Chapter 37: A Private is Still a Soldier of the Reconnaissance Company

Old Gao, the "Dog Head," came as quickly as he left. He didn't even stay at the training camp for a full day before departing that very evening.

His arrival and departure did not disrupt the training camp's routine. Su Yang continued to immerse himself in the intense and grueling training.

Professional drills—such as marksmanship, camouflage, concealment, and map reading—were repeated time and again. The following month was dedicated to comprehensive reconnaissance training.

Take, for instance, the brutal wilderness survival training; this was a skill that every reconnaissance soldier had to master.

During this phase, the trainees endured immense hardship. It was, arguably, far more exhausting than their time back at their regular companies.

However, despite the suffering and the exhaustion, the benefits of the wilderness survival training soon became apparent. Everyone in the camp developed nerves of steel. From that point on, they were no longer afraid to spend a night alone in a graveyard, they dared to catch snakes barehanded, and they could survive in the wild for three or four days without going hungry.

"Su Yang, let's go check the traps our squad set a couple of days ago and see if we've caught any small game."

The morning sun shone into the armory corridor from the east. Su Yang was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, cleaning his rifle.

The marksmanship training intensity was high, making the weapons prone to wear and tear, so they had to be cleaned and maintained every day.

It was at this moment that Zhong Huatao walked over and called out to Su Yang, who was wiping sweat from his brow.

"Alright, give me two minutes to reassemble my rifle."

Su Yang nodded, reassembled the two rifles he had stripped and cleaned, and handed them over to the armory guard.

He then followed Zhong Huatao into the woods behind the training grounds. The men of the Ninth Squad had set six traps there, using them to catch pheasants and wild rabbits.

The area was surrounded by forest and teeming with wildlife, especially pheasants. They were quite dim-witted; with a little bait, they could easily be lured into a trap.

These traps weren't like mouse traps that could injure a person; they were slipknots. Once an animal entered, it would be snared, and the more it struggled, the tighter the knot would pull.

"Hahaha! I caught a wild rabbit! It’s a big one, must be several pounds. We’re in for a treat tonight!"

Su Yang had just reached his own trap when he heard Zhong Huatao’s joyful exclamation.

Su Yang looked up and saw him holding a fluffy, gray-white wild rabbit. The rabbit was still struggling, suggesting it had only recently been caught.

"There’s not even a hair in mine!" Su Yang looked at his trap and shook his head with disappointment.

"Yours looks like a snake crawled over it," Zhong Huatao said thoughtfully as he walked over to inspect the trap at Su Yang's feet.

"Are you sure?" Su Yang asked, surprised.

In his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage and his understanding of rural life was limited to farming. In this life, his parents were small-town teachers who also owned land; he would help out during the off-season, but he had never been exposed to hunting.

"I’m sure. My home is right next to a forest. I used to catch snakes to sell with my grandfather, so I can tell at a glance," Zhong Huatao said confidently.

"Then let's go look for it!" Su Yang said, feeling a surge of excitement.

There were many snakes in the mountains, including many venomous ones, especially the bamboo pit viper.

Su Yang used to be terrified of them, but during the previous wilderness survival training, he had been forced by the instructors to catch and skin bamboo pit vipers, so he was no longer afraid.

"It should be over there!" True to his hunting background, Zhong Huatao quickly spotted the snake.

Su Yang looked up and saw a bamboo pit viper, about as thick as a thumb, hiding in the grass and watching them.

The two immediately drew their entrenching tools from their waists and crept over.

The bamboo pit viper was venomous; no one was foolish enough to try and catch it barehanded. Usually, they used a stick or an entrenching tool.

Seeing the two men approaching, the viper raised its head high and hissed frantically, as if ready to strike at any moment.

*Thwack!*

Before Zhong Huatao could react, Su Yang acted with lightning speed, swinging his entrenching tool and striking the viper right on the head.

The snake went limp immediately.

"You stunned it!"

Zhong Huatao reached out, grabbed the stunned viper by the nape of its neck, and used the entrenching tool to decapitate it.

"What a waste. Back home, my grandfather would have definitely used this to soak in medicinal wine," Zhong Huatao said with a hint of regret.

"Enough, let's go check the other traps!"

Su Yang ignored him. This guy was the second-toughest man in the training camp after himself. While everyone else was catching rabbits or birds to eat during survival training, this guy was busy roasting snake meat. Even Su Yang, a man from Yunnan who liked eating insects, found it a bit unsettling.

...

While Su Yang was catching snakes at the training camp, dozens of kilometers away, the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company was celebrating good news.

Chen Guotao, who had been forced by Company Commander Miao to stay in the hospital for over two months, had finally returned.

"The Reconnaissance Company—I’m finally back! Whoever wants to stay in that godforsaken hospital can have it."

Chen Guotao hopped off the off-road vehicle at the entrance of the company headquarters. Looking at the soldiers training, he couldn't help but shout aloud.

"Platoon Leader Chen!"

Zhuang Yan, who had been in the headquarters office helping Company Commander Miao organize the training schedule, heard Chen Guotao’s voice and ran out immediately.

"Xiao Zhuang, you rascal, did you miss me?" Chen Guotao asked happily.

"I did, of course I did! Platoon Leader Chen, how is your injury?" Zhuang Yan nodded immediately, then took Chen Guotao’s luggage and asked with concern.

"Don't worry, Xiao Chen can still stay with the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company, but he won't be able to train like he used to," Company Commander Miao, who had stepped out of the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle, said with a smile.

"Company Commander, I think I'm fine," Chen Guotao insisted.

"Fine, my foot! The doctor said you can't engage in high-intensity training for at least a year or two. If you don't listen to me, I'll file a report to the regimental headquarters immediately and have you demobilized!" Seeing Chen Guotao still holding onto wishful thinking, Company Commander Miao scolded him bluntly.

"That's right, Platoon Leader Chen. The Company Commander is right. You have to listen to the doctor regarding your health." Zhuang Yan had already learned about Chen Guotao’s condition from the commander, so he firmly opposed him returning to training.

"But Company Commander, didn't you want me to participate in the Langya selection?" Chen Guotao still wanted to try.

"That was then. Now, you will obey orders and focus on your recovery. As for the Langya selection, don't we have Zhuang Yan and that kid Su Yang?" The commander’s dark face was resolute.

"That kid Su Yang? Isn't he off at the reconnaissance training camp?"

Hearing Su Yang’s name, Chen Guotao still felt a bit of resentment. If it weren't for that guy, he wouldn't be in a position where he couldn't even participate in training.

"He's not gone forever. Come to think of it, I should thank him for letting me know about your condition early," Company Commander Miao said with a lingering sense of fear.

If it hadn't been for Su Yang, he would have nearly ruined the career of his most outstanding platoon leader.

After saying this, the commander looked at Zhuang Yan. "Xiao Zhuang, the leaders are coming to inspect our company the day after tomorrow. I want you and Xiwa to show the superiors what you've got. Do you have the confidence?"

"Company Commander, I have no problem with that," Zhuang Yan replied.

"Good. Then go to training. You don't need to do any more paperwork these next two days." The commander waved his hand at Zhuang Yan, signaling him to get going.

After Zhuang Yan left, Chen Guotao watched his retreating figure and said, "Company Commander, they are only privates. Is it appropriate to have them perform?"

"What about being a private? A private is still a soldier of my Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company. I want the superiors to see that even a private in my Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company is better than your average soldier," the commander said with a dark expression.