Chapter 14 - 00: Brotherhood and Loyalty
An hour passed, and nearly everyone had persisted in the run.
Five or six students, with poor physical constitution, ultimately had no choice but to drop out, crying and shouting as they were led away by the drill instructors' assistants.
For the first time, a sense of competition emerged among everyone, and the feeling of failure was utterly despairing.
The last dozen or so people didn't get any watermelon, but there was plenty of mineral water.
Zhou Zhenglong appeared stern, but he knew how to weigh the severity of the training.
In this kind of weather, if he continued to punish them, it would be courting death.
After a half-hour rest, he brought them all to the starting point of the 400-meter obstacle course.
Zhou Zhenglong's eyes swept over everyone as he stood with his hands behind his back and barked, "Good, the trash that couldn't persist just now has already left. I hope that in the coming week, even more people will leave.
Lin's Group is looking for talent, not a bunch of good-for-nothings like you."
For some reason, the group, upon hearing the phrase "good-for-nothings," turned to look at Long Fei and Chu Feng.
The two felt a bit aggrieved, questioning when they had become synonymous with good-for-nothings just because they could eat a lot.
Zhou Zhenglong said, "What lies before you is the 400-meter obstacle course. Those who have served in the military know it well—better to run ten kilometers than to tackle the 400 meters.
I will first demonstrate the correct movements for everyone. After I finish, each team will start training in succession."
He took off his outer garment, revealing a camouflage vest underneath.
His dark muscles glistened, exuding an explosive aesthetic.
This was not the kind of muscle developed in the gym, but rather, solidly and genuinely forged.
Every inch was filled with power.
Long Fei and Chu Feng exchanged glances, wondering if they faced him in combat, whether they could take him down.
Chu Feng estimated his combat power and eventually concluded with an impossibility, at least for now he was unbeatable.
He squatted down, and at the assistant's whistle, he burst forth like a leopard, sprinting violently ahead.
Every muscle on his body moved rhythmically.
Five-step Post, leaping over pits, flying over low boards, traversing uneven platforms, climbing the Siege Ladder, crossing the rope bridge, crawling under barbed wire.
He breezed through each obstacle without the least bit of hesitation or drag.
After completing the 400-meter route, the assistant shouted excitedly, timing him, and calling out to everyone, "One minute twenty seconds, easily breaking the record!"
The crowd exclaimed in amazement, no longer daring to harbor any discontent towards the Great Devil.
After all, he spoke with his strength, and he had the qualifications.
Long Fei and Chu Feng were eager to try, wanting to see how they stacked up against the Great Devil.
Pu Jie in front also felt the same, turning back to give both of them a sneer.
The Great Devil came over, holding the registry, and shouted at everyone, "Alright, now it's your turn, you bunch of trash.
To finish the course within 2 minutes 30 seconds is to pass.
To finish within 2 minutes 10 seconds is good.
To finish within 2 minutes is excellent.
I'll be a bit lenient with you this time. Those who pass can go and eat watermelon. Those who fail will still get plenty of mineral water!"
The crowd chuckled then quickly quieted down, clearly very nervous.
Each team was organized according to their dormitories.
The first team started, with the drill instructor's assistant keeping time, continuously correcting their movements.
This thing, it looks simple.
But once you actually run it, it's incredibly strenuous.
A moment of inattention, and you can fall from the top. Or when scaling the high wall, you might fail to make it over.
The group finished sporadically.
Forget about two minutes; it took them a good fifteen minutes.
Zhou Zhenglong wasn't surprised by this result. For those who had not undergone training, simply completing the course was an achievement.
He bellowed at the second team, "Second team, go! I hope a few big fish will spring out from among you trash!"
The second team included Pu Jie.
At the whistle, he took the lead, striding to the forefront.
When tackling the Five-step Post, his right foot touched it, and he glided ahead.
Zhou Zhenglong frowned slightly, somewhat surprised.
Long Fei and Chu Feng shrugged their shoulders, they had known he would react this way.
It wasn't just the two of them who wanted to take Zhou Zhenglong down a peg, Pu Jie wanted to as well.
However, this four-hundred-meter course was full of hopping and jumping.
By the halfway point, Pu Jie's breathing had become erratic.
His speed noticeably declined.
When crawling through the wire mesh, his inexperience led to his clothes being hooked several times by the iron hooks.
In the end, he completed the course in two minutes and five seconds, which was quite impressive among the crowd.
After he returned, Zhou Zhenglong gestured towards him with a nod and said, "Go eat watermelon!"
Pu Jie proudly walked over, glancing at Long Fei and Chu Feng with a corner of his mouth hooked.
The third team went up but still scattered and disorganized, with no one passing.
The fourth team barely managed to get one person through.
Long Fei and Chu Feng's team was the last to go.
The two nodded at each other, and as soon as the whistle blew, they sprinted forward with a group from the dormitory.
When crossing the deep pits, they stepped and leaped out from within.
The fatties yelled, "Boss, don't leave us behind, we want watermelon too!"
Looking back, the two turned around and pulled them up.
From that point on, the people from the dormitory helped each other, moving forward together.
Long Fei and Chu Feng had wanted to challenge Zhou Zhenglong, but they felt that eating watermelon together seemed more pleasurable than that.
With their help, everyone from the dormitory moved a lot faster.
In the end, they all finished within two minutes and twenty-five seconds, barely making the grade.
As soon as the fatties finished, they immediately rolled on the ground, gasping for air, looking half dead.
Zhou Zhenglong came over, nodding at them and said, "Go have some watermelon!"
His voice, unexpectedly gentle, left Long Fei and Chu Feng muttering, wondering what the Great Devil was up to.
The two helped the fatties up and started chomping on the watermelon.
Now that no one was competing with them, they practically devoured the whole table of watermelon.
The fatties could only eat two slices due to their strenuous activities before vomiting them back out.
The two of them, however, were absolutely fine and after finishing, asked the assistant to cut two more, causing the assistant to roll his eyes in amazement.
Those who passed didn't need to practice anymore.
Long Fei and the others went to rest under the shade of a tree, with the six fatties massaging their shoulders and thanking them over and over.
If it weren't for the two of them, the six fatties would still be training!
At that moment, everyone's relationships grew closer.
They introduced themselves to each other, and for ease of calling, they discussed and set a pecking order.
Chu Feng and Long Fei were both considered boss, with no one wanting the second position, so the fattie became number three, and the list went down to number eight.
Actually, Chu Feng was older than Long Fei.
Long Fei was set to be number two, but Chu Feng refused, insisting on being co-leader with him.
He was quite enthusiastic and even came up with a slogan, "Leave no one behind, never give up!"
The group placed their hands together and shouted the slogan out loud, attracting curious looks from nearby.
Pu Jie sat alone in the shade, murmuring with disdain, "Trash, a bunch of trash no matter how they huddle together!"
After everyone had sat down, they happily clinked their mineral water bottles together in place of a toast.
Chu Feng spoke up, "Pang San, Long Fei and I have already decided, we won't be going to Africa after the intensive training.
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So, you all need to work harder, and we'll help you as much as we can.
It's still the same principle, do not give up even if it kills you, and we won't abandon anyone!"
Pang San and the others teared up and nodded earnestly, saying, "Boss, rest assured! We will definitely make you proud and never give up until the very end!"
Chu Feng and Long Fei smiled and nodded, especially Long Fei, who felt incredibly exhilarated at being the boss for the first time.
Nothing beats the spirit of brotherhood like this.
In this city, he made quite a few more friends.