7: Chapter 7: One person takes on over twenty people?! And he wins?!

At the edge of the training grounds, Su Han was performing frog jump training while carrying a 40-kilogram weighted rucksack.

Sweat dripped from his chin, smashing small pits into the dust.

"998... 999... 1000!"

Completing the final jump, Su Han let out a long sigh of relief. Just as he was about to rest for a moment, a sudden clamor came from the distance.

"You trash from the 7th Company, have the guts to fight one-on-one!"

"Screw your 8th Company! Who's afraid of who!"

Su Han frowned; those voices sounded like Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu.

He shook the sweat from his head and walked quickly toward the sound.

Turning the corner of the barracks, he saw Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu surrounded by five soldiers from the 8th Company.

Blood was already seeping from the corner of Wang Hao's mouth, and a tear had been ripped in Zhao Xiaohu's training uniform.

"What's going on?" Su Han asked in a deep voice.

"Brother Han!" Wang Hao's eyes lit up when he saw Su Han. "These grandsons from the 8th Company are saying our 7th Company only got the last Mobile Red Flag because of connections!"

"Bullshit!" An 8th Company soldier pointed at Wang Hao's nose and cursed, "What else does your 7th Company have besides that sharpshooter who got lucky?"

Su Han's gaze instantly turned cold.

In the military, you can insult a soldier, but you cannot insult the honor of a company!

"Apologize." Su Han stepped forward, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"Oh, isn't this our 'Third Grandpa'?" the 8th Company soldier laughed sarcastically. "What, you going to use your seniority to suppress us?"

Before the words had even finished, Su Han had already moved.

His figure flashed, and before that speaking soldier could react, he was slammed heavily onto the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw.

"Holy shit!" The other four soldiers from the 8th Company were shocked and lunged forward together. "Get him! Do him in!"

A cold smirk played on the corner of Su Han's mouth as he advanced instead of retreating.

He sidestepped the first punch, delivered a backhand elbow strike to the second soldier's ribs, and simultaneously raised his leg for a sweep, tripping the third man to the ground.

The entire process took no more than three seconds, and three 8th Company soldiers were already lying on the ground wailing.

"Brother Han is awesome!" Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu shouted excitedly.

The remaining two 8th Company soldiers looked incredibly pale and turned to run.

"Stop." Su Han's voice wasn't loud, but it made the two freeze in place as if a binding spell had been cast on them.

"Help your people away," Su Han said coldly. "Tell the people of the 8th Company that the honor of the 7th Company is not to be slandered!"

The two felt as if they had been granted a grand amnesty and quickly helped their companions up, fleeing in a pathetic state.

"Brother Han, that was so satisfying!" Zhao Xiaohu swung his fist excitedly. "These grandsons usually love to pick fights!"

Su Han was about to speak when he suddenly frowned—the sound of disorganized footsteps came from the distance; at least twenty people were rushing this way.

"Not good! The 8th Company is coming for revenge!" Wang Hao's expression changed.

Sure enough, a large group of 8th Company soldiers poured out from around the corner, led by their squad leader Wang Dazhu, a giant of a man standing 1.9 meters tall.

"It's them!" The two soldiers who had just fled pointed at Su Han and the other two while shouting.

Wang Dazhu walked over with a grim face: "Brat from the 7th Company, you dare hit my 8th Company men?"

Su Han shielded Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu behind him: "Your people started the trouble first and insulted the honor of the 7th Company."

"Bullshit!" Wang Dazhu roared. "Get them! Teach these three things who don't know the height of the sky a lesson!"

Over twenty 8th Company soldiers swarmed forward.

In the military, sometimes principles aren't that important.

Even if you are in the wrong, if someone hits a comrade from your company, you must stand up.

Even if you know you might face disciplinary action.

If you don't step up and watch your comrade get beaten by another company, even if you aren't punished in the end, the Company Commander and the old squad leaders will definitely scold or even beat you!

While the military constantly emphasizes rules and discipline on the surface, that applies to training.

In life, if you don't even dare to step up when a comrade is being hit, who would dare to trust you with their back on the battlefield? Which leader could count on you to charge the enemy lines?

Yes, this conflicts with the rules and systems.

But in a soldier's subconscious, touching my soldier or hitting my brother is simply not allowed!

Of course, a fight is just a fight; everyone has a sense of proportion and naturally wouldn't let it escalate to knives and guns.

Because their bottom line was there.

No matter how much they fought, they were all comrades in the same army.

You might hit the opponent, and they might actually respect you for being a tough man, but if you stood aside and didn't join in, even your opponents would look down on you and call you a coward!

In his past life, Su Han had seen similar things often when he was in the New Recruit Company.

If you won a fight against another company, the Company Commander would criticize and educate you on the surface, even making you write a self-reflection.

But in secret, they would definitely pamper you, arranging extra dishes, time on the phone, or games, ensuring everything was taken care of!

But if you lost the fight and returned to the company, you might get another beating from the Company Commander. If you can't even win a brawl, how can the company expect you to fight for its honor?

But a fight is just a fight, a temporary vent of anger. If something real happened, those soldiers who had fought each other would definitely help you without hesitation.

This was the charm of the military!

Brawling didn't stop us from being comrades.

"Brother Han, what do we do?" Wang Hao's voice trembled.

A flash of excitement crossed Su Han's eyes: "Fight!"

Seeing Su Han's expression, Zhao Xiaohu and Wang Hao were instantly dumbfounded.

What's the situation?

There are so many of them; instead of being afraid, why are you getting excited?

Before the words had finished, he had already charged into the crowd.

A month of Iron Cloth Shirt training had made his physical resistance far exceed that of ordinary people. The fists of the 8th Company soldiers hitting him felt like an itch, while every one of his punches and kicks could take someone down.

"Holy shit! Is this kid made of iron?"

"My fist hurts so much!"

The 8th Company soldiers soon realized something was wrong. Over twenty of them were besieging Su Han alone, yet they couldn't gain the slightest advantage!

"Move aside!" Wang Dazhu roared and joined the fray himself.

This 8th Company fighting champion used a lethal move as soon as he struck, a whip kick aimed straight for Su Han's head.

Su Han didn't dodge or evade. He raised his hand to take the kick head-on, while his other hand formed a claw to grab Wang Dazhu's ankle, followed by a spin—

"Ah!" Wang Dazhu screamed as he was flung away, crashing heavily into several 8th Company soldiers.

"Stop! Everyone stop!"

The 8th Company Platoon Leader rushed over upon hearing the news and almost fainted from anger at the sight.

He rushed forward to pull the two sides apart, but in the chaos, someone kicked him. He stumbled back several steps and sat on the ground.

"Rebellion! This is total rebellion!" The Platoon Leader trembled with rage.

Just then, a rhythmic sound of footsteps approached.

"7th Company! Everyone stop for me!!" Zhou Haitao arrived with the entire company.

However, when they saw the situation on the scene, everyone was stunned—

Over twenty 8th Company soldiers were lying scattered on the ground. Su Han stood in the center, his clothes a bit messy but his expression normal. Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu hid behind him, almost unscathed except for some torn clothing.

"This..." Zhou Haitao's mouth hung open.

"Company Commander!" Seeing Zhou Haitao, Su Han immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Report! The 8th Company soldiers insulted the honor of the 7th Company, and we were forced to act in self-defense!"

"Bullshit!" The 8th Company Commander also arrived at this moment, squeezing through the crowd. Seeing the miserable state of his company, his face turned green. "Zhou Haitao! Look at what your company has done!"

Zhou Haitao snapped out of it, suppressed his internal shock, and said with a stern face, "8th Company Commander, the matter hasn't been investigated clearly yet. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions."

"Investigate?" The 8th Company Commander pointed at the groaning soldiers on the ground. "Does this even need investigating? Three of your 7th Company men injured over twenty of ours! Even the Platoon Leader was hit!"

"Who hit the Platoon Leader?" Zhou Haitao frowned.

"I..." The Platoon Leader stood up holding his butt, looking embarrassed. "I came to break up the fight and accidentally took a hit..."

Zhou Haitao turned to Su Han: "What happened?"

Su Han straightened his back: "Report, Company Commander! The 8th Company soldiers were the first to hit Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu, and they insulted the honor of the 7th Company. I was only acting in self-defense."

"Self-defense?" The 8th Company Commander laughed out of anger. "One person taking down over twenty of ours, you call that self-defense?"

Zhou Haitao felt secretly delighted, but it didn't show on his face: "8th Company Commander, the matter is already very clear. Your people started the trouble, and our people were just engaging in legitimate defense. As for why over twenty people couldn't beat three..."

He deliberately elongated his tone: "Perhaps your company's usual training isn't hard enough?"

"You!" The 8th Company Commander's face turned ashen with rage as he turned to the Platoon Leader. "Go! Get the Regiment Commander! This isn't over!"

"That's enough!" Zhou Haitao raised his voice. "Why involve the Regiment Commander over such a small matter? Commander of the 8th, we're both men who lead troops; it's normal for soldiers to have some friction. How about this: we each take our men back for education, have them write self-reflections, and put them in confinement?"

The 8th Company Commander looked at his battered and bruised soldiers, then at the three "culprits" from the 7th Company. Knowing that he wouldn't be in the right if things escalated, he could only grit his teeth and say, "Fine! But I will report this to the regiment!"

"As you wish. Over twenty of your men fought three of ours and lost. Hahaha... If your 8th Company can afford to lose face like that, go ahead and complain. We'll see who's embarrassed then!" Zhou Haitao waved his hand dismissively and turned to the 7th Company soldiers. "Everyone! Fall back!"

Upon returning to the company, Zhou Haitao called Su Han and the other two to the company headquarters.

"Explain yourselves. What exactly happened?" Zhou Haitao asked with a stern face.

Wang Hao spoke up first: "Commander, we really didn't start it! The guys from the 8th Company started badmouthing our 7th Company first!"

"Yeah, Commander!" Zhao Xiaohu chimed in. "They made the first move!"

Zhou Haitao looked at Su Han. "And you? Anything to say?"

Su Han said calmly, "Reporting to the Commander, when I arrived, Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu were already being beaten. As a member of the 7th Company, I couldn't watch my comrades be bullied."

"So you took on over twenty men from the 8th Company by yourself?" Zhou Haitao's voice suddenly rose.

Su Han lowered his head. "I was wrong."

"Wrong? Wrong where?" Zhou Haitao pressed.

"Wrong in..." Su Han looked up, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, "being too light-handed?"

"Pfft—" The nearby Platoon Leader couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Zhou Haitao glared at the Instructor, then suddenly slapped the table. "You bastards!"

Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu trembled in fear.

"The three of you, one day of confinement! Write a thousand-word self-reflection!" Zhou Haitao said harshly. "Now! Immediately! At once! Go to the computer room to reflect!"

"Yes..." the three replied dejectedly.

After they left, Zhou Haitao told the orderly to remember to bring them dinner later and to add a few eggs for nourishment.

The 3rd Platoon Leader shook his head with a smile. "Commander, this punishment of yours..."

"What about it?" Zhou Haitao looked innocent. "Confinement and self-reflection, isn't that very strict?"

"Confinement in the computer room?" the 3rd Platoon Leader teased. "And you specifically told the Cooking Squad to bring them food? This is clearly a reward!"

Zhou Haitao finally couldn't hold it in and grinned. "These three kids really brought honor to our 7th Company today! Especially Su Han, taking down over twenty from the 8th Company by himself. Even that troublemaker Squad Leader Wang Dazhu was dealt with!"

"Aren't you afraid the 8th Company Commander will complain to the Regiment Commander?"

"Afraid of what?" Zhou Haitao was indifferent. "They started the trouble; we're in the right!"

"Besides, it's just a fight. What's the big deal?"

"Didn't you ever get into a fight back at the military academy?"

The 3rd Platoon Leader chuckled. "Of course I did."

Zhou Haitao snorted. "Then that's that."

As he spoke, he looked toward the computer room on the third floor. "It's only because they won. If they had lost, you'd see how I'd deal with those three brats."

...

In the computer room, Wang Hao was excitedly replaying the "battle" from earlier.

"Brother Han! You're so badass! That kick that sent Wang Dazhu flying was incredibly cool!"

"Yeah! Those grandsons from the 8th Company will have to take a detour whenever they see anyone from our 7th Company from now on!"

Zhao Xiaohu was a bit apprehensive as he turned on a computer. "Alright, hurry up and write the self-reflection."

"What self-reflection!" Wang Hao winked. "The Commander is rewarding us in disguise! It's a good thing we won, otherwise, the place for our confinement would have been the equipment warehouse! Come on, let's play some games!"

Hearing this, Zhao Xiaohu suddenly realized. "Whoa! We can play games even while being punished for fighting!"

As Zhao Xiaohu spoke, he had already nimbly logged into a game. "Brother Han, let me carry you!"

Su Han shook his head, opened a document, and seriously typed the words 'Self-Reflection Letter'.

Although he understood Zhou Haitao's intentions, the proper procedures still had to be followed.

After all, in the army, fighting was strictly prohibited.

And right behind their barracks was the training ground for the 8th Company.

Bursts of angry shouting came from behind.

Zhao Xiaohu and Wang Hao curiously opened the window to look.

"Crawl! Crawl for me!"

"No one gets to eat until you finish 20 laps!"

The 8th Company Commander roared at the twenty-plus soldiers who had participated in the fight. Including their Platoon Leader, they were all like turtles, dressed in physical training uniforms, performing low-crawl maneuvers on the concrete ground.

"Damn it!"

"More than twenty people couldn't beat three, and you have the fucking nerve to come to me and complain?"

"You don't want face, but I do! The 8th Company's reputation has been completely disgraced by you bunch of cowardly soldiers!"

"Fuck!"

The 8th Company Commander got more worked up as he cursed.

The twenty or so 8th Company soldiers were on the verge of tears.

Damn it, they got beaten up, and after returning home, not only did they get no comfort, but they were also being punished with drills.

What kind of mess was this!

Seeing this scene, Zhao Xiaohu and Wang Hao were overjoyed.

But they also felt a lingering fear.

"Brother Han, if it weren't for you, the ones crawling outside might have been the two of us."

Su Han didn't bother with them and continued to bury his head in writing the self-reflection.

Halfway through writing, the computer room door was pushed open, and the Cooking Squad Leader walked in carrying three portions of food with extra meat and eggs.

"Eat up, the Commander specifically ordered this," the Cooking Squad Leader said with a smile. "And this—"

He pulled three bottles of Coke from his pocket. "To replenish your energy."

"Thanks, Squad Leader!" Wang Hao and Zhao Xiaohu cheered.

Su Han took the food and found a note pressed underneath:

[Well fought, but don't let it happen again.]

He couldn't help but smile; this "Grandson-in-law" was quite interesting.

...

In the evening, Su Han finished his self-reflection early and went to the gym alone for extra training.

He didn't care about any confinement; it was just a smokescreen from the Company Commander.

Just as he finished a set of bench presses, the door was pushed open, and Zhou Haitao walked in.

"Commander." Su Han stood up and saluted.

Zhou Haitao waved his hand. "No need to be so formal in private."

He looked at Su Han's training schedule. "Working this hard?"

"Three months is a very short time." Su Han wiped his sweat. "I must seize every minute."

Zhou Haitao was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "About today, thank you."

"Hmm?" Su Han was startled.

"For upholding the honor of the 7th Company." Zhou Haitao said seriously, "As a Company Commander, I'm gratified to see my soldiers protecting the company like this."

Su Han smiled. "It was only right."

"However..." Zhou Haitao's tone shifted. "If you encounter something like this again, report it first. Don't be so quick to use your fists. After all, your status is special now; if you were to get injured..."

"Don't worry." Su Han loosened his shoulders. "Those rookies from the 8th Company can't hurt me."

Zhou Haitao shook his head helplessly. "You kid..."

He turned to leave but stopped. "By the way, the Regiment Commander asked me to tell you that starting tomorrow, you can use the regiment's special training grounds."

"Special training grounds?" Su Han's eyes lit up.

"Yes, there's a climbing wall, an obstacle course, a combat ring, and..." Zhou Haitao paused, "an indoor shooting range, open 24 hours."

Su Han immediately understood the Regiment Commander's intention—he was providing the best training conditions possible!

"Thank you, Commander!" Su Han said sincerely.

Zhou Haitao waved his hand. "Don't thank me, thank yourself. Everyone sees your hard work."

As he reached the door, he turned back to add, "Also, the Regiment Commander said if you need any special equipment, just ask."

Su Han thought for a moment. "I actually do need one thing."

"What?"

"An Iron Dummy." A sharp light flashed in Su Han's eyes. "Solid steel."

Zhou Haitao: "..."

He suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for those people from the 8th Company.