After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

A group of 18 people, each ready to compete, taking about two minutes each, it took quite a while before it was Fang Huai’s turn to go again.

Fang Huai, Hao Chengbin, and a few other old soldiers simply walked over to the flowerbeds nearby, planning to sit and chat for a while.

Squad Leader Lin from the sixth period patted Fang Huai on the shoulder and began to speak,

"Just now, when you were climbing over the obstacle, you seemed a bit flustered, and you hesitated on the bridge. Work through the psychological issues, and things will improve a lot.

This time, the leadership at the head of the corps holds you in high regard, and such opportunities are rare. Perform well and aim for a dazzling result."

Upon hearing this, Hao Chengbin was somewhat surprised, "Why would this guy have psychological issues? His psyche is so strong it’s almost a problem!

Ever since we joined the new recruit group, of the 10 new recruits in our class, I’ve never once seen him cry! Fang Huai, what happened?"

Fang Huai shook his head, smiling, "There’s no real issue. Speaking about it now, I’d seem sentimental. I’ve already come to terms with it."

YourStoryIsOverYet?

However, Squad Leader Lin looked at Fang Huai and persuasively said,

"When I used to lead soldiers, I studied psychology, especially the small issues. You shouldn’t let them build up; you need to properly channel them out.

If you accumulate too much, when you think there are problems in every aspect of life, you will develop feelings of disenchantment, which are more severe than a one-time emotional outburst."

Here, all the squad leaders are old hands at this, and we like to listen to these trifling matters. Share it, and let us hear."

The other squad leaders were also showing great interest, their faces expressing "Tell us what’s bothering you, so we can enjoy it too."

Hao Chengbin slapped his thigh in agreement, "Right! When facing issues, talk about them!"

Fang Huai chuckled.

A brown-nosing moment from Squad Leader Hao.

But he heeded the advice and candidly said,

"I just feel like I’ve failed as a person. When I was in the new recruit group, I thought I handled myself and others pretty well. After being assigned to the squad, I even quietly scoffed at many people who couldn’t speak well.

But gradually, as my abilities improved, the number of people who disliked me grew.

I suddenly realized that my people skills were no better than anyone else’s.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never been under such scrutiny before; I want to do everything well, but it feels somewhat beyond my reach."

With that, he laughed self-deprecatingly.

Life is fucking movie.

The old squad leaders listened with amusement.

It’s not that they found such a concern insignificant or unworthy of concern.

Rather, having spent a long time in the military and being respected by everyone, it had been a while since anyone had talked to them about such "little worries."

They found it intriguing.

Also, I Am Not Alone.

"Who hasn’t experienced such times?" Squad Leader Lin said with a laugh:

"When I was a new recruit, there was a fellow same-year soldier whose family was well-off. He received a box of imported biscuits from home and shared them with several same-year soldiers but not with me.

I was upset about that for over half a year.

I felt he looked down on me for being a rural soldier and was ostracizing me.

My pride was strong, and I worked hard to prove myself, became a squad leader, and even though he was clearly inferior to me, he still looked down on me.

In the third year, when he was about to be discharged, I couldn’t hold back and asked him why he didn’t share the biscuits with me. He didn’t tell me and I still remember the arrogance in his eyes at that time.

Later, my same-year soldiers told me, it might be because he disliked my slight body odor, or it could be because I didn’t speak Mandarin well at the time, often using local colloquialisms that he didn’t like to hear.

Eventually, I came to terms with it. Some people’s dissatisfaction with you could be due to various reasons, and some small-mindedness you can never fathom, no matter how hard you try, you can’t change it.

Everything has a cost. If the effort you put into something is much less than the reward, then you need to consider whether it’s worth it.

The same goes for those desperately buying cars and mansions in society, exhausting a lifetime mostly for the sake of others’ opinions, just like how I was preoccupied with the biscuit that someone looked down on me for not giving.

I was lucky, during the time I was preoccupied, I gained something, but most people are not so fortunate.

I can’t think of an experience exactly like yours to share, but I can share my own experiences with you. As for what you can take away from that, it’s up to you to comprehend."

Everyone was listening with keen interest.

Fang Huai’s pent-up emotions were indeed somewhat alleviated.

It wasn’t that the stories were particularly engrossing, but rather Squad Leader Lin’s deep voice was so soothing.

He rattled on until Fang Huai was nearly dozing off.

Plus, seeing several other old squad leaders who were unrelated to him looking at him intently, with an air of "Do you understand?" made him feel that there was indeed a profound sense of camaraderie in the military.

So he smiled shyly and said,

"I understand, Squad Leader."

Squad Leader Lin nodded in satisfaction.

The other old squad leaders also beamed with maternal pride, feeling that the young man before them was just too kind, wearing his heart on his sleeve for everyone to see.

Little did they know, if those advising him were a group of first and second-stage officers from the training team, Fang Huai would probably have stood up with a snide smile on his face by now.

Oh my god, preaching some vague online platitudes to me, a future internet celebrity? Trying to fool me? I’ll annihilate your so-called absolutes!

Wearing your heart on your sleeve? The Burmese kind, want one?

...

"Go for it! Fang Huai, go for it!"

The old squad leaders weren’t just casually cheering with folded arms as before, but were unabashedly shouting out loud in encouragement for the young man.

The others from the Guiyang Regiment were also spurred on by the squad leaders’ encouragement.

As Fang Huai once again stood at the starting line, he no longer harbored those personal emotions, but instead repeatedly recalled the soaring sense of honor when the national firefighters competed on the world stage.

Now standing on the provincial competition field, next was the Southwest region, the national level competition field.

I am invincible.

For him personally, the new recruit era was over. After this martial arts competition, training would no longer be merely for survival in the troops, but like a professional old soldier, he would continue to climb for personal and collective honor.

The precondition is, to win.

To keep winning!

Those behind him, Lian Xu, Tao Dongdong, Liu Shoulin, and even many who were paying attention to Fang Huai, felt that at this moment, Fang Huai had changed.

Of course, it wasn’t any sort of bullsh*t aura.

It was that his back had straightened, and his arms and legs, moving slightly, had become more relaxed.

This was the state of a professional athlete relaxing his muscles.

"Alright!" Fang Huai raised his hand nonchalantly—or indeed casually—and shouted a signal.

"On your marks!"

Bow the body, get ready.

"On your marks... go!"

Like an arrow off its bowstring, drawing a sword from its sheath.

Fang Huai sprinted with all his might, slightly lifted his head, looked up at the barrier, jumped accurately at the spot 40 centimeters in front of the barrier, almost perfectly overlapping with the silhouette in his mind.

Step onto the board and rise.

Combat boots, not very comfortable.

A fleeting thought passed, Fang Huai pressed on the board with his left hand, slightly raised his right to maintain balance, and vaulted over sideways.

"Good!" Squad Leader Lin from behind applauded.

With this vault over the barrier, his skill level rose instantly.

Fang Huai picked up two hoses, lifted them with both hands, slightly spread out, maintaining balance.

When crossing the bridge, no longer timid, he went over at a steady pace!

Murmurs of countless thoughts rose from the crowd behind.

Done.

Just now, everyone could see where Fang Huai’s speed was lacking, but this bridge crossing, while not exactly heroic, was without any flaws.

The starting line referee looked at his stopwatch again.

The first two digits, 11.

He couldn’t help but nod.

We’ve got it, this time it’s good.

"Click."

Fang Huai approached the hose splitter in quick steps, with a crisp sound, the hose in his hand was connected to the interface again, and his speed had hardly decreased at all.

The final potential point of error, Fang Huai executed it in an astonishing manner.

However, the competitors behind thought.

Gone, it’s gone, gone again.

This event, the first place has been taken away again.

This person, always capable of demonstrating the best form we all dream of, time and time again.

Does he ever make a mistake? Rushing like that, isn’t he afraid of missing the connection?

Several of the people resting seated at the back had already stood up, hands on hips, pacing around, not wanting to hear the result.

However, it was impossible.

"18 seconds 64!!" the finish line referee roared.

"Hahaha... *burp*."

Hao Chengbin laughed crazily, until a loud belch interrupted him.

"Fang Huai! You’ve broken, *burp*, the record!"

"Ah, *burp*, Damn."

Hao Chengbin once again amused some people who were too astonished to laugh.

When Fang Huai returned with the hoses, Hao Chengbin was already holding a bottle of water handed to him by a Head of the Corps squad leader, tilting his head back and guzzling down.

"Squad leader, what did you just say?"

Hao Chengbin put down the bottle of water, leveled his breath:

"*Burp*..."

Towards Fang Huai, he let out a long belch, Fang Huai frowned and took three steps back, repelled by the smell.

Although Fang Huai didn’t return to the squadron for lunch today, he now had a very good idea of what the squadron had for lunch.

Oh my god, eating like a cloud.

"Broke the record! The Detachment’s record!" After the belch, Hao Chengbin continued to say.

Upon hearing this, Fang Huai was a bit let down: "Uh..."

A Detachment record, what’s so exciting about that?

But, Liu Shoulin sitting on the ground was puzzled:

"Squad Leader Hao, are you mistaken? This event is He Zhijun’s strong suit! Last year at the Grand Martial Arts Competition, his result was 17 seconds 4!

He even reached 17 seconds 3 during Detachment training!

He Zhijun... isn’t he from our Detachment?"

Hao Chengbin was stunned for a moment.

Then, the excitement from before was gone: "Oh, I remembered it wrong, I broke the Anshun Brigade’s record, sorry about that, Fang Huai, you keep it up."

The Anshun Brigade was cursed.

And they complained.

Damn it, how did the Detachment ever train such an annoying old squad leader?!

Fang Huai twisted his mouth.

I’m used to it.

In front of Squad Leader Hao, any record made by someone else isn’t considered a record.

Only the fastest record could excite him.

I wonder how his wife is dealing with it.

Fang Huai mocked inwardly as he went to the referees to inquire about the rankings.

He was firmly in first place.

The second place competitor, with a time of 19 seconds 02, had a name he had not heard before; it seemed he specialized in this event, but to have trained to such a level was impressive.

Third place, Gui Qiang, 19 seconds 2.

Forth place was Lian Xu, 19 seconds 32.

The Liupanshui Regiment had taken a state of meditative awareness.

But Fang Huai, unusually, didn’t speak ill in a roundabout way as a post-battle summary, instead, he glanced at the other competitions on the playground and shook his hands.

The remaining events were all about endurance.

Let’s go, push myself once more.