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

The reveille shattered the silence of the camp at exactly six o'clock in the morning.

Bai Ye opened her eyes.

Zhao Xiaohu lay on his back with his mouth slightly open, the flesh on his round face trembling slightly with the snoring, fast asleep.

Bai Ye reached out and yanked off his blanket.

"get up."

Zhao Xiaohu sprang up abruptly, like a fish thrown ashore: "Huh? What? What time is it??"

"6:02".

"Six o'clock?!"

Zhao Xiaohu frantically put on his clothes, but when his head popped out of the collar, he was completely upside down, wearing the clothes inside out, with the label sticking out like a small white flag.

Bai Ye had already walked to Qian Duoduo's bedside and pulled off the blanket as well.

Qian Duoduo's reaction was even more exaggerated—he rolled off the bed, wrapped himself in a blanket, bounced twice on the floor, and squinted as he groped around on the floor.

"Where are my glasses? Has anyone seen them?"

"You're not wearing glasses."

"...Oh right."

Bai Ye ignored them and walked towards the door. As he passed Xuan Xiao's bed, he reached out and tapped the edge of the upper bunk.

"get up."

A muffled "Get up" came from under the pillow.

When Bai Ye walked out of the dormitory, the corridor was still empty. He stood in the corridor, and the morning breeze at six o'clock, carrying the coolness of dew, hit him and blew the black hair on his forehead. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and a thin morning mist still covered the playground.

Lu Xiao turned out of the stairwell and saw someone already standing in the corridor, so he paused for a moment.

White nights.

Lu Xiao glanced down at his watch. 6:03.

The meeting time is 6:10.

He glanced at Bai Ye again, a complex emotion flashing in his golden eyes. Then he looked away, leaned against the wall at the top of the stairs, and remained silent.

At 6:04, Xuan Xiao walked out of the dormitory. A few strands of his gray hair still stuck up, but his military uniform was worn neatly. He walked up to Bai Ye and stopped, yawned, and his emerald green eyes were half-closed.

"You're up way too early."

Bai Ye didn't reply.

"Are you an alarm clock that has come to life?"

Bai Ye still didn't respond.

Xuan Xiao wasn't annoyed. He simply stood beside him, the two of them side by side in the corridor. The morning mist slowly dissipated in front of them, revealing a row of dusty, low walls across the playground.

At 6:06, Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo squeezed out of the dormitory. Zhao Xiaohu's clothes were finally properly dressed, but his shoelaces were not tied properly, and the two shoelaces dragged on the ground. Qian Duoduo's shirt buttons were fastened incorrectly, and the hem was uneven.

At 6:08, the rest of the students from Class 1 came out one after another.

At 6:09, all the students in Class 1 arrived and lined up in the corridor.

Li Mo walked up the stairs, his deep purple eyes scanning his class's ranks. He glanced at Bai Ye standing at the head of the line—his military bearing was impeccable. Then he looked at Xuan Xiao beside Bai Ye—his hair was sticking up, but overall he was presentable. Then his gaze settled on Zhao Xiaohu and Qian Duoduo.

Zhao Xiaohu's shoelaces dragged on the ground.

Qian Duoduo buttoned one of her buttons wrong.

Li Mo's eye twitched.

"Zhao Xiaohu. Shoelaces."

Zhao Xiaohu looked down and his face turned bright red. He squatted down and frantically tried to tie his shoelaces. His round body looked like an inflated ball when he squatted down, and his shoelace-tying movements were as clumsy as a bear trying to pluck corn.

"Money. Buttons."

Qian Duoduo looked down at her clothes and found that the hem was uneven, making her feel terrible. She hurriedly rebuttoned the clothes.

Li Mo took a deep breath.

"Go downstairs and assemble on the playground."

When Class 1 came downstairs, the other classes gradually emerged from their dormitories. Someone in Class 3 had their jacket on backwards, someone in Class 2 hadn't worn their hat, and Class 4 was missing two people—who were later found sleeping in their dormitories.

At 6:10 sharp, the assembly whistle blew on the playground.

The three companies of new recruits lined up on the parade ground, their ranks crooked and twisted, like a snake that had been stepped on several times. Some were still buttoning their shirts, some were secretly yawning, and some were looking around, unsure of where to stand.

Zhao Lei stood at the front of the line, calling out names one by one from the roster, his expression growing increasingly grim.

At 6:15, the last recruit stumbled into the line.

Then the company commander arrived.

Zhou Jianguo walked over from the other end of the playground, his steps slow but heavy. The morning light divided his square face into light and shadow, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

He walked to the front of the line and stood still.

His gaze swept across every face.

The playground was so quiet that you could hear the morning breeze blowing through the low walls.

Then he spoke.

"What did I say last night?"

No one dared to speak.

"Assemble on the playground at 6:10. How many times have I said it? Three times."

His voice wasn't loud, but each word was like a hot nail, hammered into the air of the playground.

"And the result? At 6:10, less than half the people were standing on the playground. At 6:15, the last one ran in. Fifteen minutes is enough time for the enemy to plow this playground three times. You're still alive, not because you ran fast, but because the enemy didn't come."

Someone in the queue lowered their head.

"There are also dormitories."

The company commander's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"I just came out of your dorm building. You call that a dorm? The blankets were crumpled into balls, the sheets were wrinkled like rags, things were scattered all over the floor, and there were even people's socks hanging on the windowsill! Is that a dorm or a doghouse?!"

Zhao Xiaohu shrank back.

"You're here to be soldiers, not to stay in hotels. No one will help you fold your blankets, no one will help you clean your rooms. From today onwards, if you can't fold your blankets into perfect squares, you'll be sleeping on the floor. If you don't keep your dorm rooms clean, you'll be sleeping in the hallway."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the queue.

"But before that—"

Zhao Xiaohu suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"This morning's assembly, everyone, without exception, is required to complete the two-kilometer run."

A collective gasp rippled through the queue.

"The class monitor and deputy class leader are exempt from punishment. Everyone else will be punished."

The company commander raised his hand and pointed to the running track at the end of the parade ground.

"Two kilometers. Now."

Bai Ye stood in the queue, his amber eyes staring straight ahead, his expression unchanged.

Xuan Xiao stood beside him, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Xiaohu's face had turned pale; the color drained from his round face at a visible speed. Qian Duoduo, beside him, trembled and whispered, "I...I failed the 800-meter race..."

"If you don't finish, add one kilometer at noon. If you don't finish at noon, add two kilometers at night." The company commander's voice was like a bucket of ice water poured over you. "Keep running until you finish."

The playground fell silent for a moment.

Then Lu Xiao blew his whistle.

"Class One! Right turn! Run!"

Bai Ye stepped forward with his right foot, landing on the track. The morning light had fully risen from the east, bathing the entire playground in gold. The boy's shadow was stretched long, cast on the ochre-red track, rising and falling with each step.

Two kilometers.

just started.