broth

"Fall in! Resume training!"

While Jaxon was chatting with Ox and the others, Zhou Shan's voice echoed across the square. The scattered crowd reluctantly gathered again and resumed their training.

With his high strength and agility, Jaxon naturally had much greater endurance than the others. While many had already reached their limits, he still appeared calm, with no significant change in his breathing. This earned him even more admiration from his squad members.

By the end of the day's training, everyone was utterly exhausted. Even someone as strong as Ox was panting heavily. However, Jaxon showed no signs of fatigue, looking much better off than the rest.

Even Zhou Shan, who had been observing Jaxon discreetly, couldn't help but be impressed.

"Captain, aren't you tired at all?" Zheng Xiaoliu, sitting on the ground and gasping for breath, looked at Jaxon with admiration and asked.

Zheng Xiaoliu was younger and more agile than Jaxon.

Illiteracy was still widespread in this era, especially in rural areas where few people had access to education. As a result, parents often gave their children names with little thought, like Zheng Xiaoliu and Ox, which seemed quite random.

"Not really," Jaxon replied.

Not to mention the attributes enhanced by his equipment, Jaxon had already reached level three, with physical stats three times those of an average person. He was in a completely different league.

"Captain, you're amazing. Training with all that equipment on and still not feeling tired," Ox said with admiration.

Ever since Jaxon had defeated him so cleanly and efficiently, Ox had become a loyal admirer of Jaxon. For those with rudimentary equipment, a day of training was already exhausting. Jaxon's "weighted" training, without any signs of fatigue, was truly remarkable.

In fact, Jaxon also wanted to take off his equipment. Among a group of civilians with basic gear, he was far too conspicuous.

However, since it was their first day reporting in, they hadn't been assigned a place to stay yet. Even if Jaxon wanted to take off his equipment, he had nowhere to put it. He couldn't just stash it in his backpack, could he? Under everyone's watchful eyes, that was clearly not an option.

So, Jaxon had no choice but to continue his "weighted" training.

But this unexpectedly elevated Jaxon's standing in the eyes of others.

"Alright, if you've rested enough, get up and go eat. Finish early and get some rest. Judging by today's intensity, tomorrow's training won't be any easier," Jaxon said.

"Captain, what do you think the brigade commander is thinking? We're just a ragtag army responsible for logistics. Is it really necessary to train this hard? Look at the other brigades; their training is so relaxed," Zheng Xiaoliu complained.

"Yeah, by the end of the day, I feel like I've lost half my life. If we continue like this tomorrow, it's going to be deadly," another squad member added.

Jaxon looked over at the other brigades, who were chatting and laughing as they made their way to the mess hall. Then he looked back at his own brigade, where many were still sitting on the ground, catching their breath, too exhausted to even walk. The contrast was stark.

"I actually think this is a good thing," Jaxon said. "Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime! Although we're not on the front lines, transporting supplies is also dangerous. What if we encounter an enemy attack? The more seriously we train now, the more secure we'll be when facing danger. I agree with the brigade commander's approach, and you all must train diligently and persevere."

"Captain is right!" Ox, who had become Jaxon's sycophant, immediately chimed in after Jaxon finished speaking. "If we don't train seriously in peacetime, how will we deal with the enemy? How can we hope to achieve high ranks and honors?"

This ambitious fellow, Jaxon thought to himself.

However, as the old saying goes, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. Ox's mindset showed that he wasn't content with mediocrity. He had ambition and motivation, and he would train seriously, which was better than those who only wanted to muddle through.

Since both Jaxon and Ox had spoken, the others naturally dared not voice any objections. Besides, even if they did, they couldn't change Zhou Shan's mind and had no choice but to train diligently.

After resting for a while, the group finally went to eat. As the squad leader, Jaxon's meal was slightly better than the others. At this moment, Jaxon could see just how hard life was for the common people at the bottom of this world.

A bowl of broth with only a few droplets of oil and no meat at all made Ox, Zheng Xiaoliu, and the others drool and swallow their saliva.

"Here, share this bowl of soup among yourselves," Jaxon said, handing the broth to the others.

"How can we do that? This is yours, Captain. We can't drink it," Ox quickly replied.

"Yeah, we're just common soldiers. We don't deserve this soup," Zheng Xiaoliu also said, though his eyes were fixed on the broth.

The others expressed similar sentiments, but their gazes couldn't help but be drawn to the broth.

"Come on, I'm not really hungry. Just drink it. Do as I say," Jaxon insisted. "I insist."

Jaxon could, after all, return to the real world. In reality, no matter how difficult things got, he would never be short of something as simple as a bowl of broth. Moreover, his recent business had been good, and he had made some money. Naturally, his meals were far better than what was available here.

So, Jaxon didn't really care about a bowl of broth with just a few oil droplets.

After a brief hesitation, Ox was the first to take the bowl, saying, "If Captain says I should drink it, then I will."

He took a sip and then passed the bowl to Zheng Xiaoliu beside him. Zheng Xiaoliu took it and said, "Thank you, Captain," before taking a sip and passing it on to the next person.

No one minded that the broth had been shared among others. They took turns drinking from it, each taking a sip. However, everyone was considerate, and after a full round, there was still quite a bit of broth left.

Jaxon naturally wouldn't drink it and told everyone to finish it. By the end of the second round, the bowl was finally empty.

"Ah, that was satisfying," Ox licked his lips, savoring the taste of the broth. "It's been half a year since I last tasted meat. I almost forgot what it was like. Today, following Captain, I got to taste meat again."

"Yeah, Captain, you're great. Following you was definitely the right choice," Zheng Xiaoliu also said to Jaxon. "I haven't had meat for over half a year either. Captain is really generous."

The others also expressed their gratitude to Jaxon one by one. The way they looked at Jaxon was now much more respectful and admiring than before.

Jaxon hadn't expected that a simple bowl of broth, which he didn't even care about, could win over these people's hearts so easily. How hard must their lives have been in the past?