Chapter 8: Winning the Rotating Honor Flag

The day's training wrapped up quickly.

After dinner, everyone returned to the barracks to rest.

Lin Hui walked up to Xu Da with a grin.

"Squad Leader."

"What is it?"

Xu Da looked up, his expression as serious as ever.

Though this kid had only been here two days, Xu Da's attitude toward him had already shifted considerably.

"Squad Leader," Lin Hui said with a smile, "I heard that in the army we have to memorize the Military Regulations — is that right?"

"Hey, you little punk, you sure know a lot," Xu Da said, surprised but amused.

Lin Hui spun a story: "My uncle served in the army before. He told me a few things about military life before I came in, and he made a special point about the Military Regulations. So I figured — it's not like we have anything to do before lights out — why don't we fold our blankets and recite the Military Regulations at the same time?"

Xu Da burst out laughing. This kid really had his head screwed on right — he was even thinking about managing his time efficiently.

"The Military Regulations do need to be memorized. Hold on, I'll go grab a copy for each of you."

With that, he turned and cheerfully walked out of the barracks.

Wang Yong tossed his blanket onto the bed and scowled. "Lin Hui, you're just making trouble for nothing. Folding blankets is already hard enough — why do we have to memorize some stupid regulations on top of that?"

"What do you know!"

Lin Hui snorted. "The Military Regulations are something every soldier has to memorize. If a superior officer shows up one day for a spot check and you can't recite them, you're done for."

"Besides, everything a soldier is allowed to do and not allowed to do is spelled out clearly in there. Knowing it by heart benefits everyone."

Wang Yong rolled his eyes. "Sounds convincing enough, but who knows if it's actually true?"

"I believe him! Whatever Big Bro says is always right!" Chen Erhu declared, like a devoted little fanboy.

The others chimed in one after another, throwing their support behind Lin Hui.

If it weren't for Lin Hui teaching them how to fold their blankets and cluing them in on the army's rules, they'd have no idea what kind of punishment they'd be suffering through right now.

Just then, a loud shout erupted from outside.

Ma Xiaoshan — who looked like a little black monkey — ran out curiously to check.

When he came back, his face had gone completely pale.

"What happened? What happened?"

Everyone immediately crowded around him.

Ma Xiaoshan said, still shaken: "Second Squad and Third Squad are out there drilling the daytime movements. Every single one of them is being punished standing on Folding Stools, and their squad leaders look like they want to eat someone alive. Sounds like the floor above is drilling too — it's brutal out there."

Everyone swallowed nervously.

It seemed like across the entire Recruit Company, every squad except First Squad was being put through extra drills.

Chen Erhu was practically ready to kowtow to Lin Hui. "Holy cow, thank goodness we listened to Big Bro. Otherwise we'd definitely all be out there suffering right now."

The others nodded vigorously. "Exactly, exactly — thank goodness for Lin Hui! Whatever regulations or rules he says to memorize, we'll memorize them all. If Lin Hui says it's useful, then it's useful!"

Wang Yong couldn't help letting out a scoff and rolled his eyes out of habit.

He wasn't sure why, but the more popular Lin Hui became, the more this guy got on his nerves.

Even when he knew Lin Hui was probably right, he still felt the urge to push back.

Before long, Xu Da returned with copies of the Military Regulations — one for each person.

The moment they had them in hand, everyone immediately began reading carefully.

Heads bowed, they looked like they wanted to press their eyeballs right against the pages.

Not once during their school days had any of them been this focused.

Xu Da watched from the side with a satisfied smile, his gaze settling on Lin Hui.

This soldier was genuinely something else — he'd taken on a true leadership role without even being asked.

With him around, not only was Xu Da's own job a lot easier, but the whole squad's progress was leaps and bounds ahead of the others.

At this rate, he might even earn a Commendation before Recruit Company training was over.

Over the next few days, every member of First Squad came to treat Lin Hui as their anchor.

No matter what it was, they used him as their benchmark.

Even eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom — they all looked to him for the standard.

Lin Hui patiently drilled it into them day after day: "As long as we're thorough about everything and follow the rules to the letter, the Squad Leader will never find an excuse to punish us!"

First Squad's standout performance, however, made life miserable for the other squads.

Almost every night, the others were hit with extra penalties and extra drills.

The soldiers of First Squad watched it all with quiet satisfaction: Thank goodness for Lin Hui — without him, how would we ever have it this good?

But it also pushed them to train even harder, determined not to let any other squad catch up.

Before long, a week had passed.

First Squad's progress was a full stride ahead of every other squad.

Not only was their Barracks Upkeep exceptional, but their military posture and marching were also outstanding — they had already begun to look like real soldiers.

Even Xu Da had been called into the Political Instructor's office and given a thorough round of praise.

He was absolutely beaming with pride.

Early one morning, First Squad was in the barracks carrying out their Barracks Upkeep.

Political Instructor Wang Hai suddenly walked in with a group of people.

"Attention!"

Xu Da bellowed, and everyone snapped to attention and saluted. "Good morning, Political Instructor!"

Wang Hai waved his hand and smiled. "Relax, everyone — hands down. We've been watching your performance during this period, and First Squad Leader has done a fine job. All of you have performed brilliantly. Your Barracks Upkeep in particular has left every other squad far behind."

With that, he gave a nod to someone behind him.

A soldier immediately stepped forward, holding a small triangular red flag with both hands.

Xu Da's face lit up with excitement — but Lin Hui's expression changed in an instant.

Oh no. The Rotating Honor Flag!

Within the company, the squads competed in a Barracks Upkeep evaluation every week.

The Rotating Honor Flag was awarded only to the squad with the best Barracks Upkeep.

It was a symbol of honor.

Especially at year's end — whichever squad had won the Rotating Honor Flag the most times wore the biggest smile.

Lin Hui's heart sank. This is bad, this is really bad! Things were spiraling further and further out of his control. All he'd wanted was to avoid getting punished — how had he accidentally gone and won the Rotating Honor Flag?

Wang Hai smiled as he handed the flag to Xu Da. "The Rotating Honor Flag represents honor. Receiving this flag means that the effort and hard work you've put in during this period has not been in vain."

"I hope you'll keep up the momentum and continue to maintain this standard!"

"Yes, sir!"

Xu Da nodded, barely able to contain his excitement.

Out in the hallway, the other squad leaders were so envious their eyes had gone red.

But the moment they thought of their own useless soldiers, their frustration flared right back up.

They'd have to crack down hard on those guys — otherwise, in another little while, they wouldn't even be able to see First Squad's shadow.

Wang Hai turned to look at the other squad leaders gathered outside. "Don't just stand there staring — learn something from First Squad. Go pick their brains!"

"Yes, Political Instructor."

Watching the other squad leaders turn green with envy, Xu Da held his head high like a proud rooster.

He hung the Rotating Honor Flag on the wall and addressed everyone with a stern look. "Keep up the momentum — don't let up. Now, get back to folding those blankets. Make them even better than before. We absolutely cannot let any other squad catch up."

Lin Hui turned around and stared blankly at the blanket in front of him.

Oh no. The Squad Leader had completely lost himself in the excitement.

All Lin Hui had ever wanted was to maintain a decent standard — good enough to pass, good enough to avoid punishment.

But the moment the Rotating Honor Flag arrived, the Squad Leader had gone into overdrive. There wasn't the slightest sign of wanting to ease up; instead, he wanted them to pour everything they had into pushing even further ahead.

Who the hell could put up with that?

First Squad's current situation had already exceeded Lin Hui's expectations — there was absolutely no way they could keep charging forward like this.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have a single peaceful day ahead of him.

Lin Hui's eyes darted around as a thought formed in his mind. "Looks like I need to switch strategies…"