Ace Special Forces in Movies and TV Shows

Chapter 0007: Your progress will definitely be noticed by others.

Takagi's theories about mules and horses were very popular in the recruit training camp.

Many new recruits, including Xu Sanduo, often said this phrase.

That day he said to Zheng Yingqi:

"Actually, it's obvious who's the mule and who's the horse."

I was the first mule to show my true colors in basic training. You and Cheng Cai were the best horses in the company. I... I've let you down.

Xu Sanduo was extremely frustrated when he said this, and his voice was filled with an unprecedented sense of dejection.

Zheng Yingqi, who was washing his face, threw the towel into the basin and looked at Xu Sanduo: "What's wrong?"

"I'm stupid, I..." Xu Sanduo's eyes were brimming with tears. This "boy" who had just turned eighteen after being away from home for seven or eight days had never wanted to become the country bumpkin he thought he was, and he also wanted people to take him seriously. He tried hard to prove himself to others, but his slow ability to accept things always made him look foolish.

"I always embarrass myself, I... I don't want to be like this... but I always embarrass myself... I feel like I'm beyond saving..." Xu Sanduo sobbed, his voice already breaking into choked sobs.

Zheng Yingqi took a towel out of the basin, wiped Xu Sanduo's face haphazardly, and then said:

"Let me say something first, okay?" After Xu Sanduo nodded, Zheng Yingqi continued, "A few days ago, we were ordinary people, we were the ones being protected. We could cry, we could shed tears, because we were ordinary people, and we had the right to cry."

But not now. You, me, and everyone here are wearing this military uniform. Our identities have changed. We are no longer civilians; we are soldiers. Shedding blood and sweat but not tears is the most basic requirement for soldiers. The people rely on us to protect them. If we can't even wipe away our own tears, who can believe we can defend our country?

Xu Sanduo hurriedly sniffled, wiping his eyes haphazardly with his hands to show that he had stopped crying.

Zheng Yingqi smiled and stuffed the towel into Xu Sanduo's hand. Xu Sanduo smiled sheepishly, wiped his face for a while, and then awkwardly tried to hand the towel back to Zheng Yingqi, but pulled it back halfway and said embarrassedly, "Let me wash you."

"You..." Zheng Yingqi said, both amused and exasperated, snatching the towel back from Xu Sanduo and throwing it into the basin. While scrubbing, he said, "Tell me, how did you suddenly become like this?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Sanduo instantly felt dejected again. He wanted to cry, but then he remembered Zheng Yingqi's words and stopped himself from crying. After a long while, he whispered, "Chengcai said that because of me, our class didn't get an excellent grade, and that I..."

Xu Sanduo slowly stopped talking; he didn't want to say anything bad about Cheng Cai anymore.

Zheng Yingqi slowly stopped. Cheng Cai must have said a lot of hurtful things to make Xu Sanduo so down. In this group, Cheng Cai was Xu Sanduo's partner from the same village and was treated like family. For Xu Sanduo, who was "resilient" and "unyielding to criticism," to be so depressed, his words must have been excessive!

He remembered that such a thing didn't happen in the story; Cheng Cai treated Xu Sanduo very well.

After thinking about it, he realized that it must be because Xu Sanduo was inseparable from him, which made Cheng Cai jealous. In addition, the competition for the vice squad leader made Cheng Cai's resentment build up until he couldn't help but vent it on Xu Sanduo.

After thinking it through, Zheng Yingqi grabbed Xu Sanduo and said, "Come on, come with me."

"Yingqi, what are you doing? I... I don't want to find him." Xu Sanduo struggled. The fact that he could say "I don't want to find him" clearly showed that he had been badly hurt by Cheng Cai's words.

"Come with me, I won't cause trouble for Cheng Cai!" Zheng Yingqi said seriously, his voice cold. Causing trouble for Cheng Cai would be a lose-lose situation. He had only been in the army for a few days and was already arguing or even fighting with his comrades. This was a very serious matter, and he would never do that!

Xu Sanduo struggled but couldn't break free from Zheng Yingqi, and was dragged back to the dormitory.

In the dormitory, the new recruits sat dejectedly. Wu Liuyi, who always strived to be number one, failed to earn the title of "Excellent Squad" and went to run on the parade ground with a dark face. The new recruits sensed their squad leader's anger and were both afraid and angry. In their view, it was because of Xu Sanduo that they were denied the title of "Excellent Squad".

So when Cheng Cai was criticizing Xu Sanduo, they not only didn't chime in, but they also fanned the flames from the sidelines.

When Zheng Yingqi stormed in, the new recruits immediately felt like they'd just beaten up a kid and now the old man was here!

"Are you all sitting here? Feeling like your excellence has been snatched away and turning into a complaining woman?" Zheng Yingqi said coldly as soon as he entered the dormitory.

Perhaps because he had been too harsh on Xu Sanduo earlier, the new recruits remained silent, even Cheng Cai. In fact, Cheng Cai regretted it. Because he wanted to become the deputy squad leader, he disliked Zheng Yingqi more and more. Seeing Xu Sanduo clinging to him like that, Cheng Cai felt a pang of jealousy and couldn't help but say harsh words. He regretted it after Xu Sanduo ran away.

With no one responding, Zheng Yingqi grew even angrier, as he understood perfectly what it meant to feel guilty.

"Are you even men? You only know how to blame others when you don't get an excellent grade? Why don't you think about yourselves! Don't you have any reasons of your own?" Zheng Yingqi asked angrily.

One new recruit couldn't help but say, "In every training session, isn't it always Xu Sanduo who drags us down? His posture is wrong, his turning is off, and he walks with the wrong gait. With him around, it's no wonder we can't get an excellent grade!"

Xu Sanduo's first reaction upon hearing this was to back away, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground. He knew it was the truth, but being so blatantly exposed made him feel incredibly ashamed.

The others subconsciously nodded in agreement upon hearing the recruit's words, and then all looked at Zheng Yingqi, indicating that they were in the same trench.

Cheng Cai's expression was complicated. He wanted to stop him, but he also wanted to see Zheng Yingqi incur public wrath.

"Is that so?" Zheng Yingqi was not angry when he heard this. He looked into the eyes of each of the new recruits. No one avoided his gaze. Obviously, the new recruits all thought so.

Zheng Yingqi suppressed the urge to curse, and finally, to everyone's surprise, he stepped forward and unfolded everyone's "tofu blocks" one by one.

"Come on, let's start with the basics. Let's each tidy up our own blankets and sheets, and not interfere with each other," Zheng Yingqi said coldly. He was referring to Cheng Cai with the last sentence. He knew that Cheng Cai always helped his comrades tidy up their belongings, which made the Fifth Platoon's belongings look presentable.

Some new recruits immediately felt guilty. Folding blankets is not an easy task. Although the squad leader's demonstration looked simple, only those who have experienced it can understand how torturous it is—otherwise, there wouldn't be those incidents of pouring water on the blankets or sleeping without blankets.

"Why should we? Comrades should help each other!" a new recruit argued stubbornly. It was a strong reason, after all, it was something the squad leader had always emphasized.

Zheng Yingqi retorted, "Mutual help? Is this what mutual help is? If we keep helping like this, when will we ever learn to fold blankets? We'll be in the military for at least two years. Can you expect others to help you for two years?"

"What are you standing there for? Move! Xu Sanduo, you fold it too!" Zheng Yingqi shouted.

The new recruits dared not delay; if anyone saw them, they would all be finished.

The dormitory was a mess, and the new recruits were struggling with their bedding. After folding it up, the twisted, neatly folded blocks were something even they couldn't stand to look at.

Cheng Cai silently folded his quilt and tidied up his sheets—he had been helping his comrades for several days, and his skills were improving day by day.

After tidying up his messy belongings, the recruit who had been so defiant just moments before was dumbfounded.

Looking at the ten quilts, only Zheng Yingqi's, Xu Sanduo's, and Cheng Cai's were acceptable. To be honest, Cheng Cai's was indeed the best, but the quilts folded by Zheng Yingqi and Xu Sanduo were much better looking and more in line with the standards.

Cheng Cai's face was somewhat unpleasant. His comrades' behavior made him feel for the first time that helping others was more like harming them.

Xu Sanduo remained as timid and dull as ever, not showing any smug smile just because his blanket was folded neatly and in accordance with the rules. But his dull appearance still annoyed others—how could someone who was clearly at the bottom be better than them?

"Let's go outside. Didn't you say San Duo's movements were all substandard? We're soldiers; we'll see who's the real deal on the training field!"

Zheng Yingqi challenged them to a fight. The new recruits, who had been put down by Xu Sanduo in terms of internal affairs, naturally had no choice but to accept the challenge if they wanted to get revenge. They were confident that they could do better than Xu Sanduo.

Cheng Cai didn't move until Zheng Yingqi looked at him, then he said, "I won't go. I... I'll tidy up the house for everyone first."

"Come on, today is the internal competition of Class 5, are you not going?" Zheng Yingqi stared at Cheng Cai. Cheng Cai saw the provocation in Zheng Yingqi's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he agreed to Zheng Yingqi's challenge. He was the class's training pacesetter, what was he afraid of?

(I think I'll be in this state tomorrow. The first wave of investment was a success, so I'm begging for some recommendation votes! I'm practically begging you!)