"This contest is unfair!"
Staring at her with indignation, the young soldier shouted angrily.
In one sentence, he voiced everyone's thoughts.
Damn it, it's too unfair!
It was said they even had a bet, it was nothing but bullying!
Mo Shangjun crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping across the crowd, she spoke deliberately, "Don't get me wrong, from the beginning to the end, I never said this was a match."
Her tone was unhurried and composed, and her demeanor grew more serious as she spoke.
She was merely asking Lai Liang to run another five laps, she'd accompany him.
It was just that, in the process, they'd made a little agreement.
"..."
The young soldier was suddenly left speechless by her.
"Reporting!"
At that moment, another voice called out.
Mo Shangjun looked up, her eyes sweeping toward that direction.
The man's expression was no different from the soldier's, he glared and shouted at her with fervor, "If this is not a contest, even if Platoon Leader Lai loses, you can't continue to punish Platoon Leader Lai!"
With a slight frown, Mo Shangjun regarded these people who were hostile toward her, the angry faces conveying their disapproval of her actions.
"Platoon Leader Lai, what do you say?"
Mo Shangjun slightly turned, facing Lai Liang's direction.
Lai Liang was drenched in sweat, having spent the break hastily regulating his breathing, now calmed somewhat under Mo Shangjun's gaze.
"The condition was my suggestion, I accept the punishment!"
His voice was sonorous and firm, Lai Liang had no objections.
This wasn't submission, but a man who kept his word.
The reason for the punishment was his own proposition, and upon reflection, Mo Shangjun indeed had only asked him to continue another five laps—it was he who, in a rush of blood, suggested the punishment.
He couldn't have any complaints about this.
With a slightly relaxed brow, Mo Shangjun raised an eyebrow, "Well then, how about another five laps?"
Another five laps for a total of forty laps would make a nice round number.
But—
Lai Liang's face might have turned a bit stiff, while the other soldiers, heated with anger, were not having it. They rolled up their sleeves and approached Mo Shangjun, their different faces all shared one expression—
Damnit! Couldn't stand it anymore!
"Damn, how can you be like this?!"
"As a young lady, how can you be so cruel and vicious, what did Lai Liang ever do to you?!"
"I don't care which prestigious school you graduated from, but you should at least know how to behave, right?! Lai Liang has run so many laps, if you have eyes, just look for yourself, what state is he in now?!"
...
They were emotional and vehement in their accusations and dissatisfaction, as if they could drown Mo Shangjun at any moment.
In that moment, they only remembered how detestable this female officer was before them, but they forgot that such a female officer was only in her early twenties, not much older than them, and not necessarily more experienced than them.
Perhaps, she had never faced such criticism before.
However, there she stood, among so many burly men, her one-meter-seventy stature appeared delicate and petite, yet she stood like an unwavering pine, calmly confronting such accusations without a trace of anger in her expression.
"You all," after a while, Mo Shangjun suddenly spoke up during the lull in the conversation, squinting, she asked word by word, "think that I am bullying someone?!"
Her tone was flat, yet her voice was crystal clear, reaching every ear without missing a word.
"Isn't it?!" someone still roused by emotion, questioned loudly.
"If this were the moment to go into battle, and you all had already run thirty laps, would you use that as an excuse to become deserters on the battlefield?!" Mo Shangjun raised her eyes, her calm gaze sharpening as she looked over them, "I believe none of you are cowards; that even on the battlefield, you wouldn't be afraid to die!"
Her words ended, and none of the group dared to make a sound.
Lowering her gaze, Mo Shangjun's expression became serious, her words forceful, "You may say this isn't the battlefield, and that the military should provide you with better conditions, not just harshly demanding of you, but tell me, does the affection of your platoon leader and the fondness of your company commander result in you not thinking before you act or speak?"
Word by word, her tone steady, barely concealing the anger that intimidated all the warriors present.
That moment, they saw a girl fresh out of the academy, standing under the night sky lecturing them. Even though she had been in the force for a shorter time than any of them, when she spoke, no one could find a reason to rebut.
Her clear and bright eyes sparkled with a brilliance like the stars in the sky, almost too dazzling for them to look at directly.
Her words, like a branding iron, embedded themselves deep in their hearts.
They were not completely persuaded; they still disliked this new deputy company commander who had parachuted in. They even resented everything she had done, but at that moment, they could find no reason to argue, no way to confront her head-on.
So, they stayed silent, their faces taut.
"Lai Liang!"
Mo Shangjun called out, turning her gaze away from them.
"Present!"
Lai Liang responded.
"Five laps."
"Yes!"
Lai Liang answered decisively.
A true man, willing to accept a lost bet. He, Lai Liang, was not one to balk at defeat!
This time, as Lai Liang began to run under everyone's watchful eyes, not a single person criticised Mo Shangjun anymore.
Without supervision, amidst many stares, Mo Shangjun clapped her hands and strode away.
The road lights were on, casting trivial beams of light on Mo Shangjun, who was slowly walking away, leaving behind a slender yet exceptionally tenacious silhouette that cast a clearly defined trace in many a pair of eyes.
This was their new deputy company commander.
A female university graduate fresh from the military academy.
Yet, in just a few hours, she had managed to completely shatter their initial impressions not once, not twice, but thrice!
*
Meanwhile—
On a road next to the training ground, a military jeep was parked.
Nobody noticed how long it had been there.
The man seated in the passenger seat slowly diverted his attention back from the scene.
Dressed in army uniform, the spruce-green color appeared both steady and solemn. The hazy light from the road lamps enveloped him, giving his side profile a sharp contour. His face was obscured, but the firm and resolute breath of martial spirit quietly emerged.
Light from the side spread over him, the insignia on his shoulders reflecting a cold light.
Two bars and three stars, his rank was not low.
"Captain?"
The person in the driver's seat called out tentatively.
In the dim light, the man leaned back lazily, some light falling upon him, revealing his sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, his presence icy and intense, so formidable it was hard to look at directly.
"Include her."
His tone was lazy, his voice deep and pleasant with a slightly husky texture.
"Which one?" the driver asked, a bit puzzled.
Feeling a cold gaze, the driver suddenly realized and asked, "That female officer who blew up?"
"Otherwise?"
He asked casually, confirming the other's question.
The driver understood and, though he said no more, he couldn't help but wonder.
They had just reviewed the profiles of all the outstanding soldiers in the entire military district, and he had seen each of the few females, but he had never come across this female officer's profile from beginning to end.
Was she really being considered for a transfer?
However, a decision made by Lord Yan could not be challenged by anyone.
Thus, a conversation of a few sentences set a dramatically different military journey in motion for this female officer, who was new to the force.