Chapter 50: The Despairing Torture of the Selection Zone

"What on earth is this, an iron steamed bun?!"

Zhang Meng spat out half of a broken tooth and squeezed the remaining half of the steamed bun in his hand with all his might.

He found that even with his hands, which had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed immense strength, he could only slightly deform the bun.

Rather than calling it food, it would be much more accurate to describe it as a hand-grip strengthener.

After all, this thing was genuinely great for building hand strength!

In a critical moment, it could even be used for self-defense!

"Yue~"

On the other side, Song Wei took just a tiny sip of the soup and vegetables in the bucket.

He instantly gagged out loud, his face turning completely pale!

If the bun in Zhang Meng's hand could be used as a weapon, the bucket of soup and vegetables in front of him was the purest form of dark cuisine.

Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, and pungent—all six distinct flavors could practically be tasted in this single bowl of soup.

"Ugh! This soup has gone completely sour, it tastes just like fermented mung bean juice. It's something you wouldn't even feed to a dog, yet they expect us to eat it. Do the people in the Sharp Blade Regiment have some kind of perverted fetish?!"

"Maybe. I've heard there are people who actually love eating strange, disgusting things. What's it called... pica!"

Lin Mang immediately chimed in, and looking as though he found the soup utterly repulsive, he took several heavy steps backward in the opposite direction!

"Hahaha, these little bastards really know how to describe things, even bringing up pica!"

In the command room, listening to the conversation coming through the monitor, Nie Feihong and Zhu Xiaotian burst into laughter on the spot.

"Old Zhu, you really know how to play dirty. This year's steamed buns are specially made from tartary buckwheat, no yeast, no kneading, and no proofing. Just added some tap water to shape them into buns and steamed them directly, then pressed them under the stove in the cafeteria for days. Not only can it keep those stubborn old veterans completely in line, but these raw recruits are going to suffer just the same!"

"Regiment Commander, compared to your operation of salvaging leftovers from the swill bucket, adding a bit more broth, boiling them, freezing them into ice blocks in the refrigerator, and then taking them out to serve as vegetable soup, my steamed buns are really nothing. Pica—actually, I really agree with what those little bastards said!"

Hearing this, Nie Feihong smiled and glanced sideways at Zhu Xiaotian. Exchanging a look that implied neither was any better than the other, his expression shifted slightly, and he let out a long sigh:

"It all depends on whether they can stomach it. If they can get past this hurdle, at least on future frontline battlefields, they won't pay with their lives because of food shortages!"

...

Inside the shed, seeing that all four of his brothers looked upon the two items with utter disdain, Qi Tian immediately put on a serious expression and reprimanded them: "Stop standing around like idiots, throw the steamed bun into... the swill bucket! Soak it until it's soft before eating. Tonight, everyone must eat two steamed buns. This is an order!"

To be honest, Qi Tian wanted from the bottom of his heart to avoid calling this bowl of soup a swill bucket.

After all, just hearing the name made one completely lose their appetite.

Yet at the moment, he honestly had no idea what else to call this monstrosity.

So, biting the bullet, he took the initiative and dropped the two black steamed buns directly into it.

He prepared to use the strange-tasting broth in the bucket to soften them up and force them down his throat.

Qi Tian knew he had to lead by example right now.

If even he refused to eat, then tonight, Zhang Meng and the others would likely resist these two items to the very end!

Being forced to wait for the next food supply ration and ending this selection process on their own terms were essentially the same thing!

Just as Jiang Chong had said earlier, every single one of them had a reason why they could not quit!

Ten-odd breaths later, seeing Qi Tian pull a wet, soggy steamed bun out of the bucket, put it into his mouth, and chew heavily while holding his nose, Song Wei frowned and warned, "Brother Tian, isn't this going too far? Are you seriously going to eat that stuff? It'll kill you!"

"I said it before, everyone eats at least two steamed buns. This is an order!" Qi Tian hardened his face, displaying an unprecedented level of severity.

Seeing this, Jiang Chong took a deep breath, nodded, and agreed, "Fine then, brothers, listen to Brother Tian. Let's eat!"

"Damn it! Eat and see what happens, die and be done with it. I refuse to believe the Sharp Blade Regiment would actually dare to play us to death. Eat!"

With that exclamation, regardless of whether Song Wei and Lin Mang agreed or not, Zhang Meng simply counted their portions as well and tossed all eight steamed buns into the bucket to soak.

By this time, Qi Tian had already pinched his nose and forcefully swallowed the two tartary buckwheat buns down his stomach.

An indescribable wave of nausea continuously battered Qi Tian's consciousness.

Yet he stubbornly held it back, suppressing the overwhelming urge to vomit over and over again.

Ten minutes later.

The four of them—Zhang Meng and the others—each finished eating two of the weirdly flavored steamed buns.

Then they looked at each other in dismay, all seeing an unprecedented sense of despair on one another's faces!

Especially Song Wei and Lin Mang; their Adam's apples were still continuously bobbing up and down.

Had Qi Tian not warned them earlier strictly forbidding them from spitting out the food, the two of them probably would have already rushed out of the shed to empty out their stomachs!

"Brother Tian, there are only seven beds in this shed, and the rest are just straw mats."

Jiang Chong glanced inside the shed and continued asking Qi Tian: "If we occupy five beds all at once, the old veterans definitely won't agree!"

"I know. We'll push the three innermost beds together and squeeze in together. As for the remaining four beds near the entrance, let the old veterans fight over them. Resources are limited, so we can't take all of them, but we can't take none of them either!"

With that said, Qi Tian quickly stood up, taking Zhang Meng and Jiang Chong with him to push the beds together inside.

As for Song Wei and Lin Mang, they were still sitting at the entrance, forcibly digesting the lingering discomfort in their chests.

Pushing three single beds together to accommodate five people sleeping on them was undeniably cramped.

In fact, all five of Qi Tian's group could only rest lying on their sides.

Otherwise, someone would inevitably end up being pushed off.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been utterly impossible for the five of them to fall asleep in such an environment.

Yet last night's all-night training had practically drained their physical and mental energy completely.

The moment they touched the beds, five deafening snores suddenly erupted from the very back of the shed!

"Brother Feng, I knew these five recruits wouldn't obediently rest on the straw mats. They've occupied three beds. What do you say?"

Not long after the five of them fell asleep, six sturdy-looking, generally older veterans successively walked into the shed.

Hearing his comrade's question, the leader glanced at Qi Tian and the others, his voice raspy as he said:

"Eat first. Once we're full, we'll make these rookie bastards roll off the beds. Out of these seven berths, the Fierce Tiger Regiment must have six. No matter who comes, it's non-negotiable!"

"Alright, brothers, dig in!"

These six veterans had already endured two days of the swill bucket's baptism.

They had long since known that these two items were their sole source of food during the selection period.

Following the exact same routine Qi Tian and the others had used earlier, they soaked their steamed buns in the swill, pinched their noses, and shoved the food into their mouths with big mouthfuls.

At this moment, more veterans who had finished the weighted cross-country march returned successively to rest near the shed.

Seeing the six men sitting at the entrance eating voraciously with fiery looks in their eyes while staring intently at Qi Tian and the others inside the shed, smiles of anticipation broke out across their faces.

"The Fierce Tiger Regiment is the second reinforced regiment under our 386th Brigade's Sharp Blade Regiment, and every single one of them is a master. The six veterans sent for selection this year are even more elite among the elite; each of them can take on several opponents alone, and when the six work together, their suppression is boundless. On the first night, the sight of them teaming up and beating up dozens of old veterans who came looking for trouble is a scene I still remember vividly to this day! Now these five death-defying rookies actually dare to occupy the beds of the Six Tigers—they're definitely not going to have a good time shortly!"

"You said it. Rookies who don't know any better really think that running fast means you get a bed to sleep in, huh? Heh!"

"I heard that among the Six Tigers, the one with a scar on his face is actually from the same hometown as Ma Zhe. Tonight, we're just here to watch the show and eat melon seeds!"

"..."

The returning veterans made no effort to hide their desire and mindset to watch a good show, whispering among themselves as they sat on the straw mats.

Meanwhile, the six veterans of the Fierce Tiger Regiment paid no attention to the discussions of the others.

In their eyes, gossip was merely the most incompetent form of resistance available to the weak.

Their target was solely Qi Tian and the others, who were fast asleep and snoring loudly.

"Brothers, we're fed and watered, time to go to work!"

Under the gaze of dozens of veterans, the tallest man among the Fierce Tiger Regiment slowly stood up and walked straight toward the innermost part of the shed.

Seeing this, the other five quickly followed suit, clenching their fists tightly, clearly coming with malicious intent!