Chapter 104: Chapter 103: Nicknames and Demonstrators

When Ling Chengyan was about to leave, the instructor grading the papers advised her not to get angry with the new recruits, to speak nicely, and that getting worked up wasn’t worth it, and so on.

Upon returning to the Automobile Company, Ling Chengyan called out the two unqualified new recruits separately, and without scolding, she had them get in the vehicle for hands-on practice. They had to explain the theoretical basis while operating.

Don’t know how? Fine, memorize it on the spot. If you can’t memorize it, you’ll miss dinner. Still can’t get it right? Then breakfast the next day is gone as well…

The two struggled with memorization until they were almost half dead but feared Ling Chengyan’s superior strength, too afraid to complain… When the two finally passed through Ling Chengyan’s intensive study session and returned to the dorm, it was already lights-out time. They hadn’t had a chance to even drink water before being forced to rest, went to bed with hunger, and dreamt all night of looking for food. When they finally found some, Ling Chengyan would suddenly leap out, forcing them to memorize and answer questions. Once or twice would have been tolerable, but after dreaming like this all night, one of them ended up crying.

Their dorm mates were woken by the crying and came over to check on them, hearing the recruit sobbing and pleading, “Lieutenant Ling, please let me have a bite of bread, I’m starving… boohoo… Lieutenant Ling, please let me eat something, I promise I’ll memorize well… boohoo…”

The one having nightmares didn’t wake, but their dorm mates were all shocked—Lieutenant Ling, turns out, is so terrifying!

The next day, when Ling Chengyan went to the training ground to lead the recruits in exercises, she noticed the recruits looked at her with peculiar eyes, both curious and fearful, sneaking glances at her but averting their gazes like startled rabbits when she looked back at them.

Is she a wicked person? Or a fierce beast?!

Comrade Ling Chengyan was unaware that she had hit the truth.

The sorrowful experiences of the two recruits reshaped the recruits’ perception of Ling Chengyan; she was not only a marksmanship expert, a strong combatant, and highly skilled, but also ruthless and intimidating. Someone even gave her the nickname ’She-Tiger’!

Ling ’She-Tiger’ Chengyan didn’t know her fearsome reputation had spread through the entire camp. She thought the recruits were quite manageable. She treated them to dumplings, and they lined up neatly, maintained excellent dorm organization, and even their dedication and diligence in learning repair and driving work improved significantly, earning them two commendations from the company commander and instructor.

After resting at home for two weeks, Wang Liansheng returned to work at the end of 1978, joining a local government agency. With a promotion, he was now a deputy section chief, moving from the office to personnel.

Just starting his job and being a deputy, Wang Liansheng’s work was relatively relaxed, typically keeping regular working hours.

The recruits passed their theoretical assessments and learned driving from their mentors, quickly becoming proficient. On trips, they were no longer mere ’vehicle escorts’ but substitute drivers, able to take over segments of long-distance driving.

As the new recruits’ platoon leader, Ling Chengyan clearly felt an accelerated pace in the recruits learning to drive. Originally requiring at least a six-month training period, not to mention she’s an exception, the rest of these recruits were road-ready after only two months.

Additionally, Ling Chengyan noticed that the supplies being transported were increasing, mostly via railway lines, and the destination was primarily one place—the south.

Unbeknownst to anyone, New Year’s Day 1978 quietly arrived.

The day before New Year’s, Ling Chengyan received a new assignment to go south to escort vehicles. This time there were ten new vehicles in total.

The assignment was issued not only by the company commander and instructor but also Political Commissioner He and Staff Officer Xing. A total of twelve people were dispatched for this car retrieval mission, Ling Chengyan and Liu Xianghu as the two veterans, with the other ten chosen from among the recruits.

Ling Chengyan didn’t immediately provide a list of names but suggested holding a technical selection, allowing fair competition, with the winners forming the escort list.

Political Commissioner He and Staff Officer Xing exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement with Ling Chengyan’s suggestion.

Although the mission had the purpose of training, it couldn’t afford any mistakes. Selecting more technically mature recruits through competition to execute it was more reliable and reasonable.

Therefore, Ling Chengyan didn’t mention the competition when she returned but simply informed the three squad leaders that there was a task the next day; all recruits were heading out together.

By evening, the recruits had gradually returned, and soon it was common knowledge that there was a special assignment the next day.

The Political Commissioner and Staff Officer had no contact with the recruits, and neither the company commander nor instructor leaked any information, while Ling Chengyan hadn’t mentioned a word. Nobody knew about the car escort mission.

Everyone knew there was a special assignment for the recruits, but no one knew exactly what it was. Therefore, back at the dorm after dinner, while some were studying theory, others tidied up, but everyone was somewhat absent-minded, secretly pondering or discussing guesses—what was the task for tomorrow?

The next day, when Ling Chengyan went along with the company commander and instructor to the recruits’ platoon, they saw that all the recruits looked both curious and nervous.

The company commander and instructor stood aside, and Ling Chengyan organized the teams and announced the competition selection matters.

In the ranks, discipline was strict, and without permission, no small movements or talking were allowed, not even obvious facial expressions.

However, at that moment, everyone’s eyes darted around, and Ling Chengyan almost had the urge to knock on each one—a roll-eyed look with such lack of restraint might fly right out of the sockets.

The driver’s technical-tactical competition consisted first of driving, then vehicle maintenance and repair; was that enough?

Ling Chengyan, Lieutenant Ling and She-Tiger Ling, wants to tell you: No, merely being able to drive and repair vehicles is far from sufficient. As a military vehicle, it might be transporting crucial military supplies, so driving skills alone are not enough; certain combat abilities are also required.

Thus, in addition to driving and repair, there were two more competitions: shooting and hand-to-hand combat.

After Ling Chengyan finished announcing, she invited the company commander and instructor to speak.

The company commander, always serious and not fond of speaking, left it to Instructor Wu Yushu, who seemed much more approachable. He smiled as he stood in front of the ranks, “Since there’s going to be shooting and wrestling competitions, let’s find someone to demonstrate. Who do you want to demonstrate shooting and wrestling?”

“…”

Several lively recruits surprisingly disappointed the instructor this time; not a single one followed his lead to nominate the three-time champion and district shooting champion, Lieutenant Ling Chengyan, to demonstrate.

It’s not that they didn’t want to; it’s just that Lieutenant Ling’s legend was too terrifying. She nearly drove two people insane with ease!

Her combat prowess was too intimidating, and no one dared stand out, fearing they’d become the next victim of Ling ’She-Tiger’ Chengyan’s harsh regime!

“Oh, are you scared before the fight?” Wu Yushu, with over ten years of experience in ideological work, didn’t waste a moment and immediately used reverse psychology.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep