Chapter 21: The Division Commander's Fury — You Call This a Good Soldier?

Soon, the tactical assessment came to an end.

As expected, Lin Hui and Wang Yong's scores remained below average.

They had scraped by — all passing marks, technically speaking.

But compared to their peak performance, the gap was enormous.

Xu Da was so furious his lungs were about to burst. "You two little bastards — are you doing this on purpose to screw me over? Give you an inch of sunshine and you think you can blind the whole world!"

"Fine! I'm making a mental note of you two!"

Lin Hui glanced over from a distance and stuck out his tongue. "Squad Leader's about to explode. I bet he's got half a mind to kill us."

Wang Yong scoffed. "Serves him right. Who told him to stir things up and pit me against you? I had a miserable day because of that — nearly worked myself to death!"

"The fact that we didn't fail is already doing him a favor."

"So what's the plan going forward?"

Lin Hui gave an awkward smile. "Let's not push it too far. I just want to be a slacker for two years and then muster out. You guys shouldn't get mixed up in this — go do well on your assessments."

Wang Yong shot him a look. "Who the hell doesn't want to be a slacker? I came here to serve, not to suffer. If I get assigned to some elite unit where I have to train hard every single day, I'll drop dead from exhaustion."

"Don't bother trying to talk me out of it. Whatever you do, I'll do the same. I want to be a slacker right alongside you!"

Lin Hui could only smile bitterly. Since when did people fight over the chance to be a slacker?

Chen Erhu came trotting over from the side, waving his hand eagerly. "Me too, me too!"

Lin Hui glared at him. "What are you doing here? Go perform well. Don't embarrass the folks back in your village."

Chen Erhu said pitifully, "Brother Hui, I'd love to perform well, but… you know what level I'm at. Even if I give it everything I've got, I still won't get a good score."

"Might as well stick with you guys — at least I'll have company. Right, Brother Yong?"

Wang Yong rolled his eyes. "You little tagalong — how do you always end up everywhere?"

Lin Hui looked at his pitiful expression and smiled inwardly with resignation.

The kid wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but at least he had some self-awareness.

With scores like his, even on a good day, he'd never get assigned to an elite unit. He was better off sticking with Lin Hui and coasting through.

Lin Hui sighed. "Alright, alright. Come along then."

Chen Erhu grinned his dopey grin. "Brother Hui, you're the best! After my dad, my mom, and our big yellow dog back home, you're the nicest person to me!"

Lin Hui's mouth twitched. What kind of thing was that to say?

With a mouth like that, if he weren't sticking with Lin Hui, he'd definitely end up getting beaten to a pulp somewhere else.

The whistle blew again, and the assessment continued.

From that point on, Lin Hui put in only half his effort in every event, always finishing just a hair above the passing line.

Wang Yong and Chen Erhu followed his lead and did the same.

Not far away, Xu Da was on the verge of exploding.

Chen Erhu was one thing — he was a mediocre soldier to begin with.

He couldn't learn anything, couldn't do anything right, but he could sprint to the mess hall faster than anyone.

But Lin Hui and Wang Yong — he knew exactly what those two were capable of.

Tanking their scores like this was clearly deliberate sabotage aimed at humiliating him.

Before all this, he had spent so much effort carefully stoking the rivalry between Wang Yong and Lin Hui, getting them to compete and push each other.

The whole point was to drive them to train harder and score well on the assessment.

That way, he could use their results to make his case for staying on.

But now that these two had deliberately thrown the assessment, wasn't his dream about to shatter?

The moment he pictured himself taking off his uniform and returning to that dusty mountain village where there was no hope in sight, Xu Da's eyes blazed with fury.

He ground his teeth and snarled, "You bastard Lin Hui — if you cost me my chance to stay on, I'll make you pay for it!"

Up in the viewing stand, Lü Qingsong's brow was deeply furrowed.

Why was Lin Hui's performance so far below what he'd been told?

Whatever happened to being first in the entire regiment?

This level of performance was supposed to have broken records? He couldn't even be called mid-tier — this was absurd!

Lü Qingsong's face had gone green with anger. Fuck, which son of a bitch told me Lin Hui was performing brilliantly in the Recruit Company?

With scores like these, how am I supposed to explain this to the old commander? I'll get chewed out alive!

Zhou Zhongyi noticed his constipated expression and carefully sidled up. "Division Commander, you look… a bit off. Are you feeling unwell?"

Lü Qingsong turned and glared daggers at him. "I look off, and you're only just noticing now?"

Zhou Zhongyi froze. What's going on? Did the Division Commander swallow a grenade?

Lü Qingsong said furiously, "A few days ago, what exactly did you report to me? You said our Recruit Training Regiment had produced a standout soldier — outstanding scores across the board, broke several records in a row!"

He pointed at the track. "Open your eyes and look carefully — does that soldier look anything like what you described?"

Zhou Zhongyi's heart sank. He scrambled to explain. "Division Commander, I wasn't lying to you. In the first two assessments, that soldier really did stand out — it's all recorded in the logbook, the scores can be verified!"

"I… I don't know what happened either. How did he suddenly fall apart like this?"

Lü Qingsong shot to his feet in anger. "I'm asking you questions, not inviting you to ask me!"

He let out a cold laugh. "Zhou Zhongyi, I've figured you out. You look honest enough on the outside, but you're rotten to the core — you've even learned to file false reports now?"

"If I hadn't come down here in person today, you'd have had me completely fooled. Pull something like this again and see how I deal with you!"

He jabbed a finger at Zhou Zhongyi. "Get your act together. Go back and write me a self-criticism report!"

With that, he stormed off in a fury.

Zhou Zhongyi glanced toward the assessment grounds, then hurried after him with a deeply aggrieved look. "Division Commander, please let me explain — I've been wronged! I really have been wronged!"

A short while later, the assessment officially concluded.

Each unit was quickly marched back.

Zhang Jiantao had just received the score sheet and hadn't even opened it when someone snatched it right out of his hands.

"Holy shit, who's got the nerve to—"

He turned around and found Zhou Zhongyi glaring at him like an erupting volcano.

The rest of his words died in his throat.

"Regiment Commander, sir!"

"Get out of my way!"

Zhou Zhongyi had just been thoroughly chewed out by the Division Commander and was still seething.

He flipped through the score sheet roughly, scanning from top to bottom.

Suddenly, his eye twitched twice.

Lin Hui's score — ranked in the lower-middle tier?

In the previous two assessments, this kid had been firmly at the top.

The drop was like falling from heaven to earth.

No wonder the Division Commander had been furious as a raging mule — he'd have been just as angry himself!

Zhou Zhongyi slapped the score sheet onto Zhang Jiantao. "Tell me — that soldier named Lin Hui. Why has his score dropped so drastically?"

"And the second-place soldier, Wang Yong — his score is practically at the bottom of the barrel too!"

"What's going on here?"

Zhang Jiantao flipped through the scores quickly, equally baffled. "This doesn't make sense. Those two have been performing consistently well. How did they suddenly fall apart like this?"

Zhou Zhongyi pointed at him. "I'm asking you the questions — not the other way around!"

Zhang Jiantao looked utterly aggrieved. He genuinely had no idea what was going on!

This made no scientific sense!

Even if their scores dropped, they shouldn't have fallen this many places!

Zhou Zhongyi glared at him furiously. "Tell me — did you mistreat them? Because otherwise, why would two soldiers who've been doing fine suddenly perform like this at a critical moment?"

Zhang Jiantao shook his head frantically. "Regiment Commander, you know me — how could I ever do something like that? The Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention are engraved in my heart. I would never do that!"

"If you don't believe me, ask the Political Instructor. I'm as gentle as a big brother with the recruits — I don't even raise my voice. How could I mistreat them?"

Zhou Zhongyi cut him off. "Stop playing dumb in front of me!"

"Two perfectly good soldiers suddenly underperform, with a cliff-drop in scores — do you have any idea how badly I just got chewed out by the Division Commander? I nearly wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into!"

He jabbed his finger hard into Zhang Jiantao's shoulder. "You'd better get your act together. Go back and write me a self-criticism report!"

"Yes, sir." Zhang Jiantao saluted miserably. What did I ever do to deserve this?

He watched the Regiment Commander leave, fuming with rage.

He stormed off toward the First Squad barracks, absolutely livid.

Just before he reached the dormitory building, he wasn't paying attention and walked straight into someone coming the other way.

"What the—"

Xu Da saw it was the Company Commander and snapped to attention immediately. "Company Commander, sir!"

Zhang Jiantao was already furious, and seeing Xu Da only stoked the fire higher. "Xu Da, I've been looking all over for you. Come here — let's have a little chat."

He pulled Xu Da aside into a corner. "Tell me — Lin Hui and Wang Yong, the two best-performing soldiers in the Recruit Training Regiment. What happened today?"

"How did they both completely fall apart at the critical moment?"

"Did you dress them down before the assessment? Or did your old habit flare up again — did you hit them?"

Xu Da was startled and shook his head frantically. "Company Commander, I didn't — I swear I didn't. I just increased their training load a little before the assessment. I never laid a hand on them."

"I was counting on them to score well so they could help me stay on…"

Zhang Jiantao kicked him in the backside. "Stop feeding me nonsense. You think I don't know that explosive temper of yours? When you're riled up, you'll even hit veterans!"

"Those two made such huge improvements — they must have taken plenty of beatings from you!"

"Company Commander, I really didn't hit them…"

Zhang Jiantao wasn't buying it. He fixed him with a stare. "And another thing — I've told you before: training has to be done in moderation. You can't work people to death."

"Wanting recruits to improve is fine, but the way you train them, even the finest steel would be hammered into scrap."

"They underperformed and didn't get good scores — as their squad leader, you bear a great deal of responsibility! How did you guide them? What did your scientific training look like?"

He slapped the score sheet against Xu Da's chest. "These were two genuinely outstanding soldiers — soldiers who could have brought glory to me and to the Regiment Commander. And they scored like this?"

"What kind of soldiers are you training? You're an absolute waste of talent!"

"Go back and reflect on yourself — deeply!"

Zhang Jiantao turned and walked away in a huff.

Xu Da called out after him. "Company Commander!"

"Now what?"

Xu Da asked, his voice trembling. "Then… then what about my staying on…?"

Zhang Jiantao shot him a fierce glare, then let out a long, disappointed sigh. "Originally, I was hoping you'd bring that soldier along properly. As long as he scored well in the assessment, I'd have had grounds to go to bat for you and get you kept on."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for a non-specialist soldier to stay on?"

"You had your chance and you blew it. Go back. I'll think of something."

He turned and walked away, helpless.

Xu Da watched his figure disappear and stood rooted to the spot for a long moment.

Slowly, he clenched his fist. The score sheet crumpled in his grip, and his eyes burned with pure fury.

In the unit, he was universally recognized as a rare and exceptional soldier.

All these years, Xu Da had pushed himself to the limit, all for the chance to stay on — but his level of education was just a little too low.

In the military, at his age, without a technical specialty and without enough merit, staying on was extremely difficult.

This time, the Company Commander had gone out of his way to fight for a chance for him to stay — and now it had all gone up in smoke.

Xu Da erupted like a volcano. "Lin Hui! Wang Yong! You two bastards — whether you did this on purpose or not, I'm not done with you!"

"Damn it — even if you were genuinely exhausted, you should have given everything you had to get a good score!"

He clenched his fists, eyes blazing, and spun around to march toward the dormitory building.

* * *

Inside the Division Commander's office.

Lü Qingsong held the phone, forcing a smile onto his face. "Old Commander, it's me, Little Lü. Sorry to bother you at dinnertime."

Lin Guangyao asked impatiently, "Skip the pleasantries. Just tell me — how did that brat Lin Hui do? Did he make it into… the top ten?"

Lü Qingsong's mouth twitched hard.

Top ten? He didn't even crack the top hundred!

He could have slapped himself right now.

Why had he believed Zhou Zhongyi's nonsense? He'd already talked big in front of the old commander, and now there was no taking it back!

Lü Qingsong took a deep breath, his mind racing, and plastered on a smile. "Old Commander, your son is truly something. When he first arrived, he didn't know a thing — just a wide-eyed rookie. But through his own hard work, his scores have made a tremendous leap forward."

"In this assessment, he passed every single event!"

"Old Commander, truly — the tiger father has no dog son. He really takes after you!"

Lin Guangyao smiled, a flicker of pride rising in his chest.

It had always been his eldest and second son who brought him pleasant surprises.

He hadn't expected this brat Lin Hui to give him something to be proud of just a few months into his service. It really did make him look good.

Lin Guangyao laughed heartily. "Little Lü, don't say that — it's mainly thanks to you leaders for teaching him well. Without you all, how could he have even passed…"

He stopped dead. "Wait — what did you just say? Passed?"

Lü Qingsong's heart lurched. Damn it — he hadn't managed to smooth it over after all.

He pressed on regardless. "That's right — he really did pass everything. And he scored several points above the passing line on each event. That's genuinely impressive!"

Lin Guangyao's expression slowly turned darker than a pig's liver.

He slammed his palm on the table. "Lü Qingsong!"

"Sir!"

Lü Qingsong was so startled he shot up from his chair.

Lin Guangyao said furiously, "Are you insulting me in a roundabout way?"

Lü Qingsong was nearly in tears. "Absolutely not, Old Commander — please don't misunderstand. In my heart, you're like Mount Tai, like the moon in the sky. I've always looked up to you!"

"How could I ever dare insult you?"

Lin Guangyao's mouth twisted with rage. "When I was a soldier, every single event I did was at the top of the rankings — overall scores, first in the entire army!"

"Lin Hui barely scraped past the passing line, and you're telling me 'the tiger father has no dog son'? How is that anything other than an insult?"

Lü Qingsong smiled awkwardly. "I apologize, Old Commander — I misspoke. Honestly, I think he's already made great progress. We should give young people room to grow. We shouldn't…"

Slam!

Lin Guangyao brought his palm down on the table again. "Enough — stop wasting my time. Passing the assessment is the bare minimum expected of any soldier!"

"All it means is that he's just getting started — and barely meeting the standard of an ordinary recruit at that!"

"From now on, watch your mouth. If you ever dare to exaggerate or deceive me again, I'll come to your door and slap you myself!"

"Yes, yes, yes — I'll be more careful next time. I'll reflect on myself deeply!" Lü Qingsong nodded frantically.

The call ended, and he was so aggrieved he was nearly in tears.

He'd been hoping to earn some credit and make a good impression on the old commander.

Instead, he'd fumbled even this small matter. How was the old commander ever going to trust him again?

"Zhou Zhongyi, you worthless wretch — you've ruined me!"

Then he picked up the phone again…

* * *

On the other end, Lin Guangyao hung up the phone, his face flushed red with anger. "That little brat — I thought he was finally making me proud. Turns out he barely scraped by?"

He huffed and puffed with indignation, but then a faint smile of relief crept onto his face.

Whatever the case, the kid had made some progress.

At the very least, he was now a qualified soldier.

Lin Guangyao thought to himself, "I hope you can keep it up, kid. Once you're assigned to a regular unit, take it one step at a time. Don't let all my effort go to waste!"

But little did he know — Lin Hui had already made up his mind to be a slacker and give up on ambition entirely…