Father, you've been drafted four times already, please spare us!

"Who the hell said the class monitor would fetch water for washing feet? They even said the kind class monitor would wash feet for people!"

"Who said that! Step forward, and I'll give him a good beating!"

Xie Fei ultimately didn't make the new recruits stand at attention for half an hour; he only made them stand for 40 minutes before letting them rest.

He felt that after becoming Chen Nian's disciple, he had become much more benevolent.

"It's all my fault for being too soft-hearted, too soft-hearted..."

Xie Fei hummed a little tune and went to an unknown little corner with his cigarette.

As soon as he left, the new recruits in the class finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you sure you want to slap that guy's head?"

"Of course, it's him who's always jumping around!"

"Oh, that person's surname is Chen!"

"Surname Chen? Even if his surname is Aisin Gioro, he'll be talking nonsense today!"

"Call him Chen Nian!"

"Wow, then he's more impressive than someone with the surname Aisin Gioro!"

...

On their first day in basic training, the recruits spent their time on drills, housekeeping, and ideological and political education.

After a day of physical and psychological attacks, they also discovered that the military was not as wonderful as the internet and people described. Boredom, tedium, exhaustion, and the pressure of promotion accompanied them every minute and every second.

The class monitor, who helped fetch water for washing feet last night, has a dark expression on his face today.

When they were scolding the bear, they hurled even more nasty insults than the village women!

Back in the dormitory, there was no water to wash my feet; all I could do was wash up briefly.

But in just one day, these new recruits looked like completely different people compared to when they first arrived yesterday. Putting aside everything else, their discipline was much better than before.

The main thing is that when the squad leader said he was going to be promoted, he really meant it!

Amidst sighs, the recruits welcomed their second day. In the afternoon, their first and most infamous five-kilometer run, one that would accompany them throughout their military career, and one they would have to shout "I love him" to them, began.

Chen Nian had a very comfortable first day. He was even better than the instructor, Lao Ge, at managing the formation, housekeeping, and ideological education. So, while the new recruits were being tortured, Chen Nian was in Lao Ge's office, discussing training plans with Zhang Zheng and Lao Ge.

Leaving those things aside for now, let's look at the five kilometers on the afternoon of the second day.

On the training ground.

Zhang Zheng looked at the assembled recruits, who already looked presentable, and shouted:

"Today, we're focusing on physical fitness!"

"It's not complicated, it's very simple: just run a light-load 5km race around this 400-meter track!"

Chen Nian didn't make any exceptions; he stood in the queue and grinned.

Tsk tsk, this is going to be interesting today. He also wants to see how many people will actually "climb" these five kilometers.

The new recruits groaned inwardly when they heard about the "five-kilometer" exercise.

Don't ask why you don't dare to show it, because when you get promoted, you really get promoted and put in the work!

Looking at their expressions, Chen Nian felt an indescribable joy.

Before enlisting, these guys, whether in school or in society, would be panting and out of breath after running 800 or 1000 meters, wishing they could just die on the spot after finishing the run.

Starting with a full five kilometers right off the bat, isn't that just asking them to jump into a boiling oil pot?

Of course, there were also a few new recruits with eager expressions on their faces, wanting to "show off" in front of others, to demonstrate their abilities to the squad leader, and in order to gain some small privileges.

These people either exercise regularly or have participated in sports in school.

People like Chen Guang, who sell seafood with his family, naturally have a stamina that student soldiers can't match.

Zhang Zheng chuckled at the recruits' reactions; he loved seeing them like this.

"Let me first explain the standards. You're all running your own races. I'm not asking you to achieve any great results; it's just to let you get used to it!"

"It would be best if you could finish the race, but if you can't, you can't stop. I don't care if you jog, walk briskly, or even crawl, you have to crawl to the finish line!"

"I do not tolerate any deserters or cowards among my soldiers!"

"As for the standards, a 5km run with light gear in 23 minutes is considered passing, and 21 points is good!"

"As for scores within 20, that's considered excellent. Of course, I know you new recruits won't reach that number, but that's okay, there's no shame in it!"

During his speech, Zhang would occasionally provoke the group of young people, igniting their fighting spirit.

"Now, pee when you need to pee, poop when you need to poop. Don't run five kilometers and then poop or pee again, I can't bear the embarrassment!"

"Start running in five minutes. Your class monitors will be running with you!"

Zhang Zheng didn't talk much, and after explaining a few key points, he left the time to the new recruits.

"Brother Nian, how far can you run in five kilometers?"

Chen Nian was doing warm-up exercises when Lu Haiyang quietly crept over.

"Hehe, you'll see in a minute!"

"Brother Nian, what should we pay attention to when running 5 kilometers? Can you tell us?"

Chen Nian glanced at the time and urged:

"There's not much to say. After you finish running, the class monitor and I will give you a debriefing. Now, let's do some warm-up exercises to avoid straining your ligaments!"

Several new recruits pulled their heads back and began to do warm-up exercises.

"Five kilometers? It's been so long since I ran. I wonder how far I can run!"

Chen Nian thought to himself.

After spending a long time in the civilian world, even though I maintained physical training, I was still not in the military, and I became somewhat lax.

Previously, his playing time was consistently around 17 minutes, depending on his performance.

As for now, Chen Nian is quite satisfied as long as he can finish within 18 minutes and 20 seconds.

Before he could think any further, Wang Shifeng was already gathering the class members.

"Everyone, get ready. You'll be following behind me. I'll keep a low speed. We're not aiming for top results, but you absolutely must keep up with me and not fall behind. Once you fall behind, it'll be hard to catch up!"

Wang Shifeng is absolutely right. For a 5-kilometer run, if several people run together, especially if someone is leading the way, the results will be much better than if you run alone.

Wang Shifeng did this so that his classmates could run as much as possible and experience the intensity of future training.

"Old squad leader, do you think this arrangement is acceptable?"

After Chen Nian arrived, Wang Shifeng acted as if he had lost his ability to lead troops, asking Chen Nian about almost everything.

Chen Nian was somewhat speechless:

"You can arrange it. I'm going to do a test on myself later to see my current status!"

After saying that, Chen Nian stepped onto the track under everyone's gaze.

After Lao Ge on the high platform gave an OK sign, Chen Nian also stepped forward and rushed out.

Yes, it rushed out.

As his footsteps landed on the track, Chen Nian regained his previous rhythm. His steps were light, unlike other recruits who stomped heavily on the track. His breathing coordinated with his steps, creating a rhythmic feel.

Gradually, Chen Nian started playing ring toss, until Xie Fei saw Chen Nian twice in the same lap. Without hesitation, he abandoned his classmates and quickened his pace to catch up with Chen Nian.

"Master, you lapped me again in the blink of an eye! I feel like you could score 19 points!"

Chen Nian glanced at him sideways, without saying a word:

"Do you smoke?!"

Xie Fei paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Give it up, it'll affect your lung capacity!"

After saying that, Chen Nian blinked and rushed out.

Xie Fei watched Chen Nian's retreating figure and muttered to himself:

Quitting smoking?

"Quit! If I ever smoke again, I'm a Wang Jingwei!"