After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

January, mid-month.

Time flies, years pass by like a shuttle.

"Time flies, years pass by like a shuttle!"

In the grand conference hall, Fang Huai stood beside the rostrum, looking steadfastly at the audience below.

The new recruits below all had a look of longing on their faces.

Longing to fill their empty shoulders with those red epaulettes.

Looking at the people below now, they still seem a bit naive, but after today’s ceremony, when we look again, it will be a completely different sight.

Fang Huai, as the representative of the new recruits, spoke from his heart.

"We’ve been enlisted for a month and a half, and in this time, we’ve completed the transformation from local youths to real soldiers in thought.

Today is our collective coming-of-age ceremony.

Not as adults, but as persons!

As soldier people!

The squad leader says that we firemen are a colorful bunch of soldier people.

We have green military uniforms, dark blue firefighting combat suits, orange emergency rescue suits, yellow light chemical protection suits, dark green fire-shielding suits, silver heat-insulating suits, and orange-red beekeeping suits.

Each color we wear represents a type of disaster and a signal, a special danger!

As firefighter soldiers, we should be like water, able to douse the fierce flames.

But we are also like fire.

For the needs of the people, we should have the enthusiasm of fire!

Among the public are our parents and family, classmates and friends, and countless others’ parents and children, to whom we should..."

After the three-minute speech, Fang Huai saluted, and the hall erupted in applause.

"Next, I invite the Chief of Staff of the whole corps, Colonel Huang Dongjun to speak, and to announce the order of promotion!"

The colonel stood up promptly, gave a swift salute, and picked up the speech, his voice grave and deliberate.

Guipu.

"Comrades, to bestow a rank is to assign a mission, to take an oath is to deploy for battle! This is a significant moment in your life’s journey, and I hope you will always remember your mission...

Now I will announce Guizhou Fire Brigade Headquarters Order No. 2007-121. In accordance with ’The Service Regulations for Active Duty Soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army’ and other relevant provisions, the rank of Soldier is hereby conferred to Zhang Hailong, Liu Bing, Fang Huai, and 812 other comrades!"

Fang Huai and six new recruits quickly went up to the stage, saluting each of the seven leaders in turn.

Directly opposite Fang Huai was the farthest Regiment Commander.

"Begin the promotion ceremony!"

As the voice faded, the Regiment Commander took the new recruits’ military rank stripes and golden epaulettes passed to him by a squad leader and started to affix them to Fang Huai.

During the process, both Fang Huai and the Regiment Commander kept a solemn expression, but their conversation was surprisingly mundane.

"Young man, how is it going? We’ve applied to the headquarters to add one and a half yuan to each person’s meal allowance, and now there’s an extra dish in every meal; is the food enough now?"

Fang Huai laughed: "Commander, it’s always been enough!"

"Oh?" The Regiment Commander raised his eyebrows: "Enough, yet you reported in the questionnaire that the dishes were not sufficient? You even signed your name. What’s going on, someone impersonating you?"

Damn, I forgot about that.

"Hehe, Commander, it’s enough now, the meals are especially good!" Fang Huai said with an embarrassed laugh.

The Regiment Commander didn’t fuss about it and brought up an even more important matter: "You’ll be back to the Company in a month or so, and the song production you’re working on has been approved. You can start now.

The Chief of Staff will come to see you in a bit. Discuss your ideas with him. There are also two officers from the propaganda department who will be in charge.

Before you return to the Company, make sure to handle everything well!"

Fang Huai chuckled: "Commander... about that military merit that the Chief of Staff promised me..."

"It’s been a long time coming! What are you anxious about? Just do your work well!" scolded the Regiment Commander, and then the insignia was in place.

With a firm pat on Fang Huai’s chest, he said: "If you do well, both the Base and the Guiyang Regiment will commend you for your merits!"

"Yes, sir!" Fang Huai saluted.

The other new recruits had also finished affixing their insignia and saluted.

Applause erupted from the audience as the new recruits stepped down from the stage in sequence.

General Luo looked at the new recruits sitting up straight with their red epaulettes, uttered a "hmph" of slight satisfaction.

A captain rushed to the spot where Fang Huai had given his speech and shouted, "All rise!"

The leaders on the stage also stood up, their faces solemn.

The captain raised his clenched right hand, speaking with clear and forceful diction: "I am a soldier of the People’s Armed Police forces of China, and I swear!"

"I swear!"

"To follow the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, to serve the people wholeheartedly, to obey orders, to observe discipline, to battle bravely, not to fear sacrifice, to be loyal to my duties, to strive hard at work, to diligently train in combat skills, and to resolutely complete all tasks. Under any circumstances, I will never betray the motherland or desert the army!"

In that year, Fang Huai was using the 10th edition of the People’s Liberation Army’s oath from 1997.

By 2010, it had been modified to be more concise.

But he had asked the new recruits, and it still contained the phrase "to diligently train in combat skills." This particular line once troubled the former Fang Huai, who felt like he wasn’t a proper soldier.

Must soldiers all diligently train in combat skills?

What combat skills can the firefighters train in?

However, he heard that later the oath was changed to "diligently train in military skills" for the People’s Armed Police. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In this area, the firefighting forces were a bit of a mess compared to other troops.

Be it People’s Armed Police or the People’s Liberation Army, whatever belonged to the forces was ours. The police cadres’ duty management system was also ours, anything good was adopted for our use.

The firefighting forces were like a young man nurtured by several mothers-in-law; anything that could keep these hot-headed youths in check was considered good.

...

In this period, Fang Huai was receiving fewer and fewer system tasks.

For a whole half month, only four tasks had been assigned, strengthening his kidneys once.

One task was to give advice to Squad Leader Pan Zhaohui to placate his angry girlfriend.

Another was to suggest to Squad Leader Huang that he apply for a financial study class.

One was for Squad Leader Pan, who unexpectedly asked Fang Huai to help him optimize the investment strategy for his modest savings of thirty thousand.

That time was truly difficult.

Fang Huai spent an entire week promoting in the company that he had an uncle who was a manager in a securities company, and that before joining the army, his family made a fortune following his uncle’s inside information, and they were still making money.

He spoke with such conviction.

It was only then that Pan Zhaohui tentatively inquired about whether he had heard any profitable financial funds from his manager uncle.

Fang Huai pretended to be conflicted for quite a while before he recommended a Golden Eagle Small and Medium-cap fund, and he insisted, secretly, that it must not be discussed with others.

Two more days passed before the task was completed.

Old Pan truly had serious suspicions.

Now, I still have one task at hand, which hasn’t been completed even after half a month.

To get Han Yong down to 160 pounds.

In the half a month since the task was assigned, Fang Huai cajoled and dragged Han Yong to do evening exercises and long-distance running every day, finally making him look a little slimmer.

Difficult to handle, this guy is soft on the outside but tense on the inside, a typical case of pseudo-athletic physique.

There’s no scale in the company, so I don’t know how much he weighs now; anyway, I can only keep pushing him to do continuous aerobic exercise.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever complete this task in my lifetime.

All in all, this damned system gradually turned into a neighborhood committee system, with little Fang Huai bearing the burdens of life’s troubles from familiar folks in the entire company.

A neighborhood committee would have been fine, but there wasn’t even a single task this week.

Fang Huai was desperately longing to be assigned to the next unit, fearing that only a new location or an emergency would trigger more new tasks.

In the words of online gaming, it’s like this map has been almost thoroughly explored.

Considering the probability of system task triggers, it’s now entered the "post-new recruit group era."

...

After the meeting, the new recruits returned to the New Training Building, slapping each other’s shoulders in the corridor, enjoying the texture of their new hard shoulder patches.

We’re finally regular army!

Fang Huai chatted with Hao Chengbin about formation transition on the way back to the squad, and as if by agreement, all the new recruits in the squad stood up neatly and saluted.

"Squad Leader good! Deputy Squad Leader good!"

"Wow, that startled me." Fang Huai jumped in shock.

Since his rebirth, it was the first time anyone had greeted him like that.

Hao Chengbin was more accustomed to such scenes and nodded appreciatively before turning to Fang Huai, patting his shoulder, and laughing.

"Hmm... Fang Huai has also worked hard lately, whether in drills, physical training, or regulations studies, you’ve been an example to them all!

It’s right to greet the Deputy Squad Leader, but you and they are same year soldiers! No need for greetings!

Today you’ve also been promoted. Remember! You’ve undergone a fundamental change from who you were before enlistment!

There’s just over a month till you move on to the next unit. Ask yourself if your physical fitness is up to standard if your drills meet the mark..."

Squad Leader Hao was about to launch into a long lecture on educating the new recruits when a loud shout from Wang Jian echoed down the corridor.

"Fang Huai!"

Fang Huai quickly opened the door: "Present!"

The higher-ups didn’t send an instructor to fill the gap, saying that it was close to the end of the year, plus it was the crucial year of 2008, and the grassroots cadres were all very busy, so they asked me to manage.

As a result, Wang Lian was becoming lazier in learning nowadays.

He relied on shouting for communication, hardly ever using the phone to call anyone anymore, just opening the door and yelling.

I’m not sure if it’s just to vent so that the Regiment Department downstairs can hear.

"Come to the Brigade Department!"

"Yes!"

Without waiting for Hao Chengbin’s command, Fang Huai simply exchanged a look with him and then left the room.

Over such a long time, many rules had been established, and some could now be relaxed.

Of course, it’s only the Deputy Squad Leader who could relax; if anyone else went out without permission, they would get beaten up.

Fang Huai was no ordinary person in Squad Nine, throughout the company, even the entire regiment, he was quite a special existence now.

When Fang Huai entered the Brigade Department, he saw a long-lost mobile phone on the desk, along with a stack of leave forms.

"Here, sign all these," Wang Jian pointed to the leave forms on the desk.

Fang Huai was stunned: "...What do you mean, Wang Lian?"

Wang Jian waved his hand, his expression somewhat urgent: "The Chief of Staff said you’re starting to work on song production from today. Hurry up a bit; two staffers from the propaganda department are waiting for you downstairs.

The reason... just write ’official business’, don’t fill in the date, write ten forms first."

Fang Huai then started writing the leave forms.

Wang Jian pushed the mobile phone and charger over as well: "The Chief of Staff told me to hand them over to you for now. Remember, you can only use them once you’re outside the base gates, and you have to hand them over to Squad Leader Hao for safekeeping when you return."

Fang Huai listened without changing expression, even furrowing his brows in a look of concern.

"Go now? Won’t it interfere with the evening exercise?"

Wang Jian looked helpless: "I can’t help you with that; you have to negotiate with the Chief of Staff, only free in the afternoon through the evening. The Chief of Staff said to try not to disrupt regular training."

"Oh..." Fang Huai sounded somewhat "disappointed."

Afterward, he carefully took the mobile phone and charger, turning to leave.

Only then did he let a restrained smile slip.

Damn, I can use a mobile phone now!

Going downstairs, Fang Huai handed the leave forms to the perplexed Guard Post Leader, who confirmed with the Regiment Department over the two-way radio for quite a while before letting Fang Huai go.

As he left, the squad leader behind him murmured.

"Damn... how big must the connections be for a new recruit to go through this door?"

...

Fang Huai paid no mind to their astonishment, just feeling smug, pondering who his first call should be.

"You’re Fang Huai, right?" Suddenly, a female voice called to him.

Fang Huai turned, immediately standing at attention: "Yes!"

"My name is Zhang Ning, come on, get in my car."