Chapter 30: Physical Fitness Assessment!

Chu An was actually quite pleased about his increased appetite; it certainly wasn't for nothing. He speculated that the fusion of his two souls had increased his brain's level of development, which in turn had affected his body. Hadn't research from his future life suggested that humans use less than ten percent of their brain capacity? And those science fiction films from the Eagle Empire were full of extraordinary abilities emerging after further brain development. The "precognition" Chu An experienced after his rebirth, along with his enhanced memory, made him feel that this fit the situation perfectly.

Of course, Chu An wasn't entirely sure if that was the case. He couldn't exactly put himself on a laboratory table to have his brain dissected for study. Regardless, any change that wasn't harmful was a good thing. Moreover, he would be heading to the battlefield next year, so this kind of change was undoubtedly beneficial. If nothing else, having increased physical strength and power meant that if he had to engage in close-quarters combat on the battlefield, he wouldn't be easily killed by the "Viet Cong monkeys."

Time passed slowly. On the drill ground, the veteran squad leaders kept chasing after the recruits in their respective squads, urging them to run faster while taking notes in their booklets. The sharper recruits realized immediately what was happening. This was clearly an assessment of everyone’s physical fitness—a way to gauge their base levels. Although most of the recruits had been in the army for a few days, some had only arrived yesterday. Furthermore, there hadn't been any real physical training before; the most they had done was a light jog around the camp each morning. That kind of jogging couldn't reveal a recruit's true potential; it could only show how poor the most unfit individuals were.

Sensing this, some recruits who had felt ready to give up and slow down held their breath, gritting their teeth to maintain their pace or even accelerating. Chu An was no exception. He had just been appointed as the deputy squad leader. Even though Old Wang had claimed that the position of deputy squad leader in Squad Four only depended on one's ability to fold quilts, he couldn't afford to fall behind the others now that he held the rank. At the very least, he had to maintain a position in the top three of the squad.

Well... it wasn't that Chu An didn't want to be first. But he had only been reborn for a few days, and his appetite had only increased in the last few days. One couldn't get fat from a single meal, and physical fitness wouldn't instantly jump significantly just from eating a bit more over a few days. There were talented people in the squad. For instance, Gong Liqun—the guy wasn't tall, maybe five foot six, but he was dark-skinned and sturdy. He claimed to have practiced martial arts, the kind practiced by his entire village. Right now, he was leading Squad Four and was among the top runners in the entire First Company.

Then there was another recruit running seven or eight meters ahead of Chu An: Qiu Wei, the guy who had brought a pistol into the army in his bag. His fitness was also decent; he kept looking back as he ran, and whenever he saw Chu An closing the gap, he would accelerate. Finally, there were two others in the squad running not far behind Chu An. They had occasionally overtaken him earlier, but after running for a while, they would be passed by Chu An again. Now, they could only struggle to keep from falling any further behind him.

Beyond that, the rest of Squad Four had fallen far back, with the nearest ones at least fifty meters away. They had already run six or seven laps around the drill ground, and most no longer had the strength to chase anyone. Some had even exhausted themselves early on, either trying to show off or following the squad leader's orders to run with everything they had. By now, their legs felt like lead, dragging across the ground with every step.

*Hoo... hoo...* Chu An breathed through his mouth. His own throat was dry, and his legs were barely obeying his commands. He wanted to push for more speed, but his legs wouldn't cooperate; he couldn't lift them, couldn't go faster, and could only maintain his current pace.

"Faster! Faster! Are you only good for wasting rice? Look, so many people have lapped you! Get moving!"

Suddenly, shouting erupted from the side. Chu An looked over and saw the Squad Five leader berating one of his recruits, who was visibly wobbling as he ran. But clearly, at this point, even the shouting was useless.

*Beep! Beep!*

Just then, a whistle blew from the other side of the drill ground. Chu An turned to see Ge Bing blowing it. Tong Lianzhong had vanished at some point, though Chu An hadn't noticed.

"Stop! Everyone, assemble!"

The veteran squad leaders scattered across the field began to roar as soon as they heard the whistle. In that instant, all the recruits felt a sense of relief, as if they had survived a disaster. They turned around and stopped running on the track. Under the shouts of the nearby veteran squad leaders, Chu An and the others crossed the drill ground directly.

Once everyone had gathered, the instructor stood before them with a dark expression. "This is a lesson. Punishment is not the goal; the goal is to warn you that you must put an end to wasting food!"

"Do you all understand?" the instructor roared.

"Yes, sir!" Even with their legs still shaking, the recruits shouted back at the top of their lungs.

"I hope you truly understand. Dismissed!"

The instructor didn't say much more; after announcing the dismissal, he turned and walked away with a grim face. Immediately, the squad leaders on the drill ground began to shout as well.

"What are you standing there for? Come back with me!"

"Move!"

As the squad leaders gave their orders, Chu An and the others followed Old Wang back to Squad Four. Upon entering the dormitory, the recruits stood by their bunks, while Old Wang glared at them with a foul expression.

"Confess, who wasted food today?"

At this moment, Chu An couldn't help but complain internally that this was truly never-ending. First the instructor, then the company commander, and now that they were back in the squad, the squad leader was at it again.

No one stepped forward, but some lowered their heads.

"Are you men or not? Can't you take responsibility for your actions? Step forward yourself! Do one hundred push-ups and the matter will be settled, otherwise..."

"Report!" As soon as Old Wang spoke, someone raised a hand that looked as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"Anyone else?" Old Wang glanced at him.

Immediately, another recruit lowered his head and raised his hand. "Report, Squad Leader... I spilled a little too!"

"Anyone else?"

"Report, Squad... Squad Leader, I only spilled two pieces of potato; I finished the rice!"

"Anyone else?"

Three recruits had confessed, but after Old Wang asked again, no one else raised their hands. Moreover, as his gaze swept across the remaining recruits, they all dared to meet his eyes. Old Wang didn't press further. He looked at the three. "One hundred push-ups. After you finish, each of you will write a profound self-criticism of no less than three thousand words!"

"Yes, sir!"

The three had bitter expressions. Although Old Wang had added an extra burden—and a three-thousand-word self-criticism was quite excessive—they dared not refuse. Soon, the three dropped to the floor and began their push-ups.

Old Wang stood before them. "Today is the first time, so once you finish the push-ups and write the self-criticism, this matter will be put to rest. But I hope this is the last time. Can you do that?"

"Yes!"

"We guarantee it!"

The three answered in different ways.

"I hope you can keep your word!"

Old Wang stopped looking at them and turned to Chu An. "Deputy Squad Leader Chu, I'm stepping out for a moment. Keep an eye on them while they do their push-ups. The others can go to the latrine if they need to; if not, just rest in the dormitory. Remember, no sitting on the beds, and no loud talking!"

"Yes, sir!" Chu An stood at attention and saluted.