The field was already packed with students by the time they arrived, rows upon rows of freshmen standing in loose formation under the morning sun.
A flagpole stood at the center of the field. As the last stragglers hurried into position, a sharp whistle cut through the air, and everyone fell silent.
The flag-raising ceremony began.
The national anthem played through crackling speakers as the flag climbed slowly up the pole. Students stood at attention the whole time.
Once the flag reached its peak, the main instructor stepped forward. He was a stern-looking man with a rigid posture and a voice that carried effortlessly across the field.
"Welcome to military training," he announced.
"For the next two weeks, you will learn discipline, endurance, and respect. Some of you may think this is but a formality. You will be corrected."
He paused, letting the words sink in.
"Work hard, follow instructions, and these two weeks will pass smoothly. Slack off, and you will regret it."
With that, the opening remarks concluded, and the students were divided into groups, each assigned a leader.
Lin Feng scanned the field until he spotted his group leader approaching.
Chen Ming really wasn't lying.
Their leader was a senior student - older, but not by much. And looking around, Lin Feng noticed that most of the other groups had senior leaders as well. Only a handful were led by actual military instructors.
The groups began to disperse, each moving to opposite ends of the field to claim their training space.
…
The warm-ups came first.
Their leader stood at the front, demonstrating each movement as the group followed along. Leg swings, gentle jogging in place, shoulder rolls - all standard exercises designed to loosen muscles and prevent injury. Nothing too demanding. A few students even started to relax.
Then came the first formal drill.
"Standing military posture," the leader announced. "Feet together. Weight balanced evenly. Hands flat against your trouser seams. Chin tucked slightly. And most importantly…" He paused, eyes sweeping across the group. "Do not move."
The group scrambled into position.
The leader began walking along the rows, inspecting each student with a critical eye. He stopped to correct a wrist angle here, push down a hunched shoulder there. No one was spared his scrutiny.
"This drill is about posture and endurance," he called out as he walked. "Precision matters, but so does stillness. Hold your position."
Minutes crawled by. Legs began to ache. Shoulders started to burn.
After what felt like an eternity, the leader finally called them to ease and moved on to the next segment.
"Now, the basic commands," he said. "Listen carefully. You will hear these constantly over the next two weeks."
He ran through the sequence: Attention. At ease. Turn right. Align. Regular march.
Each command was barked out sharply, and the group was expected to respond in unison - loudly.
"Again!" the leader shouted.
"YES, SIR!"
"Louder!"
"YES, SIR!"
Some students exchanged glances, a flicker of relief in their eyes. A few even allowed themselves to think that maybe - just maybe - this wouldn't be as brutal as they'd feared.
They were proven wrong almost instantly.
The intense drills began.
Running. Squats. More running. Formations. Quick pivots. Endless repetitions of the same movements until muscle memory took over - or until legs gave out, whichever came first.
Lin Feng found himself breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face as his lungs screamed for air.
Maybe my body... isn't as athletic as I thought.
He had assumed it was in decent shape. Compared to his forty-year-old body, this one had felt almost superhuman. But now, pushed to its limits, he realized the truth.
It was better than before. But "better" didn't mean "good."
…
After what felt like an eternity of drills, the leader finally raised his hand.
"Ten-minute break. Don't wander off."
The effect was immediate.
Some students collapsed onto the ground without a shred of dignity. Others bent over, hands braced against their knees, gasping for breath. A brave few remained standing, though they swayed slightly and looked moments away from joining the fallen.
Lin Feng wiped the sweat from his brow and scanned the crowd.
It didn't take long to spot Chen Ming, Li Jun, and Zhang Wei making their way toward him through the scattered bodies.
The four of them gathered together, still catching their breath.
It was time to make their move.
…
The break began, and the field descended into controlled chaos.
The group leaders gathered together at one corner of the field, chatting among themselves while keeping a loose eye on their charges. Meanwhile, the students were allowed to make their way to a small building at the edge of the field where water was available.
On the surface, this seemed like it would render Chen Ming's plan to stock up on water completely useless.
But the reality was far more complicated.
The crowd was massive. Hundreds of exhausted, dehydrated freshmen all funneling toward a single water station. The line stretched and coiled like a snake, barely moving. With only a few minutes of break time, most students would be lucky to even reach the front before the whistle blew again.
Some had already given up, choosing to suffer through the next round of drills rather than waste their break standing in a hopeless queue.
This was exactly where they came in.
Lin Feng and Chen Ming slipped into the building through a side entrance and emerged moments later carrying the crates of supplies. They set them down just outside, right next to the water tank - visible to anyone in line but positioned just right to avoid the leaders' line of sight.
Chen Ming patted Lin Feng on the shoulder.
Lin Feng nodded and stepped away, rejoining Li Jun and Zhang Wei.
The three of them began walking a casual loop around the queuing crowd, their eyes never straying too far from where the leaders had gathered. Their job was simple: keep watch and alert Chen Ming the moment any leader started heading back.
As for leaving Chen Ming to handle the sales alone?
No problem at all.
This was his specialty. He didn't need any help.