, learn from your mistakes and do better next time."

  Patted Zhang Hang's shoulder, Old Cao turned his head to the instructor and said: "Next time there's something good like this, call me, I'll go to your place at night... Haha, I'm leaving."

  "Haven't you left yet? You trash, waiting for food to eat!?"; The instructor kicked Zhang Hang's butt fiercely, and before the whip in his hand fell, Zhang Hang had already cleverly turned this nearly four-ton heavy thing around.

  One lap, two laps, three laps...

  Zhang Hang's accumulated physical training over the years played a role at this moment, and everyone looked at Zhang Hang with a strange gaze as he easily ran the first five laps.

  The instructor knew that dragging this nearly four-ton off-road vehicle for ten laps was already the limit of human endurance.

  From the sixth lap on, Zhang Hang's speed gradually slowed down.

  In the eighth lap, Zhang Hang's heavy breathing could be clearly heard, and beads of sweat as big as beans kept dripping from his forehead.

  "The tenth lap, boss you've already run ten laps, there are six more to go, you must hold on. I've made a bet with others that you can finish it, winning or losing is not important, but saving face is crucial, don't lose face for your brothers."

  Xī Shì Jiàn shouted loudly: "Hold on to the end, brothers please treat him to a big feast."

  "Alright!" Zhang Hang let out a loud roar and his body accelerated forward, disregarding the pain in his lungs.

  "Don't speed up, it will waste your energy, keep a steady pace and move forward, you've already run 12 laps, I believe in you!" Ou Yang Qiushui loudly reminded Zhang Hang.

  Upon hearing Ou Yang Qiu Shui's anxious voice, Zhang Hang's painful lungs also felt much alleviated.

  However, the lungs still transmitted a tearing pain, footsteps like cotton, soft and soft, sinking deeper and heavier.

  Zhang Hang looked up at the sky with his head raised, blinking hard to prevent sweat from entering his eyes, and a thin line of water dripped down behind him.

  The instructor stared at Zhang Hang with a expressionless face, while the medical staff beside him were ready to provide emergency treatment at any time.

  He actually managed to hold on until now, the instructor was stunned, shocked, really shocked!

  Fourteen laps, dragging a nearly four-ton off-road vehicle for fourteen laps, has already broken through the limits of human endurance, what he has done is good enough.

  Although he had already acknowledged Zhang Hang's performance in his heart, he still shouted at him: "Rubbish, you still have two laps to go. If you can't hold on, stop and come back tomorrow to start again from the beginning until you succeed."

  With a "thud", Zhang Hang's legs finally softened and he fell to the ground, curled up into a ball, panting heavily.

  The handsome nose came into close contact with the ground and suddenly blood flowed all over his face.

  Everyone looked at Zhang Hang with admiration, praise and astonishment. The instructor pulled back the medical staff who were about to come forward and shouted: "You can hold on until now, I admit that you are indeed excellent. What ordinary people can't do, you did it. But if you can't hold on to finish the remaining two laps, you still failed, completely failed!"

  "Old big brother, stand up, stand up and let us see that you are a top-notch husband who can withstand any difficulty and cannot be defeated."

  "Hey, Big Brother, do you know? In school, you single-handedly defeated all of us men. Neither the teachers nor our classmates could stump you; what's even more infuriating is that you snatched away the heart of our school flower, Ouyang Qiushui, leaving all of us male students with nothing but envy."

  "So, big brother, you need to stand up and persevere, prove to us that you're not just a playboy who only knows how to flirt with girls, but a real man who can make Ouyang Qiushui feel at ease and rely on for the rest of her life." Si Tu Jian said loudly into Zhang Hang's ear.

  Hearing his brother's shout, Zhang Hang, who was drenched in sweat and had a nosebleed, wiped the blood from his nose, got up from the ground, and let out a loud, crazy laugh: "Yes!"

  The fresh blood that had just flowed out of his nose greatly relieved the pressure and pain inside him, and with the encouragement of his brother, Zhang Hang took another step forward.

  He didn't know how many hundred meters he had run, but Zhang Hang only felt the fresh blood accelerating its flow out of his body. The pain in his lungs that was about to crack open came again, and every cell in his entire body was exhausted, but there was only one thought in his mind: hold on to the end, never give up!

  Watching Zhang Hang's blood-soaked face, still running with a ferocious expression, the doctor beside him finally couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly at the instructor: "He can't run anymore! His physical strength has reached its limit, he is already overdrafting his life, and any slight mistake will cost his life."

  Ouyang Qiushui finally couldn't bear it and rushed up, crying while continuously calling out to Zhang Hang's ear: "Stop it, silly bird! Stop it! From the moment I liked you, you've been the best man in this world! Your marksmanship is always on target, you defeated the martial arts instructor, you keep creating miracles, keep surprising me, now you don't need to prove anything anymore! Really, you don't need to prove anything anymore! Stop it, quickly stop it!"

  A surging flame burst forth within Zhang Hang, proudly straightening his long-curved chest. He gently glanced at Ouyang Qiushui, then let out a loud, piercing laugh and continued to stride forward.

  "Alright, big bro, stop it already! You're the best and don't need to prove anything else! If you keep going like this, you'll die, I don't want to lose a good brother like you. Stop, go eat a big meal, if you're dead, what's the point of eating?! Hurry up and stop!"

  With a loud "whoosh", the people around rushed forward, ready to carry these two off-road vehicles fifty meters ahead to the finish line.

  "Don't move, none of you are allowed to move. He wants to push his life to the limit, if you go up like this, it's not helping him, but harming him. Can't you feel that he has a fierce and destructive aura on him? With this bloody killing intent, he will definitely become the new generation of Dragon King in the future. As long as he passes this level, he will be invincible under the heavens!"

  Shocking! Everyone was deeply shocked!

  It's not just because of the instructor's words, but more because: Zhang Hang, who fell down again two meters away from the finish line, finally crawled to the finish line with his hands and feet, and before he fainted, his right hand was pressed on the finish line.

  Zhang Hang was sent to the intensive care unit and after an hour of emergency treatment, his condition has stabilized.

  "I've been a doctor for thirty years and I've never seen anyone with such a strong physique. His physical strength and water reserves are severely depleted, an ordinary person might not have made it. His vital signs are very stable, his willpower is also very strong, but his body is extremely weak, he's currently in a coma, he'll wake up on his own after a few days." The doctor said solemnly to Deng Xiao and Zhao Zilong.

  After this exercise, Zhang Hang has been secretly designated as the successor of the next Dragon King.

  Zhang Hang didn't wake up until the fourth day at noon. For three days and nights, Ouyang Qiushui never left his side. Deng Xiao specially arranged for Ouyang Qiushui to take care of him all the way until he fully recovered.

  One is because Ouyang Qiushui's current medical level has surpassed that of ordinary doctors.

  Secondly, due to their special relationship, as long as it does not affect training, the training camp does not interfere with free love, after all, soldiers also need to get married.

  It was under the relaxed policies of the training camp that Liu Jie and Situ Jian, Zhao Ping and Situ Gang also came together.

  This is a clean and tidy ward, through the glass of the ward can see a complete set of medical care system.

  Zhang Hang woke up in a faint scent, with an intravenous drip still attached to his arm, and Ouyang Qiushui was sleeping on his hospital bed.

  She wore a crisp white nurse's uniform today, her black shiny hair was tied up, and her long eyelashes covered her beautiful eyes, her sleeping posture was elegant, her red lips were charming and fragrant, emitting waves of refreshing scent.

  Looking at her elegant and refined face, he recalled the last time in the woods when he tasted the charm of her red lips. As he gazed down from the open neckline to see her white and alluring cleavage, Zhang Hang suddenly felt a wave of heat throughout his body. He couldn't help but lower his head again, wanting to savor the charm of her red lips once more.

  "You're awake!" A sudden and urgent call on her face, Ouyang Qiushui woke up with a mix of surprise and joy.

  "As soon as you wake up, you think of taking advantage of me, not being serious at all. You've just passed the critical period and need to take good care of yourself. Besides, we haven't settled last time's account yet, how dare you act recklessly?"

  Ouyang Qiushui's face flushed, and Zhang Hang knew it was because of the last time he kissed her in the forest.

  This can't be blamed on me, if you're unwilling, how could I kiss you? Who knows this damned place is full of surveillance cameras everywhere.

  Zhang Hang thought for a moment, then got up to get some water, but his whole body felt weak.

  "Don't move around, tell me what you want to eat and I'll get it for you." After finishing speaking, she glared at Zhang Hang, got up, poured a cup of water, and softly said: "Do you drink it yourself or do you need me to feed you?"

  "I'm now completely weak and can't even move a finger, how am I supposed to drink?"

  "Who told you to be so stubborn, I told you to stop but you wouldn't listen, and now you even dare not listen to me? Serves you right!"; Yet, as she spoke, her hands had already brought the water to his lips.

  "Drink slowly! Look at how anxious you are."

  "Older brother, you're awake." The water hadn't been drunk yet, but Situ Jian's voice arrived first, and behind him followed a large group of people.

  "Boss, with a beautiful woman taking care of you, you're full of energy now! I think you can be discharged from the hospital tonight."

  "Situ Gang, you're quite eloquent, no wonder Zhao Ping got lost in your sweet talk." Ouyang Qiushui glanced at Zhao Ping beside him and retorted loudly.

  Liu Jie smiled slightly, just about to speak up, when Chu Duo spoke up beside her: "If he can deceive our Liu Jie, then his older brother Shi Tu Jian's abilities are not bad either."

  "Ah! The only three beauties have already been taken so quickly, poor us single brothers." Wang Zhiqiang shook his head and sighed, immediately adding a sentence.

  "Alright, you men always say that. Don't forget we're here to visit the patient." Liu Jie said: "How is it? Is he better?"

  "Except for being out of energy, everything else is fine, thank you guys." Zhang Hang replied.

  "My god, Big Brother, don't play with your life next time! If we lost you, this brother, wouldn't the rest of us brothers be very uninteresting?" said Situ Jian.

  "What's with you brothers, coming to see me empty-handed like this? And don't forget what you promised me, when are you going to treat me to a big meal?" Zhang Hang asked.

  They came empty-handed, but then Sito Jian and others suddenly pulled out a large pile of fruit from their hands like magic tricks.

  "As for 'having a big fight', who said that?" Siu Gim turned his head and asked.

  "Hey, you little brat think you can welch on the debt?"

  "Wait till you're discharged from the hospital, then we can have a good drink together. You know? That day when you ran to the finish line, except for the instructor and doctor, everyone else was stunned. And that perverted instructor even said you might become the new generation of Dragon King. Big Brother, now you've made it!"

  "Really?" Zhang Hang's heart flashed with a thread of joy.

  In China, the Dragon King symbolizes not only an invincible god of war but also the highest honor for soldiers.

  So far, only their captain and head coach Zhao Zilong has this title. Since defeating the martial arts instructor, Zhang Hang's next goal is Zhao Zilong.

  He understands that there is still a big gap between him and Captain Zhao Zilong now, so he has been working hard in every subject.

  "Right, in a few days we'll be adding new subjects again, and this time the instructor is Deputy Captain Yang Bo. I heard from old team members that Yang Bo isn't an easygoing person either."

  "Who said Yang Bo is not a thrifty person?" Deng Xiao pushed the door open with a gentle smile on his face.

  "Good morning, Principal!" The people present stood at attention and gave a standard military salute.

  "Hello everyone. Zhang Hang, don't move." Quickly stepping forward to press down on Zhang Hang who was struggling to get up, he continued: "Ouyang Qiushui, you've had a tough couple of days."

  "Report to the principal, no need to be hard on yourself." Ou Yang Qiushui replied.

  Deng Xiao nodded and looked at everyone, saying: "I know you all come to visit Zhang Hang every day, I'm very happy in my heart! In the future when you are on the battlefield, you can rest assured that you can entrust your back to each other, you are good brothers and good comrades who can entrust their lives to each other!"

  "In your daily training, the instructors are strict with you, and in your eyes, they seem inhumane, not even treating you as human beings. But I want to tell you that all of this is experience bought with the blood and lives of your predecessors. The instructors' harsh demands on you are for the purpose of increasing your survival rate on the battlefield in the future. As a soldier, what's more heartbreaking than seeing comrades die by your side? They would rather knock you down on the training ground than see you fall on the battlefield!"

  Everyone listened quietly as Deng Xiao spoke, everyone's heart was boiling, a thing called emotion filled their entire chest.

  "Going forward, you will learn many things, it's possible that you'll get hurt, and it's also possible that you'll make sacrifices. Are you afraid?" Deng Xiao suddenly asked loudly.

  No fear.

  "Can you hold on till the end?"

  "Don't worry, Principal!"

  "It's great to have young people like you around, I'm delighted!" Deng Xiao stretched out his hand and patted Zhang Hang's shoulder: "Zhang Hang, take good care of yourself. You're excellent, and I believe that in the near future, I'll see you defending your family and country, making a name for yourself on the battlefield, and achieving great things! Keep up the good work!"

  "Yes, Principal!"

  Deploying strategy in a tent, deciding victory thousands of miles away, chatting with a few words can boost morale, the demeanor of a great general!

  Watching the principal's departing back, Zhang Hang's heart was burning with envy. When can I have such demeanor?!

  On the eighth day, Zhang Hang was discharged from hospital.

  On the ninth day, Yang Bo stood in front of them one day after resuming training.

  "When I saw comrades sweating on the training ground earlier, I thought we should change to a subject that would make you sweat less and relax a bit." Hearing Yang Bo's calm tone, the team members didn't expect today's subject to be easy-going at all, but instead, cold sweat burst out of their foreheads.

  "Today's subject is actually very simple. Have you seen that cold storage? As long as you go in and stay for two hours, it's okay. And inside, I don't require everyone to do anything. Of course, if you don't want to get frostbite or freeze to death, then you'll have to do something about it yourselves."

  "Don't blame me for not warning you, last time I froze 11 of you and injured 6. This time my goal is to freeze 30 of you and injure 15 of you."

  Damn it, you freaky smiling tiger. This is what's called an easy subject. Everyone present absolutely has the same idea.

  Like a driven duck, he was rushed into the cold storage after a loud "bang", the big door closed.

  As soon as I entered the cold storage, the huge temperature difference between inside and outside suddenly made me shrink into a ball.

  Everyone gathered together, the female team members in the middle, don't scatter, to prevent heat from being lost quickly. Zhang Hang shouted loudly: "As long as we can hold on for two hours, it'll be fine."

  "Naive thinking, if it's like this then let you guys hold on, I'm still messing around! Lower the temperature by another ten degrees."

  Yang Bo stood in front of the closed-circuit television and spoke into the microphone.

  "Cool air" kept blowing out from the top vent.

  "Come on, they've lowered the temperature. This won't do, in half an hour we'll all be frozen stiff! Line up, start running, everyone run!"; Under Zhang Hang's loud shout, a sharp aura emanated from his body, this was a leadership quality that made people unconsciously want to obey him, and everyone spontaneously lined up, shouting slogans as they ran laps.

  "No way, this heat is generated without dissipating quickly, after a long time we still have to lie down, and also speed up, run faster."

  Then a large group of people ran even faster and shouted even louder.

  An hour later, three female team members were pushed out of the cold storage room.

  Two hours later, the remaining team members supported each other and walked out of the cold storage, some were frostbitten, but no one fell down.

  "Don't sit on the ground, maintain combat formation, and jog in a circle. Keep going until you can stretch your nearly frozen body, while maintaining combat readiness to prevent enemy sneak attacks." Yang Bo shouted loudly.

  "Zhang Hang, run to the cafeteria immediately and fetch water, everyone here will drink first before it's your turn." Yang Bo yelled at Zhang Hang.

  Half an hour later, Zhang Hang, who had just finished warming up and was about to sit down to rest, replied tiredly: "Yes, instructor."

  "Who told you to wear that badge and keep flashing it in front of me?! And when everyone else is exhausted, you still have the energy to sit. You should know my goal is to exhaust all of you." Yang Bo added, looking at his back.

  After going back and forth for 600 meters, carrying two buckets of water weighing a total of 80 kilograms, Zhang Hang finally finished drinking the water and fell to the ground with a thud.

  Two months later, each of them could safely walk out of the cold storage and finish their bath and drink water without falling down while maintaining a high state of vigilance.