Appeal?
Why should I notify you first? Is there a problem if your name was the last I came across?
Got a problem with me? Next time I'll clip the surveillance footage of your guard post dozing off and send it to the cadre responsible for reporting, believe it or not?
The bad consequences might emerge during promotions when the names of junior cadres are presented in front of the leaders.
Those with good relationships might get an early heads-up when there's an urgent training session or leadership inspection. If they spot the inspection vehicle leaving, they'll warn you ahead of time. You might manage to clean up a bit in advance, instruct the guards to tidy their appearance and look sharp, and tell the old soldiers and the squadron leaders who are on excessive leave to hurry back, thus everyone avoids disaster.
Indeed, they don't have the ability to fabricate things out of thin air, but they can put a magnifying glass over the gaze of a leader inspecting a unit, or provide a brilliant fill light to show off success.
Considering all this, it's also not easy to offend junior leaders, so you can only warmly embrace them and say to the old soldiers, "Ah, damn it, just endure it; it's all about social niceties, social niceties!"
The old soldiers, straightforward and outspoken, also feel a great deal of resentment inside, disliking those with "special abilities."
Therefore, many old soldiers, upon hearing the term "personnel with special relationships," either show disgust or their eyes gleam with envy.
Unfortunately, it was only after Fang Huai had been discharged for quite some time and had been battered by society that he understood these truths.
"Aiyo, damn it, I've rubbed my hands raw!" Cao Peng walked back to Fang Huai's side, complaining in a low voice.
"Chin up, getting calluses is a good thing; they'll help you hold on more securely next time." Fang Huai smiled to reassure his local buddy but kept his eyes fixed on the horizontal bar.
Noticing his gaze, Cao Peng grinned and said, "What's up, you're really planning to take on Squad Eight? I just heard your squad leader say... how many can you do?"
"Don't know, haven't tried."
Cao Peng reached out and pinched his arm, then shook his head.
"You're not up for it, you don't even have as many muscles as I do!"
Fang Huai rolled his eyes, "That's fat, not muscle. I just want to gain a lean and explosive physique, not interested in being a bulky muscle guy."
"Hey, look at our Chang Kun from the high school sports class, could he compete with that muscle guy from Squad Eight?"
Fang Huai was startled.
"Chang Kun? The 'Kun' from Kunming? Like that guy in the Stephen Chow movie 'Hail the Judge'?"
Cao Peng clapped his hands: "Right!"
Fang Huai couldn't help but smile, "When you break down that name... it's actually pretty awesome, sounds more pleasant than Battalion Commander Zhang."
"How do you break down the word 'Chang'?" Cao Peng was also puzzled.
"You don't need to break down 'Chang'."
"Kun... damn, bro, you're an old hand! Hahaha..."
...
Squad Five's Chang Kun did the giant swing exercise, 20 reps.
Squad Six and Seven Squad also saw the emergence of several strong contenders, each with scores around seventeen or eighteen.
The squad leaders were already thrilled, this year is quite fierce!
Some with a bit of clout in their squadrons have started scouting for talent for their squadrons.
They sent the list back to their own squadrons, and if any of the individuals landed in their detachment, squadron leaders would figure out a way to claim them. Some with special skills were also quietly noted by the squad leaders.
"Twenty!" There was an exclamation from over there, and the volume gradually grew.
Battalion Commander Zhang stepped up.
Zhao Bing stood to the side with a furrowed brow.
"Twenty-one!"
"Twenty-two!"
At that moment, he finally stopped. This guy seemed very familiar with swinging and did twenty-two reps in one breath.
Looking at the situation, he still had the energy for a few more on the bar.
Fang Huai became a little nervous too, thought for a bit, and sneaked over next to Zhao Bing.
If they lost, at worst, it would be the squad leader's face that was lost.
What's a bit of face worth?
If Fang Huai lost, he would be failing the task!
To ensure victory over both the single and parallel bars, it would depend on how the system calculated the scores.
Today's exercises on the single and parallel bars required two rounds. In the regiment, the scoring method counted only the highest score from one round.
What about the system?
Would it count only the highest one or consider a round won if either attempt succeeded?
The giant swing on the single bar, he feared no one; that was his strong suit, and he knew exactly how to ace it.
But the parallel bars, he wasn't so sure; he still didn't know his own strength.
Parallel bars... he'd better pin his hopes on the second round to increase the chances of winning. That guy, exerting himself so much, would surely be too tired for the second round and couldn't do many.
If the system counted a win in the second round, then by focusing his strength on the second round of the parallel bars, victory would be secured.
Horse-racing stratagem.
"Twenty-seven!!"
"Eh? Don't come down! Hey! You could clearly do two more!"
Squad Eight's new recruits showed a hint of Versailles-like regret.
Twenty-seven reps! One person could account for almost half a squad's score!
And the second place in their squad did sixteen reps!
Who else?
They glowed with pride, indeed with pride.
"How many can you pull up?" Zhao Bing was already rubbing his hands together.
Squad Leader Hao was the first one to call him out to battle, and he felt a huge pressure.
Fang Huai smiled: "How many can you pull up?"
Zhao Bing said with a disheartened face, "It's my first time pulling up! I have no idea!"
"Then how would I know?"
With Fang Huai's retort, neither of them had anything more to say.
"Hey, just do your best. Besides us two, I guess it all depends on whether Jiang Peng can go beyond ten." Fang Huai patted Zhao Bing, giving him some pressure.
After thinking for a bit, he continued, "Doing a kip is simple, just relax your arms, grip the bar tightly, and when you come down, don't fight against inertia… You know what inertia is, right?"
Zhao Bing made a helpless face, "Brother, I went to high school! …Up to the sophomore year!"
"Haha… You got this."
"Zhao Bing! Get ready to go on the bar!"
"Yes!"
At this moment, Hao Chengbin also walked over and said to Zhao Bing.
"Pull up well!"
Zhao Bing nodded, raised his hand in acknowledgment, and got ready.
Everyone realized that this guy was the kingpin of Squad Nine.
"Get on the bar!" The Squad Six Leader roared.
Fang Huai quickly shouted, "First, grip the bar tightly and start the kip with the first one!"
Zhao Bing swung his feet forward a bit and began to kip.
Pan Zhaohui, with his arms crossed, stepped forward, looked at Hao Chengbin, and smirked teasingly.
"Old Hao, does the top guy in your squad still need teaching from Old Two?"
Seeing Zhao Bing in the distance and recalling Fang Huai's capabilities demonstrated in the morning, Hao Chengbin encouraged Fang Huai.
"Who the top guy is isn't certain yet, right, Fang Huai?"
For the first time in his thirty-four years, Fang Huai received this kind of trust. Although it was all Old Bi Deng's scheming, he couldn't help but feel excited for a couple of seconds.
"Ahem, thanks for the encouragement, Squad Leader! I'll try my best!"
Pan Zhaohui took a step back in feigned shock, exclaiming, "Huh? This young fella, he sure can talk!"
Then he remembered something, "Didn't you faint this morning? Can you still do pull-ups?"
Fang Huai replied firmly, "Report to the Squad Leader! I fainted from hunger this morning. After eating, I was fine!"
Hao Chengbin laughed, patting Fang Huai on the shoulder.
"Being able to pull up more than them even after fainting, now that would be impressive!"
Just as Pan Zhaohui started to laugh, he became annoyed and retorted sarcastically, "All talk and no action. If you can do more than twenty pull-ups, I'll give your squad leader a pack of cigarettes."
As he spoke, he felt a bit at a loss and turned to look at Hao Chengbin.
"Old Hao, you want to bet?"
Both Hao Chengbin and Fang Huai suddenly wore speechless expressions.
It had been brought up openly, and now it turned into a bet. When it comes to thick-skinned, you're the one.
d(￣_￣*)===b
"What kind of cigarettes?" Hao Chengbin inquired with folded arms, quite interested.
Hao Chengbin didn't even ask Fang Huai if he was confident, feeling that he was a man of his word.
"Black Label!" Pan Zhaohui took the opportunity to demand a high stake.
Here, a forty-five yuan pack of cigarettes, because of the black color of their filters and known as Black Label, represented the highest courtesy when the old soldiers of the Guizhou Fire Brigade greeted guests.
If someone offered you a Black Label when meeting, it meant they held you in relatively high regard.
Of course, Black Label also had another meaning in Guizhou.
"Foot pole", in the Southwestern dialect, refers to the entire leg.
Black foot pole alludes to wearing black stockings at night... the very cheap kind, a boon for the working class.
Buying a pack of Black Label or consuming Black Label once doesn't differ much in price—its business model is all about volume.
"Old Pan, I've realized you're getting more and more dishonest," said Hao Chengbin, who felt a bit uneasy upon hearing about Black Label.
Fang Huai smiled without wanting to interrupt the two referees with their off-field betting.
The Squad Eight Leader, he's truly something else too.
This guy's grudge seems quite strong.
"So, are we betting or not? I thought you were quite confident?" Old Pan teased, holding onto the fact that Hao Chengbin couldn't bear to let his rookie down.
"Fine!" Hao Chengbin replied impatiently.
No sooner had he spoken than Zhao Bing came down.
Caught up in his words, Hao Chengbin didn't notice at first and, startled, turned to Zhao Bing.
"How many?"
Zhao Bing looked upset, wiping away sweat, "I'm sorry, Squad Leader, my hand slipped... twenty-two."
Pan Zhaohui laughed mockingly, "There's no 'I'm sorry' in life! You did your best already!"
Saying that, he turned to Fang Huai with a cheery laugh.
"Young man, your turn! Go win over Squad Leader Hao's cigarettes for me!"