Fatty Lai dropped Long Shen heavily on one of the infirmary beds oddly enough he was laying right next to Sergeant Xian who had a devious grin on his face. Fatty Lai asked the on-duty nurse, "If I punch this guy will he die?"
The nurse smiled and shook her head no, "He's in very good shape, he's just suffering from the effects of an aura of an energy stage cultivator. He'll be fine in a few hours."
Fatty Lai punched Long Shen as hard as he could on the leg and said, "Bastard, I can't believe you lied to us." Then he noticed Sergeant Xian looking at him and said quickly, "Good morning Drill Sergeant." Snapping to attention with a salute.
"What the fuck is good about it recruit Fatass?" Sergeant Xian grumbled, "Run your ass back to your squad."
As Fatty Lai took off like Sergeant Xian was going to kill him, Long Shen found himself at his lake as if he was cultivating. The voice boomed out, "An injured dragon hibernates to quickly restore his body. My blood, my body, my soul, the dragon sleeps."
Long Shen's eyes opened wide. He quickly sat by the lake and repeated the mantra as he cultivated. "My blood, my body, my soul, the dragon sleeps."
Sergeant Xian looked over at Long Shen's paralyzed form and chuckled. He had taken the same shot from Lieutenant Dan during a sparring session and rejoiced at the misfortune of his star recruit. As he was chuckling the supposedly paralyzed Long Shen suddenly repositioned himself in the lotus position and started to cultivate. "What the fuck? Recruit Long, if you aren't injured you better drag your sorry ass over to your squad." He saw no reaction at all from Long Shen. He picked up a bedpan and smacked Long Shen saying it again, "Recruit Long, I said drag your sorry ass out to your squad." Still no reaction from Long Shen. Sergeant Xian relaxed back on the bed thinking, 'maybe he is still unconscious?'
As Long Shen went through the chant he could feel his body changing. His body started to feel denser and more vibrant. He could feel his bones becoming harder to the point that even steel was inferior. His skin molded itself to his muscles as his body fat was burned to fuel many of the changes. His nervous system and cardiovascular system both became more robust to compensate for his higher density.
Sergeant Xian stared in awe as Long Shen clearly broke through to the sixth layer of the foundation stage something even he hadn't been able to do after cultivating for thirty-one years. Not only that, he had personally witnessed this same recruit having a breakthrough to the fifth stage two days before. Just who is this recruit? Sergeant Xian picked up his tablet and started to look through Long Shen's data file. He had gone through it before but now he needed to know more.
Sergeant Xian read through each section carefully until finally, he saw something. He read that Long Shen had learned his cultivation technique from Goa Ge, a coworker from his VRMMO gold farming job. That meant that he had only been cultivating for no more than two years. What kind of monstrous talent did it take to read the sixth level of the foundation stage in two years? Even the genius level officers still needed ten years to reach that same level and that was with the assistance of resources provided by the best families with deep ties to the Angelic. Here was an orphan who only received a third rate cultivation technique and he was already at the sith level of the foundation stage, Sergeant Xian suddenly realized that this recruit would be an officer soon he was no longer a recruit he could afford to offend.
Long Shen's eyes opened soon after and he stretched out into a yawn. He looked around the unfamiliar room until he realized that he was sitting right next to Sergeant Xian. He quickly hopped off the bed and crisply saluted, "Recruit Long reporting Drill Sergeant."
"Have a seat fuck face. You just broke through to the sixth level, how does it feel?" Sergeant Xian asked in a calm voice.
Long Shen looked down at his hands turning over his arms and replied naturally, "I really don't feel any different right now, but as I was cultivating I could feel my body becoming denser." That was when Long Shen remembered he was speaking to his Sergeant, "This recruit feels good Drill Sergeant."
"Alright, I get it. Go ahead and rejoin your squad. I'll let the nurse know you are back on your feet. Try not to piss off the lieutenant so you don't end up back here." Sergeant Xian chuckled.
"Yes Drill Sergeant!" Long Shen snapped to attention gave a quick salute and ran out of the infirmary as fast as Fatty Lai had done.
*****
Fatty Lai was struggling through his nine-hundredth pushup when Long Shen came running back to his place next to Fatty Lai. The entire squad groaned as one when Lieutenant Dan called out, "Recruit Long, thank you for rejoining your squad. I was just explaining that once recruit Fatfuck finishes his thousand pushups we'll be going on a little jog around the camp. Due to your failure in the sparring session, we'll be running an extra ten laps. Of course, if the squad can't finish these laps by chow time, we'll just go ahead and skip it today. What's the harm in missing a meal or two, right recruit Fatfuck?"
Fatty Lai shouted out in mid-push-up, "Sir, no harm Sir!"
The entire squad was forced to do extra pushups because of Fatty Lai's return so they were already pissed but the extra ten laps and the possibility of not eating had them in a murderous rage. Some of them even stopped caring that Long Shen was the best fighter in the squad, they were going to teach him a lesson even if it meant severe retaliation from Long Shen. Even Fatty Lai was glaring at his friend. Long Shen gave him a guilty smile in return. Fatty Lai could only shake his head as he finished the last of the thousand pushups falling face-first to the ground.
Lieutenant Dan let the squad lay on the ground in pain most of the squad had just finished doing over fifteen hundred pushups so they needed a break. Lieutenant Dan checked the time and frowned Long Shen should still be in the infirmary he was back much too soon. Was his cultivation already at the ninth level of the foundation stage? He thought as he rubbed his chin. He would pay closer attention to this recruit. He might be officer material. "Recruit Long Front and Center!"
Long Shen ran up and stood in front of Lieutenant Dan giving a crisp salute. "Recruit Long reporting, Sir."
Lieutenant Dan calmly spoke up, "Squad 48 doesn't yet have a team leader. Right now the entirety of squad 48 hates your guts recruit Long. Therefore you are promoted to team leader. If you can't earn their respect by the end of the week I'll personally come to give you martial arts pointers again." He looked at the squad who were all staring daggers into Long Shen's back. He grinned and said, "Team Leader Long, take your squad for a jog. Twenty laps."
The squad all stood up and jogged at half speed. They clearly understood it would be impossible to run twenty laps before the food would be served. Lieutenant Dan started to frown which Long Shen couldn't help notice so he growled out, "Move your asses! Go! Go! Go!"
Recruit Leung blurted out, "Fuck you, Long. This is your fault anyway. Shut your mouth and run like the rest of us."
Long Shen's face turned red. He noticed Lieutenant Dan look at him with a stern look. Long Shen called up the recruit handbook and found the relevant section. "Recruit Leung, per recruit handbook section five paragraph sixteen, article two, any recruit failing to execute a command from a superior is subject to corporal punishment at the discretion of the superior in question." He shouted loudly, "Suad 48 halt and stand at attention."
The squad all stopped running and reluctantly came to attention. They knew that Lieutenant Dan was still nearby and didn't dare push things as far as Leung. Long Shen quickly walked up to recruit Leung and stood in front of him. Recruit Leung sneered and said, "You can't do shit to me, Long, you're just a recruit like the rest of us. If you try anything the Lieutenant will toss you out or even arrest you." Long Shen punched him in the stomach so hard he flew five feet through the air and laid on the ground like a rolled-up shrimp.
Lieutenant Dan calmly walked over and said, "Report, team leader Long."
"Sir, recruit Leung disobeyed a direct order from his superior and per recruit handbook section five paragraph sixteen, article two, any recruit failing to execute a command from a superior is subject to corporal punishment at the discretion of the superior in question. Recruit Leung also disrespected a direct superior." Long Shen reported emotionlessly.
Lieutenant Dan nodded and said, "As we are in a time of war, these charges are punishable by death. An officer at the rank of Lieutenant has the authority to authorize a death sentence. Team Leader Long, execute the offender. We don't need that kind of soldier."
"Sir, yes Sir!" Long Shen saluted and then walked over and stomped on recruit Leung's head causing it to explode like a crushed watermelon under his boot.
Lieutenant Dan looked over the recruits who all looked at Long Shen with pale faces, one of the recruits even threw up. He looked at Long Shen who while frowning held himself at attention. "Team Leader Long, send one man for the coroner and then resume your duty."
Long Shen looked at the faces of the recruits and then picked out Leung's bunkmate and calmly ordered, "Recruit Chen, go get the coroner to help clean up the mess. The rest of you form up, resume your jog, double time!"
No one in the squad lagged behind. They all followed Long Shen's pace as they ran laps around the camp. Long Shen started to chant, "My blood, my body, my soul, long live the squad! Sound off!"
The entire squad carried on the chant as they ran. Lieutenant Dan watched as they ran and took notes. He sent a memo to Sergeant Xian letting him know the decision to advance Recruit Long to team leader and recommended a team battle within the squad with battlefield scenarios. Lieutenant Dan looked over the data from his other squad and found that they were not nearly as interesting. Squad 48 would be his best bet for allowing his platoon to shine at the end of training mock battle for the company. He had never proven himself worthy in the battle always losing to Lieutenant Kwan. This would be his year, with Sergeant Xian's squad having an ace like Recruit Long, it was in the bag. It was like having a third sergeant in his platoon.
By the end of the jog, several of the squad including Fatty Lai couldn't run, so Long Shen and some of the other men carried the ones who couldn't make it so that they all finished the run just before dinner was served. The weary bunch of them dragged themselves to the mess hall. The squad sat at the table with no one speaking, they just demolished their food. Everyone looked down to Long Shen waiting for him to act before doing anything.
At that moment the men from squad 47 walked over and one of the recruits blurted out, "You're sitting at our table, scrubs. Move your asses." None of the men of squad 48 moved, they continued to wait for Long Shen's order. "Hey, are you deaf motherfuckers? I said this is our table. Get the fuck out of the way."
Long Shen looked over everyone's plates. No one was still eating so he said, "Squad 48, stand up. Return plates." The entire squad stood up as one and then walked over and calmly returned their trays to the mess hall staff. They watched as squad 47 sat down with their food looking cocky like they had done something. Long Shen gave another order, "Squad 48, clean the table." The men of the squad walked over emotionlessly and completely cleared off the table removing all of the trays from squad 47 and dumping them in the trash before returning the empty trays to the mess hall staff. Long Shen then said, "Squad 48, return to the barracks."
The men in squad 47 were stunned, they all looked between each other waiting for someone to say the word. No one took the initiative to even stand up. By the time one of the mouthier members of squad 47 said they should go kick their asses, squad 48 was already marching back to the barracks. The mess hall sergeant walked out with a smile on his face and said, "Glad you enjoyed the meal, we are in wartime, so there are not enough rations for you to have seconds. Kitchen is closed gentlemen."
Squad 47 went without food and started to plan their revenge. When Lieutenant Dan received the report from the mess hall sergeant he grinned and wrote another commendation for Long Shen. He forwarded the report to Sergeant Xian who also wanted to request a commendation for Long Shen.
Lieutenant Dan then forwarded the message to Sergeant Tang of Squad 47 and advised him to be harder on his squad of idiots. A few minutes later he had an apology from Sergeant Tang for embarrassing the platoon. The furious Sergeant Tang ran into the barracks. He clicked on the lights and then shouted angrily, "Which one of you pieces of shit decided you owned a table in the mess hall?"
No one spoke up but a couple of the recruits looked down at the mouthy culprit, a tall skinny recruit. The Sergeant followed the eyes and ran up to him and stood nose to nose with him. "Recruit Xiang, report."
"Drill Sergeant, we were just playing, we didn't mean nothing. We heard from some of the other guys that those guys are always doing pushups so we figured they were trash." He replied in a shaky voice.
Sergeant Tang Smiled while keeping his face right against recruit Xiang's nose. "So you guys just decided it would be fun to haze them a bit, right? They are the pushup crew so they must be scrubs, right?" He took a few steps back and then turned to the other members of the squad and laughed as he walked down the line, "It was just a little bit of fun, right? Nothing to write home about, right?" He grinned and laughed, walking over and slapping a few of the recruits on the arms and shoulders as if he were trying to be their friends. "So the Lieutenant woke me up tonight to let me know that you disgraced our platoon, but I am sure he'll just have a good laugh now that he'll know that it was just a bit of fun. The Lieutenant advised me that I was failing to teach my squad and that if your conduct continues down this path, it will affect my career, but that shouldn't bother me, because you guys were just having a few laughs at squad 48's expense, right? Why isn't anyone laughing, come on, this is a direct order, let me hear you laugh."
The members of squad 47 all looked at each other, a few of the men started to laugh and Sergeant Tang joined in with them and kept encouraging them to laugh. He walked around with a great big grin laughing until the entire squad was laughing. Then he said, "Ok, that's enough." He walked back over to Recruit Xiang and then asked, "Recruit Xiang, tell me again how squad 48 reacted to your little joke?"
Recruit Xiang smiled this time and then said, "Drill Sergeant, they just calmly stood up, put their trays away, then they came over and picked up our food and threw it away."
Sergeant Tang smiled along with him nodding his head, "I heard they acted as a squad. Every man followed the orders of their Team Leader and they didn't say even one word back to you. Is that right?"
"Yes, Drill Sergeant. They just stood, picked up the trays, dumped them, returned the trays and then left as a unit." He replied with the same smile on his face.
"I also heard that the lot of you just sat there as they marched off. No one even bothered to stand up, right?" Sergeant Tang chuckled.
"Well, it happened too fast those guys were all moving at the same time, Drill Sergeant." Recruit Xiang shrugged.
Sergeant Tang laughed and then said, "Their team leader executed one of their squad today for talking back. Just punched him in the gut and smashed his head like a watermelon." He laughed and slapped his thigh, "Can you believe that squad of scrubs? Hey, any of you here ever kill a man? No? Maybe you limp dick fucking cowards better not fuck with a squad that can and should fucking kill you for your disgraceful conduct. The reason that squad 48 is always doing pushups is that they are the top recruit class. They even managed to injure their sergeant in a sparring session. He's at the fifth level of the foundation stage. Any of you candy ass limp dick cowards feel like sparring with a pissed off fifth level foundation stage expert? No? How about instead of trying to pick a fight with a squad that would stomp your guts into the ground, you all get down on the ground and start doing pushups. At sun up, we'll go for a run. You stupid assholes need to get stronger in a hurry since you are already picking fights you can't win."