Chapter 2: Challenging Wu Liuyi
Cadet soldiers will join the company after graduation for a one-year probationary period. Only after this one-year probation will they be awarded military rank based on the actual situation.
During this one-year probationary period, cadet soldiers don’t even have military rank; they are just cadet rank.
Their status is extremely low.
Just put it this way.
Not to mention the company’s key non-commissioned officers or the company’s officer cadres.
Even veteran soldiers who have served for a year don’t take cadet soldiers seriously. Cadet soldiers even have to respectfully call out “Squad Leader” when they see veteran soldiers.
No matter if they can become second lieutenant or first lieutenant after a year, during this year, cadet soldiers are not even as good as new recruits.
Because new recruits are still soldiers of this company; no matter what, everyone is family. But cadet soldiers come to the company for probation, and after the probation, they will most likely be transferred away.
They are definitely outsiders.
When treating outsiders and their own people, how can they possibly treat them equally.
Therefore.
Chen Jun’s current identity is very awkward, and it is destined that in Steel Seventh Company, this place full of talented people, his days will not be very comfortable.
Amid this pile of bad news, there is one thing that makes Chen Jun feel a bit better.
That is, Shi Jin is going to the local area to pick up recruits, Third Squad temporarily has no squad leader. Perhaps for the sake of being alumni from the same school, Gao Cheng made Chen Jun the acting squad leader of Third Squad, finally temporarily upgrading him to the key personnel level.
“This squad leader position definitely won’t last long. Once Shi Jin returns from picking up recruits, I can only give the position back.”
Chen Jun touched his chin and pondered: “To become a formal key squad leader, after completing the probation, I need to qualify to stay in Steel Seventh Company, become a platoon leader, and start the path of evolution.
I must seize this only opportunity during the acting squad leader time, prove my value, and achieve results sufficient to make Gao Cheng look at me differently.”
After Chen Jun analyzed his current situation, more than ten or twenty minutes had passed.
“Sigh, why isn’t such a sweet job mine?”
“You’re not even worth one hair of the squad leader; you go? Go hammer.”
“Going to the local area to pick up recruits takes more than a month; that’s equivalent to a paid business trip for tourism, really leisurely.”
“Tch, even if you want to go, you need the qualification. Do you have it?”
Wu Liu Yi, Gan Xiao Ning, and others, who saw Shi Jin off with Company Commander Gao Cheng and felt all sorts of envy in their hearts, chattered as they returned to the dormitory.
Seeing Chen Jun sitting at the desk in a daze, not going with them to see off the squad leader.
Gan Xiao Ning was the first to speak sarcastically: “Yo, our great Platoon Leader Chen, you’re really a busy man. So busy you didn’t even have time to see off the squad leader. You really deserve a Labor Model award.”
Cadet soldiers mainly study theory at the military academy; physical training is basically just a formality.
Their physical fitness is far inferior to grassroots veteran soldiers.
Whichever squad they are assigned to is like adding a burden, dragging down the entire squad’s results. Things like advanced squad collective or excellent pacesetter squad are basically gone.
Moreover, with the squad’s results dragged down by the cadet soldier, everyone can’t even scold the cadet soldier.
Because according to the relevant requirements of superior leaders, the company’s chief officers will specially emphasize three times five times requiring warriors to respect and help cadet soldiers.
It’s even more impossible to forcibly improve results through various “extra training” like with normal new recruits.
After all, cadet soldiers are officers.
Therefore, most warriors dislike them and don’t really recognize or like cadet soldiers.
Chen Jun, this tall skinny pole, is extremely poor in both stamina and tactics, constantly dragging Third Squad down, and has long aroused the indignation of the entire squad.
Under this premise.
Chen Jun, Third Squad’s baggage, actually became the acting squad leader.
This made Gan Xiao Ning, who already didn’t like cadet soldiers and was usually suppressed by the good-natured squad leader Shi Jin, unable to hold back his inner unconvinced feeling.
And Chen Jun was inexplicably dissed by Gan Xiao Ning; even though he was carrying the original Chen Jun’s big black pot, he couldn’t retort.
After all, he is Chen Jun now.
“Gan Xiao Ning, how do you talk? He’s the acting squad leader now; you should show some respect. Be careful the squad leader kicks your ass when he comes back.”
Wu Liu Yi scolded on the surface but actually hinted at tearing down the stage.
Meaning you’re just an acting squad leader; don’t take yourself too seriously.
As the benchmark of single-minded characters, Wu Liu Yi only recognizes Shi Jin as squad leader in this lifetime. With his qualifications, he could already be a squad leader, yet he prefers to be deputy squad leader under Shi Jin. How could he submit to Chen Jun, this baggage.
The other veteran soldiers didn’t speak, but their faces showed expressions of watching a show.
Chen Jun knows that in the troops, there’s no fancy stuff; everything relies on strength. With strength, everyone respects you; without it, talking more is nonsense.
So facing the dislike of the entire Third Squad, Chen Jun didn’t explain, nor did he get angry from being mocked.
Instead, he smiled and said: “Squad Deputy, I heard you run five kilometers first in the entire company. My stamina is too poor; I want to learn from you. Do you have time?”
“???”
Wu Liu Yi didn’t understand what Chen Jun wanted to do; Gan Xiao Ning and the other veteran soldiers were also baffled.
In their cognition, Chen Jun is someone who sucks at everything he does, yet is self-important, unconvinced by anyone, and especially likes to act.
He opens his mouth saying how awesome he was at the military academy, and here he’s just not acclimated.
All sorts of forced explanations, all sorts of forced acting.
It’s precisely because of this that he has never been able to integrate into Third Squad collective.
But today the sun rose from the west; the crowd, used to Chen Jun bragging and acting hard every day, actually heard Chen Jun proactively seeking to learn for the first time.
How could this not surprise people!
“Acting squad leader, if you’re willing to learn, of course I’m willing to teach. But I’ll put my words here first: with you like this, I’m afraid you can’t endure the hardship.”
Wu Liu Yi’s straightforward personality means his speech doesn’t beat around the bush.
“No no no, that’s not what I mean.”
Chen Jun now urgently needs to conquer Third Squad and gain everyone’s recognition. To gain everyone’s recognition, the best method is to defeat them.
Wu Liu Yi is one of the top elite soldiers in Third Squad; taking him down is enough to establish authority.
So amid everyone’s confusion, he said: “Squad Deputy, they say sparring is the best learning. What I mean is… how about we two compete, spar a bit, how about it?”
As soon as Chen Jun said this, the scene froze for three seconds.
Wu Liu Yi, Gan Xiao Ning, and the other warriors all looked at Chen Jun with incredulous gazes.
In the four months since Chen Jun joined the company, not to mention other training, just for foot march cross-country, he is notoriously the worst in the entire company.
No matter how hard others try, he can only barely grab second-to-last.
While Wu Liu Yi’s cross-country is notoriously strong, whether five kilometers or eight kilometers, whether light gear or armed, he is in the strongest first echelon.
Basically either first or second.
Chen Jun, this last place, actually dares to challenge Wu Liu Yi, this first place. In everyone’s view, it’s no different from a rat challenging a tabby cat.
Either it’s a joke, or his brain is broken.
“You want to single pick with me? Are you serious?”
Wu Liu Yi thought Chen Jun was acting again; after all, he’s used to acting, so he didn’t take it seriously, just treating it as a joke.
“It’s not really single pick; just play around, go out and run together to warm up. Anyway, before the new recruits join the company, the company is in rest state, no missions, just like finding some fun.”
Chen Jun smiled neither humbly nor arrogantly, making Wu Liu Yi feel something was off, but he couldn’t pinpoint it for the moment.
Seeing Chen Jun seeming to be serious, even daring to challenge their own squad deputy, Gan Xiao Ning, who looked down on Chen Jun from the bottom of his heart, immediately became unhappy.
