Chapter 6: Bullets Don't Care Whether You're Male or Female

Chapter 6: Bullets Don’t Care If You’re Male or Female

Xu Qiao was inherently strong, and with consistent care, plus a natural tolerance for the sun, she stood out even more among the dark-skinned female soldiers. During basic training, her presence caused countless male soldiers to lose focus, their formations halting even as they kept moving forward, leading to many awkward moments.

The military has always respected strength; if she were truly outstanding, it would be a blessing. But being a weakling made her nothing more than a useless burden. From that point on, although the gazes directed at her never ceased, their meaning had changed.

At that moment, Xu Qiao felt every new group of soldiers entering would involuntarily glance her way, as if observing a rare panda. She wasn’t vain enough to believe her looks alone attracted such attention. Judging by their earlier attitudes, it was clear what they meant.

She sighed inwardly, realizing her path ahead was still long.

After lunch, instead of continuing their usual work, the kitchen staff changed into training uniforms and gear and gathered in the open space in front of the mess hall.

Seeing Xu Qiao dazed, Yin Li, who had just run out, stopped and said, “You don’t know yet? The kitchen staff have to train too. Besides our duties, we can’t neglect normal military training.”

As she hesitated whether to push herself further, a voice interrupted, “Stop. You’ve completed today’s training quota.”

With such a foundation, even if she tried hard to catch up, progress over a few days was limited. Her whole body suddenly felt drained as she collapsed to the ground.

She worried she might not be able to finish the training at all.

When Xu Qiao learned she would remain a soldier this lifetime, she was both relieved and mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

After lunch, except for those on duty, the entire company rested, and the training ground was nearly empty except for them.

In his memory, Xu Qiao was just like him, or even more severe.

“Focus on your breathing! Step in rhythm with your breath!”

He clearly noticed Xu Qiao’s poor stamina and used that as an excuse to exempt her from today’s training.

But just arriving back at the camp and not even being able to handle basic physical fitness—how was this different from the old Xu Qiao?

“Xu Qiao, are you... okay?” A concerned voice reached her just as frustration bubbled up.

Being a cook wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

The group ahead finally stopped; Xu Qiao realized she had unknowingly lagged many laps behind, meaning she hadn’t actually completed the full training.

When she was assigned to the kitchen staff, she felt a small sense of relief.

Yin Li stood at attention, quickly saying, “Squad leader, Xu Qiao might be injured. Maybe we should take her to the medical room?”

Although aware of the gap between herself and others, Xu Qiao refused to be left behind. Gritting her teeth, she tried to catch up, but her legs betrayed her, and she stumbled to the ground.

Yet, no one scolded her now. Instead, the steady footsteps beside her, never leaving, reminded her of important points.

Glancing at Yin Li, she shook her head helplessly. “Do you really want to see me kicked out of the army?”

Her words drew both their gazes. Yin Li looked at her in disbelief, prompting Xu Qiao to roll her eyes in return.

---

After only a few hundred meters, her breathing spiraled out of control, gasping for air.

She understood all the advice, but those were considerations for when one had sufficient stamina.

Regardless of whether he was shocked, his guess was correct: Xu Qiao’s pace slowed drastically, and she was on the verge of collapse.

She had hoped that after a major setback, returning to the military would allow her to shine and make up for past regrets.

Ignoring her physical limits, she forced herself to run and keep up.

Though slowing down, she didn’t stop, even after being assigned extra laps; she pushed on.

Her injuries had just healed, and she had quietly trained in her home gym to test her body and prepare.

Moreover, she identified deeply as a soldier, determined to fulfill dreams left incomplete in her past life. How could she quit just after entering the camp?

“Stop standing there dumbfounded! Go back and change your gear; we need to start training!”

Xu Qiao’s weakened state dulled her awareness of those around her; she didn’t recognize who was speaking.

“Since you’re fine, keep up. Training time is limited; we don’t have time to waste on you!” The squad leader, though surprised, didn’t show it as obviously as Yin Li and ordered firmly.

Xu Qiao sighed internally, feeling that the more she feared, the more troubles came.

She smiled faintly, knowing Yin Li meant well, so she brushed off the topic and said, “If you want to help me, help me improve my stamina so I won’t fall behind after two laps.”

Without any load, she couldn’t even run a thousand meters on the treadmill—she felt like crying.

“I…” Yin Li stammered, “I didn’t mean that.”

“Been scolded so much that you don’t care anymore, huh?” Before he could finish, Squad Leader Wu’s cold voice cut in, freezing his raised hand.

At least she was granted some time and could secretly train harder to catch up.

She expected low stamina but hadn’t imagined it was this bad.

Calming herself, she propped up on the ground, looked at Yin Li, and shook her head. “I’m fine. You train yourself; I don’t want you to get scolded because of me.”

“Xu Qiao, what are you staring at? Get in formation!” Squad Leader Wu’s shout snapped her back.

It was then Xu Qiao felt a surge of determination—that’s why he was so shocked.

She was no longer the old Xu Qiao who always followed her whims. There were things she simply wouldn’t do.

Several soldiers ran laps with weighted gear, clearly in physical training.

Xu Qiao realized she had been lying there for a while—no wonder others thought she was injured.

After struggling to keep pace for two laps, her speed visibly slowed.

“Bang!” She fell face-first hard onto the ground.

That sound, pure and clear like a heavenly note, finally loosened the tension in Xu Qiao’s body.

“Are you crazy? You already ran out of strength after two laps; running more will just ruin you!” Yin Li muttered as he ran alongside.

Such a pace might be nothing for the trained version of her from her past life, but this body had never been trained and had just recovered from injury—it was a huge gap.

With such a condition, Xu Qiao was both excited and worried when she returned to the camp—excited to be back in the familiar environment to finish what she couldn’t before.

---

“Never seen anything like this!” Yin Li stared incredulously at her retreating figure.

He quickly stood up. “Reporting to the squad leader, I’m fine and can keep going.”

If someone else ran this slowly, they would have been yelled at.

At that moment, her mind was almost blank, only remembering to move her feet forward and endure.

But as soon as she started running, she realized how naive her thoughts were.

Not to mention her recent injury, even without it, her stamina was poor.

The phrase “make the most of the time” hit Xu Qiao when she saw others already resting and realized the kitchen staff were really squeezing in training whenever possible.

Unexpectedly, on her first day, she was hit with such a harsh reality.

Yin Li laughed carelessly, “Why be afraid? I get scolded every day when you’re not here too.”

Xu Qiao knew his kindness and desire to help but preferred to refuse it. “I can dodge once, but can I keep running off to the infirmary?”

Hearing this, they didn’t waste time and chased after the others.

She instinctively followed orders, matching her breathing to her steps, mechanically moving forward.

A rich young lady who only indulged in pleasure—what good stamina could she have?

Back in basic training, Yin Li was known as a troublemaker, but compared to Xu Qiao, he seemed less useless.

“Already punished to the kitchen staff—where else could I go if I keep this up?”

When Xu Qiao changed and came out with her pack, she saw the unmistakable target far ahead.

She propped herself up on her elbows, not letting her face touch the ground, but the pain in her elbows was sharp.

Still, the pain in her hands was nothing compared to the ache in her heart.

“The assessment standards are the same as for everyone else in the company—no special treatment.”

Xu Qiao had the will to improve but a body that dragged her down. Even weighted laps were beyond her; just running these few kilometers threatened to break her.

At first, the others didn’t seem that fast, as this was long-distance training, not a sprint.

But no matter how much she tried to avoid it, Xu Qiao didn’t want to run away from the challenge.

The squad leader, who had been by her side, was startled and stopped to check on her.

Seeing it was just exhaustion, he sighed in relief. “You scared me to death. You’re way too weak, huh?”

“Squad leader, she’s a female soldier from the communications company’s female squad. Their training volume is smaller than ours. You can’t hold her to our standards,” Yin Li quietly defended Xu Qiao.

But Squad Leader Wu gave him a sharp glare. “What’s the difference? We all wear the same uniform. Bullets don’t care if you’re male or female.”

Yin Li was left laughing helplessly. The kitchen staff’s squad leader talking about the battlefield like that felt so out of place.

(The End of this chapter)