After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

The end of August, commonly referred to as the ’Autumn Tiger.’

By nine o’clock, the blazing sun was already scorching with great intensity, not a hint of moisture in the air.

This year’s Grand Martial Arts Competition, perhaps because there were no seats for firefighting leadership at the Olympics, or perhaps the live and broadcasted coverage on television wasn’t satisfying enough, the leaders from the Ministry had not yet departed.

Two deputy commanders from Tianjin had also arrived.

There were at least seven or eight pairs of wheat ears on the stage.

Below the stage, everyone was fighting madly.

When else would they get the chance to perform in front of a row of stars watching them sweat it out on the field?

If not today, then when?

This scene made the road to victory, long cultivated by the Guizhou Brigade, full of hardships.

For the first time, they realized that drawing an early lot was also a kind of happiness.

Get it done and retreat, continue to the next item.

Those who drew lots for later watched the preceding teams approach record performances, feeling the immense pressure!

If it were an individual event, or one with fewer people, Fang Huai could have dominated the field with his personal strength. Unfortunately, the first event drawn by the Guizhou Brigade was the vehicle drill, One Hundred Meters Ladder Attack Drill.

As their turn approached, Fang Huai stood at the front of the line, ignoring the stares from those around him, and spoke sternly:

"Brothers, stay composed! Remember our very last push before we set out!

Don’t worry about how well they perform! You must be convinced of one thing, that when they see us, they panic too!

We’re not afraid to let others know, I came here today for that first place! Once on the field, no matter the situation, keep honor in your heart, and just charge with your feet!

If we make it, Yang Liulang! If not, it’s barley soup!"

The soldiers’ eyes were practically blazing as they raised their hands in unison.

"Good!"

This pre-battle mobilization, which disregarded the welfare of others, also irritated those nearby.

"Damn, this number one from Guizhou Brigade this year is aiming high..."

"Look over there, a lot of leadership is right beside, and he keeps saying ’I, I,’ he’s damned fierce."

Not far away, a group of leaders watching this passionate scene didn’t mind a couple of swear words; Director Chen chuckled and pointed at Fang Huai:

"That’s the Guizhou Brigade, right? ’If we make it, Yang Liulang’... I haven’t heard that in a long time. I used to love saying that when I was leading."

The other leaders laughed, "The spirit is certainly strong, but we shall see if their strength matches. It would be a shame if the bold claims don’t add up on the field."

At that moment, Vice Bureau Chief Yu weighed in leisurely, "This young man has very strong individual strength, but it’s still uncertain how well he leads the team."

"Oh? Old Yu, you know him? Very strong? How strong?"

Vice Bureau Chief Yu nodded, "The young man who represented our firefighters at Tangjia Mountain, that’s him, Fang Huai. His individual strength... hard to rank, but watch, he’ll place for sure."

"Oh... that’s him."

The group of leaders raised their eyebrows and then nodded in agreement.

Fang Huai might be exceptional in personal capability, but when it comes to the Ministry level, only his performance at Tangjia Mountain could win unanimous recognition from the leadership; this was a significant accomplishment.

Fang Huai was well aware of this, but he was not content with just making a superficial impression, so today, he was determined to become the focal point of the field.

For a career military man in peacetime, a high-level competition is the best opportunity to showcase oneself.

Moreover, today was the Grand Martial Arts Competition that the whole Second Squadron had been shouting about for more than half a year. Shortly after Cao Yi left his squad, he began training him towards striving for this Martial Arts Competition.

But back then, Cao Yi probably just thought it was a big deal for someone from the Second Squadron to make it to the Grand Martial Arts Competition.

Hao Chengbin, Xiong Yi, Zhao Jinchen, Zhou Yong, Huang Yong... All the squad leaders saw this competition as the pinnacle of their military careers.

At the time, no one dared to think that the Second Squadron could serve as the main force, pulling along the small Brigade, and strike fear into the others.

Everything came down to today.

Time, for Fang Huai, was the most precious thing; he treated one year as three and had no desire for the Second Squadron to still be aiming to "stand out in the National Grand Martial Arts Competition" in another three years.

"Guizhou Brigade! Get ready!"

Fang Huai snapped back to reality and immediately led the team to the preparation area to get ready the hoses.

To ensure fairness, the Base prepared a large quantity of dry hoses, each Brigade was allowed to choose from the hose racks at the starting point. The wet hoses used in the competition would be dragged by logistics to the outside of the Playground to dry, and only then would they be brought back for use.

But each frequently used hose has its unique weight.

Fang Huai, ever so careful, used his unparalleled "hose affinity" to help the team pick hoses from the rack that had solid connections and suitable weight since they needed to discharge water, and it was a stub coupling, so lighter wasn’t always better.

Then, he went around the fire truck and discovered that the hose connections and layout were mostly similar to the vehicles they practiced with, so he went back.

All preparations were quickly done, and Fang Huai didn’t speak again to avoid increasing tension by telling his teammates to watch this or that.

What they needed now was a clear mind.

The two vehicle drills, almost full participation, meant the team scores were substantial, incredibly important.

The last round, Ningxia Total Team finished in 1 minute and 21.77 seconds.

A good score, but still not good enough.

The driver was Wei Lijie from Anshun, also Squad Leader Hao’s apprentice.

Initially, they wanted Squad Leader Hao to be the driver and have him come to the national competition, but in another vehicle drill, the Ministry changed the 220 meters initial fire control drill to 400 meters, and the driver’s task of connecting hoses became critical, having to handle five hose rolls, so Old Hao couldn’t make it.