Chapter 6: The Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company

In a building not far from the recruit barracks, Chen Guotao walked up to the company office with a folder and knocked.

"Report!"

"Come in!"

Upon receiving permission, Chen entered, placed the documents on a worn yet impeccably clean desk, and glanced at Company Commander Miao, who was standing by the window, observing intently through a pair of binoculars.

Chen couldn't help but ask, "Still at it? That recruit named Zhuang Yan has decent physical fitness, but surely he doesn't warrant your constant attention?"

Commander Miao lowered the binoculars and shook his head. "Zhuang Yan is indeed promising, but he still needs tempering. I’m watching someone else."

"Who?" Chen asked, piqued with curiosity. He knew how difficult it was to catch the commander’s eye. A thought crossed his mind, and he quickly asked, "It’s not that recruit named Su Yang, is it?"

"Yes, that’s the one. A fine seedling, and he has a great deal of ambition," the commander said, eyes squinting into a satisfied smile. He handed the binoculars to Chen and pointed toward the training ground.

Chen understood his meaning. He took the glasses and looked out to see a figure in a recruit uniform running alone.

"Why is he running by himself? Was he punished by Lao Pao? But how does that relate to having ambition?" Chen was puzzled.

"Who said he was punished? The kid is doing extra training. From the very first day, he’s been working out during rest periods. At first, I thought the same as you, but later I asked Lao Pao. He said it was the boy's own initiative; he wants to get into military academy. Xiao Chen, I see a bit of myself in him." The commander watched the figure on the field with an appreciative gaze.

"Is that so? A bit of yourself? Well, anyone who knows how to put in extra work on their own is bound to be good. And wanting to enter military academy shows real foresight. He might even turn out to be more impressive than that college-student troublemaker, Zhuang Yan."

Intrigued by the comparison, Chen continued his observation through the binoculars.

"Xiao Chen, you should go and observe him when you have time. You’re always doing extra training yourself; you should reach out and see if the kid is what we think he is. If he’s truly that good, I’m determined to have him in my unit," the commander said meaningfully.

"Very well, Commander Miao. I’ll find time to take a look," Chen agreed.

On the training ground, unaware that he was being discussed, Su Yang finished his five-kilometer run in one breath. He stretched his body to ease the fatigue and headed back to the barracks.

After exercising in the winter, being drenched in sweat, it wasn't wise to stand outside in the biting wind; it was a recipe for catching a cold. While soldiers were taught not to fear illness, Su Yang believed in training scientifically—avoiding unnecessary injuries was a priority. He didn't have a system to rely on; if he wanted a long career in the military, he had to maintain his health.

Back at the barracks, he saw Xihua and the others grabbing their washbasins, looking ready to head out. Su Yang was confused.

Seeing him enter, Xihua explained, "It’s our turn to bathe."

"Really? Damn, finally! I felt like I was going to grow mold. Wait for me!"

It had been a week since they arrived at the recruit company, and the most troublesome part wasn't the daily training or Lao Pao’s sharp tongue—it was the inability to bathe. Training every day left them reeking of sweat. If not for scrubbing down with towels, he would have felt like a walking petri dish. Now that the chance had finally come, he grabbed his basin and followed.

The bathing area wasn't in the barracks; they had to cross the road, pass through a small woods, and walk a fair distance to reach their destination. Seeing the long-awaited "bathhouse," the group let out a collective moan. Even Su Yang struggled to find words for the sight. He knew military life was hard, but he hadn't expected the bathing facilities to be like this.

"How are we supposed to wash in this, in the middle of winter?" Yu Wei was the first to cry out.

There was no bathhouse. It was simply a dug-out pond—no roof, no fences, completely open-air. Hot water was clearly out of the question.

"What’s the problem? Stop acting like a bunch of old women!" As the men of the first squad complained, Zheng Sanpao emerged from the nearby woods.

"But, Squad Leader, how do we wash? It's freezing, and forget hot water, it’s an open-air pond!" Xihua swallowed hard, looking at Zheng in disbelief. The others echoed his sentiment.

"So what if it's an open-air pond? I’m telling you, it’s a luxury compared to washing in a mountain stream. At least this one has a concrete base."

"Everything in the military must mirror the battlefield. Do you expect the enemy to provide independent bathrooms and hot water for you?"

Zheng glared at Xihua, then fixed his eyes on Zhuang Yan with a mocking tone. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. Some of you are city kids, pampered and spoiled. Naturally, you aren't used to this."

"I..." Zhuang Yan looked ready to snap back.

"Fine, open-air it is. Let's just wash and get back to the barracks; it's better than being covered in sweat," Su Yang intervened before Zhuang could escalate the conflict with Lao Pao.

Then, to the astonishment of everyone present, he stripped off his uniform, hung it neatly on a tree, leaving only his shorts to cover his pale backside. He picked up his yellow basin and leaped into the pond.

"Refreshing!"

As Su Yang hit the water, the icy temperature made him gasp. A moment later, he suppressed his body's reaction, smiled, and shouted to the others, "Come on, come on! It’s not as cold as you’d think. Get in here! Someone help me scrub my back, and I’ll help you in a bit."

Xihua asked, "Is it really not cold?"

"Definitely not, get in! I’m telling you, the water is much warmer than the air," Su Yang said before holding his breath and diving under. He suddenly leaped up and splashed water toward the shore, sending the group scrambling backward.

"I’m going in!" Xihua shouted, stripping off his clothes and jumping in.

"Hisss! It’s freezing! Su Yang, you lied to me..." Xihua shivered violently, cursing loudly.

"Hahaha! Of course it’s cold! If I hadn't lied to you, would you have jumped in?" Su Yang laughed heartily.

In weather just above freezing with a biting wind, it would be strange if it weren't cold.

Aside from Zhuang Yan, who had been goaded into the water by Lao Pao, the other recruits on the bank were hesitant and reluctant.

Zheng Sanpao’s eyes turned cold. "A bunch of cowards, standing there wiggling around. Everyone, listen up: strip and get in the water. Anyone who doesn't do it gets five hundred push-ups!"

He knew these recruits well; without an order, they would rather go unwashed than step in. Under the pressure, everyone entered the water. After all, this was the nineties, not twenty years later; few had ever had access to water heaters in the winter. For most rural kids from the south, cold-water baths were a normal part of life. The open-air pond wasn't such a big deal, as many had spent their childhoods swimming naked in rivers.

The bath was quick. As for Su Yang’s offer to scrub backs, it was just a joke—in the freezing outdoor air, body temperature dropped fast, and no one wanted to stay in the water for long.

After returning to the barracks and tidying up, they were taken to the auditorium to watch the news, and several military journalists with cameras took photos.

Seeing this, Su Yang had an epiphany. No wonder they hadn't been allowed to bathe until today; it was so they would look presentable for the reports.

Back from the auditorium, Su Yang went to sleep early. Clean and refreshed, he slept soundly. Just as he was in the middle of a dream, a sharp, piercing whistle jolted him awake.

"Emergency assembly!"

The duty officer’s voice echoed like a thunderclap through the hallways. The building erupted in chaos.

Although the bath had made him drop his guard, Su Yang had developed a conditioned reflex after a week of training. He sat up instantly.

He quickly dressed, jumped off his bed, and began packing. Because it was dark, he was slower than during the day, but he remembered the steps by heart.

"Three horizontal, two vertical..."

Following the routine, he deftly packed his backpack, yellow basin, raincoat, bedsheets, and satchel in the dark. After a final check, he rushed out of the barracks. He couldn't afford a mistake; he had been fast before, but speed had led to errors—he’d almost packed the items in the wrong order two days ago and had been punished with a five-kilometer run by the company commander.

Emergency assembly was a mandatory skill, requiring them to be ready in under three minutes. Su Yang was relieved they didn't have rifles yet, which saved time. As usual, he was among the first few.

The entire first squad was performing well. Under Zheng Sanpao’s high-pressure training, even the slowest among them was now faster than the average recruit. Unfortunately, the company commander was looking at the performance of the entire platoon, and clearly, some of the others were lagging behind.

"Five minutes and four seconds... six minutes and fifteen seconds..."

The commander kept repeating the times until the last recruit, struggling with a poorly tied backpack, stood in line. His face was dark with anger. "How many times must I emphasize this? Three minutes! We’ve been at this for days, and so many of you are still dragging your feet."

"I tell you, if this were the battlefield, the Chinese nation would have no hope because of your speed. You’d be wiped out by enemy fire before you even finished assembling!"

After his outburst, he walked up to the last few recruits. "Look at your gear! Where is your towel? And you, what kind of mess is this?"

"Squad Leader of the first squad!"

Zheng Sanpao stepped forward.

"Armed cross-country run! I want to see them unable to stand! If they aren't dead, run them into the ground!" the commander ordered, waving his hand.

"Yes, sir!" Zheng understood. He raised his hand. "Attention everyone! Right face! Run around the camp, and don't stop until I say so!"

Under Zheng's urging, the recruits began a wild dash along the dirt road surrounding the camp. They hadn't run far when all sorts of sounds came from the ranks. Loose gear began falling.

"Report, my towel fell off!"

"Hey, watch it, don't step on my quilt! Squad leader, my quilt fell into the mud!"

"Who dropped their canteen in front?"

The recruits' gear was scattered everywhere. Those who fell behind were chased and kicked by their respective squad leaders, forcing them to scramble to pick up their dropped belongings while continuing to run.

"Xiao Zhuang, Su Yang, wait for us! Don't run so fast!" Xihua shouted, seeing the two figures ahead moving with great speed.

Zhuang Yan was about to slow down, but Su Yang, running neck-and-neck with him, said, "Zhuang Yan, the squad leader is up ahead. Aren't you going to chase him?"

"I’d be crazy to chase him. It’s not like when I first arrived," Zhuang Yan retorted.

"If you don't, I will. Look, since we’re soldiers, we might as well do it right. You don't want to regret this later."

"How about we race? My physical fitness is a bit behind yours, so I need to compare to see the results of my extra training."

"Fine. I’m just here to kill time until I get a girlfriend and head back, so why bother working so hard? But if you want to race, fine."

Zhuang Yan, thinking of the extra training Su Yang had been doing, agreed. After all, what man didn't have a competitive streak?

"Then let's run!" Su Yang sprinted off. He wanted to see how much he had improved, and he wanted to push his own potential to the limit.

The two picked up their pace. Zheng Sanpao, who was running in front, was quickly caught. Seeing them, he couldn't let himself be outdone and pushed harder.

Their race caught the attention of the veterans, but they were too busy dealing with the mistakes of their own recruits to watch.

The three ran one after another. Lao Pao, who wasn't wearing leather shoes this time, didn't slip up; he held his own against Zhuang Yan, and Su Yang managed to keep pace with both of them.

"Damn! How is that kid Su Yang from Lao Pao’s squad running so fast?"

"Yeah, we all knew that troublemaker Zhuang Yan was fast, but how is Su Yang keeping up? I remember when he first arrived, he was way behind those two."

The veterans, having finished yelling at their own recruits, began to analyze the situation.

"It’s not that surprising. Every time we finish training, Su Yang stays behind to do extra work."

"But it hasn't been many days! How could he improve so fast?"

"Maybe he has natural talent. Personally, I like Su Yang better. He’s motivated, disciplined, and a good soldier!"

"True. Better than a troublemaker. I need to talk to our company commander and see if we can get him transferred to our company."

"Huff... huff..."

Su Yang was panting heavily, his lungs feeling like they were burning as the cold wind poured in.

"You okay?" Lao Pao picked up Su Yang’s loose backpack from the ground and asked with concern. He had a soft spot for this hardworking recruit.

"I’m fine!"

Su Yang took his bag and looked at Lao Pao, amazed. Losing to him was normal; he had only been training for a short time, and keeping up with them was already a massive improvement. He was surprised Lao Pao hadn't lost to Zhuang Yan, but looking at his gear, he realized Lao Pao had been running in full combat kit, whereas he had been in plain clothes before. As for Zhuang Yan, he was used to his speed.

After the armed cross-country run, as they were eating breakfast and preparing for the day's training, a squad ran past the training ground, looking energetic, fully armed, and shouting slogans. The recruits of the first squad couldn't help but stare.

In the ranks, Xihua asked, "Squad leader, which company is that?"

Zheng Sanpao, who had been waiting for this moment, looked at the curious recruits and, for once, didn't scold Xihua for not reporting. Instead, he said with immense pride, "That is the legendary Night Tiger Reconnaissance Company!"