After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

The News Broadcast had ended.

By regulation, after watching the News Broadcast, the duty squad leader should report to the Squadron Department to discuss what to do next.

But today, there were way too many duty squad leaders.

Four squads, eight squad leaders and deputy squad leaders, minus Jiang Jun who was on leave and Liu Jianfeng on guard duty, five people all stood at the door of the Squadron Department to report.

Captain Hao sauntered over happily with his hands behind his back.

Everyone wanted to know whether Fang Huai came out on top or not in this gamble in the Squadron Department.

"Come in."

The one who called them in was Fang Huai himself.

Everyone outside the door was stunned for a moment upon hearing the voice. Then, opening the door, they were stunned again.

Fang Huai was leaning against an office desk, looking quite relaxed, opposite three cadres sitting on the couch.

"What’s up?" Fang Huai turned his head and frowned, "Why are so many people here?"

Seeing Fang Huai like this, the comrades from the countryside instantly knew that Demon King Fang was still Demon King Fang.

Zhao Jinchen, standing at the front, immediately adopted a serious expression and said:

"Report! The News Broadcast has finished!"

Fang Huai didn’t respond.

And Cao Yi, who had also just finished watching the news, was still in shock from the earth-shattering news.

Huang Zhongjiu was visibly flustered.

Logically, since it was the weekend, the plan was to arrange a political study session, but he had just received a political lesson himself and was unsure whether he should be the teacher or the student now.

Dammit, this tiger skin was too big; thrown onto his head, it left him in darkness.

He originally thought that Fang Huai could at most pull off a one-against-two fight, but instead, he pushed them both over at the same time.

One against three!

Seeing those soldiers wanting to see him embarrassed, Huang Zhongjiu really wanted to stand up boldly and shout, "I’m the Deputy Instructor, I’ve flubbed up!"

But he knew that if he shouted that, he might not be the Deputy Instructor the next day.

Such a big flag couldn’t be waved by a mere Regular Company Captain; it was more than he could handle.

In the end, he would have to slink away from the Squadron, and the upcoming days might not give him a fourth chance to go down to the grassroots level. To be transferred out of active duty over the age limit at 35 for a Regular Company rank seemed like fate.

...With this failure, the knees of Third Company might not last until 35.

The smart choice was to keep silent.

Look at the ceiling, yes, just look at the ceiling.

But a voice brought his gaze back.

"Instructor Huang, you’re arranging the weekend, right?... I just heard from them that this week’s training was quite exhausting. Could I request, please, to let them have some free time this weekend?"

The voice was quite polite.

Request, sir.

Much more pleasant than how he had spoken before.

Huang Zhongjiu’s complexion regained some of its color.

So, I can still give orders?

"Uh... Squad Leader Zhao, go ahead and arrange for some rest first."

Zhao Jinchen whipped out his whistle faster than a freakin’ American-style quick draw.

"Ju~ ju! Rest!"

"Yay!!"

The whole Squadron cheered like a pack of wild wolves.

"No rush." Cao Yi suddenly stood up and said, "Blow the whistle to assemble. Fang Huai’s back, and there are some things we need to arrange."

"Hey, hey, hey."

Fang Huai stepped forward to stop him and said, "Instructor Cao, why have a meeting on the big weekend? Besides, you haven’t understood the situation yet. How can you make an announcement? Wait until I explain it to you clearly. If we have the meeting tomorrow night, it’ll still be fine."

After that, he turned around, gestured to Zhao Jinchen with his eyes, and closed the door.

The wild wolves outside the door instantly turned into weasels, suppressing their excitement and sneaking off towards the long-missed Happy area on the third floor.

That’s right! What meeting on the big weekend? Fang Huai really knows what we need!

Only then did Fang Huai turn back around, wearing a sheepish grin again, and said, "Secretary, I have another matter to discuss with you about this Party building..."

...

The sky over the Liberation Zone was clear.

But what no one had expected was that half an hour later, a face that everyone deeply loathed appeared in the Liberation Zone.

That live landmine of a man, Huang Zhongjiu, had returned to the third floor.

When some saw him, they immediately thought it was all over, this guy was going to cause trouble again.

But today, Instructor Huang wasn’t quick-stepping into the Microcomputer Room like usual, barking at everyone like some suddenly appearing homeroom teacher.

Instead, he maintained a barely one-fifth genuine smile as Fang Huai led him into the lounge with two single wave-shaped sofas in Changsha style.

As soon as the two entered, Liu Jianfeng and Hu Hongzhi who had just finished their shift emerged with faces full of fear.

Oh my god, how did Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf end up together?

Fang Pleasant Goat, you have to hold firm to your principles! You represent our Sheep Village!

Inside, the door closed.

"Instructor Huang, please have a seat."

Fang Huai entered the room and waited for Huang Zhongjiu to sit down before he took a seat on another sofa, leaned back, and showed a look of comfort. Then he let out a long sigh.

"Ugh..."

He then began to take off his shoes and socks.

Huang Zhongjiu caught sight of Fang Huai’s movements from the corner of his eye and turned his head, a bit puzzled, to look at him.

Do you think you’re in a foot massage parlor or something?

Fang Huai chuckled and said, "I’m a sight for sore eyes, aren’t I, Instructor Huang? It’s been days since I’ve sat in such a comfortable chair."

Afterward, he picked up his foot and pressed on the yellow blisters on the sole of his foot.

Huang Zhongjiu took one glance at the sole of his foot and was shocked.

Fang Huai’s soles were black and blue, blood red, with yellow blisters, and even deeper yellow from medicine, with the original white of his skin barely visible. A single sole displayed six or seven different colors.

Fang Huai looked down at his own feet and mused:

"This training took forty days, plus inspections of the Olympic venues. Walking and running, I must have covered two thousand kilometers. For over thirty days, we trained in the countryside, sleeping on the ground. This time, it was like going on the Long March."

"Hmm... I can see that," said Huang Zhongjiu, keeping his facial expression steady. "It wasn’t easy."

Fang Huai couldn’t help but chuckle, "It was great. Of the 48 elite candidates from three provinces and one city in the Southwest, plus Hunan, I came in first."

Huang Zhongjiu was caught off guard and unsure of what to say.

What, you want me to praise you?

In truth, Fang Huai was just accustomed to boasting a bit. Seeing Huang’s startled look, he continued to laugh and said, "The Long March, the training marches, are the oldest methods our troops have, right? They’re also our most glorious tradition. So why haven’t they been implemented in our firefighting forces? Instructor Huang, you’ve been a soldier for over a decade. How many times have you trained like this?"

Huang Zhongjiu seemed to understand; he was talking about the tradition of the troops. After thinking for a while, he answered:

"Not many. Firefighting requires police dispatch; it’s different, we can’t leave our jurisdiction."

"Right," Fang Huai nodded in agreement. "Troop management must be adapted to the local conditions and the times."

"That’s what I wanted to say."

"The modern firefighting forces are different from before. It’s no longer an era when only a few people could get their hands on a single piece of equipment."

"Take the squadron’s restructuring this time, for instance. The investment, before and after, might exceed 30 million, perhaps even more. A lot of the new training venues and equipment might be something you’ve never seen before."

"I can say this; the knowledge you’ve gained during your 13 years of growth in the county squadron, once you get to Second Squadron, you might mostly have to start from scratch."

Finally, Huang Zhongjiu snorted: "You got that wrong. I’ve also served in the Logistics Department of the whole corps. We don’t have an equipment department, and many of the equipment materials for the brigade’s equipment bidding passed through my hands."

Fang Huai instantly slapped his forehead, a look of realization on his face:

"Oh, right, I forgot about that. You’re an experienced person."

Fang Huai purposefully revealed a flaw, greatly satisfying Huang Zhongjiu’s pride, and noticed that Huang sat up a bit straighter.

To have a conversation, you have to get the other person to actively engage with the topic.

Seeing that he had found a topic to engage in, he leaned in a bit closer, as if seeking guidance, and asked, "Instructor Huang, what do you think about the new equipment? Did it give you any inspiration?"

"Hmm..." Huang Zhongjiu pondered, "The equipment’s breaching power has increased compared to before, and the hose markings are now more complete. This time, we’ve also acquired a batch of quick-connect couplings, so the method of connecting hoses might need to change, and we got some new electric monitor nozzles as well."

Fang Huai shook his head, "Those are just regular upgrades. In my opinion, it’s the semi-automatic smoke ejectors and foam generators that are truly revolutionary."

Upon hearing that, Huang Zhongjiu’s expression became tangled, and after reflecting for a while, he gave a concise reply, "I’ve heard of them, but they aren’t very practical."

"Every piece of equipment that we find useful now had a trial period, didn’t it? Improvements, that’s the pace of our times," Fang Huai said.

After saying that, Fang Huai stopped fiddling with his feet, turned his head to look at Huang Zhongjiu seriously, and said:

"In a county squadron, you could laugh these things off and just focus on responding well to calls, as you wouldn’t need them in the short term.

But in the grand scheme, every chess piece—the chariot, horse, elephant, and cannon—has its place. The Special Duty Team is a testing ground, and our Second Squadron is even more so, a testing ground within a testing ground, a national firefighting pilot unit.

If you want to stay here, you need to learn to accept, use, and even improve all the new things.

As one of the squadron’s main cadres, it’s definitely not okay for you to remain entrenched in the army’s environment from ten years ago. You need to get them to embrace new things of the times, to update their thinking, while preserving the excellent traditions of the troops through other means, such as party and government construction, and unity between officers and soldiers."

As for your methods of scolding soldiers and making an example of the old ones, I suggest you tone it down. Even if you use them, they should arise naturally. Deliberate methods are inferior.

I’m not trying to change you, but rather to come to an understanding with you. Now that you’re here, please integrate into the squadron.

I’m well aware of your situation. Your service time is almost up, and doing well here could give you the hope of promotion to deputy or full regimental commander. Growth Officers generally can’t rise through the ranks because they’re confined to the lower levels, where the ceiling for ordinary units is just Regular Company, but only the Special Duty Team may lead to deputy regimental level.

This place is about to become a basic unit at the full regimental level. The unit’s limit is your limit, and for you, this is a unique opportunity to stay in the forces until the age of 44. If you don’t seize it, there will be no place for you in the entire Guizhou Brigade."

You must have a clear understanding; it is not that the Second Squadron needs you, but you need the Second Squadron.

If you want to stay in the forces, grasp this opportunity. Of course, if you don’t want to stay, I can help transfer you back to the government agency, so let’s not waste time on communication."

Huang Zhongjiu felt as if struck by lightning.

He still had a path to promotion to full regimental command?

To be honest, having been a cadre for so long, he was almost entirely ignorant of these rules and regulations. The intellectualization and rejuvenation of cadres were recent developments. Anyway, according to the policy, whether he could be promoted or not, it was up to the leadership to decide, and he would just follow what they said.

He was, after all, a true soldier at heart. He had saved someone by sacrificing his fingers, going directly from being a non-commissioned officer to a cadre, and coming to the Second Squadron was only meant to make up for a failed cadre career.

But, having heard Fang Huai’s words, Huang Zhongjiu unconsciously swallowed and felt his breathing become slightly hurried, then looked at Fang Huai again.

"You’re also a Growth Officer... are you also planning to stay here and get promoted to full regimental command through the Second Squadron?"

Fang Huai’s mouth curled into a confident smile as he said, "I don’t need it, my education isn’t a constraint for me, but if there’s a chance in the future, we could work together. The Second Squadron also needs a veteran to lead by example, which would add some composure to the squadron’s image."

Nowadays, Fang Huai’s thoughts were more comprehensive, looking further into the future. He was willing to use some finesse to make the Second Squadron—a benchmark that he had created—even more perfect, without impacting the pace of reform.

He had brought Huang Zhongjiu up just to forcefully reach a consensus with him.

...

Twenty minutes later, Fang Huai and Huang Zhongjiu exited the rest area, laughing and talking. As they encountered others along the way, they were surprised to see a bright smile on Instructor Huang’s normally intimidating poker face.

(Chapter 2 before 2 a.m.)