Zeng Jieyi raised his right thumb and pinky, forming a "six", and then said, "We are number one!"
"Ha," Fang Huai chuckled lightly, "You can wait for next year, as it’s only my first year. We have plenty of ti. Can you outlast when it cos to physical condition? With around, you might as well get discharged earlier, because you won’t be able to stand out."
Zeng Jieyi’s face changed, and his arm around Fang Huai’s relaxed.
"I’ll serve until I beco a First Class Soldier Chief!"
Fang Huai smiled silently.
In his past life, Number 11 hadn’t made it to First Class Soldier Chief, but he had been promoted and even beca the Captain of the Special Service Squadron in Chen Province Detachnt.
However, in this life, he should be a Special Service cadre in the Changsha Detachnt.
"Hey, Number 1, the individual events start tomorrow afternoon, and that’s when your solo performance begins. You’ve practically secured the individual championship, so for the love of God, go easy on us in the team events, will you? Just aim for second or third place for us!"
Zeng Jieyi ntioned this with another smile.
Fang Huai grinned: "Who said the individual event is in the bag? I’ll tell you what, after I finish my part, I’ll co cheer for you! Make sure you perform consistently and push Jiang Yonghui down!"
Zeng Jieyi revealed a mischievous smile, "I heard from the Chief of Staff that we need to push him out of the top three to be able to transfer him. But how can I manage that alone? What if you’re first, I’m second, and Jiang Yonghui is third?"
Fang Huai laughed, and then, a thought struck him. He glanced over at the dining tables, took a step back, and shouted at the top of his voice:
"Zeng Jieyi! You really have so nerve! For the individual events, you’re first, I’m second, and Jiang Yonghui is third?
Damn it, have you already decided the top three?
Do you think the three hundred heroes present here are just here for show? You’re too arrogant!"
At this exclamation, the noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Everyone glared furiously at Zeng Jieyi.
Zeng Jieyi was dumbfounded, looking at those accusing eyes, and instinctively retorted:
"I...I freaking said you would be first!"
Now, it was confird.
He really did say it.
"Bang!"
Number 20 from the Southwest Training Class, who had always physically dominated Zeng Jieyi, the veteran from Yunnan, Dong Yongshan, slamd the table and stood up, pointing at Zeng Jieyi:
"Zeng Jieyi! You son of a b*tch, I’ll destroy you tomorrow!"
Candidates from several whole corps including Tianjin, Jiangsu, Guangzhou, and Heilongjiang, who were well-prepared for the individual matches, stood up, cursing Zeng Jieyi.
"Isn’t it a bit early to be saying that?"
"Do you really think we’re pushovers?"
"Right! Zeng Jieyi, let’s try it out tomorrow!"
"Heard you were strong at river crossing? Even if I don’t compete tomorrow morning, I’ll still save my strength just to challenge you in river crossing!"
Zeng Jieyi had no way to defend himself and stood there dumbstruck at the canteen entrance, gazing at everyone with a pair of pitiful eyes. Then, he turned to the instigator with a vengeful glare in his eyes.
"Damn! Fang Huai! You sneaky bastard!!"
The sly bastard had already hidden his smile and walked towards the food line, acting as if he was above such madness.
...
The following day.
When life treats you well, seize the joy; don’t let empty glasses face the moon alone.
During the high-altitude mountain rescue drill, Fang Huai and He Zhijun quickly crossed the rope carrying a rescuee, their silhouettes nearly superimposed. When they reached the opposite side and shouts of approval burst forth, the Guizhou Brigade erupted in thunderous cheers.
Today, Captain Zhang was also down below, raising his hands excitedly along with the soldiers.
"We won! We won!"
Fang Huai, unbuckling his harness, saw everyone cheering and couldn’t help but heave a long sigh of relief.
Guangdong was damn close to catching up.
This morning, Guangdong had taken first place by adeptly laying hoses up the stairway, while the Guizhou Brigade, with Gui Qiang stumbling and bruising his leg, ca in twenty-second in the first round.
They were forced to make a last-minute substitution, with Liu Shoulin replacing Gui Qiang for the second round.
The coordination was off, and the best they managed was thirteenth place.
Fortunately, in the high-altitude mountain rescue event, Guangdong ca fifth, but they clinched first place.
According to the overall scores, they would have lost if Guangdong reached the top three in this event.
In the end, Hunan was pushed to third and Liaoning to fourth.
Fang Huai’s heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down.
The hearts of Hunan and Liaoning, which had loudly claid to vie for the championship before the competition, also settled down, but fell askew, shattering into eight pieces.
The other northern corps, equally as devastated, faced an unprecedented defeat off the top-three podium after being so confident before the competition, and the humiliation was as resounding as the hype. All gritted their teeth, seeing this as a great sha, and were determined to regain their stature the next year.
This determination was a crucial motivator in the Firefighting forces’ relentless pursuit of improvent.
Next to Captain Zhang, Hu Peizhou strained a smile and said:
"Congratulations, Captain Zhang! Your corps has won this year, finally redeeming yourselves. Having Fang Huai on your team is a good on for the coming year."
Captain Zhang, with his hands behind his back, chuckled, "The other comrades also worked hard! Ah, but thankfully, this lad’s my own nephew, otherwise, the other corps might be trying to poach him."
Hu Peizhou smiled: "This ti, it’s your turn to poach from the other corps. Last night, Fang Huai already drafted a list of three individuals and showed . Apart from Jiang Yonghui from the Northeast, there’s also Luo Ye from Chongqing, and Shen Danian from Henan. He said he’s already discussed it with them. It seems he’s casually capturing the championship while recruiting talents on the side; competing on one hand and attracting the best on the other."
As they spoke, Fang Huai was already coming down from the river crossing platform, with mbers from the Guizhou Brigade imdiately crowding around him, while individuals from other brigades also ca up to congratulate the pillar of the brigade,
Leaving Captain Zhang and Hu Peizhou sowhat in the cold.
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