A farce came and went quickly. Except for a few stall owners busily cleaning up with gloomy faces, the others didn't pay much attention to it, including Jake.
Jake recognized Hanson and his gang, and he had been keeping an eye on this matter. If Hanson and his gang didn't come today to deal with those stall owners, Jake would have found an opportunity to retaliate. They had clearly formed a group to bully him so openly. If Jake didn't fight back, they would think he was an easy target and might cause even more trouble in the future.
However, today's visit from Hanson and his gang had given them a lesson, and Jake hoped they would learn their lesson and mind their own business.
Jake and Alan continued to be busy at their stall until around midnight before packing up. Actually, at this time, there were still people in the street market, and if Jake didn't close his stall, he would still have business. However, he was concerned about the matters in the game world and couldn't stay out too late.
In the game world, Jake was in a military camp. If someone found out he wasn't there after daybreak, it could cause trouble. Therefore, Jake preferred to do less business and not delay matters there.
Back at his lodging, after a quick wash, Jake entered the game world. When he returned to the Fantasy World, it was just getting light outside.
"Everyone, get up and gather!" Eli's loud voice sounded outside the tent.
"Perfect timing," Jake adjusted his clothes and secretly rejoiced.
Jake was the first to arrive at the assembly point, while the others were still taking their time getting dressed. Even though he had been up all night, he was still quicker.
"Captain, you're fast," Adrian came up behind Jake and whispered to him. Adrian's speed was already not slow, but Jake managed to arrive even earlier.
"A captain should set an example," Jake replied softly.
"Right, we should all learn from the captain," Brenton joined in and nodded in agreement.
"Stand in position, no talking," Jake reminded them.
More and more people gathered at the assembly point, and the noise grew louder. Most of these people were ordinary farmers until yesterday, and they couldn't suddenly become disciplined. They stood there with crooked postures, some chatting, some groggy and complaining.
In comparison, Jake's team stood out remarkably. They all stood obediently without speaking.
Whether it was his military training at university or various military-themed TV shows and movies he had seen, Jake understood that when assembling, it was best to stand quietly without making noise.
As expected, when Eli saw the scene, his face turned dark. "Stand properly! No one is allowed to make noise!" Eli yelled. Several platoon leaders also stepped forward to help maintain order, finally bringing the noisy and disorganized group back to quietness.
"Except for the Second Platoon and the Fourth Squad, everyone else will do fifty push-ups each!" Eli commanded after the crowd calmed down.
"Ah, why?"
"Why don't they have to do it?"
"I won't do it," someone said.
Everyone expressed dissatisfaction.
"Sixty each!" Eli's expression remained unchanged as he said.
"Why should they get special treatment? What's the reason?"
"Sixty? My goodness, I can't do that!"
There were still complaints, but compared to before, they were much quieter.
"Seventy each!" Eli's voice rang out again.
"The other platoons haven't even woken up yet, and here we are, up so early."
"We're just logistics personnel; there's no need to take it so seriously."
There were still voices of discontent, but they were much quieter now, and the people speaking seemed less confident.
"Eighty each!" Eli's voice resounded like a bell. This time, no one dared to speak. They had realized that if they dared to say anything, Eli would increase the number.
"Start now! If you don't do it, it's ninety each!" Eli shouted, "Today, if you can't finish, everyone except the Fourth Squad of the Second Platoon won't be allowed to eat!"
Startled by the threat, everyone quickly got down and started doing push-ups, with no more complaints or dragging their feet. Once everyone began doing push-ups, Eli spoke again, "Do you know why the Fourth Squad of the Second Platoon is an exception?"
"Don't know!" someone replied, showing that some were still not satisfied and wanted to know the reason.
"Ninety each!" Eli said lightly.
"Why should we be punished along with them just because of what he said?" someone retorted.
"One hundred each!" Eli said, "Because you are a unified whole in the army. You are not individuals anymore; you are members of the Third Platoon. One person makes a mistake, and everyone is punished."
This time, no one spoke anymore. They had learned that speaking out of turn would come at a cost. Seeing that everyone remained silent, Eli continued, "This morning, only the Second Platoon and the Fourth Squad performed the best. While you were standing around, whispering and chatting, they stood still without moving. They didn't treat this place like a market or their own home. You should all learn from them."
Everyone looked at Jake's squad, and indeed, they were all standing straight without saying a word. The dissatisfaction in their hearts vanished, replaced by admiration.
Brenton and the other squad members were particularly impressed with Jake's foresight. If Jake hadn't reminded them, they would have stood casually like the other squad members, chatting without discipline, and now they would have been doing push-ups along with everyone else, instead of standing there relaxed as they were now.
"Any objections?" Eli asked, and this time, no one spoke.
"Today, members of the Second Platoon and the Fourth Squad will each receive a bowl of meat soup for breakfast," Eli continued. At once, the assembly point resounded with the sound of people swallowing saliva. Meat soup was a delicacy reserved for squad leaders, and now, every member of the Fourth Squad would have their own bowl. Everyone envied them greatly.
Brenton and the others also swallowed their saliva, their eyes wide like saucers. Last night, Jake had shared his meat soup with them, and they were still savoring its taste. They didn't expect that today, they would each get their own bowl. It was truly a blissful moment. Following the captain was indeed the right decision!