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

"Five kilometers in under 18 and a half minutes, 46 rings on first target practice, 34 pull-ups, more developed muscles than me, extremely good at mountain terrain, tell me you don't want to join the special forces?"

Chen Nian shouted sharply.

In his view, shouldn't people keep climbing peaks they've never reached before?

Why would anyone want to stay at the foot of the mountain?

Facing the enraged Chen Nian, Yao Dagen remained remarkably calm, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"What necessary connection does this have with participating in special forces selection?"

"Gah!"

"call!"

Chen Nian gasped sharply, almost choking on his own breath.

No, do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Although what he said makes a lot of sense, wasting things is shameful!

"Yao Dagen, do you even listen to what you're saying? Do you know how many people are turned away from the special forces every year? Do you know how many people have struggled for countless years, yet still achieve nothing?"

"Your talent and abilities are impeccable throughout the entire recruit company!"

"I don't want to see your talent slowly worn away by these routine training sessions. Only by joining the special forces can you truly unleash your potential!"

Yao Dagen remained unmoved, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Instructor, but you yourself said this is my talent, whether it's wasted or not seems like my own business!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Nian was convinced, truly convinced.

"So, why did you join the army?"

"I don't know, my family just told me to come, so I came!"

Yao Dagen's words reflect not only his individual inner thoughts, but also the fact that many new recruits join the army because their families make the choice for them.

These people either have average grades in school or come from poor families and can't find any other way out, so they think about joining the army. However, they don't know the meaning of joining the army and have no direction in their lives.

"So what do you want to do in the future?"

Chen Nian felt a pang of sympathy.

"I don't know. I'll stay in the army as long as I can. When the day comes that I can't stay any longer, I'll go home and maybe follow my family's arrangements, get married, have children, and go to work in a factory!"

"This seems to be the only fate for us children in the mountains!"

Yao Dagen seems unable to see his future. He doesn't have a clear understanding of his life, or perhaps, the moment he developed adult thoughts, he had already seen his future.

Some people always say that life is endless, but actually, you can see the end of it all at a glance.

"fart!"

Chen Nian could clearly sense the confusion and negativity in Yao Dagen.

"What bullshit about destiny! Everyone has their own unique talents. If you can't see your own abilities, that's destiny!"

"If you can utilize your talents and choose the right path, then you are your own hero!"

Yao Dagen mechanically turned his neck to look at Chen Nian:

"Instructor, then why are you so insistent on me joining the special forces?"

Chen Nian was stunned, and for a moment, he was also somewhat bewildered.

Yes, whatever choice Yao Dagen makes is his business. What am I doing here?

Xie Fei squatted down and looked at Chen Nian, feeling that Chen Nian could give him the answer he wanted to hear.

After a long while, Chen Nian, somewhat irritated, waved to Xie Fei:

"Got a cigarette? Give me one!"

Xie Fei was taken aback:

"Master, don't you not smoke?"

"Not smoking doesn't mean you won't smoke!"

"Besides, one or two won't make a big difference!"

Xie Fei pouted and muttered:

"You've said everything you wanted to say!"

Chen Nian glared at him and took the lotus flower that Xie Fei handed him.

"Hiss~ Whoosh!"

"Dagen, you ask me why I want to recruit you into the special forces? Heh, let me ask you first, do you even know what the special forces do?"

Yao Dagen was taken aback, then nodded and shook his head.

"Special forces, huh? You've seen them on TV, like 'Wolf Fang' and 'Sharp Sword,' they were well-made, but not entirely!"

Do you know how many people special forces recruit from across the military each year?

Xie Fei and Yao Dagen shook their heads at the same time.

"And do you know how many special forces soldiers die each year?"

"In your eyes, we are the kings of soldiers, the group with the best military skills."

"But other countries are in the same boat as us!"

At this point, Chen Nian's eyes reddened slightly.

"Regional conflicts, border drug interdiction, overseas peacekeeping—you may have only heard about these things in the news, but they are what special forces face all the time!"

"In Yunnan Province's anti-drug efforts, not to mention local police and armed police, just the special forces alone lose more than a dozen people a year—either killed or disabled!"

"On overseas peacekeeping missions, facing terrorists with tanks, rocket launchers, mortars, and even attack helicopters, do you know how many comrades' souls have been lost there forever?"

"Hiring mercenaries, sounds pretty cool, right? But have you ever seen that in the country?"

"Because they were all kept outside the country's borders!"

"But do you know how many sacrifices were made in that process?"

"You don't know!"

At this point, Chen Nian thought of his comrade who had fallen beside him. It was his first time participating in an operation, and he was still a newcomer to the team. Everyone protected him and entrusted him with the safest tasks.

He watched as the veteran who had protected him all the way collapsed in front of him, and he asked why.

The veteran simply said:

"You are the seeds, we are old!"

But Chen Nian couldn't tell them these things.

Wiping away the tears from the corner of his eyes, Chen Nian rolled up his sleeves:

"See that? They wear full-body suits during drug raids!"

A scar the size of a fingernail looked rather unsightly. Chen Nian pointed to it and said to the two of them, "You ask me what the meaning of joining the special forces is? This is the meaning!"

"You can choose to be an ordinary citizen, and they will protect you!"

"You can also choose to join them and protect those ordinary people!"

"I won't say more, think about it yourself."

"Tell me as soon as possible, whatever the result may be!"

After saying that, Chen Nian tossed the stopwatch and other measuring and recording devices to Xie Fei, then turned and walked towards the dormitory.

Having said so much today, Chen Nian recalled many past events, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

After Chen Nian left, Yao Dagen and Xie Fei squatted on the ground, both of them somewhat silent.

"Squad leader, why do you want to join the special forces so much?"

Xie Fei, who had already quit smoking, lit up a cigarette again.

"Before, I wanted to be the best soldier; after all, who joins the army and doesn't want to be the best?"

"But from today onwards, I want to be someone who can protect others!"

Yao Dagen frowned:

"Squad leader, do you think I should join the special forces?"

Xie Fei chuckled upon hearing this:

"First of all, this is your own business. You shouldn't ask anyone else. Advice from others may not be what you want to hear!"

"Secondly, Da Gen, you're overthinking it. That special forces area is like a restaurant; you can't just walk in whenever you want!"

"As Instructor Chen just said, you may be talented, but that doesn't mean there are no requirements for others!"

Having said that, Xie Fei also stood up:

"Alright, figure it out yourself. I have something to do, I'm leaving!"

Yao Dagen watched Xie Fei's retreating figure and called out:

"Class monitor, what do you think I should do?"

"I don't know, but I'll definitely give it a try!"

Xie Fei didn't even turn his head, let out a yell, and then turned and left.

...

Ten minutes later, in Class 1's dormitory.

"Instructor Chen, I want to join the special forces!"

"Um?"

"I want to join the special forces!"