For the soldiers, crossing obstacles was not too difficult. After all, it was part of their regular training.
But for ordinary people, it was far from simple. It was not as if they had never seen such drills before, but truly imagining themselves doing it was another matter altogether.
At this moment, Lan Jin could only think, thank goodness there was no time limit. Otherwise, she really would have no idea how long it might take her to finish.
…
Under Brother Zhang's orders, everyone gathered at the starting line in an orderly manner. When his whistle blew, the team lined up properly and began one after another.
Lan Jin had no experience, but she was not stupid. She deliberately placed herself closer to the back, letting those in front go first. That way, she could observe as she ran, learn from their movements, and then combine what she saw with her own attempts. After a full lap, she had basically figured out the basics.
After two more laps, she was already moving smoothly. But the time lost in the beginning was not so easy to make up. By the time others had finished ten laps, Lan Jin had only done six.
She thought she was the slowest, but unexpectedly, someone else was even further behind.
At this point, Pei Xin was being chased and scolded by Captain Zhang because she had not even finished one lap yet. With that level of stamina, even if she had pulled strings to be placed here, it seemed meaningless.
Just as Lan Jin began her seventh lap, she happened to pass Pei Xin. Gritting her teeth, Pei Xin pointed at Lan Jin's back and said, "Why do you only yell at me but not her?"
"She's on her seventh lap. What lap are you on?" Captain Zhang snapped. But he did not let Lan Jin off either. He shouted at her back, "Everyone else is already done. Why are you still dragging your feet on the track? Speed up! Do you want lunch or not?"
Speed up.
Of course, Lan Jin wanted to. But her body still needed time to adjust.
Finally, after some time, she managed to finish her ten laps and return to the rest area.
She was not utterly exhausted, but Lao Gao immediately pointed out, "Sister Lan has no experience. When climbing that high wall, you should run straight up, jump, grab the top, and haul yourself over in one move. Instead, you stopped at the bottom, stepped back, then jumped, then climbed slowly. That wasted a lot of time. Aside from that, you were fine."
Others nodded. "Yes, that part wasted too much time. Everywhere else, especially crawling, you were fast. But at that wall, you lost too many minutes."
Lao Gao brought her back to the climbing obstacle and demonstrated once. Lan Jin imitated him a few times and soon realized it was not that difficult after all.
"Alright, I got it."
But despite Lan Jin's delays, compared to her, Pei Xin had not even finished two laps by then.
By the time Pei Xin collapsed at the end of her second lap, lunch had already long passed. Ling Jiang grew anxious, and in the end, had no choice but to call Grandma Ling and ask her to wait a little longer.
Finally, the morning training ended.
With no one bothering about Pei Xin, the group picked up their personal items and left the special training room.
Along the way, Lao Shi tried several times to strike up a conversation, but Ling Jiang ignored him every single time. Zhou Zhiye remained near Lao Shi, but his expression made it clear he wanted no part in such interactions.
After climbing one flight of stairs, Shen Zhiyan pulled over her twin brother, Shen Zhiyu, and introduced him, "Hello, I am Shen Zhiyan. This is my brother Shen Zhiyu. I just introduced you to the others earlier."
Lan Jin and Ling Jiang immediately greeted them. "Hello, I am Lan Jin."
"Ling Jiang."
"Call me Lao Gao."
"I am Huang Jinghe."
"Hello, Shen Zhiyu."
Lao Shi and Zhou Zhiye were nearby and introduced themselves as well. "Lao Shi, from J city base."
"Zhou Zhiye, from the H city base mental health clinic."
After introductions were complete, the group walked upstairs together. Shen Zhiyan and Shen Zhiyu chatted a bit, then asked, "Are you going to the cafeteria to eat? Let's go together."
"Sure," Ling Jiang said quickly, "but I need to pick up my grandma first."
Lan Qiaoqiao usually attended kindergarten Monday through Friday, and meals there were provided. Only yesterday, being Sunday, had she stayed by her side. At this time, only Grandma Ling was waiting alone in the base's main hall. No wonder Ling Jiang was anxious.
Ling Jiang hurried upstairs in two steps at a time. At a glance, she saw Grandma Ling waiting obediently in the hall. Seeing that Grandma Ling was safe, Ling Jiang finally breathed out and told the others, "There she is."
The Shen siblings followed her gaze. When they saw the old woman with a head of white hair but brimming with energy, they could hardly believe it.
Though Ling Jiang had called her "grandma," her age seemed far too advanced.
Shen Zhiyan asked Lan Jin quietly, "How old is Ling Jiang's grandma?"
"Over eighty."
"Over eighty? That is incredible. Her energy is amazing."
Not only was she spirited, her health was excellent. After greetings, the old lady climbed the stairs by herself, queued up for food, carried her bowl steadily without trembling, finished everything in her bowl, lined up again to wash her dishes, and then walked home without even needing Ling Jiang's help. Honestly, if Ling Jiang were not so worried, Grandma Ling could have managed everything on her own.
Her vigor truly made the Shen siblings envious. Compared to many young people, she seemed even stronger. Compared to their own mother—
Forget it. Best not to say it aloud, or their mother would nag again.
…
The morning obstacle training had only been practice. The real training began in the afternoon.
This time, the rule was the same: ten laps in one and a half hours. But the difficulty had been multiplied several times. And for every lap not finished, an equal number would be added.
Without exception, Lan Jin failed to complete the ten laps within the time. She had laps added. She was not alone; more than a dozen others also failed.
There was no choice. Not only were the laps increased, but Captain Zhang chased after them the whole time, shouting at them relentlessly until the very last person finished.
Back with the team, Lan Jin drank some water. She had not wanted to speak, but finally muttered, "He has been yelling all day. Will his throat even work tomorrow?"
Captain Zhang immediately glared at her. "Not your concern. Do you want another punishment?"
Lan Jin shut her mouth at once and said no more.
But training was not endless torment. The schedule was fixed tightly. If it said a session lasted from this hour to that, then it did. Only in special circumstances would there be delays.