Chapter 154: Steel Seventh Company Finally Becomes A Complete Unit!
“You dummy, keep it up. This is a rare opportunity, you have to seize it.”
Cheng Cai heard the conversation from the side. Thinking that Xu Sanduo had a chance to return to squad training, he was immediately happy for him and stood up to support him.
“Hey, hey, hey, look over there, why is the Company Commander running over to Xu Sanduo.”
Bai Tie Jun, who was sitting at the desk by the window playing cards, casually glanced out the window after finishing his game. He then suddenly pointed in the direction of the parade ground and exclaimed.
“The Company Commander is going to see Xu Sanduo?”
The Company Commander’s attitude towards Xu Sanduo was well known. The moment the two of them got together, it immediately drew the attention of everyone in the squad, who all craned their necks to look out the window.
They noticed that not only Xu Sanduo and the Company Commander were there, but Squad Leader Shi Jin was also with them.
“Something’s happened, something’s definitely happened, let’s go.”
Gan Xiao Ning thought Xu Sanduo had provoked the Company Commander. He dropped his cards, got up, and ran outside.
“Wait for me, wait for me!”
Bai Tie Jun and the other warriors of the Vanguard Reconnaissance Squad, who all rushed out.
Gan Xiao Ning didn’t dare to ask the Company Commander and Squad Leader. He ran straight to Cheng Cai’s side and anxiously asked, “Cheng Cai, what’s going on?”
“Yeah, what happened?” Bai Tie Jun also asked eagerly.
Although Xu Sanduo was a bit slow-witted and foolish, he possessed a unique protagonist’s aura, and everyone had a good impression of him.
They couldn’t help but feel a sense of elder brother taking care of his younger brother in their hearts.
Plus, they were all brothers in the same squad.
Therefore, whether it was Gan Xiao Ning or Bai Tie Jun, they didn’t want to see Xu Sanduo get punished. They were indeed very anxious at that moment.
“Look how nervous you all are. It’s not a bad thing; it’s a great thing.”
Cheng Cai, while Xu Sanduo was still preparing, quickly explained the whole story, finally making everyone understand.
Thinking that Xu Sanduo had a chance to participate in the training, everyone was happy for Xu Sanduo.
“If you can do sixty, I’ll wash your canvas shoes for the entire month.” Bai Tie Jun shouted.
“Sanduo, do a good job. You can only come down after you’ve done enough. If you collapse from exhaustion, I’ll carry you back.” Gan Xiao Ning also cheered Xu Sanduo on.
Xie Chong and the other warriors of the Third Squad all called out to cheer Xu Sanduo on.
Warriors from other squads, hearing the commotion, and driven by curiosity, put down what they were doing and all headed towards the parade ground.
The crowd of onlookers began to grow!
With the support of so many people from the squad, and with his most beloved Squad Leader watching, Xu Sanduo realized how important this matter was to him.
After a minute of preparation, Xu Sanduo took off his hat and threw it on the ground.
Then, with his eyes fixed on the horizontal bar, he swung his arms and bent his legs, leaping with all his might while raising his hands high, trying to grab the bar.
Just as everyone was preparing to witness Xu Sanduo’s first moment of glory.
The result…
Xu Sanduo was too nervous. His jump wasn’t high enough, and he actually missed the horizontal bar.
After such a big buildup, he fell back down.
It was very awkward!
“That’s it? That’s all I get to see? With this much time, I might as well go back and sleep.”
Gao Cheng really couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He felt it was a complete waste of time and turned to leave, no longer believing in Xu Sanduo.
“It was an accident, Company Commander, it was an accident.”
Shi Jin was truly desperate. He tightly gripped Gao Cheng’s arm, preventing him from leaving, and turned to shout, “Xu Sanduo, don’t be nervous, you can definitely do it.”
“Xu Sanduo, charge forward, the Company Commander will give you a great achievement, Xu Sanduo, you’re the best…”
Bai Tie Jun and Gan Xiao Ning took the opportunity to help, raising their voices and shouting together as they surrounded him, preparing to cheer Xu Sanduo on up close.
Xu Sanduo had indeed been too nervous earlier. His personality made him more reserved the more people there were.
Seeing everyone from the squad cheering him on, Xu Sanduo himself felt embarrassed. Not wanting to lose face for his Squad Leader, he prepared to jump again.
With this jump.
He finally grabbed the bar.
“Come on, Sanduo, come on, put in more effort…”
The warriors of the Third Squad applauded, forming Xu Sanduo’s strongest support.
“Ugh~”
With the support of his comrades, Xu Sanduo gritted his teeth and roared. His arms exerted force, and he finally got on the bar, performing his first complete repetition according to his ability.
“It’s starting, it’s starting, one…”
Shi Jin just watched from the side, but it felt as if he was exerting force for Xu Sanduo.
“Alright, alright, even if he can do sixty, what does that matter? Let’s leave it at that. Make him train tomorrow; I need to go back and rest. I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
Gao Cheng said, preparing to leave, but Shi Jin still blocked his way stubbornly, wanting Gao Cheng to witness it himself.
He also kept mumbling, “Five, six, seven…”
“Tsk, I say, why are you so stubborn?”
Gao Cheng was truly helpless with Shi Jin. He happened to see Wu Liu Yi also running over, so he called out, “Third Squad Deputy Leader, come here.”
“Yes.”
Wu Liu Yi, who was observing the scene, quickly ran over.
“What’s your record for this?” Gao Cheng asked deliberately, even though he knew the answer.
“This thing, I haven’t done it in a long time. Who can remember? Probably around two hundred, something like that,” Wu Liu Yi said modestly.
Wu Liu Yi’s military quality was undeniable; he was almost top-notch in all aspects.
“Did you hear that? Two hundred. And look at him. Even if he can do sixty, it won’t break the record. Alas, at this level, he’ll never reach it in his lifetime.”
Gao Cheng’s words were already very clear; if he wanted me to change my mind, I’d have to be stronger than Wu Liu Yi.
Otherwise, he really wouldn’t look twice at these sixty.
Shi Jin, who seems like a good-natured person with no desires or demands, actually has a stubborn streak in his bones, and he and the single-minded Wu Liu Yi are indeed kindred spirits.
Seeing that Gao Cheng had set the goal at 200, reaching 200 would change the company commander’s opinion.
Shi Jin got fired up!!
Without bothering to stop Gao Cheng any further, he decided to let Xu Sanduo make a dash for it, using this rare opportunity to completely change the Company Commander’s perception of him.
Then he took two steps forward and three steps to reach the single bar, deciding to personally give Xu Sanduo the strength to support him.
He even surprisingly used a stratagem.
The first thing he did upon running over was to give a look, signaling the person who was watching and calling out numbers to stop. He would count silently in his mind and only shout encouragement.
Gan Xiao Ning also had a great telepathic connection, cooperating with Shi Jin to sing a jingle.
“Xu Sanduo, put in more effort! If you can’t even defeat the Squad Deputy Leader, you have no temper. Put in more effort, more effort, and more effort…”
With the cheers of “Big Brother, come on!” from his comrades in the same squad, he had already become the focus of the entire venue, making Xu Sanduo, who was standing in the spotlight for the first time, feel excited.
Adrenaline and dopamine were both stimulated, and began to secrete continuously.
Just keep doing crunches, one after another.
“Squad Leader, how many have I done?”
Xu Sanduo reached a level similar to his usual performance, his hands supporting him on the horizontal bar as he asked Shi Jin.
76 “It’s still early, keep going. I’ll call you when it’s time.”
Shi Jin is the one who understands Xu Sanduo the best. He knows Xu Sanduo’s persistence and effort, and that he has great potential, so he chose to deceive Xu Sanduo.
This was Shi Jin’s first time deceiving Xu Sanduo, and it was also a well-intentioned deception.
Xu Sanduo had unconditional trust in Shi Jin. He knew the Squad Leader truly meant well for him, so he didn’t have an ounce of doubt about what Shi Jin said.
Since the squad leader said he would call him, Xu Sanduo just focused on doing it.
This is Xu Sanduo.
Thoughts are that simple.
Perhaps stimulated by the atmosphere of the scene, or perhaps by adrenaline stimulating the brain, making it impossible to think clearly.
Shi Jin did not call out that he had done sixty already, Xu Sanduo just kept grunting and doing them.
..
80 of them…
..
150 people…
“Old Gao, Old Gao, come quickly and see, come quickly, he’s already done one hundred and fifty.”
The Political Instructor Hong Xingguo, who had been lying by the second-floor window watching and counting in his heart the whole time, excitedly shouted into the office.
Gao Cheng was actually in the lounge inside, and had been watching the parade ground outside from the corner of his eye.
However, due to his arrogant personality, he couldn’t save face.
It wasn’t until the Political Instructor shouted loudly from outside that Gao Cheng slowly and reluctantly walked out, arriving at the window with a displeased expression.
“152, 153, 154…”
Listening to the Political Instructor’s continuous soft counting, Gao Cheng’s expression finally changed.
From the previous disdain, not taking it seriously.
He had changed into someone who frowned, looking sternly at the parade ground, his eyes no longer holding doubt, only complex emotions.
This coward recruit, whom he had always looked down on, was actually going to break the record for the Steel Seventh Company’s best warrior?
Gao Cheng instinctively felt it was impossible.
But he had already done close to 160, and Xu Sanduo was still struggling on the single bar, showing no signs of stopping at all.
With this physical condition, doing another forty doesn’t seem impossible.
From this moment on…
Gao Cheng’s heart grew a seed, and it quietly began to sprout.
By the time Xu Sanduo reached 190, he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked. With his tired stomach hanging from the horizontal bar, Xu Sanduo turned into an upside-down “V”.
He blinked a few times, his eyes welling up with tears, and asked breathlessly, “Squad Leader, have we reached sixty yet?”
Seeing that he was only ten short of surpassing Wu Liu Yi and becoming the person with the most sit-ups around the pole in the entire regiment, achieving Xu Sanduo’s moment of glory.
Before Xu Sanduo even fell from the horizontal bar, it meant his body hadn’t reached its limit yet.
Shi Jin quietly made a protective move. While feeling sorry for Xu Sanduo, he still didn’t tell the truth, forcing a smile and saying cheerfully, “No, there’s still a lot of time.”
The watching comrades in the same squad also wanted to see Xu Sanduo break the record under everyone’s witness.
They all cooperated with Shi Jin, playing support roles.
“Sanduo, give it another push. Just do it, and don’t worry. If you can’t walk, I’ve got you.” Gan Xiao Ning put his hat on backward, striking a pose as if ready to carry someone.
“You haven’t even reached the average level yet. At least you should catch up to me. I can do forty.” Bai Tie Jun used a goading tactic.
Xu Sanduo, hanging upside down on the horizontal bar, realized something seemed wrong.
It’s just a slow reflex arc, not a real idiot.
He could see so many people watching him from the side, all of them focused on him, making him feel that doing sit-ups around the poles was truly a meaningful thing.
Seeing Squad Leader Shi Jin’s expectant gaze again reminded him of the scene when they first received recruits.
Xu Sanduo, already realizing something was wrong, did not choose to expose everyone’s well-intentioned deception. He decided to continue working hard for the Squad Leader and everyone, and even more for himself, to keep working hard.
He didn’t want to go to the cookhouse to peel potatoes anymore; he wanted to train with the squad leader and everyone else.
Thought determines will, and will determines potential.
“Yee-ah~ Ah——”
Xu Sanduo shouted with all his might, adrenaline and dopamine beginning to secrete wildly.
One… and another…
Xu Sanduo continued to do them, though each one looked difficult, the intervals slow, as if he had exhausted all his strength.
But Xu Sanduo persisted, persisting to the point of being “stubbornly unyielding.”
Witnessing Xu Sanduo desperately doing sit-ups and then rope climbs, reaching two hundred and still continuing, even with his voice hoarse from exhaustion, he never stopped.
His comrades, who had been cheering him on with deafening shouts.
Were shaken by Xu Sanduo’s perseverance and persistence.
No one spoke anymore.
Only those gazes of respect, from the bottom of their hearts, locked onto Xu Sanduo, growing heavier with each additional repetition he completed.
The efforts of excellent soldiers, exerted desperately, inspire admiration from the heart.
The efforts of clumsy soldiers, exerted desperately, inspire respect from the heart.
Gao Cheng, watching from the second-floor window, witnessed the entire process of Xu Sanduo desperately pushing himself to do the impossible for the sake of a single sentence.
At this moment.
His gaze had completely changed.
In Xu Sanduo, who was enduring muscle soreness and shouting in pain yet still refusing to give up, persistently pushing himself, Gao Cheng saw the last three highly valuable words among the six that formed the soul of the Steel Seventh Company—
Never give up!
Facing a soldier who gritted his teeth and persisted without giving up, could Gao Cheng, as this soldier’s company commander, truly abandon him at this moment, in this situation?
The proud Gao Cheng couldn’t say it out loud, but his eyes had already given the answer.
His cognition of Xu Sanduo…
Had finally completely changed!
Xu Sanduo finally, through his own effort, through his own persistence and resilience, earned the opportunity to truly integrate into the Steel Seventh Company.
It was from this moment that the Steel Seventh Company finally formed a complete whole.
Do not abandon, do not give up.
Not a single person is missing!
“Keep going, let him persist, hold on.”
When Xu Sanduo reached three hundred, Political Instructor Hong Xingguo could no longer remain seated.
To forever record this moment, which created a regiment record, the Political Instructor ran to his dormitory, preparing to get his camera to take pictures.
Gao Cheng just watched quietly, not startled by the Political Instructor’s shouts.
He was like stone, motionless.
Until the cigarette held between his fingers burned down to the butt, and finally burned Gao Cheng’s finger, causing him pain and bringing him back to his senses.
And Xu Sanduo was still going, still going…
At this point, he had completely lost consciousness, relying entirely on adrenaline and dopamine to sustain him, and even a slideshow began to appear in his mind.
Shi Jin’s promise to his father when picking up recruits, that he would definitely train him into a good soldier, so he would no longer be called a turtle son.
His father, when being beaten by thugs at the dock, still loudly shouting for him not to mind him and to be good in the army.
Scenes from the new recruit company…
Platoon Leader Chen’s careful guidance…
Squad Leader Ma, Li Meng, Xue Ling, and Old Wei from Grassland Fifth Squad…
Cheng Cai’s boasts and various lectures and brainwashing…
Until the final scene froze on the present moment, when the company commander personally promised that if he could do sixty sit-ups and rope climbs, he could return to the company to participate in training.
Xu Sanduo at this point…
Could no longer persist.
He felt the world spin, his vision went black, his body instantly softened like noodles, and he fell straight down from the pull-up bar towards the ground.
In the last moment before losing consciousness, Xu Sanduo had only one sentence in his mind—
“Squad Leader, is this enough now?”
…
