"Oh dear, I even have the excellent quality of guiding people towards goodness. I'm such a good person!" Li Ling chuckled.
Chen Xiwa felt relieved after hearing Li Ling's words, and then chuckled in agreement, "That's true. The army is so big, it's impossible for us to be unlucky enough to run into him, haha."
Then he gestured for Li Ling to eat the apple: "Eat the apple, eat the apple. I have more here. If you're not full, I have more."
Li Ling looked at the honest Chen Xiwa and a knowing smile appeared on his face.
Li Ling liked Chen Xiwa's honest and simple personality.
Li Ling remembered that Chen Xiwa was eliminated from the special forces assessment because he didn't know high school chemistry, and he would have to help him in the future.
The two were eating apples and chatting when Lao Pao glanced at Li Ling and narrowed his eyes slightly.
...
Three hours later, the train arrived at the station, and the new recruits were taken off the train and put into Dongfeng trucks covered with canvas.
When the canvas was lifted again, they had arrived at their destination, the 8th Special Regiment.
"Everyone get off the bus!"
A loud shout rang out, and the new recruits slung their backpacks over their shoulders and jumped off the truck.
Li Ling woke up the dozing Chen Xiwa and followed the others outside.
When they reached the back of the car, Chen Xiwa saw the old man standing below and his heart skipped a beat.
Is this a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road?
Chen Xiwa turned to look at Li Ling, a nervous expression on her face.
Li Ling, however, jumped off the truck without a care, patted Chen Xiwa on the shoulder, and pulled him to stand in the queue.
In the queue, Li Ling turned his head to look around. This should be the parking lot of the motor transport company.
A group of officers and sergeants in service uniforms stood quietly around them, looking at the new recruits with the same picky gaze as middle-aged women shopping at a market.
"New recruits, please be quiet. We will now begin the selection process."
The officer in charge of receiving the recruits began to speak, but the new recruits seemed not to hear him and remained in a chaotic mess.
"Don't speak!!"
The veteran's roar startled the new recruits, who dared not utter a word, and the arena gradually quieted down.
Seeing the unfriendly looks from the veterans, the new recruits instinctively straightened up and nervously looked at the officers in front of them.
The officer with the rank of lieutenant, seeing the new recruits had calmed down, spoke again: "Now we'll begin the selection process. Those selected, go over there and report to your platoon leader. Understand?"
"clear."
Although they had just been startled, new recruits are new recruits; their answers were sparse and indifferent.
"Did you all understand?!"
The veteran shouted again, and only then did the new recruits snap out of their daze, shouting in unison, "Understood!"
The lieutenant nodded in satisfaction and called out, "Squad Leader."
The veteran stepped forward and shouted, "Here!"
"You go first."
"yes!"
The veteran answered crisply and decisively, then strode to the left side of the formation.
He walked up to the first recruit and stared at him intently.
The new recruit standing at the front of the line felt embarrassed by the veteran's gaze, his face showing an expression of wanting to laugh but not daring to.
A smile appeared on the old man's serious face as he said gently, "Smile."
The recruit was stunned for a moment, then the veteran tapped him lightly and said, "Laugh!"
The new recruit then grinned, but the old soldier's smile vanished. He tilted his head and said, "Step forward."
The new recruits went straight to the assembly point, and the veterans looked them over one by one. To Li Ling, it felt like they were selecting livestock.
When Lao Pao walked up to Chen Xiwa, Chen Xiwa kept laughing foolishly at him. But Lao Pao's face darkened, and he said calmly, "Am I that funny?"
"Well……"
Chen Xiwa's smile froze on her face. She shook her head with a wide grin, looking in a way that was indescribably comical.
"Step forward."
Chen Xiwa sheepishly ran towards the meeting point.
Next, Lao Pao stopped in front of Li Ling without saying a word, just staring intently at him.
Li Ling remained expressionless, meeting the old gunman's gaze without flinching.
The veteran exudes a sharp and capable aura that creates a sense of inexplicable pressure on ordinary people.
But at this moment, the old man felt that he could hardly help but look away, because what he felt from Li Ling was an aura that made his heart tremble.
Throughout the entire group, he had only ever sensed that kind of aura from Miao Lian when he was angry.