noveltune Chapter 0053: Look, this is the empire I conquered for you.
Chapter 0053: Look, this is the empire I conquered for you.
Zheng Yingqi is practicing kneeling position with a gun.
The specific practice posture is as follows: three bullet casings are placed on the barrel of the gun, a group of people are chatting and joking around, and the trainee has to talk to them. If the trainee does not answer when asked a question, it is considered a foul.
Punishment method:
Bark like a dog three times.
A spent cartridge fell out of the barrel. Punishment! Punishment method: Bark like a dog ten times!
The training involved a platoon of six marksmen—another consequence of which is that the platoon is now jokingly referred to as a doghouse.
Unfortunately, ever since this training method was developed, even Zheng Yingqi, who has the best shooting ability, often has "accidents" and then tragically imitates a dog barking amidst everyone's laughter.
"How about we try a different approach?" The platoon leader suggested after being attracted by the barking once again, feeling that such noise was really damaging to their image.
"Platoon leader, this is pretty good. You wait a minute, it'll be their turn to bark like dogs!"
Zheng Yingqi gritted his teeth and said that he had been punished by having to bark like a dog too many times, and he had to get revenge. According to the rules they had agreed on, if the marksman could not be allowed to break the rules during the training shooting time, then the "spectators" would have to bark like a dog!
"Platoon leader, it's alright. For the sake of our platoon's marksman performance, we can accept a little criticism!"
A group of busybodies also objected, saying that it was such a good thing to make the marksmen bark like dogs every day with bitterness and resentment, how could it stop?
"Yes, no... damn it..." Gan Xiaoning also objected, but before he could finish speaking, the spent cartridge case fell off the gun barrel, and a group of busybodies immediately burst into laughter. Gan Xiaoning roared in frustration:
"Woof! Woof! Woof..."
The platoon leader suppressed a laugh and said, "Alright, if you're happy, then keep playing."
The onlookers started causing trouble again. Of the six people, only Zheng Yingqi hadn't had an "accident" yet. With only fifteen minutes left, the onlookers were getting anxious. According to the agreed-upon rules, as long as any of the gun-wielding practitioners didn't break the rules, the onlookers would collectively sing "Conquer," no, they would bark like dogs.
So they tried to strike up a conversation with Zheng Yingqi, but he always managed to keep up, and he even kept his gun-holding posture perfectly still. If it weren't for the rule against contact, these anxious onlookers would have already broken the rules and "stirred up trouble."
As the event was nearing its end, everyone grew even more anxious. Bai Tiejun gritted his teeth, bracing himself for the possibility of being punished by Zheng Yingqi later, and with an attitude of "I'll be a hero again in twenty years," he went directly to Zheng Yingqi, pretending to accept Zheng Yingqi's homage, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Rise, my dear minister."
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" Zheng Yingqi remained unmoved and even replied, leaving Bai Tiejun at a loss.
Zheng Yingqi chuckled to himself, thinking, "Little brats, just accept your fate. It's your turn to bark like dogs!"
Suddenly someone said, "Do you know what I just saw?"
"What did you see? Tell me quickly!"
"Tell me, stop keeping me in suspense!"
A group of people joined in, and the one who spoke was Zheng Yingqi's fellow soldier. He deliberately raised his voice and said, "Xu Sanduo! I just saw Xu Sanduo go to the office with the company commander!"
Zheng Yingqi was exceptionally kind to Xu Sanduo, a fact known to all their fellow soldiers. So, he brought it up: "I was just on my way there, and I actually saw Xu Sanduo being led to the office by the company commander! That's strange, isn't that guy in the fifth platoon of the third company? How did he end up in our seventh company? And with our company commander?"
"Really?"
The other new recruits had questions. They thought he was just making things up to confuse Zheng Yingqi. But then the soldier started swearing oaths, and when pushed too far, he even said, "I guarantee this with the honor of the Seventh Steel Company!"
Just as everyone was waiting for Zheng Yingqi to have an "accident," they heard Shi Jin's voice:
"You mean Xu Sanduo?"
"Squad Leader Shi. It's Xu Sanduo, I'm not lying." The soldier who spoke confirmed. Shi Jin froze for a moment, then walked away without looking back. Looking in the direction he was heading, he was heading straight for the company commander's office.
"What do you think Xu Sanduo came here for?" Zheng Yingqi asked casually, continuing in his pose, and even asked with a hint of nonchalance. Someone said warily:
"Zheng Yingqi, you're not trying to probe me for something, are you? Let me tell you, no way! Unless you admit defeat, keep putting on that act! And you still have a full five minutes!"
"Zheng Yingqi, admit defeat. Let's go find out what's going on!"
The busybodies relentlessly continued their slanderous remarks, and Zheng Yingqi sneered, "I bet Xu Sanduo is planning to settle in our company!"
"That's bullshit!"
Nobody believed it!
"Let's make a bet? If I lose, I'll run 500 meters on my hands and knees, barking like a dog the whole time. If you lose, each of you will run 100 meters on your hands and knees, barking like a dog?" Zheng Yingqi said calmly.
"Okay! Come on, sign and put your fingerprints on it!"
"Wait, there are still a few minutes!" But Zheng Yingqi wasn't fooled, and the busybody became furious: "If you wait a few minutes, this bet is off!"
"If it doesn't count, it doesn't count. Anyway, you'll all have to bark like dogs soon. If you make a bet, you might even get to see me make an even bigger fool of myself when you're already embarrassed!" Zheng Yingqi relentlessly tempted them, maintaining his posture. The other five people were extremely impressed with Zheng Yingqi—damn it, we have to be on high alert just to make a sound, how come you can talk so fluently?
How can you be so outstanding?
The onlookers, seeing that the shooting practice was about to end, knew they were in trouble. They exchanged glances, thinking that if they were to embarrass themselves, it would be fun to see Zheng Yingqi embarrassed along with them. So they gritted their teeth and said, "Fine! We'll take the bet!"
Zheng Yingqi secretly rejoiced; the young man was still too green!
Finally, the training ended. All six men, including Zheng Yingqi, reluctantly put down their guns. The "entertainment experience" for the onlookers was terrible. Amid Zheng Yingqi's smirking expression, the group barked unwillingly.
"Holy crap! That row is making a lot of noise this time! Could it be that the boat capsized?"
"We've really capsized! If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet, hahaha..."
The comrades in rows 2 and 3 burst into unrestrained laughter, "Who would have thought the bookies, who seemed like a sure winner, would lose!"
The soldiers, who had just imitated barking like dogs, felt frustrated. Seeing Zheng Yingqi's grinning face, one of them immediately said, "Let's go check on the company commander!"
Of course they went to see Xu Sanduo—they didn't believe that a soldier who wasn't even noticed by the company commander in basic training could be accepted by the company commander.
A company commander who believes in putting a mule or a horse to the test is unlikely to go back to his old ways.
The soldiers, still buoyed by their recent setback, dragged Zheng Yingqi toward the company commander's office.
Gao Cheng has a loud voice, so you don't need to eavesdrop to hear him from the corner of the wall o(∩_∩)o
A group of people stood about 30 meters away from Gao Cheng's office door, holding their breath and listening to the faint sounds coming from inside.
"That's not a reason..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! A whole row..."
"It's the commander's order, what can I do? But Xu Sanduo can't go to the first platoon..."
A faint sound drifted over, and the soldiers exchanged bewildered glances. The company commander's voice was fiery and barely contained, but the meaning behind his words...
A group of soldiers who had just made the bet had a bad feeling. Could it be that Zheng Yingqi had guessed right?
Bai Tiejun was about to ask Zheng Yingqi a question when he suddenly heard someone say:
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
It was Political Instructor Hong Xingguo. The soldiers quickly turned around and saluted him, saying, "Hello, Political Instructor!"
The commotion alerted Gao Cheng, who leaned halfway out of the window—he was probably doing this on purpose because he was very unhappy with the atmosphere inside. But when he saw Zheng Yingqi in the crowd, he immediately became even more worried and quickly shrank back inside.
This kid is closer to Xu Sanduo; if he comes in and causes trouble...
Gao Cheng felt like his head was about to explode. He didn't want Xu Sanduo to join the first row because the first row was a pilot program. The pilot program had just gotten on track, and if a coward was suddenly added in, how could the pilot program continue?
But the class monitor in front of him was the one he valued the most but also felt most sorry for. Moreover, the chances of Shi Jin staying this year had just increased. What if he was ruined by that guy standing outside?
Moreover, there's that guy outside who treats Xu Sanduo like his own son. He's the soldier I value most, the undisputed face of the Steel Seventh Company. What if that guy sneaks in and shamelessly begs me for mercy?
What should I do?!
Shi Jin had no idea that Gao Cheng was experiencing a mix of emotions. He sincerely asked, "Have you ever made a promise in your heart to accomplish something? Whether it's for someone else or for yourself, Company Commander?"
Gao Cheng squinted at Shi Jin without saying a word.
After thinking for a moment, he leaned out of the window again: "Zheng Yingqi, get in here!"
The voice was fierce, giving the impression that the person was very angry about the eavesdropping that was happening outside.
Zheng Yingqi smiled wryly after hearing this. Seeing the crowd of onlookers trying to run away, he said sternly, "Those who don't run the 100 meters will have their time halved; those who do run, I'll personally supervise them to finish the 100 meters!"
No one ran away anymore, only Hong Xingguo looked surprised, he could tell from his partner's voice that it was very hot.
At the office door, Zheng Yingqi saw Xu Sanduo, whom he hadn't seen for almost two months. Xu Sanduo grinned excitedly when he saw Zheng Yingqi. Zheng Yingqi chuckled back, patted Xu Sanduo's shoulder, and then called out "Report!" After Gao Cheng angrily told him to get in, he walked in with a grin.
"Are you here as a mediator too?" Gao Cheng stared fiercely at Zheng Yingqi. He really couldn't bear to say a harsh word to Shi Jin, probably because of Shi Jin's steady style, but he was as fierce as possible to Zheng Yingqi—he knew that Zheng Yingqi was the type to take advantage of kindness and become arrogant with the slightest kindness.
"No, I made a bet with those guys outside. If I lose, I have to lie down and bark like a dog for 500 meters, and if they lose, they have to lie down and bark like a dog for 100 meters!" Zheng Yingqi said honestly. Gao Cheng immediately grasped the key point: "What are you betting on?"
"I told them that kid outside must have joined our company, and they didn't believe me, so they bet with me!" Zheng Yingqi said casually.
Gao Cheng thought to himself that there was something wrong with this kid. He hadn't been up to any good since he came in, and sure enough—this kid was just here to show off!
(For details, please refer back to chapters 22 and 23.)
"Do you really think he has a tiger hidden in his bones?" Gao Cheng was obviously thinking of Zheng Yingqi's words back then, which he considered a joke at the time, but now Gao Cheng thought they were really a bit sinister - how did this kid end up back in the 7th Company?
"Company Commander, I've said it before, that guy outside is the best recruit in the recruit company!" Zheng Yingqi said.
Gao Cheng hesitated. The two people in front of him were his most valued squad leader and his most respected model student. Although the old fox hadn't said his purpose, his meaning was clear.
[Could it be that I really misjudged him?]
Gao Cheng hesitated, then recalled Shi Jin's sincere words to him. After a long silence, he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, let him go to the third squad! I've made this clear to you two, you're the ones who chose to eat this fruit, and you'll bear the consequences yourselves! Zheng Yingqi, think carefully about what this year means for your Squad Leader Shi!"
Zheng Yingqi knew, of course, what this year meant for Shi Jin. He said in a deep voice, "Reporting to the company commander, I know! Don't worry! I will definitely not let you down!"
I refuse to believe that with me, this prophet, here, you can continue to be "a good soldier, but a bit of a sergeant!"
Zheng Yingqi hardened his heart.
Shi Jin saluted Gao Cheng with excitement and gratitude. Gao Cheng, still angry, pretended not to see it, but then caught sight of the crowd outside the window and shouted angrily, "A bet's a bet! What are you all standing there for?"
"And you two, get out of here!"
Zheng Yingqi and Shi Jin breathed a sigh of relief; the company commander had finally calmed down. After they left the office, a little tail followed them. Just as they stepped out of the office building, they saw a group of soldiers crawling around miserably, each one making mournful barking noises.
Xu Sanduo was shocked. Was this the Steel Seventh Company?
Zheng Yingqi was probably too excited to see his friend, so he put his arm around Xu Sanduo's shoulder and exclaimed, "Look! This is the empire I conquered!"
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