Chapter 114: Did the Guild Leader Write a Letter of Deed for You?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
In the training ground, the veteran had already left. There was no more excitement to watch, and he was too ashamed to stay.
He couldn’t afford to lose face!
Being stared at by a bunch of new recruits like that was too embarrassing.
The gaze they had directed at him was very familiar, as they had just looked at the new recruits with the same judgmental eyes.
Frog-jumping. One by one, they put their hands on their heads and frog-jumped from the training field to the canteen.
When they arrived, they might just make it in time for dinner.
Of course, the new recruits wouldn’t be able to make it in time to eat.
However, it didn’t matter if it was a little later.
Wu Jianfeng turned around with a serious expression. As he walked towards Wang Ye, he remained stoic, but when he arrived in front of Wang Ye, he finally let out a small smile.
“You’re not bad. 1 didn’t misjudge you!” he said, genuinely impressed.
Thinking that Wang Ye would be part of his unit in the future, he felt even better about the situation. Even if soldiers from other companies wanted to mock him, he could proudly smile and say that it didn’t matter. After all, he had brought in a promising recruit, and he was glad to have Wang Ye in his company, even if it meant surpassing some of the veterans.
“Company Commander, can 1 run again after everyone is done? I feel that if 1 run again, 1 will definitely surpass all the veterans!” Wang Ye said eagerly, his determination shining through.
In the training ground, four out of five people from the first batch of Class Five had returned, including Wang Ye. Only Qin Li was left hanging under the ladder, panting heavily.
“Hmm?” Wu Jianfeng looked at Wang Ye in astonishment.
Then, he burst into laughter. “You can run anytime you want. However, 1 must say that you’ll only receive a third-class merit if you surpass all the veterans on your first run. Kid, you’ve got your eyes on that third-class merit, haven’t you?”
Wu Jianfeng’s laughter echoed in the air, and Wang Ye couldn’t help but raise his head, revealing an embarrassed smile. He didn’t deny it; indeed, he had his eyes set on achieving that third-class merit. He had already used up three skill points for it—how could he act like it wasn’t his goal?
However, Wang Ye was also a little nervous at that moment.
“Company Commander, if I run again, won’t it count if I outrun all the veterans?”
Though Wang Ye had pondered this question before, he decided to take a gamble. He wanted to bet on the possibility of obtaining the third-class merit if he ran again.
“I can’t make the decision!” Wu Jianfeng smiled and shook his head slightly under Wang Ye’s nervous gaze. But he added, “But 1 can help you ask.”
After saying this, with Wang Ye’s grateful “Thank you, Company Commander” and the curious gazes of the other recruits upon him, Wu Jianfeng picked up the walkie-talkie and turned to the side.
As he walked, he adjusted the frequency of the walkie-talkie and looked toward the regimental headquarters, where figures could be seen on the roof.
Although the faces were not clear from that distance, Wu Jianfeng knew who was standing there without needing a closer look.
After adjusting the channel, he waved the walkie-talkie and began to make a call.
“Commander… Commander… This is Wu Jianfeng!”
On the rooftop of the regiment headquarters, the regiment commander didn’t have a walkie-talkie in his hand, but the chief of staff did.
As Wu Jianfeng’s words came through the walkie-talkie, the chief of staff smiled and took off the device, handing it to the regiment commander.
“Commander, are you here to take credit? But that’s not enough time!” the chief of staff remarked with a playful tone.
“Haha, just ask him, and you’ll know. Let’s see what he has to say!” the regiment commander replied, smiling, before pressing the talk button on the walkie-talkie. “It’s me. What’s the matter?”
“Haha, Commander, it’s like this… I have a soldier here. He just ran past a veteran. The 400-meter run took him 1 minute and 44 seconds. Do you remember the rules you told us before?” Wu Jianfeng’s voice came through the walkie-talkie.
“I remember, but this isn’t enough. 1 recall saying that he could outrun all the veterans in one go!” the regiment commander responded.
“I know, 1 know, Commander. This recruit asked me if I could give him another chance. After all, he wasn’t familiar with the course the first time, but now, on his second attempt, he says he’s confident he can surpass all the veterans. I’m thinking, if he succeeds the second time, will the third-class merit you mentioned still count?” Wu Jianfeng asked.
Before the regiment commander could reply, Wu Jianfeng’s voice came through again. “Commander, my idea is not to dampen the enthusiasm of the recruits. We all know that it’s already incredible for someone who is not familiar with the venue to be able to run this far, so…”
On the rooftop, the regiment commander and the chief of staff exchanged glances. The chief of staff maintained his smile and remained silent, waiting for the regiment commander’s decision.
The regiment commander thought for a moment and said, “Rules are rules. You should know that this third-class merit is meant to stimulate the recruits. However, what you said is also right. We can’t dampen the enthusiasm of the recruits. 1 don’t want him to break our group’s record. The fastest person in our group is Huang Dayong, with 1 minute and 32 seconds. I’ll give him time. If he can outrun Huang Dayong, I’ll give him a third-class merit.”
The regiment commander didn’t believe that Wang Ye would be able to reduce his time by 12 seconds on his next attempt, so he made this decision.
“Commander, time is too tight. How about a year?” Wu Jianfeng suggested, wanting to give Wang Ye a fair chance.
The chief of staff was considering the idea. He believed that, based on Wang Ye’s performance today, he would likely achieve the feat with more practice in the future. So, offering a year’s time seemed reasonable, allowing the new recruits to have a chance to improve.
However, before the decision was finalized, Wu Jianfeng abruptly moved the walkie-talkie away, signaling that he was being told off.
“Get lost. This is the condition. If it works, then it works. If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work!” Wu Jianfeng responded firmly.
“Yes, sir!” Wu Jianfeng’s subordinate replied, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
As he was about to hang up the walkie-talkie, the regiment commander’s voice came through again.
“Oh right, what’s the name of this new recruit of yours?”
Wu Jianfeng hesitated for a moment, looking at the two figures on the rooftop of the regimental headquarters. He wasn’t sure about the identity of the other person present.
“Are you mute? Don’t tell me this recruit is Wang Ye!” the regiment commander asked with a hint of surprise.
Seeing Wu Jianfeng’s hesitation, the regiment commander quickly caught on to the possibility and directly asked, “Don’t tell me this recruit is Wang Ye?”
At that moment, the chief of staff’s smile froze, and he focused his gaze on the walkie-talkie, looking directly at Wu Jianfeng on the training ground from the rooftop.
Without waiting for a response, the chief of staff couldn’t hold back any longer and reached out to press the dialogue button on the regiment commander’s hand. He leaned over and started shouting.
“Damn it, all I want to do now is curse! I’m so stupid! I didn’t realize that Wu Jianfeng never mentioned the recruit’s name. It seems this soldier snatched him from me before!”
He realized that the talented soldier who performed remarkably well in the 400-meter run was none other than the recruit he had wanted to take earlier. The soldier’s impressive physical coordination, stamina, and strong willpower made him a rare gem.
The chief of staff knew that this kind of talent was precious, especially for a Scout. This recruit had all the qualities that made him an ideal candidate for their team.
In his mind, he couldn’t let go of such a promising recruit. He was determined to keep him within their unit.
As the chief of staff considered the situation, the regiment commander couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “Nonsense, did the Commander write you a written agreement? How can I leave this good soldier with you! I said, 1 want this soldier!”
In this humorous banter between the regiment commander and the chief of staff, it was evident that both of them were well aware of the recruit’s value, and they were eager to have him in their respective teams.
Wu Jianfeng, standing on the training ground, watched the exchange between the two officers, not sure how to react to this unexpected turn of events.
Therefore, the regiment commander had previously told him to give up on Wang Ye, but at this moment, he had completely thrown that thought away.
As for the Commander, he agreed.
“That’s what the regiment commander said, and he didn’t even sign a contract. Moreover, 1 haven’t agreed to it yet. 1 am the Chief of Staff. Guan Zuoxun, the new recruits, including you, Wu Jianfeng, are now under my jurisdiction..”