Chapter 47: Repeating Old Tricks (A Late-Night Chapter—Your Recommendations Appreciated)

Chapter 47: Repeating Old Tricks (Late Night Special—Seeking Recommendations)

This was a major project test, composed of several smaller tasks, each offering plenty to watch, drawing the largest crowd of spectators so far.

Zhou Zhihan’s group was the last to undergo testing. The onlookers had followed the earlier test points one after another, their numbers growing steadily.

When Zhou Zhihan arrived at this test point, a trainee ahead had just finished the seventh task and was heading toward the eighth. Looking back, he saw someone had caught up to the sixth station. Panicked, he cursed vehemently. “Damn it! Who’s that stinking bastard moving so damn fast? Trying to kiss my ass, huh? Damn it! If I find out who you are, I’ll gut you…”

Despite his curses, the trainee quickened his pace to avoid being overtaken. His performance mattered; he couldn’t afford to lose face.

First came the 2.5-meter obstacle.

Zhou Zhihan ran forward lightly, then, like a basketball player performing a three-step layup, he took a long stride first, adjusted on the second step, and when he was about four meters from the thick brick wall standing 2.5 meters tall, he minimized the gap on the third step to assume the perfect takeoff position, finally pushing off powerfully with his right leg.

But at that moment, his mind was completely at ease; he deliberately added an extra step to adjust.

“Oh man, damn, adding a step turned it into a four-step layup,” a mischievous trainee jeered.

Zhou Zhihan leapt effortlessly. As his body rose, he planted his left foot against the wall, hooked his right hand onto the top edge, followed with his right foot, pushed off the bricks again, and pulled himself up with both arms like an agile monkey. He flipped cleanly over the wall and leapt down. The instant both feet touched the ground, he rolled sideways a full 360 degrees, dissipating the downward force, then stood up swiftly and headed toward the next obstacle, a 4.9-meter high barrier.

Those familiar with basketball found Zhou Zhihan’s four-step layup a bit awkward; his strides looked somewhat clumsy, unlike a polished three-step layup. Though not visually elegant, his technique was highly practical—running three steps into the jump, pushing off the vertical wall with both feet, flipping over, and landing in a smooth sideways roll. He completed the feat in three to four seconds, whereas others needed seven or eight seconds. The speed, technique, strength, and full-body coordination were undeniable.

Next, Zhou Zhihan began climbing the 4.9-meter obstacle, a task akin to modern rock climbing but without any safety gear and with few handholds or footholds, making it more difficult and hazardous.

Measuring his own light frame, long limbs, and excellent coordination, Zhou Zhihan scaled the wall like a nimble monkey, reaching the top and smoothly transitioning to climb down the other side without any hesitation.

Everyone thought to themselves: the speed was impressive. Indeed, a tall person with long arms and a light body had a huge advantage in this unassisted 4.9-meter climb.

But then the crowd felt uneasy. Zhou Zhihan’s light frame and long limbs gave him an edge in climbing, fine—but his light body weight also meant he excelled in the hard pulling task, leaving others in the dust. Annoying, to say the least.

Just thinking about it made them irritable.

Having climbed the 4.9-meter obstacle unassisted, Zhou Zhihan repeated his old trick, using his four-step layup technique to jump over a 3.5-meter-wide trench.

He completed these tasks cleanly and swiftly, much to the onlookers’ delight.

Major General Arthur King nodded approvingly.

The Marine Corps instructors’ eyes gleamed—they had found a talent.

Then Zhou Zhihan hoisted a 40-kilogram grenade box onto his shoulder, steadied it with both hands, and began squats.

In this major test, after finishing squats, he would proceed to a standing long jump point, and after that, enter the next test.

Zhou Zhihan’s eyesight was sharp; he noticed that over 100 meters ahead, the trainee preparing for the eighth test moved stiffly—clearly nervous.

Zhou Zhihan felt it was time to ease off; he could show off, but not at the expense of others.

Those four years of university weren’t easy to come by; he wouldn’t jeopardize someone else’s future just to make himself look good.

After completing ten squats, Zhou Zhihan did ten more, then looked at the nearby trainee holding a pen and paper with a puzzled expression.

Since he was stalling for time, he had to be a dedicated supporting actor.

The trainee looked equally confused.

Zhou Zhihan asked, “Is the passing line twenty squats?”

Damn, the other guy didn’t even know how many weighted squats were required to pass. Why didn’t he ask earlier? Now it was useless to question him.

The trainee smirked and teased, “If I told you ten squats were enough to pass, would you give the other ten back?”

“Of course!” Zhou Zhihan replied, then started squatting again, finishing ten more before panting, “Returning your ten.”

The trainee was speechless.

Zhou Zhihan did the standing long jump once and cleared it on the first try. He wasn’t like other trainees who jumped three times and took the best result—what a hassle.

Having completed this major test, Zhou Zhihan did not immediately move on. He didn’t want to intimidate the trainee ahead.

One must be humble and kind.

So he sat to the side and rehydrated.

Major General Arthur King, nearly sixty, wearing a dignified and handsome general’s uniform with a purple-red beret and a black pipe in his mouth, tall and imposing with polished shoes, approached Zhou Zhihan upon seeing him rest.

“Chinese Zhou?” the general asked.

“Yes, sir!” Zhou Zhihan stood quickly, wiped the water from his mouth, and saluted.

Arthur King returned the salute slightly. “Young man, you went from a trainee on the verge of dismissal to an outstanding student. I’m curious—how did you manage such a turnaround? I want to know what’s on your mind right now.”

“Thoughts?” Zhou Zhihan drooped his eyelids, stared at the ground, and softly said, “I miss my father.”

That wasn’t the answer Arthur King expected, but he considered that perhaps the young man’s English wasn’t strong, so the response was natural. Smiling with his pipe, he said, “Oh, just three months here and already homesick? That’s understandable.”

“Yes, sir,” Zhou Zhihan looked up at the general. “I regret holding resentment toward my father. I shouldn’t have gone so long without writing to him. That’s why I miss him.”

Arthur King and the others were curious why Zhou Zhihan resented his father. Though unrelated to the training, it piqued the general’s interest.

“Son,” Arthur King said kindly, “why did you resent your father?”

Zhou Zhihan lowered his head again. “Because my father used a stick to force me onto the plane!”

Major Jeff Hunter’s mouth twitched, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Arthur King’s curiosity deepened. “Why did your father have to force you onto the plane with a stick?”

Jeff Hunter already guessed what Zhou Zhihan was about to say next and was inwardly frustrated, thinking of imitating Zhou Zhihan’s tone: “My father made me come to West Point to study abroad, but I really didn’t want to come!”

Sure enough, Zhou Zhihan said, “My father insisted I come to West Point to study abroad, but I really didn’t want to come!”

Except for Jeff Hunter, Arthur King and the other officers felt a wave of frustration.

Jeff Hunter’s mouth twitched again.

Seriously, who talks like that?

Zhou Zhihan recalled an editor from a popular Chinese novel site once saying that showing off can happen anytime, anywhere, and the best way to do it is to flaunt your rise from the bottom to the top!

Everyone else was scrambling to come to West Point to study, but here he was—forced by his father with a stick, reluctantly entering West Point. Arthur King felt a bit annoyed. “Is that why you didn’t want to study? Or is that why you deliberately acted like a failure? But why?”

Jeff Hunter’s mouth twitched again; he knew what Zhou Zhihan would say next.

With heartfelt sincerity, Zhou Zhihan said, “Because coming to West Point meant leaving behind the girl I grew up with. West Point can wait a few years, but if I miss that girl, she might never come back.”

The crowd grew even more frustrated. To him, West Point held less importance than a girl.

Arthur King puffed on his pipe. “If you want to return home, then why change your approach?”

“Yesterday, I received my dismissal notice. Though it was humiliating, I suddenly realized that West Point is the best military academy in the world, unmatched by any other. It’s a place all soldiers and young talents aspire to attend. I can’t waste this rare opportunity, nor can I betray my father’s painstaking efforts or the care of my instructors and school leaders.”

Jeff Hunter’s face was full of disbelief. This guy was cunning—his methods to irritate and flatter were both skillful. Still, his character wasn’t bad; he didn’t bring up the doping incident from yesterday.

Zhou Zhihan’s speech, starting low and rising high, pleased Arthur King and the others, relieving their earlier discomfort. They were veterans who understood what a childhood sweetheart meant to young people. No matter who it was, it was a tough choice. Meanwhile, Zhou Zhihan’s carefully crafted story perfectly dispelled all doubts.

In truth, it was mainly because of his excellent grades. If he had remained a no-good underachiever, no one would have cared about his childhood sweetheart.

It was like a girl crying and fighting for you, willing to spend money and even risk everything—but first, you had to be handsome!

“Young man, keep up the good work!” Arthur King stepped forward and patted Zhou Zhihan’s shoulder. “A real man should set aside personal feelings for now, focus on his career, and only then will he be worthy of being a good son, a good husband, and a good father. You can write a letter to your childhood sweetheart and tell her that true love withstands the test of time!”

“Thank you, sir!” Zhou Zhihan replied.

Suddenly, Arthur King puffed on his pipe and said, “Young man, do you dare to challenge me in grenade throwing skills?”

(End of Chapter)