The two-month military training at Xilin Military Academy began on the morning of the second day.
The term "military training" was not unfamiliar to these new students, as both middle and high schools had organized short-term military training sessions, some lasting a week, others two weeks.
However, it only took half a day for the instructors at Xilin Military Academy to completely overturn the students’ understanding of "military training."
"Stand like a pine tree! What is a pine tree! Legs straight! Calves tense!"
After the instructor finished speaking, he lightly kicked a student’s calf, only to see the student immediately drop to his knees!
"I said, tense your calves, don’t you understand! Laziness! You’re getting lazy on the very first day! Do you even look like soldiers?"
The instructors’ vigorous and powerful shouts of instruction reverberated across the training field!
The sun was scorching, causing people’s skin to feel scorched.
Song Lili stood in the front row of the group, sweat dripping from her forehead all the way down, her T-shirt having long been soaked through, her mouth dry, waiting, yet no moment of rest came.
A call for "at ease" was like a great amnesty!
"Let’s move on to the next exercise, marching in place, starting with, right arm horizontal..."
As the officer demonstrated, a girl standing in the middle of the row next to Song Lili shouted, "Report!"
"Report, sir! I would like to drink some water..."
After one girl drank water, the other girls started shouting one after another,
"Report, sir, I want to drink water too!"
"I want to drink too!"
The instructor’s stern gaze swept over the people in the class, "It’s not time to drink water yet!"
Song Lili was bewildered by these words; why could that girl drink if it wasn’t time?
"Thank you, instructor."
After the girl finished drinking water, she returned to the queue triumphantly, yet here no one spoke out in protest.
Song Lili found it very strange and couldn’t help but step forward,
"Why can this student drink water, but others can’t?"
"Because I allowed her to drink water, I didn’t allow anyone else!"
"Why does the officer only allow her to drink and not allow..."
"I now command you to run five laps around the field without stopping!"
"Don’t ask me why I ordered you! And not someone else?!"
Song Lili’s ears hurt from the instructor’s shouting.
"Aren’t you going to run yet?!"
Song Lili hadn’t expected the instructor to actually make her run laps; it was truly a disaster, and she regretted speaking up.
"What? Are five laps not enough for you to run?!"
"No, sir! I’m going now!"
Song Lili left the formation and headed to the field; behind her, the instructor’s orders and training continued,
"You are soldiers! Now the most bottom-rung, most useless soldiers! As soldiers, obeying orders is your duty. Instead of asking so many why’s, run more laps to strengthen your body and fortify your spirit! Do you hear me?"
Uniform shouts and footsteps mixed together, like a grand symphony being played.
Being punished to run laps was certainly not a good thing, but... seeing dozens of people scattered around the field also running laps, Song Lili felt amused.
After completing five laps, the formations on the field had dispersed, lining up to eat in the cafeteria.
Song Lili lay down on the grass, unable to move her body at all, truly exhausted.
She raised her hand to shield the glaring, bright sun, the scent of earth mixed with fresh grass lingering...
A shadow fell over her, Song Lili moved her hand, squinting her eyes, startled by the person who suddenly appeared in front of her—
"Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Lieutenant!"