Special Forces: From the very beginning, I can upgrade the entry

Chapter Four: The Centre of Attention—Lin Yi Shines Brightest!

Time ticked by, second by second.

One by one, the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Unit’s platoon leaders gathered beside their commanding officer, their eyes fixed on the three figures on the track—a veteran soldier in formal uniform and leather shoes, and two recruits carrying full marching backpacks.

Zheng Sanpao had never expected this.

He had assumed that Zhuang Yan, with his city upbringing, would struggle with endurance training.

What he didn’t know was that as a child, Zhuang Yan had run cross-country through his entire city almost daily. The distances he covered far exceeded any training he would later encounter in the military.

But Zhuang Yan, in turn, had never expected Lin Yi to be even stronger.

Born an orphan, raised in the rugged mountains of Xiang Province, Lin Yi had spent his childhood scaling treacherous terrain just to reach the nearest town for food.

In both endurance and speed, he far outclassed Zhuang Yan.

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“Xiao Zhuang! Lin Yi! Keep going!”

Collapsed on the ground from exhaustion, Chen Xiwa clenched his fists and waved them excitedly.

When Lin Yi and Zhuang Yan overtook Zheng Sanpao, the entire field erupted with cheers.

“Good!!!”

“Beep! Beep!”

The recruit battalion commander blew his whistle, trying to put a stop to the chaos.

But Lin Yi, glancing at Zhuang Yan, spoke in a calm, unwavering voice.@@novelbin@@

“Keep running.”

Without another word, he unleashed his full speed, streaking forward like a leopard sprinting through the wilderness.

Seeing this, Zhuang Yan refused to admit defeat. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself harder, refusing to be left behind.

For lap after lap, the two continued racing across the track.

Huff… huff…!

Zheng Sanpao, drenched in sweat, stood still, catching his breath.

The battalion commander approached, prepared to end the exercise, but Zheng Sanpao held up a hand to stop him.

He understood exactly what Lin Yi was doing.

Zhuang Yan was rebellious, proud, and fiercely independent.

That kind of arrogance was the last thing a soldier needed.

To shape him into a true warrior, he first had to be broken.

Only by shattering his pride could Zhuang Yan learn discipline.

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Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lin Yi sprinted at a pace of 10 seconds per 100 metres, showing no signs of stopping.

His form was flawless, his movements as fluid as the wind itself.

Zhuang Yan struggled desperately to keep up.

His throat burned, his muscles screamed, and his vision blurred.

Slowly, the gap widened—

500 metres.

800 metres.

1,000 metres.

Finally, at 3,000 metres behind, his body gave out.

He collapsed onto the track, his knees scraping against the rough surface, blood seeping into the dirt.

Just as Zhuang Yan fell, Lin Yi completed another lap, stopping in front of him.

Towering over him, he gazed down coldly.

“I know who you are.”

“Zhuang Yan. First-year student at the Academy of Drama. A golden child. A future film director.”

“You…!”

If anyone else had said those words, Zhuang Yan wouldn’t have cared.

But hearing them from Lin Yi?

It stung.

Lin Yi’s voice remained calm but firm.

“I also know you look down on him.”

He pointed towards Zheng Sanpao in the distance.

“To you, he’s just a rank-and-file soldier, nothing special.”

Lin Yi’s tone hardened.

“But he, and the veterans standing beside him, have spent years serving this country.”

“Wars have never truly disappeared. The peace you enjoy was built on their sacrifices.”

“I don’t care why you joined the military.”

“But now that you’re here, you need to accept the reality of this place.”

“Learn to respect soldiers.”

“Respect the men who guard this nation with their lives.”

Zhuang Yan’s breath hitched.

Lin Yi’s words hammered against his heart.

For the first time, he looked towards Zheng Sanpao and the veterans, their battle-hardened faces unreadable.

And suddenly—

he felt ashamed.

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Meanwhile, the entire recruit battalion had witnessed the spectacle.

They roared with admiration.

“Lin Yi!”

“Lin Yi!”

“Lin Yi!”

Their cheers echoed across the training ground, reverberating throughout the entire Night Tiger Reconnaissance Unit’s camp.

From the hillside, Battalion Commander Miao Yidao fixed his gaze on Lin Yi.

“How long has he been running?”

A platoon leader, Chen Guotao, answered crisply,

“Sir! He ran 8 kilometres at a steady pace, then sprinted 5 kilometres at a speed of 10 seconds per 100 metres.”

The surrounding officers felt their hearts skip a beat.

The current 100-metre world record was 9.58 seconds, set by the legendary Usain Bolt in 2009, Berlin.

But sustaining 10 seconds per 100 metres for 5 kilometres?

That was inhuman.

Even Bolt himself couldn’t do that.

Miao Yidao’s eyes gleamed.

“I want their files.”

His interest wasn’t just in Lin Yi—but Zhuang Yan as well.

“Yes, sir!”

Chen Guotao nodded, equally impressed.

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Back on the training ground, Lin Yi returned to his squad.

He snapped a crisp salute to Zheng Sanpao.

“Sergeant!”

Zheng Sanpao nodded, his eyes flickering with a complex emotion.

It was respect.

And acknowledgement.

The other recruits noticed.

If even Lin Yi, a prodigy, could respect a veteran soldier like Zheng Sanpao, then how could they ever be complacent?

Lin Yi had just set the standard.

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Exhausted and defeated, Zhuang Yan limped back to Squad One. The other recruits looked at him with complicated expressions. They weren’t mocking him. They weren’t jeering. But they had all witnessed his defeat—not just physically, but mentally. And for Zhuang Yan this was just the beginning.