Soldiers' Assault: Veteran Special Agents and New Recruits

Chapter 242 I'll Break Your Legs (6000 words, 2-in-1 long chapter, please subscribe)

There were 24 bottles in two cases of beer. Cheng Cai knocked out 21 of them by himself, while Hu Yanhua knocked out 3.

The huge difference in scores between the two sides wasn't because Hu Yanhua was bad at shooting or couldn't hit the target; it was simply because Cheng Cai shot too fast, and Hu Yanhua didn't have time to fire.

Every time, he had just seen the beer bottle, or even before he had seen the beer bottle.

"Snap!"

The gun went off, and the bottle shattered.

In a competition where reaction speed is prioritized over marksmanship, Hu Yanhua's speed is insufficient, rendering her excellent marksmanship useless.

Before the beer bottle could even be seen flying out, the other side had already hit it first.

What's the point of comparing?

Cheng Cai's incredible marksmanship demonstrated what true skill is, truly shocking every soldier in the division's reconnaissance battalion.

We have a deep and full understanding of Old A's strength; the legendary A team truly lives up to its reputation.

If someone from a mess hall is this fierce, easily defeating the sharpshooters of the division's reconnaissance battalion, imagine what would happen if it were a regular squad.

The gazes of the crowd toward Jackie Chan and Xu Sanduo were immediately filled with respect and admiration.

Gao Cheng, who had originally planned to compete in several rounds and completely dominate Lao A, lost his enthusiasm when he saw the huge gap between the two sides.

They've already been beaten to a pulp, what's the point of comparing anymore?

Continuing to compete is just continuing to embarrass yourself!

From awareness to understanding, it's clear that the A-Team, built with the combined strength of the entire army, is not something a mere division reconnaissance battalion like his could easily provoke.

The obsession that had been nagging at Gao Cheng disappeared, and with utter despair, there was no longer any hope of a miracle.

I felt so much lighter!

but.

Although I've figured it out in my heart, I'm still upset and have a strong urge to get it off my chest.

"Wow, you're awesome, you won."

Gao Cheng walked up to Cheng Cai with a blank expression, stared into Cheng Cai's eyes and said, "Old A, King of Soldiers, hehe, you really are a King of Soldiers in name and in fact."

Everyone says that this marksmanship is honed by being fed bullets. I believe what Jackie Chan said: you spent a year in the mess hall without ever touching a gun.

But I'm really curious, how did you manage to grow up like this?

Gao Cheng asked a question that everyone was curious about.

Everyone pricked up their ears!

"possible……"

Despite winning, Cheng Cai showed no pride or arrogance, calmly stating, "Because opportunities are fewer, I cherish them all the more."

"More than that."

Gao Cheng's gaze towards Cheng Cai changed. He put his hands on his hips and said meaningfully, "The cooking squad is good. Going to the cooking squad is a good thing. It will calm your mind."

When your mind is calm, your hands will be steady, and the most important thing in marksmanship is stability.

Back when you were still in the Steel Seventh Company, you always clamored to become the King of Guns and the God of Guns. You even went to the Third Company. Now you've finally achieved your wish and really become the King of Guns.

"Should I congratulate you?"

Once Gao Cheng's mind and hands were at peace, it was as if he had affirmed Cheng Cai's self-redemption, and his anger had largely subsided.

Cheng Cai in the past was ambitious but unrealistic; his mind was always floating in the sky, and he never truly settled down.

The year he spent in the mess hall smoothed out Cheng Cai's rough edges, tempered his mind, and finally calmed his heart.

This marked the beginning of maturity.

As for Gao Cheng's final rhetorical question, it was purely a final test of Cheng Cai.

If it were the Cheng Cai of the past who loved to show off, he would definitely want Gao Cheng to praise him and let him shine in front of everyone.

However, Cheng Cai has truly matured now, having discarded all his previous flaws.

Faced with Gao Cheng's probing questions, Cheng Cai's eyes no longer looked up at the sky as before, but instead slightly lowered his chin and looked down.

He said very humbly and calmly, "Thank you for the praise, Deputy Battalion Commander, but I... am not some kind of gun king."

"Yes, that's a perfect answer. This is the most normal way for Cheng Cai, the sniper king, to be recognized. With this awareness, his future path will be smooth." Jackie Chan cheered for Cheng Cai in his heart.

"Chengcai, excessive humility is arrogance. Past mistakes do not define the future. You know your current strength, so you have to get used to being called the Gun King. If you have the strength, you can stand tall."

Gao Cheng couldn't bear to see Cheng Cai being selfish and self-serving in the past, nor could he bear to see Cheng Cai being so humble now.

He then continued, "Just like Xu Sanduo, he used to be called a fool or an idiot, but now he's a top-tier soldier, a king among soldiers."

Gao Cheng is truly a great company commander!

Despite his exceptional background, he still wholeheartedly cares for his soldiers, even those who have betrayed him in the past.

To be honest.

Cheng Cai knelt down and kowtowed to Gao Cheng, which Gao Cheng could easily bear.

"Deputy Battalion Commander, San Duo isn't a fool or an idiot. He's actually wise beyond his years. I'm the fool," Cheng Cai said in a low voice.

"Ha ha."

Gao Cheng suddenly laughed, a happy laugh, as he took out his cigarette case and said, "Are you insulting me? You called yourself an idiot, yet you wiped out my sharpshooter. The entire reconnaissance battalion can't find anyone to compare with you. Are you implying that we're not even as good as idiots?"

"No, no, Deputy Battalion Commander..."

Cheng Cai was genuinely startled by this huge accusation and hurriedly tried to explain, but was interrupted by Gao Cheng.

"Alright, I was just teasing you. Look how scared you are."

Gao Cheng took out a cigarette, lit it, and shouted as he walked back, "I'm not competing anymore. We've already been beaten to a pulp, what's the point of competing?"

"Go back, everyone, and keep drinking. Cheng Cai, you need to learn from your brother. You can't even drink a few cups of wine; what kind of king of rifles and soldier are you?"

"Oh ho, they're getting into the show."

Jackie Chan immediately understood the meaning behind it, knowing that Gao Cheng wanted to drink a cup of wine to settle old scores.

Seeing that Cheng Cai was still standing there in a daze, he gave him a light kick on the butt, and then gave him a sharp look, meaning that he should accept this favor.

Cheng Cai was a smooth operator, and he immediately realized what was going on.

He ran to the nearest table, grabbed two bottles of beer, opened them, picked up one in each hand, and ran back to Gao Cheng.

He said from the bottom of his heart, "Deputy Battalion Commander, I have a lot to say to you, but I don't know how to start."

Soldiers are poor, truly poor. Looking back now, besides the team, comrades, and perseverance, these were the most precious things. In the end, nothing was left.

I think...I think...

Cheng Cai suddenly choked up as he spoke, and the rest of his words seemed to get stuck.

Gao Cheng urged, "What do you think? There are so many people here, tell everyone and make them laugh."

"if……"

Cheng Cai held back for a while before saying, "I think if a person can only serve in the military once in their life, then they must understand those six words."

Those six words I had once forgotten—Never abandon, never give up.

At this point, Cheng Cai could no longer hold back his emotions, and tears streamed down his face.

With red and tearful eyes, she choked out, "I know it's too late to say anything now. I regret it now, I really regret leaving the Seventh Company back then."

Four thousand nine hundred and forty-four, that was the number I had in the Seventh Company at the time.

I know how you see me right now, and I know how everyone else sees me. In your hearts, I am a deserter and a traitor.

But, Company Commander, I want to tell you, I was wrong, I was really wrong, terribly wrong.

When Cheng Cai got to this point, he was already choked up and unable to speak.

It is said that good boys do not easily shed tears, and would rather bleed than cry. But Cheng Cai, a grown man who is over 1.7 meters tall, is shedding tears here.

Bai Tiejun and Gan Xiaoning, who originally hated and looked down on Cheng Cai and still haven't given him a friendly look, are now deeply resentful.

Having been awestruck by Cheng Cai's technical skills, hearing his heartfelt words now brought a strange pang of sadness to my heart.

The hatred and disgust I felt for Cheng Cai melted away without me even realizing it at that moment.

It's like a marshmallow melting into water and disappearing completely.

When Gao Cheng saw Cheng Cai with tears streaming down his face, he felt Cheng Cai's sincere apology, and a relieved and relieved smile appeared on his lips.

And they took action to express it.

He took the initiative to walk over and hug Cheng Cai, holding this grown man who was crying like a child tightly in his arms and gently patting his back.

While filming, he whispered, "Well done, you're great, Cheng Cai. I forgive you, really, all that is in the past."

Cheng Cai leaned on Gao Cheng's shoulder like a child, laughing again before his tears had even dried.

He was able to gain Gao Cheng's forgiveness.

Chengcai was overjoyed.

As he rose from Gao Cheng's embrace, Cheng Cai wiped away his tears of joy, saying nothing more, for there was no need to say anything more at this moment.

Let's show it through our actions!

"Company commander, I'll do it!!"

Cheng Cai raised the beer bottle in his hand and gulped it down. After finishing one bottle, he picked up another and continued to chug it down.

Gao Cheng did not stop Cheng Cai, knowing that Cheng Cai needed to vent his emotions.

He downed two bottles of beer in one go, and the moment Cheng Cai took the beer bottles down, applause erupted from the entire room without anyone needing to lead the way.

This is both a celebration of Cheng Cai's impressive drinking capacity and a celebration of his complete transformation and new life.

From this moment on...

The selfish and self-serving Cheng Cai is dead, and a new Cheng Cai, disguised and transformed, has been born.

Jackie Chan watched from the side and laughed.

Xu Sanduo also smiled, revealing two rows of large front teeth.

……

The dinner yielded unexpected results, and Cheng Cai, who had completed his redemption, underwent a new transformation. He was no longer as humble as before, always keeping his head down wherever he went.

A smile returned to Cheng Cai's face, making him look more cheerful and confident.

Perhaps it was because so much had happened tonight, and he was so happy to have received forgiveness from Company Commander Gao Cheng, that his brain was unusually excited.

That night, everyone in the division's reconnaissance battalion went to sleep, but Cheng Cai still didn't go back to his tent to sleep.

Jackie Chan, who didn't drink with the students from Class 5 during the dinner, sneaked back to Class 5's dormitory after the dinner and had a few drinks with them.

When I came back after drinking, I saw Cheng Cai squatting on the wall, staring blankly at the sky.

"Why aren't you sleeping at night? What are you doing here?" Jackie Chan asked as he walked over.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to stay here for a while," Cheng Cai said with a smile.

"Something on your mind?"

Jackie Chan sat down next to Cheng Cai.

"It feels like I've wasted the past twenty-odd years of my life, and only today have I truly come to terms with it."

Cheng Cai seemed to be talking to Jackie Chan, or perhaps to himself, looking up at the sky and muttering to himself, "My name is Cheng Cai, but up until now, I don't even know what kind of talent I've become."

I'm obsessed with being better than others. If someone is better than me, I want to find a way to surpass them. I'm already better than others, but I only want to become even better.

Brother, I've always wanted to surpass you, but you're like a mountain that I can't get over no matter what I do.

I was tense, constantly tense, so tight, it felt like I was about to break, but I kept using all sorts of methods to forcibly pull myself forward.

I thought that way I could succeed, that I could surpass you, but that's a joke.

It wasn't until I was demoted to the mess hall that I truly understood what contentment meant. Once I understood those two words, I truly understood life.

The sky was originally blue, the air was originally clear, and the grassland was originally green.

But I've made my life too dry, devoid of any moisture or color. I've given up so much, turning myself into a bag of pebbles.

It thinks it's heavy, but it's actually useless and just gets in the way.

The fact that Cheng can make fun of himself proves that he has a stable mindset.

"The fact that you can recognize these mistakes shows that you have grown up. You have a long road ahead of you, and it's not too late. Yuan Lang throwing you into the cooking squad proves that he did the right thing," Jackie Chan said with satisfaction.

"I used to hate Yuan Lang for not wanting me, but now I don't hate him anymore. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have realized my mistake. I should thank him," Cheng Cai said with a smile.

"You really have a lot to thank, otherwise..." Jackie Chan deliberately stopped halfway through his sentence.

"Before, I only knew how to thank myself and didn't know how to be content or what gratitude meant. Now I understand that there are so many people I need to thank in this life."

Cheng Cai was deeply moved and sighed, saying, "There are my parents far away, and San Duo, Wu Liuyi, Squad Leader Shi Jin, the Company Commander and the Political Instructor nearby."

And you, brother, I'm most grateful to you. Although you've never said anything, I know you've always been helping me.

"Don't be so mushy, you're all grown men."

Jackie Chan lightly patted Cheng Cai on the back of the head. They'd been hitting each other since they were kids; it was a habit now, almost a gesture. Changing the subject, he asked, "You've had enough of the mess hall, haven't you? What are your plans now?"

"Have you had enough? No, not at all."

Cheng Cai smiled and shook his head, saying, "Brother, you might not believe it, but I can watch a single vegetable worm crawl for an entire afternoon, really."

I used to laugh at San Daizi for being silly when he looked at ants, but I realized then that I was the silly one.

That feeling was so reassuring, so incredibly comforting, it made me feel good from the inside out. Unlike before, I didn't have to constantly think about surpassing anyone.

Gao Cheng previously said that Cheng Cai's mind was settled, but actually, we should add a sentence before that.

It is because the mind is calm that it becomes stable.

"Life in the mess hall is slow-paced, which can gradually calm one's mind, but I think people shouldn't live too comfortably."

Jackie Chan looked up at the starry night sky and said meaningfully, "There's a saying that goes, 'One is born in hardship and dies in comfort.'"

A person's life is only a few decades long, but lying in a coffin will make them comfortable forever.

Before that, we still need to find a goal for ourselves. It doesn't have to be something spectacular, but at least it should make our lives more interesting, don't you think?

"Yes, being too comfortable isn't a good thing."

Cheng Cai agreed with Jackie Chan's point of view, took a deep breath and exhaled, saying, "Therefore, I can't continue to stay in the mess hall..."

Just when Jackie Chan thought Cheng Cai was about to say that he was preparing to participate in this year's Old A selection.

Cheng Cai suddenly changed the subject and said, "Compared to you, I'm not even a soldier, and I'll never be able to surpass you. My world is probably outside."

I've decided to retire after completing this term of sergeant service and go back to help my father manage the quarry.

Uncle Baishun's family has one Le and two He, but his father doesn't have anyone to help him. He's getting old now, and all those hard-working people..."

"Say that again!"

Jackie Chan grabbed Cheng Cai by the collar and lifted him up from the ground. His eyes were filled with anger and disappointment at Cheng Cai's lack of ambition.

"I think……"

"What are you thinking!"

Before Cheng Cai could finish speaking, he was interrupted again. Jackie Chan threatened fiercely, "The eldest brother is like a father. Since Dad isn't here, I'll take care of you in his place."

Dad is still going strong in his old age, what good would it do for you to go back and help out?

I'm giving you two choices: either take back what you just said and obediently participate in this year's Old A selection, or I'll break your legs.

"Brother, isn't that unnecessary? I just..."

"Um??"

Cheng Cai didn't realize the seriousness of the situation and tried to gloss over it with a laugh, but a single look from Jackie Chan made him swallow the rest of his words.

She could only say timidly, "I've already been eliminated once. If I participate again this year, they definitely won't choose me again."

"Shut your mother..."

Jackie Chan blurted out the curse, but then he suddenly remembered that they were brothers, and cursing his mother was the same as cursing himself, so he had to swallow the last two words back.

He grabbed Cheng Cai by the collar and threw him forward, causing Cheng Cai to fall to the ground with a thud.

He said firmly, "As long as you have the ability and the skills, why worry about not finding someone to hire you? If I say you can do it, then you can."

You've already deserted once, do you want to desert a second time?

I'm telling you this: there's not a single coward in our Cheng family, and I won't allow any cowards to appear. You'd better watch out for this.

We're going home soon. If you don't want to be beaten up by a mixed doubles match, Dad and I will beat you up together.

You'd better change your mind as soon as possible. Stop giving me all this nonsense. You should only have one thought: go participate in the Old A selection, and you must be selected.

Nobody in the army dares to say a bad word about me, not even you, my brother.

I'll allow you to make one mistake, but I will never allow you to make the same mistake twice. Do you understand?

Cheng Cai saw that Cheng Long's expression didn't seem like he was joking. In fact, deep down he was also unwilling to give up and still had the dream of becoming a member of the elite elite team.

Now that Jackie Chan has put him in such a difficult position, Cheng Cai's resentment has been reignited.

He got up from the ground, dusted off his backside, and said somewhat uncertainly, "Okay, bro, I got it. I'll try my best."

"Snap!"

Jackie Chan's swift slap landed on Cheng Cai's head again.

"There's no such thing as 'trying.' Success is the only option; failure is not an option. Otherwise, you'd better think twice before taking my fist, which is as big as a clay pot."

Jackie Chan raised his enormous fist and waved it in front of Cheng Cai.

Cheng Cai was both amused and exasperated!

He couldn't withstand Jackie Chan's fists, which were as big as a clay pot. In order to avoid being beaten up by Jackie Chan, Cheng Cai could only grit his teeth and give it his all in this selection.

It's for Jackie Chan, and also for himself.

Regardless of whether Yuan Lang selects me in the end, as long as I have done my best, I will have no regrets. I will leave everything to time.

(End of this chapter)