Chapter 412: The Canteen Conflict
With that loud shout, the entire canteen fell silent in an instant.
Everyone felt a sense of foreboding.
Before the meal, the squad leaders hadn’t informed Regiment Commander Dang and even urged the soldiers to eat quickly before he found out—if anything happened, the squad leaders would take the blame.
Everyone had a mutual understanding—no one tattled to Regiment Commander Dang.
They had all endured hardship. Even in Changjing, such meals were unheard of. Being able to eat meat once a week was already a luxury.
Most of the time, they were deployed on missions in various regions, surviving on dry rations and cold water. They were grateful just to have a full stomach.
But here in Taoyang, seeing the abundance of meat dishes, beverages, and fresh fruit was like stepping into paradise. Even those who usually liked to curry favor with the regiment commander stayed silent.
Yet, despite their best efforts, the regiment commander still found out—and so early. Couldn’t he have arrived half an hour later? No, even ten minutes would have been fine.
One bold soldier, after freezing for a couple of seconds, stuffed all the food on his plate into his mouth at lightning speed, nearly choking himself.
Seeing him act, the rest of the soldiers followed suit—those already served began devouring their meals, while those still waiting in line lost all composure and started grabbing food directly with their hands.
Even though the hot dishes burned their fingers, no one cared.
Furious, Dang Weiran strode across the canteen and grabbed the logistics squad leader by the collar, dragging him to a corner and beating him up.
Several other squad leaders tried to intervene but got caught up in the scuffle.
The soldiers couldn’t just stand by—soon, a crowd gathered around them, attempting to break up the fight while sneaking bites of food whenever they could.
The canteen was in total chaos.
By the time Su Tao heard about the incident, the logistics squad leader had already been rescued, but his eye was swollen shut, and he was sent to the clinic.
Su Tao was getting genuinely angry. She hurried to the canteen, only to witness a young soldier—seventeen or eighteen years old—crouched on the floor, picking up a meatball that had fallen and been stepped on, making it slightly flattened.
Without hesitation, the soldier stuffed it into his mouth, savoring the taste with satisfaction before joining his comrades in cleaning the mess.
After all, it didn’t seem right to make the cleaning staff handle the aftermath when they, as soldiers, had caused the mess in the first place.
Su Tao stood in silence for a moment, then turned to Zhuang Wan and asked, “How many people didn’t get to eat?”
Zhuang Wan, clearly stressed, replied, “Almost half. Regiment Commander Dang had the food removed, and the soldiers at the back of the line didn’t even get a whiff of it.”
Su Tao frowned. “No food? Are they supposed to survive on air? What is he trying to achieve?”
Zhuang Wan called over the canteen manager, who had just endured a scolding from Dang Weiran and looked completely dejected.
“Boss Su,” he said with a long face, “Regiment Commander Dang said that feeding the soldiers such good food would spoil them. He claimed they’d never endure the hardships of the battlefield if they got used to this. From now on, he ordered only two meals a day, mainly dry rations. If I don’t comply, he said he’d kick me out…”
Su Tao’s expression darkened.
Dang Weiran’s words weren’t directed at the canteen manager—they were aimed at her.
Since she had arranged the meal, Dang Weiran was making it clear he disapproved of her interfering with the soldiers’ diet.
But instead of confronting him immediately, Su Tao decided to observe the soldiers’ daily routine first.
Their schedule was grueling:
6:30 AM: Wake-up call
8:30 AM: Breakfast after morning training
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Military classes and intensive training
1:00 PM: One-hour lunch break
2:00 PM – 8:00 PM: Afternoon training
8:00 PM: Dinner
8:30 PM – 11:00 PM: Night training
By the time they went to bed, it was already midnight.
The intensity of their regimen was extreme.
Wanting a second opinion, Su Tao sought out Meng Xiaobo’s mentor—an expert tactical trainer from the Pozhu Mercenary Team named Zhou Yushan.
Zhou Yushan, a highly respected instructor, had moved to Taoyang through the “Talent Recruitment Program” after becoming paralyzed from the waist down.
When Su Tao arrived, she found Meng Xiaobo leaving with a goofy smile on his face.
Upon spotting her, he beamed, “Boss Su! I was just about to find you—my wife’s pregnant!”
Su Tao chuckled, “I already knew, but congratulations anyway.”
Barely a few steps away, Meng Xiaobo’s wife yanked him back by the ear. “I told you not to tell anyone during the first three months! You might as well shout it across all of Taoyang—do you even want your ears anymore?!”
Amused, Su Tao entered the room and found Zhou Yushan seated in a wheelchair, reading a book. Despite his disability, he carried himself with unwavering dignity.
He greeted her calmly, as if expecting her visit, and invited her to sit down.
After exchanging pleasantries, Su Tao got straight to the point and explained the situation.
Upon hearing the story, Zhou Yushan’s expression shifted into a thoughtful one.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “To be honest, I have a personal grudge against Dang Weiran. Years ago, we had major disagreements over training methods. I once called him a tyrant and a murderer—we even got into a physical fight.”
His tone was composed, but Su Tao grasped the depth of their conflict.
“I strongly oppose his harsh, punitive style of leadership,” Zhou Yushan continued. “But to be fair, in the first two years of the apocalypse—when humanity was on the brink—his methods produced countless brave warriors who defended the Federation. His philosophy is rooted in those desperate times. He believes soldiers must endure the harshest conditions and reject all comforts to become efficient killing machines.”
Hearing this, Su Tao felt reassured—Zhou Yushan clearly did not agree with Dang Weiran’s rigid methods.
And, unexpectedly, the world felt a bit smaller knowing the two men were old rivals.
