Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 133: Second-Class Merit Award Became Like Cabbage?

When Chen Jiang woke up again, he was already in a ward at a field hospital.

According to the initial diagnosis by the military doctor, Chen Jiang had no injuries; he had simply fainted due to exhaustion, hunger, and severe dehydration.

After treatment and a good night's sleep, he finally recovered completely.

When I woke up, there was no one in the ward. I was probably injected with a lot of saline and glucose while I was unconscious, so my lower abdomen was very bloated and I had to get up.

"Ouch~"

He only realized when he stood up that he was covered in sensor wires from medical equipment. There was nothing in the ward that could help him relieve himself, so he had to tear these things off and go out to find a toilet.

Unexpectedly, just as he pulled off his mask and stood up, the door to the ward was pushed open.
"Hey, Chen Jiang, you're awake!"

With his signature big white teeth and that sincere and kind smile, isn't that exactly Xu Sanduo, who's always smiling happily?
"You little brat, you've finally woken up. Do you know how long you've been asleep?" Wu Zhe followed behind.

"How long?" Chen Jiang had no idea.

“It’s been a day and two nights!” Wu Zhe replied with a smile.

"What? I slept for so long? What about the exercise?"

"Don't worry, it's all over! Because you assassinated the H Army's top commander, the higher-ups have determined that the Blue Team is the ultimate winner of the exercise."

Hearing Wu Zhe say this, he finally remembered all the previous scenes: he had infiltrated the vicinity of the enemy command post alone, and then, by sheer luck, he had sniped the enemy leader with one shot.

Just thinking about it gets my blood pumping.

"What about you?"

Chen Jiang was hiding in the valley, completely unaware of the situation outside.

"To support you, Captain, Qi Huan and we launched an attack on the H army, so we were all 'killed in action.' Oh, right, Qi Huan and a small number of members of the A team survived. He also attacked an H army oil depot, which was also deemed a valid action!"

Wu Zhe was quite excited when he talked about this, after all, their A team had once again made a name for themselves.

"Chen Jiang, you've done a great job this time. I heard the higher-ups are very satisfied with your performance. I bet you're guaranteed a second-class merit!" Wu Zhe said, his eyes full of envy.

For most people, getting a third-class merit after joining the army is already quite an achievement, but Chen Jiang has only been in the army for a few years? He not only received a second-class merit, but was also promoted to officer.

If I can get another second-class merit this time, that would be incredibly impressive!
But he was merely envious. These were things Chen Jiang deserved. To be fair, if he were to carry out such a task, he would definitely fail at the very first step of rock climbing.

Not to mention the long-range sniping of enemy commanders.

He had gone to the site to observe it during the time he was looking after Chen Jiang. Not only him, but even people like Yuan Lang and Qi Huan were dumbfounded when they saw the cliff.

Qi Huan bluntly stated, "That Chen Jiang kid must be a gecko! In broad daylight, with no one around, it would be incredibly difficult for him to climb in, let alone in the dead of night, carrying a sniper rifle weighing several kilograms?"

As for the location where Chen Jiang fired the shot, they had also measured it. It was a full 2417 meters from where Gao Jianjun was attacked. This distance had set a record for the longest successful sniping operation in the entire army group.

If everyone wasn't a witness, who would believe it if word got out?

Even Gao Jianjun himself said that being "sniped" at this distance did not make him angry; on the contrary, he was very happy.

This shows that our military has a wealth of talented people!

It was worth taking that bullet!
"Chen Jiang, you have no idea how scared everyone was when you fainted. Commander Gao personally gave the order to revive you! Our Captain Tie also called and told us we had to take good care of you. So everyone is taking turns guarding outside, and no one is allowed in, supposedly to avoid disturbing your rest. But actually, you're snoring so loudly, who's disturbing whose rest?" Wu Zhe retorted irritably, leaving Chen Jiang speechless.

But he was also a little touched, realizing that they had been silently protecting him during his coma.

"Chen Jiang, can you tell us about your climbing and sniping experiences?" Xu Sanduo was really eager to learn. His shooting skills were actually quite good, but rock climbing was his forte. If Chen Jiang could give him some pointers, maybe he could improve even further!

Chen Jiang couldn't hold back any longer. He waved his hand, pulled out the needle, and tried to get out of bed.

Xu Sanduo grabbed him and said urgently, "You're in this state, and you still want to train? Are you crazy?"

Chen Jiang was almost brought to tears by his outburst. "Let go! What the hell am I training for? I need to pee!"
-
After resting for another day, Chen Jiang was finally approved for discharge from the hospital.

On the day he was discharged from the hospital, the brigade leader, Tie Lu, personally drove him to JQ, where the deputy si ling yuan wanted to see him!

This startled Chen Jiang. Was he going to be reprimanded for "using dirty tricks" during the exercise?
"It's just a drill, he wouldn't take it so seriously, would he?"

When the railway heard Chen Jiang's idea, it gave a cold snort.
"Commander Gao is not as petty as you think. He called you over because he definitely has a mission for you!"

Chen Jiang's face turned a little red; it seemed he had been worrying too much.

Sure enough, Gao Jianjun was very happy to see them and greeted them warmly, even having his secretary serve them tea.

This really benefited the railway as well.

"Chen Jiang, you did a great job, very good!"

Chen Jiang stood at attention and answered loudly, "A soldier's duty is to obey orders. I was merely carrying out orders from my unit!"

Railway smiled slightly after hearing this. This rascal, he didn't forget to bring him and Yuan Lang along when he made a contribution!

Gao Jianjun was even more satisfied with Chen Jiang after hearing what he said.
It's truly rare to find someone who remains humble and composed!

"Your A Squadron's performance in this exercise was beyond question. Your captain's flexible and adaptable command, and the fact that you ultimately turned the tide, was truly a stroke of genius! The exercise command headquarters has already made an objective assessment of these matters!"

Although Gao Jianjun was "killed" in this exercise, the strength of the A Brigade is the pride of the entire JQ. Most importantly, Chen Jiang was a soldier his son had led. From this perspective, he had nothing to be discouraged about.

"The last time I saw you, you were a private first class, and now you're a second lieutenant. You see, people change all the time!"

"This is mainly due to the scientific and effective training of Team A!" Chen Jiang would definitely say good things about his unit here; it's basic emotional intelligence. He couldn't possibly say it was all because of his own amazing cheat code, could he?

Seeing that his answer was neither humble nor arrogant, Gao Jianjun did not continue the topic.

As the deputy head of JQ, his work schedule is very full, so it's already quite difficult for him to take some time out of his busy schedule to meet with them.

Therefore, we must keep it brief.

"Chen Jiang, in light of your outstanding performance in this exercise, your brigade has decided to apply for a second-class merit award for you! Of course, whether it will be approved or not will depend on our meeting and discussion."

After hearing this, Chen Jiang glanced at the railway with a puzzled expression.
He was promoted to officer not long ago and has already received a second-class merit award. How long has it been? He wants to get another second-class merit award.

If anyone else were here, they would be absolutely astonished. When did this second-class merit award become so common?
Seeing the railway worker smile and nod slightly, Chen Jiang realized that it must be true, but they just hadn't told him explicitly.

Thinking of this, he stood at attention and answered loudly, "Thank you for your trust, leader! I will continue to work hard and strive to make new contributions!"

"Good! That's ambitious!" Gao Jianjun patted Chen Jiang on the shoulder with satisfaction. "As long as you have enough ability to make a name for yourself, the army will give you a bigger and more opportunities to showcase your talents!"

After returning from Gao Jianjun's place, Chen Jiang was still somewhat puzzled as to why Chief Gao wanted to see him, or what the deeper meaning of this meeting was.

I wanted to ask the railway authorities, but they're keeping a tight rein on the matter.
This puzzled him greatly. Did a second-class merit award really require such a high-ranking leader to personally consult him?
He returned to Team A's base with questions in mind, only to find that the people there were now looking at him with the same kind of worshipful gaze one would give a hero.

The main reason was that Chen Jiang's performance in this exercise was so amazing that even the members of Team A, who admired the strong, were convinced of his abilities.

His deeds have already spread throughout the brigade; he's absolutely amazing!
Who wouldn't want to get along with him and have him give them some pointers?

Even learning just one or two tricks can be incredibly useful.

Yuan Lang even came to ask him how he climbed in that night, because he later went to the site to review the situation carefully and concluded that it was absolutely an impossible task.

If it were a real war, it wouldn't be a matter of nine out of ten chances of survival, but rather a matter of certain death!
Chen Jiang simply smiled calmly and explained that he was lucky and had stumbled upon a good path to climb in.

Yuan Lang certainly didn't believe it. How could someone say it was just luck over such a long distance?

Can good luck last forever?

Why don't you go buy a lottery ticket?

But after Yuan Lang probed him a few times, he no longer had the energy to ask about it, because after the military exercise, their new round of elite selection competition began.

Similar to when Chen Jiang and his group were selected, they were also pursued with overwhelming force. Several people were selected, and then the military region specially approved some others to be sent to the A Brigade for comprehensive assessment as special recruits.

"Hey guys, did you hear? They sent in a top-tier soldier this year!"

On his way back from a training session, Chen Jiang overheard people talking about it.

"What kind of elite soldier?"

"I don't know either, but this guy not only killed more than a dozen of us in the selection competition, but also led that bunch of pumpkins to launch a counterattack against the pursuing force. If the follow-up troops hadn't arrived, they would have succeeded."

"Tch, you guys are so bad, it's just a few pumpkins!"

"No, you really don't know, that soldier was too amazing. He could suppress the firepower of several of us all by himself. How come soldiers are so strong these days?"

Chen Jiang didn't take their comments seriously.

Every year, outstanding individuals are selected. With so many people in the entire army group, isn't it normal for there to be hidden talents among them?

Until he heard Yuan Lang yelling at someone on the roadside,

"I don't want this person! Send him back to where he came from!"

"But he passed the selection competition, and he was strongly recommended by the army group. You've seen his shooting results; he's definitely a sharpshooter."

"So what if the army group strongly recommends him? Then keep him in the army group like a treasure! My soldiers aren't judged solely on their shooting scores, because he and we are not even targeting the same objective!"

Xu Sanduo looked out from the ranks at the rookie training ground not far away.

"Chengcai! It's Chengcai! He's come to the base!"

His eyes didn't just show joy; they showed more worry.

Among the soldiers eliminated from Team A, Cheng Cai is probably the first to come here again!
It's not that they lack the courage to make a comeback, but rather that the "unspoken rule" here is that they don't accept people who have been eliminated before.

Sure enough, Yuan Lang kept yelling at another officer in the base.

"Why am I targeting him? Go ask him yourself for the reason!"

Then he left without looking back.

Everyone at the training ground heard it clearly, and Chen Jiang was sure Cheng Cai had heard it too, but he just smiled awkwardly and didn't say anything.

Xu Sanduo frowned and strode towards Yuan Lang's office.

"Sanduo, wait for me!" Chen Jiang followed.

As the two approached Yuan Lang's office, they heard the sound of railway tracks.
“Yuan Lang, although this soldier was eliminated by us once, we need to objectively and seriously consider his subsequent performance. Look at this recommendation form; he performed exceptionally well in the exercise, taking down several of our men. Moreover, his kill count and leadership skills in their selection competition are well-supported by data. Yuan Lang, such talent is rare!”

"No! I absolutely do not want soldiers like that!" Yuan Lang's voice rang out.

"But he specifically requested this from Deputy Commander Gao. If you don't want it, how am I supposed to explain it to him?"

“I don’t care! There’s no way I’ll let someone like that into my team.” Yuan Lang’s reply was ruthless.

He poured so much effort into this special forces unit, and he wouldn't allow anyone who failed the first test to join.

Despite his efforts, the railway official could not persuade him. Although he was Yuan Lang's superior, the two were also very good friends, so Yuan Lang could not use his position to pressure him.

In the end, he could only shake his head and walk out. As he came out, he saw Chen Jiang and Xu Sanduo. He sighed and left.

Without thinking, Xu Sanduo knocked on Yuan Lang's office door.

Chen Jiang followed him inside.

As soon as Yuan Lang saw that it was Xu Sanduo, he roughly guessed why he had come.

"If you two have other matters to discuss with me, I'm very happy to have you here. But if it's about what the captain just told me, then forget it!"

"Captain, Cheng Cai isn't what you think anymore. He's changed!" Xu Sanduo insisted stubbornly.

"Changed? How changed?" Yuan Lang was clearly not convinced.

"His marksmanship and mentality have undergone tremendous changes, Captain. Really, I think Cheng Cai is particularly suitable for Team A now."

"What does marksmanship prove? Besides, no matter how good his marksmanship is, can it be better than Chen Jiang's?" Yuan Lang's words left Xu Sanduo speechless, which made him very anxious.

"Captain, I also support Cheng Cai staying in Team A!" Chen Jiang finally spoke up. His words carried more weight with Yuan Lang, so Yuan Lang didn't interrupt him but patiently listened to Chen Jiang's opinion.

Without any substantial content, he will still stick to his point of view and send Cheng Cai home!

(End of this chapter)