The next day, at two in the morning.
Lin Qi was very alert, almost instantly awake the moment the door was pushed open.
Vaguely guessing who entered, Lin Qi frowned in her sleep but didn't bother with it.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Fingers rapped on the metal bed, three times in succession, extremely loud in the silent dormitory.
Lin Qi's eyes snapped open.
Making do with the faint light streaming in from outside the window, Lin Qi's vision wasn't clear, but the figure standing by the bed was recognizable at a glance.
Mo Shangjun, who hadn't returned all night, stood at the head of the bed, dressed in camouflaged fatigues, gray and green colors interlacing vividly, yet only gray dullness was visible in the dark. She deliberately pushed her camouflage hat up a bit, revealing her delicate and petite face.
"Emergency assembly."
Before Lin Qi could question, Mo Shangjun dropped four words.
Lin Qi bolted upright.
She quickly dressed, jumped off the bed, and started rapidly lacing up her military boots.
Mo Shangjun leaned against the door, appearing casual and a bit tired as she rubbed her temples.
After dinner, she had been in the office the whole time, handling the handover tasks with Lang Yan. Once finished, she had also scanned through all the files of the company. She hadn't expected the time to pass so quickly.
"What time is it?" Having tied one boot, Lin Qi asked Mo Shangjun.
"Three o'clock," Mo Shangjun answered flatly.
The motion of tying her laces stalled, Lin Qi lifted her wrist to check her watch and after seeing the clear time, she was dumbfounded.
2:12.
Forty-eight minutes from three o'clock.
"..." Lin Qi fell silent for a moment, paused, her face uncontrollably cooling as she finished tying her boots and stood up, "There's still time."
"Not much," Mo Shangjun glanced at her, "you go inform the other two platoon leaders, pass on the content of the emergency assembly training."
Noticing the words "pass on," Lin Qi's expression slightly darkened, "What about you?"
"Sleep."
"The emergency assembly was your arrangement," Lin Qi tightened her brows, her tone hard and tinged with clear anger.
"Any problem?" Mo Shangjun raised her eyebrows.
"You're not coming along?" Lin Qi asked coldly.
"You can't handle it on your own?" Mo Shangjun asked with a hint of surprise, her lips curving.
"..." Lin Qi was left speechless.
Ignoring her mood, Mo Shangjun issued the command, "A five-kilometer cross-country with full gear, keep a record of everyone's performance, and those not up to standard will run five extra laps as a penalty."
A sense of blockage in her chest, Lin Qi coldly complied, "Yes!"
Having just suppressed a full belly of anger, watching Mo Shangjun's displeasing manner from the beginning, Mo Shangjun clapped her hands, directly climbed onto her own bed to sleep, covered herself with the blanket, and upon closing her eyes, fell soundly asleep.
"..."
Seeing her leisurely snoozing, Lin Qi took a deep breath, nearly bursting lungs with anger.
Mo Shangjun—
You're truly something!
Cursing inwardly, Lin Qi stormed out, forcefully pulling the door behind her with a loud "bang."
Yet, the person soundly asleep inside didn't even bother to stir.
*
After waking the other two platoon leaders, Lin Qi conveyed Mo Shangjun's "orders" precisely, and seeing their baffled expressions, she suddenly felt a lot more at ease.
"What is she trying to do? Comfortably sleep while she's hassling us?!" The first platoon leader, Zhang Zheng, complained with a sullen face.
Lai Liang patted his shoulder soothingly, resignedly saying, "First, let's get the roster. If we don't do a good job, she'll probably find more faults."
Clearly, after several confrontations, Lai Liang had come to understand Mo Shangjun's nasty character.
So the three of them exchanged a glance, and for once, they all saw a hint of a murderous intent in each other's eyes.
At three in the morning, the horn for an emergency assembly blared on time at the reconnaissance battalion's base. Amidst the wails and groans, everyone was clearly displeased. Even during the five-kilometer cross-country run, complaints filled the air, and upon learning the reason, they almost cursed out Mo Shangjun's ancestors.
What the fuck, messing with them in the middle of the night, and not even a shadow to be seen—it couldn't be more frustrating, could it?!
What's even more speechless—it's Saturday today!
Saturday!
Such a perfect time for rest!
While other units were sleeping, why the hell were they here suffering through extra training?!
Just thinking about it, the entire unit's rage could set Mo Shangjun's dormitory ablaze!
However, Comrade Mo Shangjun, the instigator herself, was actually enjoying this winter morning, sleeping in until breakfast was almost over before getting up.
"Awake?"
As soon as she got up, Mo Shangjun heard a gloomy voice.
Barely opening her eyes, Mo Shangjun stretched her hand backward and said languidly, "Report card."
"..."
Lin Qi, overwhelmed by rage, threw the report card at her.
Mo Shangjun caught it effortlessly, and while getting out of bed and reviewing the report card, by the time she had put on her shoes and made her bed, she had pretty much memorized everyone's scores.
"Anything else you need?"
Standing to one side watching her, Lin Qi asked in a tone neither warm nor cold.
"Yes." Folding the report card neatly, Mo Shangjun handed it back to Lin Qi, "There's an issue with the report card. The penalty runs for failing grades haven't been recorded. Inform them that I want to see them on the training field by this afternoon."
"..." Lin Qi, who had intended to annoy her, was rather speechless.
Luckily, Mo Shangjun didn't add fuel to the fire and walked past Lin Qi to quickly wash up. She then covered her somewhat disheveled hair with a camouflage cap before heading straight to the canteen, managing to grab two steamed buns in the last wave of people.
After that, Mo Shangjun arrived at the training field.
*
Dark clouds filled the sky, and the north wind howled.
An army jeep slowly drove into the military area, passing by groups of vibrant young soldiers, and eventually stopped near the training field.
"We've arrived."
As soon as the car stopped, Mu Cheng spoke up to alert the person in the passenger seat.
At the same time, he stuck his head out of the window, searching for a particular figure on the training field.
Today was Saturday, and most military zones didn't require training, but there were some who trained voluntarily. It almost took no effort for Mu Cheng to spot Mo Shangjun moving on the track.
Like the few scattered figures on the field, she wore the same camouflage uniform and the same mottled colors. However, her slender and slightly thin figure stood out starkly among the many male soldiers.
The track was very close to this road, just about five meters away, and the figure maintaining a steady pace on the track was gradually drawing closer.
"Lai Liang?"
Seeing no reaction from the person at his side, Mu Cheng stuck his head out and cautiously called out.
"Hmm."
The man responded in a cold, hard voice.
Mu Cheng's lips curled up with amusement.
It had always been others who were eager to join them. As soon as the message about the assessment was out, everyone became enthusiastic, wishing they could pack up and arrive on the spot.
This was the first time—
Tsk, the first time he saw the King of Hell personally recruiting someone!
With that thought, Mu Cheng grew even more excited. However, as his thoughts drifted, he heard the "bang" of a car door shutting, pulling his mind back to the present.
Mu Cheng looked up and saw that the man who had been sitting in the passenger seat had gotten out of the car and was walking towards the beautiful silhouette running on the track.
Mu Cheng's heart suddenly leaped in anticipation.