Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

When the glass door of the canteen was pushed open, the new recruits practically rushed in.

After running two kilometers, standing at attention for thirty-five minutes, and being exposed to the scorching sun all morning, this group's physical reserves were completely depleted.

The air was filled with the aroma of braised pork.

Zhao Xiaohu sniffed, and the fatigue on his round face vanished.

"Meat! I smell meat!"

Qian Duoduo perked up, stood on tiptoe and peered into the window, making loud swallowing sounds.

Behind the food pick-up window stood three canteen workers. The one in the middle was bald, wearing a white apron, and holding a large iron ladle. He watched the new recruits pounce on them like hungry wolves with a blank expression.

Class One's line was behind Class Two's. Bai Ye stood in the line, with Xuan Xiao in front of him and Zhao Xiaohu behind him.

The line moved forward. The first recruit in line handed his tray through the window, his face full of anticipation. The canteen worker took the tray, scooped some vegetables from the dish with a large iron ladle, and poured it into the tray—a small spoonful of rice, a small spoonful of greens, and three pieces of braised pork.

The recruit looked at the meager portion on his plate, his expectation turning into confusion.

"Sir, could you... give me a little more?"

The old man raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

Then he took back his plate and turned around. He scooped a large spoonful of rice into the rice bowl and then another large spoonful into the vegetable bowl, piling the braised pork into a small mountain. The plate was overflowing, with rice grains almost spilling out from the edges.

The old man pushed the tray back, expressionless.

Is that enough?

The new recruit held the heavy plate in his hands, his mouth agape in an "O" shape.

The new recruits at the back of the line were all wide-eyed when they saw this.

"Me too! Sir, give me more!"

"I want more too!"

"Me too!"

Bai Ye walked to the window. He handed in the tray without saying a word. The old man glanced at him, then scooped a spoonful from the dish—a small spoonful of rice, a small spoonful of vegetables, and three pieces of braised pork. The portion was exactly the same as the first group of people who hadn't asked for more rice.

-

In the dining hall, the new recruits took their seats.

At first, everyone buried their heads in their food and ate voraciously, their chopsticks flying, their cheeks bulging. After being hungry all morning, their first reaction to the mountain of food was to shovel it into their mouths.

But as I ate, my pace slowed down.

More and more recruits stopped eating. Some leaned back in their chairs rubbing their stomachs, some stared at the remaining food with worry, and some tried to stuff a couple more bites into their mouths before almost spitting it out.

The entire restaurant was filled with an atmosphere of despair caused by overeating.

The view from the window is completely different.

In front of Xuan Xiao was a lunch that could feed two people. He stopped eating after eating half of it. He turned his head and looked at Bai Ye beside him.

Xuan Xiao moved closer to Bai Ye, then closer still. Their shoulders almost touched.

Bai Ye ignored him.

Xuanxiao rested his chin on the edge of the table, looking pitifully at Baiye's plate.

Bai Ye paused in his chewing. He turned his head and saw the mountain of food piled up in front of Xuan Xiao, and then he saw the expression on Xuan Xiao's face that of a large dog that had been deprived of its food.

There was a two-second silence.

"...Could you put some in my bowl?"

Xuanxiao's eyes lit up.

"real?"

"Before I change my mind."

With astonishing efficiency, Xuanxiao reached for his own plate with his chopsticks, precisely picked up some rice and a few pieces of meat, and transferred them to Baiye's plate.

Bai Ye glanced down at the extra food on her plate, said nothing, and continued eating.

The two of them sat quietly, one moving the excess food away, the other taking it and eating it slowly. Not a single grain of rice was wasted, and not a single dish was left over.

Zhao Xiaohu, who was standing nearby, saw this, opened his mouth, looked down at his half-eaten plate, and then looked up at Bai Ye. His eyes were filled with the words "Save me!"

Bai Ye didn't even lift his eyelids.

Zhao Xiaohu's distress signal went unanswered.

Twenty minutes later, all the new recruits put down their chopsticks.

Most people had leftovers on their plates. Some had only a small portion left, while others had more than half left. The most extreme case was a new recruit from the fourth squad, whose plate was almost completely untouched, piled up like a fortress that hadn't been attacked much.

The company commander walked in from the canteen entrance.

Zhou Jianguo stood with his hands behind his back, his square face revealing no emotion. He walked past each table, his gaze sweeping over every plate. He didn't stop even when a plate was half-eaten. He didn't stop even when a plate was more than half-eaten. When he reached the recruit in the fourth platoon who had two-thirds of his plate left, he paused, and the recruit shrank back.

The company commander didn't say anything and continued walking forward.

He walked over to Bai Ye and Xuan Xiao's table.

Two empty plates sat side by side, spotless, not a single grain of rice left. Even the soup had been soaked through by the rice.

The company commander's gaze lingered on the two men's faces for a moment. Then he looked away and turned to face the entire canteen.

"Everyone has it."

His voice wasn't loud, but every pair of ears in the cafeteria perked up.

"Assemble on the playground."

The new recruits looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Now."

On the playground, the midday sun was as scorching as a pot of molten iron being poured over one's head.

The new recruits lined up by class, each standing by the track with their bellies bulging or distended.

The company commander stood at the front of the line.

"Has anyone had enough to eat at noon today?"

No one dared to speak.

"Is anyone hungry?"

Still, no one dared to speak.

"Let me tell you what happened at noon today." The company commander's voice was like a dulled knife, not fast, but suffocating. "How much the canteen worker gives you depends on how much you ask for. You have to eat as much as you ask for. If you can't finish, there will be leftovers. Leftovers are waste."

He paused.

"In the military, wasting food is the biggest taboo. The food wasn't bought with your money; it was grown by the people. Every grain of rice you throw away represents someone else's blood and sweat."

The queue was so quiet you could hear the sweat dripping onto the concrete floor.

"Here are the rules for you today—from now on, take only what you can eat. Eat as much as you can take. If you can't finish, stand in the cafeteria with your tray until you finish."

His gaze swept over everyone.

"As for today—everyone has it. Two kilometers."

A collective gasp filled the playground.

Zhao Xiaohu's face was as white as a sheet. Qian Duoduo clutched her stomach. The tall guy from Class Three, who was gasping for breath, closed his eyes, a "I knew it" expression on his face.

Bai Ye and Xuan Xiao's plates were empty.

But they also have to run.

"Treat everyone equally. You are a team. If one person makes a mistake, the whole class is punished. If the whole class makes a mistake, the whole company is punished. Remember this rule."

The company commander raised his hand and pointed to the runway.

"Everyone has it—two kilometers."