Chapter Twenty-Two: The Performance

"Students, you all know you are in the Performance Battalion, but do you know why it is called that?" Battalion Commander Fu swept a glance across the audience.

"No!" the crowd obligingly responded.

"I originally intended to tell you tomorrow, but since we have time tonight, I might as well tell you now. The Performance Battalion, as the name suggests, is for performing. Unlike the other battalions, your military training showcase will not consist of goose-stepping or marching in formation, but rather learning other skills. There are three options for you: Military Boxing, Dagger Drills, and Baton Tactics."

The students were surprised and delighted; they hadn't expected to learn anything different. After all, goose-stepping and marching were truly boring.

"Alright, let's demonstrate Military Boxing for you first. Old Liu, come up and perform a set."

"Yes, sir!" Instructor Liu tightened his belt and trotted up to the platform.

"The first set of Military Boxing. Don't go too fast; keep a two- or three-second interval between each move. Begin." Commander Fu stepped aside to make room.

"At ease, attention! Military Boxing, combat stance!" Instructor Liu shouted the commands to himself, then settled into his starting position.

Before long, the sixteen-move sequence was finished. Instructor Liu completed the final move and stood straight on the platform.

The process was crisp and efficient; his punches and kicks were fierce and powerful, his footwork and turns clean and sharp. Lu You watched with great interest, simulating the moves in his mind.

"Good. Now, demonstrate the Dagger Drills." Commander Fu handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Use these as a dagger. Use them for the baton tactics as well later."

Although the "weapons" were abstract, Instructor Liu’s movements remained unaffected. It was as if he were truly holding a dagger and a baton; his expression was stern, his voice resonant, and every move was textbook perfect.

Once the Dagger Drills and Baton Tactics were both completed, Commander Fu stepped forward. "Very good, you may go down now."

"What are your impressions after watching?" He pointed to a random male student. "You, answer."

The boy stood up, thought for a moment, and said, "I think the instructor’s movements were very powerful and full of intensity."

Commander Fu nodded. "You’re right, sit down. In our military martial arts, what we require is power and presence. If you’ve seen other martial arts, you’ll notice that many of our moves in these three sets target the lower body. Does that seem underhanded to you?"

The students looked at each other, not daring to answer.

"There's nothing you can't say. Attacking the lower body is the most effective method. Especially in Dagger Drills, it targets the lower half directly. All that talk about being 'fair and square' is empty; in the military, we value speed, precision, and ruthlessness. The faster you can take down an enemy, the better," Commander Fu explained earnestly.

"But I digress. Now, which one do you want to learn? We start practicing tomorrow."

"Military Boxing!"

"Baton Tactics!"

"Dagger Drills!"

"Learn all of them!"

Various shouts erupted from the crowd.

...

After some back-and-forth, Commander Fu announced: "The arrangements are set. We will split by gender. The boys will practice Baton Tactics, and the girls will practice Dagger Drills. Military Boxing is more complex, and overall, it doesn't look as good when performed as the other two."

A voice called out from the crowd, "Commander, if we learn Baton Tactics, will it be useful against bad guys?"

"Of course! These three martial arts evolved from real combat, so naturally, they can be used in real situations."

Another voice rang out, "So if we learn them, we can deal with criminals?"

"Damn it, if you get stabbed, don't say I taught you! You can’t master these things in a few years; you're only learning the basics here. If you ever encounter a real criminal, run as fast as you can and leave it to the professionals."

"Don't stand there like an idiot posing; criminals don't care about your stance. I heard about a fool who learned Military Boxing during training and thought he was a tough guy. He got cornered in an alley, tried to strike a pose to fight back, and ended up getting beaten so badly even his own mother wouldn't recognize him. Don't be like him; know when to back down."

"Commander, can you demonstrate a real fight?"

"No problem. Old Liu, come up here and let's spar."

Commander Fu assumed his starting stance.

...

The atmosphere under the canopy was joyful. The instructors joked with one another, sharing anecdotes from their time in the service that piqued the students' interest in military life.

Compared to the "prison-like" experience of the earlier meetings, Lu You found these instructors quite interesting. They were down-to-earth and easy to talk to when not training.

"Actually, while being a soldier is tough, you gain things you can't find elsewhere. That sense of trust, knowing you can leave your back to your comrade, is something you won't experience in the civilian world." Commander Fu’s eyes drifted, his tone nostalgic.

"If you have the chance after entering university and your physical condition allows, I highly recommend you join the military. Even if you don't stay, you’ll enjoy many state benefits and your entire outlook on life will be refreshed."

Lu You smiled, agreeing with the commander's perspective. In his previous life, his parents worked for a government agency, and whenever he visited, he would see soldiers standing guard or marching.

Their spirit and vitality were incomparable to ordinary students. Their discipline, adherence to rules, and courage in the face of hardship were qualities Lu You deeply admired.

"Alright, that’s all for today. I’ll leave the rest of the time to the instructors. See you all tomorrow." With that, Commander Fu handed the microphone to Instructor Liu and departed.

After taking the mic, Instructor Liu told the crowd, "After our military training showcase on Friday, there will be an evening gala. Each platoon needs to perform a program, though you can group by battalion if you wish. If performing by platoon, the time limit is five minutes. By battalion, it’s fifteen minutes. What do you think?"

At the mention of performing, the crowd went dead silent.

Seeing no response, Instructor Liu continued, "Or is there anyone you’d like to recommend? Otherwise, we’ll just have each platoon sing military songs."

"And honestly, singing in a chorus is boring. We need something more creative."

Still, no one responded; everyone kept their heads down like ostriches.

"Sigh," Instructor Liu sighed. "Why so shy? If you have talent, show it! It's not a competition; even if the performance isn't perfect, it’s a hundred times better than sitting there doing nothing but mocking others. I’ll just pick someone. Platoon Leader of Class One, any suggestions?"

Deng Rui stood up, scratching his head awkwardly. "How about reciting classical poetry? I participated in a recitation contest in elementary school."

"Forget it," Instructor Liu said with disdain. "Might as well have everyone sing. Sit down. Class Two Platoon Leader... never mind, all you do is study to death; you can't even hold a proper conversation."

The Class Two platoon leader's face turned the color of liver.

"Class Three Platoon Leader, what about you?"

A smile touched the corners of Lu You's mouth.

*I am determined to slack off!*

He stood up calmly and said, "I think a chorus is a pretty good idea..."

"Report, Instructor! He can sing! He’s the type who dominates karaoke bars!"

Lu You felt the blood rush to his head; he didn't even have to turn around to know who said it.

Instructor Liu looked at the Class Two area, half-believing. "Is that true? There are punishments for lying."

Li Yu responded firmly, "It's true. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’ve heard him sing. Plus, his mother is a music teacher. If you don't believe me, you can have him come up and show us."

Lu You wished he could rush back to the dorm and whip him with the belt issued for military training.

Instructor Liu thought for a moment and decided it wasn't a bad idea. He looked at Lu You and said, "Then come up and sing one for everyone."

"I actually sing quite poorly; I wouldn't want to waste everyone's time," Lu You tried to struggle.

"Does anyone mind?" Instructor Liu cut off his retreat.

"We don't!" High school students could never resist a show.

"Then I’ll make a fool of myself." Lu You reluctantly walked onto the high platform.

Instructor Liu handed him the microphone and his phone. "Search for whatever song you want. I have memberships for both major music apps, so don't worry about not finding it."

Lu You was speechless. *Are they that afraid I'll slack off and just pick a random song?*

Taking the phone and mic, Lu You decided to take it seriously. Since he was already on stage, he might as well do it right.

"Classmate Li, what do you want to hear?"

"How about JJ's 'Those Adventurous Dreams of Yours'."

*He really knows how to pick them—JJ's song, no less.*

Lu You gave him a small eye-roll.

"Now, playing 'Those Adventurous Dreams of Yours' requested by Li Yu." Lu You opened the music app, connected to the speakers via Bluetooth, and found the instrumental track.

*When two hearts begin to tremble,*
*When your pupils learn to dodge,*
*When love is slowly covered up, leaving only... darkness.*
*...*

Although Lu You didn't have JJ's unique voice and his technique was far inferior, he was perfectly on pitch, and his voice had a youthfully clear, clean quality.

*You really don't understand,*
*My love has already... landed.*

As the song ended, applause broke out from below.

"I didn't have much time to prepare, so this is the best I could do. I hope you'll forgive me," Lu You said modestly.

Instructor Liu looked satisfied. "Not bad. If you have this skill, don't keep it hidden. The battalion's performance on Friday is in your hands. Does everyone agree?"

"Yes!" the crowd eagerly agreed.

Expecting this outcome, Lu You didn't resist much, but offered a suggestion: "Can we have more people involved? I can't sing two songs by myself for a fifteen-minute performance, can I?"

"Makes sense. Do you want to sing one each, or do a duet?" Instructor Liu accepted his suggestion.

"A duet, and then a solo—that should be enough time."

Instructor Liu took the microphone from Lu You and turned to the crowd. "The battalion's program is roughly set: one duet and one solo. We still need someone for the duet. Any volunteers?"

The crowd was no longer as quiet as before; whispers broke out. Clearly, now that someone had taken the lead, others were starting to feel the itch.

Xu Nian leaned toward Tang Wan and asked, "Do you want to go up and try?"

Tang Wan refused repeatedly. "Don't! You know what my singing is like—it’s only for the shower when I'm alone."

"Then you don't mind him singing a duet with someone else?" Xu Nian looked at her with a probing gaze.

"Huh?" Tang Wan looked confused. "Why would I mind?"

"Fine, pretend I didn't say anything," Xu Nian said, seeing no sign of unease, and dropped the subject.

...

Seeing no response from the crowd, Lu You leaned over to Instructor Liu. "Instructor, I have a candidate."

"Oh? Tell me."

"The one who said I could sing—he’s actually quite good himself. We used to learn from my mom together when we were kids."

"Alright then, handle it yourself. Let me know once you’ve picked the song tomorrow."

Instructor Liu then grabbed the mic. "The duet partner has been decided. They’ll show us tomorrow. That’s all for today, get ready to head back to the dorms!"

Lu You wore a mischievous smile, looking at Li Yu through the crowd. Their eyes met.

A chill ran down Li Yu's spine.