I enlisted four times! My former unit blacklisted me.

Zhao Yihang had already finished packing.

He didn't sleep well at all that night.

I tossed and turned, my mind filled with images from last night's playground: six of us writing self-criticisms around a lamppost, Feng leaning against a tree snoring, and that bowl of instant noodles.

"Brother Feng!" Zhao Yihang exclaimed excitedly, "I'm ready!"

Wu Hanfeng glanced at him and laughed, scolding, "When have you ever been unprepared?"

"No, this time is different!" Zhao Yihang's eyes were shining. "After what you said to them last night, they're definitely going to train us like crazy starting today. We might even have a separate class again, double the intensity! I'm so excited just thinking about it!"

"What are you so excited about?" Wu Hanfeng stretched.

"Finally, we can have a proper practice session!" Zhao Yihang clenched his fist. "When we were in the team, the training you led us in was tiring, but it always felt like something was missing."

"Now it's great! So many instructors from the training team are working together to give us extra training. I love this kind of 'revenge training'!"

Wu Hanfeng raised an eyebrow: "The way you're talking makes it sound like we're here to enjoy special services."

"Isn't that right?" Zhao Yihang chuckled. "Weren't they trying to train us to death? Come on! If I, Zhao Yihang, even frown, I'll write my name backwards!"

"If I write your name backwards, it'll sound even worse than 'Hang Yi Zhao'," Wu Hanfeng said.

Zhao Yihang: "..."

As the two were talking, Wu Hanfeng suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure passing by the dormitory entrance out of the corner of his eye.

Hao Qiang.

This guy slept quite well last night, getting into bed early.

He was carrying a washbasin as he walked out.

Judging from his expression, he was noticeably more relaxed than yesterday. He wasn't hunched over anymore, and he wasn't walking too close to the wall.

Clearly, his mental preparation had been very effective after a night's rest.

He was ready to begin training and also ready to stay away from Wu Hanfeng.

Anyway, the class assignments have already been decided. Wu Hanfeng is in Class 1, and so is he.

But it doesn't matter. With ten people in a class, there's always a way to keep the distance between them during training.

As long as you maintain a safe distance of more than five meters, you don't have to worry about being scammed.

As Hao Qiang was thinking this, he had just reached the stairwell when a voice behind him sent a shiver down his spine.

"Hao Qiang!"

Wu Hanfeng came out of the dormitory and greeted him with a smile.

Hao Qiang paused, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

He turned around stiffly, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Good morning, Squad Leader Wu!"

Wu Hanfeng walked up to him, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

I still confiscated the pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from Qin Gang last night.

"Here, have one." Wu Hanfeng pulled out a cigarette and handed it to him. "Get your act together, it'll be time to assemble soon."

Hao Qiang glanced at the cigarette, then looked up at Wu Hanfeng's face.

Answer or not?

If you don't accept it, it's a kind gesture to offer you a cigarette, and you can't refuse.

Go ahead and accept it; what if it's a new trick for staged accidents?

Military regulations stipulate that smoking is only allowed in designated areas and absolutely not in the dormitory buildings.

But damn it, he's not in the dorm right now, he's in the hallway, does that count?

Hao Qiang's mind raced, and in the end, he gritted his teeth and accepted the cigarette with both hands: "Thanks, Squad Leader Wu. I'll smoke it after I brush my teeth and wash my face!"

"Okay," Wu Hanfeng said. "We're in the same regiment. If you need anything in the future, just let me know. After all, I still owe you a favor, haha..."

After saying that, Wu Hanfeng patted Hao Qiang on the shoulder, turned around and left.

Hao Qiang stood still.

He was photographed again.

Wu Hanfeng touched him again.

This is the third time.

Hao Qiang quickly stretched his entire body.

I don't feel dizzy, my heart isn't racing, and my legs aren't weak.

Seems like everything's alright?

No, we must not let our guard down.

Sometimes, staged accidents can be delayed.

Didn't I get dizzy while running last time?

This time, I might only feel dizzy when I run five kilometers!

Hao Qiang took a deep breath and decided to increase the safe distance even further.

He carried the washbasin and ran into the washroom.

This scene was witnessed by Qin Gang and Liu Zhen, who were coming down from the fourth floor.

Liu Zhen didn't sleep all night; his eye bags were practically drooping down to his cheeks.

As soon as he stepped out, he heard Wu Hanfeng's enthusiastic greeting to Hao Qiang coming from downstairs.

Then, peeking out, he saw Wu Hanfeng stuffing a cigarette into Hao Qiang's hand.

The two stood in the hallway, arms around each other, chatting and laughing. Their intimacy was so great that anyone who didn't know them would think they were long-lost brothers.

Liu Zhen's face immediately darkened.

"Captain Qin, this Hao Qiang is in cahoots with Wu Hanfeng."

Qin Gang saw it too.

He stared at the two figures downstairs and slowly asked, "Who is Hao Qiang?"

Liu Zhen said, "He's also from the Third Regiment. His performance in the 5-kilometer armed run was outstanding. He made it into the first group yesterday afternoon."

Qin Gang snorted: "Not bad, these guys from the Third Regiment are all good. Wu Hanfeng has four with him, plus Hao Qiang, that's a complete unit."

Liu Zhen said, "That's perfect. Didn't you say last night that the five of them wanted to form their own squad? Now, with one more, there are six in total, no more, no less, just enough for a combat team."

Qin Gang did not respond immediately.

He squinted, his gaze fixed on Wu Hanfeng's retreating figure downstairs, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through clenched teeth:

"Put Wu Hanfeng and those four people he mentioned into the same class. Put Hao Qiang in too. Doesn't Wu Hanfeng like making friends? Let's reunite their whole family."

Liu Zhen nodded, a sneer of schadenfreude curling at the corner of his mouth.

Good brothers should be together, all in one.

At that very moment, Hao Qiang was frantically brushing his teeth in the washroom, his mind filled with thoughts of how to get as far away from Wu Hanfeng as possible.

He had no idea that his fate had been completely rewritten at that moment.

The cigarette he had just accepted became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The assembly whistle blew.

A sharp whistle blared from the loudspeaker on the playground.

Students from four squadrons poured out of the dormitory building.

Yesterday was a chaotic day, and I finally got a good night's sleep—or rather, they didn't dare to be restless, fearing an emergency assembly in the middle of the night.

The night passed peacefully without any incidents; no one even checked on the patients, and everyone slept soundly.

They were awakened by the whistle, and they were all in pretty good spirits.

Four square formations were quickly arranged on the playground.

Qin Gang strode up to the high platform.

He changed into a brand-new training uniform, his hat standing upright, and the scar on his face looked even more fierce and menacing in the morning light.

But beneath this energetic exterior, Qin Gang's brain was working at top speed.

He hadn't slept for more than twenty hours.

Since arriving at the training team yesterday morning, I've been busy all day, and then I was tormented by Wu Hanfeng all night—writing self-criticisms, eating his instant noodles, and listening to his critiques of my handwriting.

He finally made it to dawn, but he didn't even touch the bed.

As he went downstairs, he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror for a long time, then splashed three handfuls of cold water on his face, managing to suppress the drowsy feeling that was about to overwhelm him.

Qin Gang knew that his every move was now under Wu Hanfeng's watchful eye.

That kid may be all smiles on the surface, but who knows what he's really thinking inside.

He absolutely cannot show weakness.