ATPnovel Chapter 0002: Become a soldier in the Steel 7th Company!
Chapter 0002: Become a soldier in the Steel 7th Company!
After the new recruits finished their meal, they went into the sealed container.
There were no seats in the freight car like on the previous train, so the new recruits sat or leaned against something, huddled together inside.
Although he had lived to the age of thirty in his previous life and had squeezed into crowded trains where even the restroom entrance was packed with twenty-four people, Zheng Yingqi had never actually ridden in such a stuffy car before.
He looked around curiously, and finally simply moved closer to Cheng Cai and Xu Sanduo.
"Hello." Zheng Yingqi greeted the two of them. Cheng Cai responded generously, while Xu Sanduo, still the cowardly guy from the movies, didn't dare to look up at Zheng Yingqi and gave a muffled greeting that was barely audible.
Zheng Yingqi chuckled inwardly, then casually sat down and started striking up a conversation with the two men.
Meanwhile, Shi Jin, after surveying the sealed container, noticed the somewhat sorrowful new recruits inside and casually sat down in the middle, initiating a conversation:
"Come here, everyone. I'll tell you about the unit you're going to."
The unit you're going to is a top-notch unit; its regimental history and combat records are stacked up to this height.
Shi Jin gestured with his hands to indicate the height of the stacked enemy troops: "The regimental headquarters has counted that our regiment has annihilated enemies from six different nationalities, totaling about ten divisions..."
The new recruits were all very curious, and one of them asked, "Ten divisions, how many people would that be?"
"120,000 to 130,000!"
How many people are in our group?
More than three thousand people.
The new recruits exclaimed in shock, "My God, one person can take down more than forty people?"
"Wow, that's amazing, squad leader! How many people did you kill?"
The new recruits were surprised and asked questions one after another. Before Shi Jin could answer, Zheng Yingqi couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at?" a new recruit asked, disgruntled.
Zheng Yingqi found these new recruits, who had never experienced the information explosion of the internet, to be truly adorable and naive. He said:
"Do you understand the regimental history and battle history? It's the total number of enemies annihilated from the time the regiment was founded until now."
Shi Jin, standing to the side, laughed and said, "That's right, this new recruit is right. How can you calculate things like that? We're preparing for war, not saying we're going to fight..."
Shi Jin recounted some events from the regiment's history and battles, concluding, "Now, our regiment is also one of China's elite fully mechanized and armored units, so nobody's allowed to cry anymore!"
"Let me tell you, veterans love to see new recruits cry. Don't let them laugh at you. If they see you, they might make fun of you for a year."
After Shi Jin said that, the new recruits embarrassedly suppressed their sorrowful emotions. Seeing that the atmosphere inside the sealed container had improved a lot, Shi Jin felt relieved.
Seeing an opening, Zheng Yingqi hurriedly asked Shi Jin, "Squad leader, can I become your soldier from now on?"
Upon hearing Zheng Yingqi's words, Shi Jin couldn't help but chuckle: "This isn't something I can decide, but I do hope you can join our class. It all depends on your efforts. Our class is in the Seventh Company, which is the strongest company in our 702nd Armored Regiment—the Seventh Company is made of steel! It's also the toughest company, so getting in won't be easy!"
When talking about his company, the Seventh Company, Shi Jin's face was full of pride.
"Don't worry, class monitor, I'll definitely get in. You'll have to remember to take me in then," Zheng Yingqi said with a grin.
"Okay! As long as you can be selected by the Seventh Company, I will definitely find a way to get you into the Third Platoon," Shi Jin promised.
"It's a deal!"
"Of course, would I, a sergeant, lie to you?" Shi Jin smiled; he liked soldiers with ambition like this.
Xu Sanduo, standing to the side, timidly interjected, "Squad leader, I want to too."
"If you want to, then you have to work hard!" Shi Jin patted Xu Sanduo on the shoulder: "Strive to be a top-notch soldier, and you'll be able to join the Steel Seventh Company!"
"Don't worry, squad leader, I will definitely try my best to be a good soldier." Xu Sanduo's timid face showed a look of longing. He longed to be able to stay under Shi Jin's wing.
Looking at the timid Xu Sanduo, Zheng Yingqi sighed inwardly. This person's growth was truly not easy. He couldn't help but feel pity for Xu Sanduo. Gao Cheng had always disliked Xu Sanduo until he later admitted that he had misjudged him. But how much did Xu Sanduo quietly pay in the process of becoming the company commander of the Seventh Steel Company?
Before they fell asleep, the new recruits began chatting amongst themselves. Zheng Yingqi quietly nudged Xu Sanduo beside him and said with a smile:
"Let's work together and join the Steel Seventh Company!"
Xu Sanduo, like a frightened little bird, timidly replied after a few seconds, "Okay...okay, let's do it together."
Looking at Xu Sanduo, who was filled with endless wariness and fear towards people, Zheng Yingqi couldn't help but sigh. How many people could see the iron will and bravery hidden beneath this cowardly appearance?
Only Commander Wang of the 702nd Regiment saw through the surface and grasped the essence, understanding the true nature of this "bear soldier."
Although Xu Sanduo was wary of strangers and preferred to live in his own world, Zheng Yingqi still kept trying to make conversation with him. However, it would often take Zheng Yingqi ten or eight sentences for Xu Sanduo to respond with a few words, and he didn't dare to look Zheng Yingqi in the eye.
On the contrary, Cheng Cai talked a lot with Zheng Yingqi, asking him all sorts of questions. They quickly became very close. Although Zheng Yingqi had never served in the military, he had been exposed to the internet and could talk about anything, even international affairs. This impressed the inexperienced Cheng Cai, who felt that Zheng Yingqi was as knowledgeable as a legendary expert.
Finally, she couldn't help but say enviously, "Zheng Yingqi, you know so much."
"I just love reading," Zheng Yingqi replied haphazardly.
I have no ill feelings towards Cheng Cai Zheng Yingqi. This young man who shouted "Xu Sanduo" even though he thought he was going to die, although he was very goal-oriented, although he was fake, and although he betrayed the Steel Seventh Company and went to the Red Third Company, I really don't have much ill feelings towards him Zheng Yingqi.
This soldier, who single-handedly built up the 5th Platoon's base, was ultimately unwilling to be confined to a small mountain village after his discharge. His naive methods were nothing more than a young man's rebellion against his birth destiny. After he matures through his stumbles and falls, he will eventually become a good soldier!
The three young men, who were practically from the same village, became increasingly familiar with each other. In the end, they encouraged each other to work hard together, join the Steel Seventh Company, and become the best soldiers, to be soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company!
Shi Jin wandered around the stuffy freight car, seeing the new recruits still chatting energetically in small groups. He cursed under his breath, then yelled, "Go to sleep! We'll be home first thing tomorrow morning. From now on, our regiment is our home!"
"You'll see thousands upon thousands of soldiers and generals in the future, but remember this: the first person to say these words to you is Sergeant Shi Jin!"
"Welcome to the 702nd Armored Infantry Regiment!"
After saying that, he turned off the battery light in the carriage.
"Go to sleep. We'll be at the army base tomorrow. We need to be in good shape to start our new life," Zheng Yingqi whispered to Cheng Cai and Xu Sanduo.
Cheng Cai grunted and forced himself to close his eyes, while Xu Sanduo opened his eyes wide, imagining his future life. He never imagined that starting tomorrow, his life would fall into a trough, until he shed his "bear" skin and revealed his golden nature to everyone.