Chapter 491: Modern Era (If-Things) (19)
Military training began on the third day of the new semester.
Anuo put on the military training uniform, and the small size fit her perfectly.
She's not short. After she and her family were adopted, her adoptive parents tried every means to supplement her nutrition. Even now, her cupboard is still mostly filled with milk and various nutritional supplements.
She's grown quite tall, but her face looks very young. She's been getting too much nutrition; she's become quite chubby.
She and her roommates, who were temporarily in the same class, gathered on the playground, which was then packed with freshmen.
After Anno and her classmates found their class, they lined up in formation at the instructors' repeated urging.
The weather in September is still very hot. Today is another sunny day, so hot that it's hard to open your eyes.
Anno is very afraid of the sun. She was fine when she was little, but the older she gets, the less she likes the glaring sunlight.
The instructors walked and spoke as they passed through their class's ranks. Mingguang Middle School had always hired instructors from the nearby military region, who were extremely strict.
The school never takes military training lightly. Students are informed in advance that if they have any physical illnesses that make them unsuitable for exercise, they must provide medical records to the school to request leave.
Because this two-week military training will be very tough, students with poor health may not be able to handle it.
After the instructor gave a serious speech, he began training them.
They stood at attention under the sun for almost an hour. Anyone who moved would be kicked by the instructor and severely reprimanded.
In just a short while, two girls in their temporary class were scolded to tears.
Anno felt uncomfortable from the sun, but she had no physical problems. She usually trained at a Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) gym or went to the gym to work out.
I'm sensitive to sunlight; it's hard for me to open my eyes when they're in direct sunlight.
So she simply closed her eyes.
"Wow, you're quite something, sleeping standing up."
The instructor's voice rang in Anuo's ears. She barely opened half of her eyes. The instructor saw that she was younger than the other students, and that she stood up straight and had better military posture than the others. He gave her a reminder and then walked away.
When the instructor finished his rounds and walked over to her, he saw that she had closed her eyes again.
Hey, this little girl.
He raised his voice a little, "You went to steal last night, huh? You're so tired."
Anno had to open her eyes a crack again. She respected soldiers much more than ordinary people, a respect that came from the bottom of her heart, perhaps because of Hicks and Karina.
She did not refute the instructor's words and stood ramrod straight the whole time. While the other students were all swaying and unable to stand properly, she did not move an inch from beginning to end.
As a result, she stood out from the front, and her appearance and temperament were too outstanding. When she stood in the sun, her white skin seemed to glow, the kind that really shone.
Not only her classmates, but students from other classes couldn't help but secretly glance at her.
The instructors, with their sharp eyes, noticed the fidgeting of their students and yelled, "What are you doing! Just five more minutes and you can rest!"
"Where are you all looking? There's a fairy here!"
Someone started it all, shouting, "Yes!"
A murmur of commotion and hisses immediately followed.
Every class has a few daring and lively students. Once someone started talking, other students chimed in, "Instructor, there really are fairies, in the class next to us."
The instructor kicked him, saying, "So you're trying to show off, huh!"
After kicking that student, the other students immediately became obedient. The instructor had just said that there were only five minutes left. They had already endured for almost an hour, and the remaining five minutes could be endured by gritting their teeth.
The students' commotion drew the attention of the other instructors who heard the noise, who also glanced at the class they were referring to.
They spotted the girl emitting a hazy white light almost immediately.
It's so eye-catching, it's hard not to see it.
What they noticed was that the little girl stood very straight at attention, as if she had been specially trained.
When the time was up, the instructors let the students rest for fifteen minutes.
The students deflated like punctured balloons, let out a groan, and collapsed.
When Anno saw that he could move again, he immediately covered his eyes with his hands.
She walked to the water area that the school had prepared for the students with almost no need to look around.
The water station was packed with students, and Anuo couldn't squeeze in either. She didn't like queuing, so she simply stood aside and waited.
She covered her eyes the whole time, unaware that countless freshmen were staring at her.
"Holy crap, is that girl glowing?!"
"She's really glowing! So 'glowing white' isn't just a figure of speech, it's such an exaggeration!"
Such remarks were almost constant during the break.
Anno had no choice. She could now control her form changes, but her original form was a glowing species, even though she didn't know what she was.
When she stands in the sun, her body emits a hazy white light. Fortunately, her skin is also very fair, so it looks like it's just because her skin is too fair.
While she was waiting for water, a bottle of water was handed to her.
Anuo was startled. She peeked out through a crack and saw her roommate Lin Xu turn around.
"Thank you," she called out to her retreating figure.
She paused, turned her head, and replied calmly, "No need."
Anno got the water and was about to find a shady spot to sit down when Baroque ran over. Seeing how uncomfortable she looked from the sun, he pulled her to the edge of the lectern on the playground to escape the sun.
"Xiaoqi, you're most afraid of the sun. Let Dad get you a medical record so you can skip military training."
Baroque wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at her with concern.
Anno drank most of the water, then shook his head. "No need, I'll just close my eyes."
“I heard your instructor scolding you,” Baroque said, frowning. “Military training isn’t really necessary for you. Don’t torture yourself.”
Anuo smiled and pinched his still slightly chubby cheeks. "According to what you're saying, brother, I don't need to go to school."
Baroque knew she wanted to live a normal life like them.
"I just don't want you to suffer."
Anno said, "Apart from the sun being a bit strong, everything else is fine. I don't feel tired."
The fifteen-minute break was over quickly, and the students groaned in pain once again.
Just as Anuo stood back up, Instructor Zhang, who was leading their class's military training, walked up to her and asked, "Is there something wrong with your eyes?"
She didn't expect Instructor Zhang to come and ask her specifically. She said, "Reporting to Instructor Zhang, my eyes are quite sensitive to sunlight. I can't open them properly when the sun is shining on them. I'm fine, so don't worry. I will complete the training as usual."
Instructor Zhang raised an eyebrow in surprise at her methodical reply.
This young girl not only seems to have good physical fitness, but her training level is also very high.
In the afternoon, because the outdoor temperature was too high, the school was worried that the students would suffer from heatstroke, so they suggested to the instructors that the students train in the indoor gymnasium.
Upon entering the gymnasium, the students had barely breathed a sigh of relief when the instructors forced them to run two kilometers in circles, almost making them cry.
After running two kilometers, not a single student was standing; they were all exhausted, like dead dogs.
Instructor Zhang glanced over and saw that the little girl named Anuo was still standing straight, barely breathing except for a little sweat on her face.
Then came some frog jumps, squats, and push-ups. Anuo remained calm and composed, even doing push-ups with perfect form, surpassing even the boys.
Seeing her, Instructor Zhang felt confident about the upcoming competitions. Even if she didn't win the class's outstanding competition award, she would definitely win the individual one.
"Zhang Cheng, what are you grinning about with your big teeth showing?"
Sun Xiaofeng, a comrade from the same company as him, came over and patted him on the shoulder. "Look at that face of yours, like you've found a treasure. What, is there a promising recruit in your squad?"
Zhang Cheng immediately wiped the smile off his face and said seriously, "No."
Sun Xiaofeng pointed at him and laughed, "Old Zhang, I know you well enough to know you. Judging from your appearance, you're definitely a promising talent."
His gaze immediately swept across his class. "Let me guess, which promising student is it?"
It's break time now, and the students are either sitting or lying down, all looking exhausted.
You can't tell right now.
"Old Zhang, can't you give me a heads-up? What's the quality of the students in your class like?"
Sun Xiaofeng put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Let's be frank with each other. In my class, there are only five students who are still capable of playing. The rest would be blown away by the wind. I estimate they'll all be knocked out in the later matches."
Zhang Cheng said, "Five? That's quite a lot."
Sun Xiaofeng laughed, "Don't try to make me happy on purpose. There are more than five. In Xiao Yu's class, there are eight or nine physical education students. Did you see them just now? They were still full of energy after running a few laps. My five are the tallest among the short ones."
"Tell me, how many are there in your class?"
Zhang Cheng clicked his tongue twice. "If we're talking about really worth watching, there are only one or two."
“One or two?” Sun Xiaofeng laughed again. “Old Zhang, you’re being too strict. They’re just a bunch of students, and you’re making it sound like you’re selecting military talent.”
Zhang Cheng said, "That's how I selected them back then. There's nothing strict about it."
Sun Xiaofeng tried to get information out of him several times but failed. He couldn't figure anything out himself either. Little did he know that the kid Zhang Cheng thought was good would be the youngest girl.
The afternoon military training ended with a 1,000-meter run, which was a nightmare for the students in Anuo's class, and some of them even fell.
Lin Xu was the one who fell. Her shoelaces came undone, and she tripped and fell, scraping her knee until it bled.
Xia Meng, the dormitory head, immediately stepped forward to show her concern, "Lin Xu, shall we take you to the infirmary?"
The instructor also said he would take her to the infirmary, but Lin Xu refused to be accompanied by anyone, saying, "It's okay, I can go by myself."
Her coldness made it impossible for the others to say anything more, and they watched her walk alone towards the infirmary.
Anno noticed that she was walking with a limp, and it seemed that more than just her knee was injured, so he followed her.
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