174 Pass the Command, Shooting Range
"Get therades behind to follow and pass it to the back!" Before Wang Ye could decide if he should remind Wu Jianfeng, Wu Jianfeng suddenly turned his head and looked at Wang Ye, who was carrying the g, and said,
Without much hesitation, Wang Ye turned his head and promptly responded, "Companymander, have the others behind follow suit and pass it back!"
With those words, Wang Ye turned back and picked up his pace.
"Captain, are we really going to fireter?" Wang Ye had been prepared to remind him, knowing that it was tied to a third-ss merit.
"Yes!" Wu Jianfeng kept walking, a nod confirming his decision. After a pause, he turned back with a grin.
"What? Worried you''ll need to jog my memory?"
He finally caught onto Wang Ye''s intention.
"Heh, no way..." Wang Ye gave a sheepish smile. The hand not holding the g brushed through his hair.
Wu Jianfeng''s smile widened, and he teased, "Don''t fret. Focus on your task. Don''t twist your ankle while I''m helping you set the stage!"
"Yes, sir! Rest assured, I''ve got this."
Wang Ye didn''t make a firmmitment—it wasn''t about aplishing a mission.
Having made his point, Wang Ye fell back behind Wu Jianfeng once more.
...
"This Wang Ye really has a ce in the captain''s heart. Not only does the captain single him out for special treatment, but now they''re chatting andughing like old friends."
In the ranks trailing them, those upfront could easily catch snippets of the exchange between Wang Ye and the captain. It wasn''t long before some of them started whispering among themselves.
"What''s our fate?"
They were the captain''s selected soldiers.
It was tough to predict where they might end up after thepany once they no longer had the captain''s favor.
"Comparison''s a painful game! I might envy Wang Ye''s perks, but I''m not bitter. That 400 meters..." A new recruit shook his head with a sigh.
Wang Ye''s breaking of the 400-meter record wasn''t a secret anymore.
Though the captain hadn''t officially announced it—awaiting the formal medal presentation—the news had spread through the ss monitors, who shared it with their squads.
Everyone had initially been envious of that first third-ss merit. Some even yfully cursed Wang Ye''s luck, wondering why they hadn''t stumbled upon such an opportunity in the restroom. They mused on how they''d have liked to encounter a chance for a third-ss merit during a bathroom break.
But, in time, Wang Ye proved his worth and earned those des.
As for the 400-meter obstacle course, it was a third-ss merit feat.
18:42
It was humbling.
Having experienced the previous running exercises, they were well aware of the challenge ofpleting the run in one minute and thirty seconds. With Wang Ye breaking the record, there was no need for envy. Deep down, they knew they couldn''t match his speed.
"Companymander, have those behind us follow and ry the order back..."
Just then, amand rang from the front, catching the recruits who had been murmuring off guard.
However, as one of them regained his senses, he turned around and proposed, "Companymander, have those behind us squat and ry themand..."
"Hey!" The soldier next in line, who received themand, was visibly taken aback. Nheless, he faced the rear and conveyed, "Companymander, have the squad behind us squat and ry the order..."
...
"Companymander!"
Up ahead, Wang Ye raised the g, contemting whether to enhance his marksmanship skills now or wait until a halt to do so.
Someone rushed up from behind.
Wang Ye turned around.
It was the ninth ss monitor.
"What''s the matter?"
Wu Jianfeng also turned around, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Reporting, Company Commander, you ordered ss 9 to squat down. Something seemed off, so I''vee to rify the situation!"
The ninth squad leader saluted and quickly exined.
Wu Jianfeng and Wang Ye were both dumbfounded.
The ss monitor widened his eyes, awaiting an exnation.
It wasn''t just Wang Ye who was puzzled.
A good portion of the soldiers in the front row were perplexed.
Then, someone chuckled.
"What nonsense is this? I never said anything about squatting down. I instructed those behind us to follow me. Who on earth passed along the wrong order!"
Wu Jianfeng''s stare was unwavering.
He nted himself and yelled back at the team behind, "Who the heck transmitted that order? The soldier who spread that order just now, step forward!"
Needless to say, this couldn''t stand.
The password was ryed one by one. By the fourth rendition, it became evident that it had been misconstrued...
"Are your ears plugged with hay? What nonsense are you spouting?"
Surveying the two soldiers who had conveyed the wrong order, Wu Jianfeng''s irritation was palpable. "You two, fall back now. Repeat mymand and keep shouting until we reach the firing range."
Wu Jianfeng red at them both and continued, "Ridiculous. It''s just a simple order, and it gets twisted like this. Imagine if we were in realbat—using your method of transmitting orders, I shudder to think how my instructions would be interpreted!"
With that said, Wu Jianfeng appeared to grow increasingly agitated. He faced the troops behind him and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, everyone. If we''re marching, let''s march. No wandering off. I''ll issue orderster. And if anyone mimunicates again, you''ll all do frog jumps to the firing range!"
Wu Jianfeng''s words carried weight. Once they resumed their march, even though two individuals in the ranks persistently hollered, "Companymander, instruct those behind us to follow and ry themand to the rear," they didn''t falter when conveying the order once more, covering every detail from start to finish.
Around 2:30 pm, the group descended the mountain.
Approximately ten minutester, the firing range came into view.
There were gates and barriers.
A sign by the roadside marked the area as a military restricted zone.
As they neared, they spotted individuals waiting at the entrance.
"Regiment Commander, Chief of Staff…"
Wu Jianfeng and the instructor hastened ahead and saluted the two figures.
As expected, the regimentmander and the chief of staff were present.
"Yes, how did the field exercise fare?"
The leader returned the salute and smiled.
"Reporting to the Commander, everything went smoothly.
The first group of recruitspleted two emergency marches today—one was a ground assault, and the other was an aerial attack.
They alsopleted a military meal and wilderness survival training."
"Good work!"
The regimentmander''s gaze then shifted to the ranks behind Wu Jianfeng. Unsurprisingly, his attentionnded on Wang Ye, the g bearer.
Of course, he made no mention of it.
Passing by Wang Ye, he nced at the recruits standing tall in formation.
He then turned his attention back to Wu Jianfeng. "It''s gettingte. Since we''re here, let''s proceed. Let''s get the live ammunition shooting training underway as soon as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
Wu Jianfeng saluted and pivoted back to the front to issue orders.
"Attention!"
.....
Soon, Wang Ye hoisted the g, trailing after Wu Jianfeng, who walked alongside the regimentmander and others. They entered the destination that everyone had eagerly anticipated: the shooting range.
This ce had always been on Wang Ye''s radar since he joined the military. However, it was only today that the opportunity to set foot here presented itself.
At the moment, a sense of curiosity pervaded the group.
At first nce, the space sprawled out vast and unupied.
Yet, this area wasn''t merely designated for shooting practice. Wang Ye''s gaze caught an abandoned structure nestled in a corner.
Further out, a training ground hosting a 400-meter obstacle course came into view.
Even the path they traversed bore evident tank tracks.
Though intrigued, now wasn''t the time for inquiries.
They followed the regimentmander and his entourage for another seven to eight minutes before halting at a designated shooting range.
Personnel were already assembled here.
What''s more, Wang Ye recognized most of these soldiers—they were fellowrades who seemed somewhat familiar. Several veterans from the 4th Company stood in formation, waiting.