Chapter Twenty-One: The Military Training’s Initial Shock

The next morning, the freshmen of Fudan University were already on the school bus at dawn, heading to the East China Military District. As soon as the bus arrived at the entrance, they saw a group of soldiers waiting for them. The students disembarked, carrying their luggage, chatting in small groups as they followed their counselors to line up by class. Some of the girls were lugging several backpacks each, looking as if they were moving house. Yet among these freshmen, one stood out—Liu Fan. He stood at the very front of his class, hands empty, leading his classmates as they followed the soldiers into the military district.

The students, freshly arrived, were visibly excited. Watching the soldiers training on the grounds, their blood surged with enthusiasm—many stopped to watch, cheering and shouting as the soldiers performed. With the presence of so many students, especially the girls, the soldiers trained even harder, making the atmosphere lively and spirited.

Before long, the group was led to an open field. Military leaders addressed them, welcoming the students and encouraging them to embrace the military training. School leaders followed with their own speeches. But in this country, where bureaucratic formalities are deeply entrenched, such speeches tended to be endless and tedious, dragging on for over an hour. By the end, the students felt as if they’d awakened from a trance, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

This year’s training was different. The unit responsible was the Wild Wolf Special Forces, a renowned and battle-hardened squad. Though not long established, they had distinguished themselves in border operations against smuggling, drug trafficking, and terrorism—a rarity in these peaceful times.

With improved living standards, many students lacked physical exercise, leading to a general decline in youth fitness. Left unaddressed, this could harm their physical and mental well-being. Thus, the intensified military training was jointly trialed by the school and military, with hopes it might one day be widely adopted.

After the assembly, students were assigned to their respective instructors. Each class became a company, Liu Fan’s among them, obediently following a stern officer.

They lined up for drill. As class monitor, Liu Fan stood at the front. The officer, a man with a steely gaze, addressed them: “My name is Xing Yong. I am your new instructor. You may call me Instructor Xing. Starting tomorrow, you will undergo a half-month of military training here. I don’t care who you are—here, you are all rookies.”

“A soldier’s first duty is to obey orders. You must follow commands in all things. Fail to do so, and you’ll face strict punishment. Do you understand?”

“Y…es…” The students, up early and wearied by the interminable speeches, replied weakly, only a few voices sounding in response.

“Did you not have breakfast? That’s barely a whisper. Are you really university students? On the battlefield, I could have you shot for that. Answer me loudly—do you understand?” Xing Yong glared at them, his tone cold and sharp.

“Yes!” These students, proud to have entered Fudan, had never before endured such scorn. Their anger welled up, and they shouted their answer at the top of their lungs.

Though Xing Yong knew they were disgruntled, if he was to keep these prideful students in check, he needed to assert himself. He pretended not to hear their shouting, and with a voice full of authority, said again, “Are you all cowards? That was too soft. Once more—do you understand?”

Now the students were truly incensed. Even Liu Fan, usually content to watch from the sidelines, frowned. This was going too far—but he did not show it, simply putting a little force into his voice and shouting with the rest, “Yes, sir!” The sheer volume startled Xing Yong.

“Damn, these kids can really shout—almost burst my eardrums.” Though this thought flashed through his mind, Xing Yong didn’t show it. He nodded, satisfied. “Now that’s more like it. Soldiers should have this kind of spirit. We won’t train today; first, we’ll get you settled in. Class leaders, go to logistics and collect your equipment. All luggage must be handed over, except for a few changes of clothes. The military district will take care of the rest.”

At this, groans broke out among the students. Many had brought piles of snacks and daily necessities; the girls were even more extravagant—some had even brought stuffed animals for comfort, as if they were on holiday.

After collecting belongings, Liu Fan led the group to pick up their training gear—two sets of uniforms and a quilt each. Under Xing Yong’s guidance, they were shown to their dormitory—a small, three-story building. Boys on the second floor, girls on the first. The rooms were cramped, barely thirty square meters, with two rows of six bunk beds and a large metal locker, but little else—not even a bathroom. Twelve students per room, and those used to the spaciousness of university dorms were quick to complain. Still, they had little choice; they were here for training, not vacation, and the soldiers paid no mind to their grumbling.

After settling in, Liu Fan lay on his bed for a nap, only to overhear a conversation nearby. “Hey, did you hear? That rich kid Liu Changjin isn’t here for training.”

“Yeah, I heard he got a medical exemption from the school.”

“Typical spoiled brat—if you have money in this country, nothing is impossible. Getting a doctor’s note is easy.”

“Exactly. People like him will do anything to skip military training.”

“Well, if I were rich, I’d get a note too. I hear this year’s training is especially tough—much harder than before.”

“Yeah, it’s a joint experiment between the school and the military, I heard…”

As the conversation continued, Liu Fan learned why Liu Changjin was absent. He was only idly curious; it wasn’t really his concern. The day passed quickly.

The next morning, before dawn, a shrill whistle pierced the air—the signal to rise for training. Liu Fan, far more alert than his peers, woke at once. Calmly dressing, he urged the others to get up, and within five minutes he was at the assembly point—only to find a dozen instructors present, but not a single other student.

Ten minutes later, the others trickled in, disheveled—shirts misbuttoned, trousers backwards, shoelaces untied—returning noisily to their classes.

“Fall in!” Xing Yong’s face was thunderous, his tone harsh. “Look at you—a bunch of slackers! Do you think you’re here for a holiday? Do you know how long you took to assemble? Over twenty minutes! On the battlefield, you’d be dead by now.”

“But since it’s your first offense and you haven’t been trained yet, you’re forgiven this time. Next time, you’ll all run two laps around the field as punishment. Some of you did well, though—like this student here. He arrived within five minutes, fully dressed. That’s commendable. You should all learn from him.” As Xing Yong spoke, he pointed to Liu Fan, thus inadvertently making him stand out, despite Liu Fan’s preference for keeping a low profile. Seeing the curious looks from his classmates, Liu Fan could only shake his head helplessly.

“Alright, now we’ll start with warm-up exercises—two laps around the field, two thousand meters. Who’s the class monitor? Step forward.” The first day’s training began with a show of force from Xing Yong. Two kilometers might not seem much, but for these students, unaccustomed even to household chores, it was no easy feat.

Hearing his name called, Liu Fan stepped out, resigned. He’d known being class monitor would be no easy task, but hadn’t expected trouble so soon. Xing Yong recognized him as the student who’d arrived early, and took a liking to him.

“What’s your name?”

“Reporting, Instructor, my name is Liu Fan,” he replied, hesitating briefly before answering loudly.

“Good! I’ll remember you. From now on, you’re the company leader. Lead your unit in the warm-up run. If anyone fails, the whole group will be punished.” Xing Yong clapped Liu Fan on the shoulder and barked the order: “Attention! Right turn! Two kilometers—run!”

The command was given, but the students’ performance was dismal. Many couldn’t even tell left from right. Fortunately, seeing Liu Fan start running at the front, they followed his lead. The first thousand meters, most kept pace, but as they went on, more and more lagged behind, some strolling as if on a walk, especially the girls, who could barely move their feet by the end.