Sorry, Our Captain Is a True All-Rounder

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Make an Exception

"Spiritual power isn’t everything," the young man interjected, a black pen spinning between his fingers.

His voice was still soft, but now it held an icy edge.

The drill instructor looked up and his gaze met the young man’s deep, dark eyes.

They were filled with a chilling coldness. The young man was smiling, but the smile never reached his eyes.

The early morning breeze blew faintly over everyone. As it touched the drill instructor, he felt goosebumps rise all over.

He hurriedly agreed. "Right, right. Spiritual power isn’t everything."

He agreed, but inwardly he scoffed. ’Without spiritual power, they probably wouldn’t even be standing here.’

The young man stared directly at the five of them, the pen in his hand spinning faster and faster.

The men sitting on either side of him watched the scene unfold and couldn’t help but sigh.

Most of this year’s new recruits were from military academies; only a small handful were recruited locally from B6 Star.

They were sluggish, even when it came to push-ups.

’None of them are very impressive.’

By the time the last person finished and got up, the sky had already completely brightened.

A glance at the clock showed it was nearly 8:15.

The young man sighed and shook his head. "You’re all too slow."

"You’ve kept the ones who finished first waiting for a long time." As he spoke, the young man glanced at the five who were chatting out of sheer boredom.

They were so bored they had even started playing rock-paper-scissors.

"Being this slow warrants a little punishment." The young man stopped spinning the pen and tapped it against the table with his index finger. "Fifty laps around this area."

The moment they heard the next order, the five of them stopped their game and looked at the young man, waiting for his command.

Seeing that they were all still gaping, the young man rapped the table hard.

His gentle voice turned cold. "What are you all gawking at? Run!"

The moment he finished shouting, Lin Jingjing shot forward, the other four right behind her.

This time, no one dared to lag behind; they all took off running.

Seeing their reaction, the young man finally nodded in satisfaction.

The entire morning was spent in training—all sorts of it.

Lin Jingjing’s stamina was slowly dwindling. The other four were already so tired they could barely lift their feet, too exhausted to speak.

"That’s all for this morning’s training. We’ll continue this afternoon," the drill instructor announced to the crowd. "Dismissed!"

The moment they heard "dismissed," some of the weaker recruits collapsed right where they stood.

"Damn, nobody told me special training in the army would be even tougher than at the academy."

"If I’d known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have enlisted. I would’ve just gone home to inherit my family fortune."

"Boo hoo... I wanna go home."

A cacophony of chatter, crying, and curses filled the air.

The five of them, however, remained silent. Once they had recovered some strength, they got up and headed for the cafeteria.

"So hungry..." Feng He groaned, clutching his rumbling stomach.

I had a bottle of Nutrient Liquid this morning, but that was all burned off long ago with this high-intensity training.

’I need to keep a bottle on me next time.’

Before they even reached the cafeteria, they were stopped by Captain Li.

Captain Li stood with his arms crossed, watching them with amusement.

"So, how was the morning’s training?" Captain Li asked.

There was a hint of gloating in his tone. "It was fine," they replied.

"We can handle it."

’They can handle it, huh?’ Captain Li thought. ’Looks like these kids are pretty tough.’

"Alright then." Captain Li nodded. "Go on and eat. And don’t be so cheap, get something decent."

Then he added, roasting them, "You eat that crappy Nutrient Liquid every day. What, you don’t want your teeth anymore?"

"We don’t have any Star Coins..." the five replied meekly.

’That poor?’ Captain Li was stunned.

’They don’t even have money to eat?’

’The cafeteria food isn’t even expensive. A meal with meat and vegetables is only eight star coins.’

"The only free meal in the First Corps is Nutrient Liquid. What else are we supposed to eat?"

Hearing this, Captain Li stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The military budget allocated by the higher-ups each year wasn’t enough to feed such a large corps, so the standard meal gradually went from two meat dishes and one vegetable dish to just Nutrient Liquid.

The price of the cafeteria food was also extremely low—eight star coins per meal.

’I can’t believe there are people who can’t even afford that.’

Captain Li sighed. "No wonder you’re all so scrawny."

"Today, it’s my treat." With that, he turned and headed toward the cafeteria.

They exchanged glances, excitement shining in their eyes.

Real food!

’Delicious, tasty food, here we come!’

Sitting at the table, Captain Li watched them pile their bowls high with white rice. The hand holding his own spoon paused mid-air.

’They’re eating that much?’

The five of them grabbed their chopsticks and immediately dug in.

The morning’s special training had left them ravenously hungry.

The five of them were silent, heads down, just shoveling rice into their mouths.

Watching them devour their food, Captain Li sighed.

’These poor kids are starving.’

Halfway through his own meal, he got up, went to the service counter, and returned with a large platter of food, which he placed in front of them.

"Eat up." His voice was a touch softer than usual.

They all paused, chopsticks in hand, and stared at Captain Li in bewilderment.

’Why is he being so nice?’

’This isn’t like Captain Li at all.’

Seeing their expressions, Captain Li snorted and barked, "What are you staring at!"

"If you’re not going to eat it, then forget it!"

Hearing that, they all relaxed.

’Now *that’s* the Captain Li we know.’

The cafeteria was packed with people, with long lines at the food windows.

Good thing they were fast, or they’d be stuck in line too.

Just then, Shi Feng sidled up to Captain Li and asked in a low voice, "Captain Li, since you’re our direct superior, could you maybe bend the rules for us a little?"

"Bend the rules how?"

Feng He jumped in. "Let us skip the line when we get food."

Captain Li let out a dry chuckle and started teasing them. "You don’t have any Star Coins."

"Even if I let you, you still couldn’t afford to eat."

That shut them both up, but Shi Feng was a quick thinker.

He immediately shot back, "Just give us the pass. Then we can use it once we have the money."

"Fine, I’ll make an exception for you," Captain Li nodded. They were his subordinates, after all; he had to grant such a small request.

"Once you get some Star Coins, eat your fill." With that, Captain Li picked up his tray and left.

All eyes turned to Shi Feng, filled with confusion. "What are you planning?"

"I’m going to earn some money," Shi Feng answered earnestly. "I’ll do food runs for people and earn a little fee for it."

The other four were speechless. ’Leave it to Shi Feng.’

He’d always been able to figure out a way to make money, and even in a new era and a new place, that hadn’t changed.

"Since Captain Li gave us a pass, my food runs will be much faster," Shi Feng said earnestly.

"We have to make use of every advantage we have."

The four gave him a thumbs-up. "Leave it to you," they praised.

Shi Feng beamed at their praise.

"It’s no big deal."