Chapter 60: Dampen Her Spirit
Being able to rest and play games, the cadets were immediately in high spirits. They were no longer sleepy, and they stopped yawning.
The cheers were endless.
The two boys were like an ancient bullfight, hitting each other’s hands and testing each other. With the fierce cheers, someone couldn’t resist and attacked first. Both hands went up, and his body arched into a shrimp back, retreating fiercely.
Both sides were red in the face, gritting their teeth and using all their strength. But suddenly, the other male cadet let go of his strength. When his steps and his center of gravity were unstable and he couldn’t steady himself, the other person grabbed his hand and pulled back, the speed had to be fast.
Taking advantage of the other person’s inability to adjust, with a smack, the whole person was pulled over.
“Ahhh, good job!” The winning class immediately raised their hands, all of them cheering and laughing, as if they had won themselves.
The other side was very unconvinced. “You’re cheating! Squad leader, you can’t count them as winning! What is this? An unfair win!”
Someone from the winning camp immediately stood up and shouted, “How is it not a win for us? This is called ‘all is fair in war.’ The squad leader said before that it’s not a tug-of-war. We know you’re strong, but we’re still going to fight you with strength. That’s called stupid.”
“No, that’s called being a fool.”
The winning camp was full of ridicule, and the losing side immediately had another boy volunteer to fight.
The competition on the male cadets’ side was getting heated, and the female cadets’ side was not far behind. It was just that the atmosphere was more civilized. The cheers from both sides were well-behaved. Only Jin Hongjie was different. Her voice was high and loud.
“Wei Jiahui, Wei Jiahui, tractor, go for it! The little car is not moving, go, go!”
Even the squad leader, Yu Aijun, couldn’t help but look at Jin Hongjie a few times, just curious about how she had so many words in her mouth.
The other girls in the class were all made to laugh by her, but she was still very serious.
Zhou Wanfeng’s gaze fell on Wei Jiahui’s opponent. The female cadet was about the same height as Wei Jiahui, but her waist, back, and thighs, even in her training uniform, looked a little thicker than Wei Jiahui’s.
The male cadets on the side had already used tactics. The female cadets had also heard the arguments between the two camps, and they all knew in their hearts that this was not a tug-of-war.
This was a simple mutual attack. Both sides had to capture the other’s city, and the buffer zone was the thirty centimeters in the middle.
Stepping in with one foot had its advantages and disadvantages. You could attack first, but it would affect your subsequent posture adjustment. There were pros and cons.
“Go, Hu Junlan, go! Hu Junlan, go!”
“Go, Wei Jiahui, go! Wei Jiahui, go!”
The two sides were still cautiously testing each other. The teammates on both sides had already started to shout at the top of their lungs. The squad leader of the other side, Cao Baoshan, who had a buzz cut and a dark complexion, went up to Yu Aijun and asked with a smile, “Well? Who do you think will win?”
Yu Aijun pushed him aside. He was all sweaty. What was he coming over for?
“Yo, yo, you’re getting angry because you can’t win?” Cao Baoshan looked at Hu Junlan with a confident expression. “Hu Junlan’s physical fitness is very good. She ran the five kilometers without falling behind.”
Wei Jiahui was not weak. Hu Junlan wanted to grab her, but she didn’t give her a single chance, and her reflexes were also very fast.
The two of them had their hands on each other’s backs. Wei Jiahui believed in striking first. She would grab and pull hard. The moment she found that Hu Junlan was grabbing her back, she would immediately let go and retreat.
Hu Junlan also discovered Wei Jiahui’s attack pattern. The other person would not fight head-on. She was as slippery as an eel.
Cao Baoshan on the side gave some pointers. “Hu Junlan, you don’t have to grab her hand. You can also grab her collar or her sleeve.”
At Cao Baoshan’s shout, Jin Hongjie and the others were unwilling. “Do you have a coach on the side to command you in a competition?”
“No! Squad Leader Yu, you should also say a few words to Wei Jiahui.”
With the reminder, Hu Junlan’s target this time was Wei Jiahui’s sleeve. The moment the two sides clashed, Wei Jiahui did not let Hu Junlan get her hands on her at all. She bent, pulled, and with a sudden squat and a sudden rise, she even pulled Hu Junlan along with her.
But Hu Junlan’s lower body was solid, and she held her ground.
On the other hand, Wei Jiahui had gone from active to passive. Before she could launch a second attack, Hu Junlan’s body suddenly retreated, and she almost grabbed Wei Jiahui’s arm and threw her over the neutral zone.
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh! Good job, Hu Junlan!”
Hu Junlan let go of Wei Jiahui and smiled shyly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt you, did I? I’ve been strong since I was a child. Your reflexes are faster than mine.”
“It’s fine. It’s just a match. We’ll fight again in the future,” Wei Jiahui said with a smile, going up to hug her. She didn’t feel that she had lost face at all. She was straightforward and magnanimous. She ran back and saluted in front of Yu Aijun, shouting, “Reporting, squad leader! I lost!”
“Return to the line.”
Before Yu Aijun could call another name, Jin Hongjie, Lin Sha, and Xu Yanqiu all stood up together.
Seeing this, Cao Baoshan turned and shouted to the cadets in his squad, “They’ve sent three challengers! Who’s going up?”
Several of the female cadets on the other side were scrambling to stand up. In the end, two were chosen by rock-paper-scissors, and Hu Junlan was still on the field.
Jin Hongjie volunteered to fight against Hu Junlan.
She had clearly come prepared. Her legs were shoulder-width apart, which made her stance more stable. And she was taller than Hu Junlan, and looked a size bigger overall.
Hu Junlan had to look up slightly at Jin Hongjie. Her throat was a little dry, and she swallowed.
Jin Hongjie was good at creating a lively atmosphere. She shouted for cheers from the line, especially Liu Shupei and Zhou Wanfeng. She even called them out by name. “Zhou Wanfeng, Liu Shupei, don’t just watch the show! You have to cheer!”
The other two groups were already competing, and she was still shouting.
Zhou Wanfeng raised her hand and waved, telling her to hurry up and compete, and not to talk so much nonsense.
Jin Hongjie was different from Wei Jiahui. On the contrary, Hu Junlan was on the defensive. At the beginning, she was testing the other person’s strength, and finding the right angle and posture, all thinking of winning with one move.
The two sides had a round of hard pulling. Both sides were gritting their teeth, and their movements were not too big, afraid that the other person would suddenly dodge. They were both on guard.
While they were still sparring, the other two groups had already finished. It was one win and one loss. Lin Sha had won, and Xu Yanqiu had been pulled over. The two sides were about the same, a close match, but Xu Yanqiu had been careless and had stepped into the other person’s camp.
“Go, Hu Junlan!”
She had stepped into the neutral zone to buffer, otherwise she would have been pulled over by Jin Hongjie.
Both of their elbows and wrists were red, and their clothes were also pulled out of shape. The cheers from both camps were now deafening.
Zhou Wanfeng’s gaze extended to the back. Her attention was mostly on the male cadets. It was clear that they were more open. They had even taken off their shirts and were fighting bare-chested.
Yu Aijun was paying attention to the expressions in the line. Only Zhou Wanfeng’s gaze was slanted, and he intentionally moved to the side to block her.
Very good. The two of them had made eye contact again. Still unhurried, not anxious, not dodging, not flinching.
Yu Aijun’s brow furrowed. He gestured with his hand, telling Zhou Wanfeng to pay attention to her teammate’s match.
But Zhou Wanfeng turned her head and shouted, “Jin Hongjie, don’t grab her wrist! Go for her shoulder! Press her elbow and hit her head! If you can force her foot out of the middle zone, you’ll win too!”
Jin Hongjie shouted “alright” and started to go for Hu Junlan’s shoulder, bypassing her wrist. The wrist was flexible and easy to dodge, but the shoulder was not.
Cao Baoshan had shouted before, and now it was Zhou Wanfeng’s turn. No one could say anything.
On the contrary, Cao Baoshan slapped his thigh and shouted at Yu Aijun, “Old Yu, you’re holding back!”
All they saw was Jin Hongjie doing exactly what Zhou Wanfeng had said, grabbing her shoulder and pressing her elbow, forcing Hu Yulan to lean forward. At this moment, Jin Hongjie took the opportunity to slam her head forward. Hu Junlan leaned back, and one of her feet left the middle zone.
According to the rules, you couldn’t move it. Now that she had moved it, it was a violation, which meant she had lost.
When the squad leader and the classmates were cheering, he even patted Zhou Wanfeng’s shoulder and cheered for her. “Good job, Zhou Wanfeng!”
“Your brain works so fast! I didn’t even think of that!”
“Jin Hongjie won beautifully!”
Jin Hongjie rubbed her nose and said modestly, “You’re too kind.” Hu Junlan, on the other hand, looked at Zhou Wanfeng and smiled, then shook hands with Jin Hongjie. “My name is Hu Junlan.”
“My name is Jin Hongjie. You’re very tough. If it weren’t for Zhou Wanfeng’s help, we would have probably tied,” Jin Hongjie said, pointing at Zhou Wanfeng, who was sitting in the crowd. “Her name is Zhou Wanfeng. You should get to know her later. Don’t look at her cold and aloof appearance. She’s warmer than she looks.”
Hu Junlan mustered her courage and waved a little at Zhou Wanfeng. In fact, Zhou Wanfeng’s appearance and gaze were the kind that she was most afraid to approach.
But unexpectedly, the cold-faced Zhou Wanfeng raised her hand in response and even nodded.
Liu Shupei was watching Zhou Wanfeng. In fact, she was also thinking about how she would win against Hu Junlan if she were up there. But she had a different plan, far from Zhou Wanfeng’s simple and direct one.
In fact, the method she had thought of was only suitable for herself.
While she was shocked, she also felt more and more that Zhou Wanfeng might be even more formidable than she had imagined.
“Zhou Wanfeng, step out,” Yu Aijun’s rough voice rang out. “Since you want to command so much, then go up and have a couple of matches.”
Zhou Wanfeng stood up straight, looked at Yu Aijun with a blank expression, and shouted coldly, “Yes, squad leader!”
“Go, Zhou Wanfeng!” The students in the class immediately became active, their eyes sparkling with excitement. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, their eyes were not blind, and they were all very bright.
Everyone in the class knew more or less that Liu Shupei and Zhou Wanfeng’s physical fitness was definitely not on the same level as theirs. They were stronger.
They didn’t know who was stronger between the two of them, but a king was a king.
“Go, Zhou Wanfeng!”
“Go, Zhou Wanfeng!”
“Go, Zhou Wanfeng!”
Zhou Wanfeng took off her outer training uniform as she walked. Inside was a standard-issue military green short-sleeved shirt, tucked into her belt. It wasn’t obvious when she was wearing her training uniform, but when she took it off, you could see that Zhou Wanfeng’s waist was thin, and she was very thin. But although she was thin, there was no trace of weakness in her appearance.
Liu Shupei helped to hold Zhou Wanfeng’s jacket.
Yu Aijun glanced at Cao Baoshan and said in a low voice, “We’re sending out our ace. Who are you sending?”
Cao Baoshan looked at Zhou Wanfeng, then at the cadets in his squad. “Zhu Mei, step out!”
“Go, Zhu Mei! Take her down!”
“Go, Zhu Mei!”
A girl named Zhu Mei stood out from the line. She was tall and had a large frame, with high cheekbones and a straight nose. She was the type of person who had a natural big sister aura.
Cao Baoshan went up to Yu Aijun and whispered, “This Zhu Mei is very tough. It says on her file that she participated in the National Youth Boxing Competition during her school years and won the runner-up.”
“Stop talking nonsense. Watch the match,” Yu Aijun said, his gaze fixed on Zhou Wanfeng on the field. He was not satisfied with Zhou Wanfeng’s lack of attention to her teammate’s match. In his opinion, this was a lack of unity, and also a sign of Zhou Wanfeng’s arrogance.
She was too full of herself, thinking she was formidable and had no opponents among the female cadets, so she was focusing her energy on the male cadets.
For this kind of proud soldier, you had to dampen her spirit and let her know that there was always someone better…
Smack.
“Ahhh, she won! Zhou Wanfeng, you’re a steel needle on a drill bit, amazing! A rat biting a cat’s tail, incredibly formidable!” Jin Hongjie, who had been sitting properly, couldn’t help but jump up and shout with her arms raised.
There was no need for cheers. The class was so excited their scalps were tingling. They clenched their fists and shouted, “Zhou Wanfeng, Zhou Wanfeng!”
Yu Aijun’s brow was furrowed, his eyes wide. Zhu Mei had seemed to want to test Zhou Wanfeng’s strength, but Zhou Wanfeng had no such intention at all.
She went up and went straight for Zhu Mei’s throat. Zhu Mei subconsciously thought it was an opportunity and went to grab her hand. But Zhou Wanfeng broke her wrist lock with a reverse hand, went straight for Zhu Mei’s elbow bone, and with a fierce grab and a press down, her other hand went over Zhu Mei’s right shoulder and, with three fingers, locked her throat and used her strength. Zhu Mei was uncomfortable and wanted to protect her neck. She clenched her fist and was about to punch, but it was clear that Zhou Wanfeng’s strategy was a quick attack. With a press down and a turn, she directly brought Zhu Mei to her back, and the winner was decided.
The winner was decided in the blink of an eye, so fast that it was almost unbelievable.
Zhu Mei was coughing nonstop. Zhou Wanfeng pulled her up and asked the class for water.
After drinking the water, Zhu Mei stopped coughing and said with a smile, “I wanted to try a few moves with you, but you went straight for my throat and didn’t even give me a chance. Let’s practice next time. I used to box.”
After Zhu Mei went down, Zhou Wanfeng looked at the squad leader, Yu Aijun. Was she still going up?
Yu Aijun looked at Cao Baoshan. His eyes were raised, and he had a provocative look on his face. Cao Baoshan immediately called another cadet up.
No matter how agile the other person was, once she was grabbed by Zhou Wanfeng, it was almost impossible to break free.
The female cadet who had lost returned to the line. “Her hand strength is super strong. When I was grabbed by her, it felt like I was being clamped by a pair of pliers. Can I say that my wrist hurts?”
“Look at my wrist. It’s still red. She looks so thin, but her strength is really great.”
“Not only that. She’s also very agile.”
After observing two matches, Cao Baoshan said calmly, “She should know combat techniques. Her moves are all very tricky, either for the eyes or the face. It’s very effective against new recruits who haven’t been trained. They’ll subconsciously want to dodge, or they’ll be stunned for a moment.”
Yu Aijun looked at Zhou Wanfeng, who had won so easily. Not only did he not have a smile on his face, but his brow was furrowed even more tightly.
“Stop analyzing. You go up and dampen her spirit,” he said, looking at the cadets in his squad. They were so excited they wanted to stand up and jump.
Compared to the excited expressions of the cadets in his squad, Zhou Wanfeng’s expression was still the same, neither cold nor hot. After each match, she would turn to look at him, her chin slightly raised, her face cold and grim. No matter how you looked at it, she looked extremely arrogant, as if she were saying, “How did I do?”
Cao Baoshan was taken aback. “Me, go up? And have a tug-of-war with a cadet?”
“Or should I go down and compete with my own cadet? Your side has been defeated by her. If you don’t go up, who will?”
Seeing that Cao Baoshan didn’t move,
Yu Aijun took the initiative to go over this time, his tone softened, and he whispered in Cao Baoshan’s ear, “She’s a good seedling, and she’s outstanding in all aspects. But she’s a little arrogant. You help me press her down, dampen her spirit… I have a box of good cigarettes.”