```
The following day.
The weather turned cold, with gusts of chilly wind.
Mo Shangjun put on his training uniform and had just opened the door of his dormitory when a cold wind rushed in from the doorway.
The wind, brimming with a strong chill, swept across his cheeks and neck, stirring a shiver.
Taking a deep breath, Mo Shangjun straightened his military cap and walked out, closing the door behind him.
At the same time, Lin Qi, who slept on the upper bunk, was awakened by the slight sound of the door closing. After a moment of grogginess, his eyes regained clarity.
The wake-up bugle had not yet sounded, and all was quiet outside. The only light in the room came from the streetlamps outside, and the sky was pitch-dark.
Turning over, Lin Qi lifted his left wrist to check the time on his watch.
It was past four o'clock, not yet time to get up.
Confused for two seconds, Lin Qi immediately woke up and sat up on his bed.
What was Mo Shangjun doing out so early?
After some thought, various questions flitted through his mind, leaving behind one clear answer—
Training!
*
Ten minutes later.
Dressed neatly, Lin Qi arrived at the training field.
The temperature was low, and a cold breeze blew as a thick fog had just risen, enveloping the vast training field. Figures running on the four hundred meter obstacle course appeared and disappeared amidst the weak light and dense fog.
Although not clear, Lin Qi could still make out the movement of the figures, and it was definitely Mo Shangjun's silhouette.
Training uniform, military cap, combat boots, all flashed rapidly before his eyes, making Lin Qi's expression grow increasingly solemn.
Completing the four hundred meter obstacle course in one minute and forty seconds was already considered excellent. However, judging by Mo Shangjun's pace, he probably didn't even need one minute and thirty seconds.
Damn it!
Lin Qi clenched his teeth.
Distracted for a moment, the figure in the fog vanished from sight.
Coming back to his senses, Lin Qi frowned and was just about to look for that fleeting figure when he heard a clear voice from behind—
"Good morning."
Just two simple words, casual and comfortable.
Lin Qi turned around and saw Mo Shangjun's figure.
She stood less than five meters behind him, next to the parallel bars, a towel draped over her shoulder and a bottle of mineral water in hand. She had just twisted the cap off, greeted Lin Qi with a nod, and then took a couple of gulps.
"Later than you."
Pouting, Lin Qi responded discontentedly.
In the entire company, aside from the cooks, probably no one woke up earlier than her.
Hearing her sarcastic tone, Mo Shangjun twisted the cap back on the water bottle and threw it directly under the parallel bars, then tossed the towel on top of them and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Lin Qi raised his voice.
"Running."
Without looking back, Shangjun lazily replied and her figure disappeared into the thickening fog, vanishing without a trace.
Lin Qi stood there, feeling the fog around him grow denser, his brows slightly twitching before he exhaled deeply.
Instead of choosing the track, Shangjun had opted for the nearby mountain cross-country. Lin Qi hesitated about whether to run with her, but the fog was indeed too dense. The mountain was not only easy to get lost in but also prone to accidents, so he took a step back and chose the four hundred meter track instead.
When running, time always seemed to pass slowly. After about forty minutes of exhausting running, Lin Qi hadn't waited for Shangjun to return.
Instantly, a strong sense of disparity overcame him.
At five-thirty, the wake-up bugle sounded.
As platoon leader, Lin Qi had no choice but to leave the track and lead his platoon to assemble.
An hour and a half of morning exercise was not a joint endeavor of the entire company, and platoons conducted it separately. While slight adjustments were occasionally possible, the basic training remained unchanged.
Five kilometer armed cross-country, five sets of one hundred, five four hundred meter obstacles, and one session on the parallel bars.
During this time, the thick fog gradually lifted, and visibility on the training ground grew wider.
However, Lin Qi was somewhat restless during his time at the training ground.
Because ever since Shangjun had left the training ground, he hadn't seen her figure again.
*
At nine o'clock, Mo Shangjun returned to the dormitory building.
```
The entire set of combat uniforms was soaked with sweat, and the cold wind attacked from all directions, making it bitterly cold.
Half an hour ago, she had descended the mountain, grabbed two steamed buns from the canteen, and then went to the guard post to pick up her luggage.
There was not much luggage, just a suitcase and a backpack.
"Lieutenant Mo!"
Upon arrival at the dormitory building, a novice soldier came running up to her and saluted properly.
Mo Shangjun returned the military salute.
"Lieutenant Mo, I was sent by the instructor," the young soldier's face was red with cold, he said with a smile, "If you're free, let me give you a tour around the base to familiarize you with the surroundings."
"Have you been waiting long?" Shangjun looked at him.
The young soldier wasn't very old, seemingly even a year or two younger than her, with a round face that was obviously blushed from the cold, both his face and hands were red.
"Hehe." The soldier chuckled and hastily replied, "Not long at all."
Without exposing the lie, Shangjun simply said, "Let's go upstairs."
"Yes," the soldier responded, and upon noticing the suitcase in Shangjun's hand, immediately reached out to take it, "Let me help you with that."
The suitcase was filled with clothes and wasn't very heavy, the soldier grabbed it from her and Shangjun didn't say anything, leading the way instead.
The soldier followed behind her obediently.
Using the key, Shangjun opened the door, went in, poured the soldier a cup of hot water, and then took a new set of combat uniforms to the restroom to change out of her damp ones.
Clutching the hot water in his hands, the soldier stood beside the door where steam rose from the cup, and through a misty veil of condensation, he gazed at the clean and tidy bedroom, his eyes rolling around in puzzlement.
He had heard about Shangjun's outburst upon her arrival earlier that morning, painting a picture of a strict, rigid, and unapproachable female officer—and yet—
She seemed rather easygoing!
Wow, even hot water was offered!
Scratching his head, the soldier became a bit confused.
After changing, Shangjun didn't linger, even neglecting to check her luggage, and immediately left with the soldier.
Perhaps it was the goodwill of that cup of hot water, but the soldier felt less intimidated by Shangjun and more enthusiastic, talking non-stop as he introduced her to the various equipment around the base as they descended the stairs.
The base was neither too large nor too small.
The reconnaissance company had no large equipment, but was fully equipped with small training devices. In addition to an outdoor training field, there was also a separate sports complex with a swimming pool, combat arena, shooting range, and so on, very well equipped.
The soldier provided Shangjun with detailed introductions to each one.
But—
Having toured only two-thirds of the base, their wandering was abruptly cut short.
Shangjun was called to the commander's office.
With a warm heart, the soldier insisted on escorting Shangjun to the office door before leaving.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
She knocked three times on the door, then stopped.
"Come in."
From inside, a rough and deep voice sounded.
The door was unlocked; Shangjun turned the knob and entered directly.
By the desk, the seated commander was on a phone call. As Shangjun entered, she heard him say "okay" a few times before hanging up.
During this time, Shangjun took the opportunity to observe him.
With a round face, he appeared easygoing, slightly overweight but there was a distinct air of authority and solemnity between his brows, tempering the impression of affability.
"Mo Shangjun, right," before Shangjun could speak, the commander pointed to the chair opposite him and said, "Have a seat first."
"Yes!"
With a simple response, Shangjun immediately walked over to the opposite side of the desk and sat down properly.
Without going straight to the point, the commander exchanged a few polite words with Shangjun first.
Having met many people through her mentor, Shangjun was accustomed to this conversational flow and went along with it accordingly.
Her responses were concise, minimizing errors, leaving an impression that was not overly positive but not negative either.
After a few minutes of conversation, the commander finally got to the matter at hand, "By the way, I have an issue here and would like to seek your opinion."
"Go ahead," Shangjun raised an eyebrow.
"Our military region is planning to select a few top soldiers for an assessment in two months. We've reviewed your resume, and it's quite impressive, your military skills also pass muster, so your name is on the list," the commander looked at her with a somewhat serious expression, "Just wanted to ask what you think about it?"