Summer of 1942. Taccoa Barracks, Georgia.
"Reese Parks, good for you, you actually managed to get canned cherries from the kitchen." Soldier Heffron, lying on his bed, looked at the can of cherries in Parks' hand, "But are you sure you're alright?"
"I bet Parks was so flustered that the after-effects of hitting the pillar the day before yesterday are still lingering!" George Luz laughed loudly.
Hearing Luz's words, several soldiers in the camp burst into laughter. They all knew the story: Parks had secretly snuck into the kitchen while eating the day before yesterday, taken a can of peaches, and because he was so flustered, he ran into a pillar outside the kitchen and fainted on the spot. Luckily, Patrick Christenson saw him, otherwise he would have been caught red-handed. Even so, everyone in E Company, except for Lieutenant Herb Sobel, knew about this embarrassing incident.
Reese Parks shook his head, then smiled and said, "Alright, Luz, you need to be careful with the two hundred condoms in your locker. If the 'Black Swan' finds out, you'll have to run up Corahill Mountain, charge, steed!"
"Three miles out, three miles back!" The camp tent immediately roared in unison.
"Parks, did you go through my locker?" Luz's face turned red.
"No, why would I need to?" Parks was speaking.
Outside the camp gate, shouts were already heard: "E Company Second Platoon, assemble!"
"Damn it, that damned Sobel, can't he just let people have a good time? Today is a rest day!" Roy Cobb cursed. But no one was in the mood to pay attention. Everyone changed into their training uniforms and quickly assembled on the training ground outside the camp.
From the military camp to Corahill Mountain and back was a total of ten miles. Climbing Corahill Mountain fully equipped was a regular training exercise for E Company, said to be Lieutenant Herb Sobel's original creation.
It was already noon, and the sun was intense.
"I can't take it anymore!" Ed Heffron gasped, his back hunched, sweat already dripping from his hair, his entire training uniform completely soaked.
"Keep going! Ed!" The burly Carwood Lipton, though also panting, waited a moment and ran forward shoulder to shoulder with Ed Heffron.
"You're really a good man! Ed." Heffron managed a smile. Ahead was a very steep slope.
Reese Parks charged ahead alone. The slope was steep, but this difficulty was nothing to Reese Parks. Now he seemed like a different person; he possessed endless strength. Such training was mere child's play to him.
"He's a pervert!" Cobb, looking at Parks who had already climbed to the mountain top, grumbled to David Webster beside him, "Just a few days ago, he was running at the very back."
"Alright, Cobb, stop complaining. If you're still afraid to go up, watch out, Sobel will skin you alive!" Webster quickened his pace and passed Cobb.
"Don't you think Parks is a bit different from before?" Cobb shouted from behind Webster.
"Yes, yes! If you don't hurry up, then Lieutenant Sobel's punishment for you will definitely be different from usual. Hurry up, Cobb, stop complaining!" Webster turned his head and shouted.
Parks was different; he was no longer the Parks of before. This problem was very complex; in God's eyes, it was merely the simple process of a soul crossing over, but for the original Parks and the soul now inhabiting Parks' body, it had been a complex and utterly maddening experience.
Parks was an unlucky guy, because he would faint from hitting a pillar even when stealing a can of peaches. This wasn't the worst part, because after he fainted, he was no longer Parks, but another person, another person's soul. Another soul from China, a Chinese man named Zhang Xiang.
To be honest, this experience was too bizarre, even more complex and incredible than those Crossing dramas in 21st-century China.
But that's how it is; it's not that one doesn't understand, but that the world is too wonderful. It can always deliver a harsh blow when you're feeling smug, knocking you hard from heaven to the ground.
This phenomenon cannot be explained, but Confucius, from his great homeland, has a saying that can comfort him: "When you are here, be at ease." Yes, since he had come, he might as well stay here at ease!
As for why the current Parks could transform from being physically lagging to becoming a model soldier on the training ground, this stemmed from Zhang Xiang himself, because before his soul possessed the body, he was a special agent in 21st-century China, and a top-tier one at that. He excelled in amphibious combat, close-quarters combat and assassination, and English, French, and German, and he could also make the best adjustments to his body's various functions and perform the best training movements to achieve optimal training results.
Although the original unlucky Parks' physical condition was not good, after adapting to this body for the past two days, Parks had already adjusted and stood out in training. It's not that Parks became much stronger after having Zhang Xiang's soul, but rather the result of body coordination. More importantly, the current officers and soldiers of E Company were merely new recruits.
This was the 506th Regiment of the newly formed 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Air Force, commanded by Colonel Sink. Airborne troops, this was a completely new branch of the military for America in 1942, and those who could enter this new army came from all over the America, with different backgrounds. Farmers, miners, mountain folk, some were sons of Southerners; some were destitute, others comfortably well-off; there were also university students, police officers, and those who were already reservists.
Zhang Xiang was very familiar with this group, from a TV series directed by American Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, based on true events, called "band of brothers."
It was a very good TV series, with the atmosphere of World War II and strong camaraderie, all of which Zhang Xiang had experienced in the military, so he adapted quickly, and he had already considered himself this unlucky Reese Parks.
"Very good, soldier Reese Parks, it seems your training has been effective these past few days!" Lieutenant Herb Sobel, holding a stopwatch at the top of the slope, shouted loudly, "It seems you've broken the record held by E Company's Platoon Leader Lieutenant Dick Winters, beating him by five minutes."
"Thank you, Company Commander!" Despite not liking this character, whether in the TV series or the current Lieutenant Herb Sobel, Parks still tried to answer loudly.
Immediately after, Lieutenant Winters climbed up not far away, with David Landers closely following him.
"Private Landers, are you going to the hospital? You look terrible, hurry up, hurry up, your nickname shouldn't be 'Big Bill" ,' it should be 'Snail'." Sobel waved his arms and shouted, "We climbed Corahill Mountain in 23 minutes. Perhaps this result is good enough for other companies, but for E Company, it's not enough, we are the best company, hurry up!"
This scene was very familiar. Parks, who had already run down the mountain, couldn't help but want to laugh, but he couldn't. Although he ran the fastest, he was already exhausted. To reach his former powerful physical state, this body would need to undergo even more brutal and rigorous training.
"I really can't stand it anymore!" White couldn't help but complain in the military camp. He had once been a reservist, from a well-off family, and such hardship had exceeded his endurance limit.
"White! Have you forgotten why you came here?" Carwood Lipton stood at the camp gate and looked seriously at White, "Airborne Division are the most elite troops in all of America. Think about it, what could be more worthwhile than this."
"Brothers! I have good news!" At this moment, Donald Malarkey walked in quickly, and seeing the people in the tent, he couldn't help but smile, "Don't be disheartened, Lieutenant Sobel has shown mercy today, want to hear what it is?"
"Don't mention that 'Black Swan' to me, Malarkey." White couldn't help but grumble.
"Alright, brothers, tonight we can have free time! Sobel has finally granted us mercy. We can go to the bar and have some fun. Isn't that good news?"
"Oh!" The tent erupted in cheers, and even the gloomy-faced White couldn't help but smile. This was indeed rare good news for E Company.
"I hope Sobel doesn't show up at the bar tonight!" Parks smiled. He didn't have that much resentment towards Sobel; after all, Sobel's training intensity and demands were nothing to Parks, who had once been a special agent. It was just that Sobel's presence would be a buzzkill.
The bar was actually just one of the U.S. Army's entertainment venues, and of course, there were no beautiful women there. This was what the E Company brothers found most regrettable tonight. Of course, that didn't matter, because tonight they could drink to their heart's content, and Lieutenant Sobel wouldn't be there.
"Luz, another beer for me!" Joe Liebgott propped one foot on a chair by the bar counter, carefully tucking his pant leg into his leather boot.
"Toy, when did you learn to tuck your pant legs into your boots? You're not a real paratrooper yet, look, your pants are wrinkled." Luz, slightly tipsy, brought two beers from behind the bar. He mimicked Lieutenant Sobel's way of speaking. This was his specialty, able to vividly imitate Lieutenant Sobel, Major Horton, and even Colonel Sink's speech.
"Don't mention that guy, he's a buzzkill, George, just give me a beer!" Joe Liebgott, also a bit tipsy, watched Luz smile smugly.
"Here you go!" George Luz handed over the beer, then raised his glass, "Three miles out, three miles back!"
"Three miles out, three miles back!" Joe Liebgott and George Luz exchanged smiles, then chugged their beers.
"George Luz, a beer for me!" Reese Parks walked over. He liked this atmosphere very much, similar to the atmosphere in the military camp in his previous life. soldiers in all military camps around the world were like this, like brothers.
"Alright, wait!" George Luz walked over, poured a glass of beer, and handed it to Reese Parks, "Reese, you can call me George!"
"Alright!" Parks smiled, raised his glass, "Three miles out, three miles back!"
"Haha..." George Luz and Joe Liebgott burst out laughing.
"What exactly are you laughing about?" Reese Parks shrugged his shoulders.
"Three miles out, three miles back!"
All three laughed heartily.
"Parks, you seem to have changed a lot these past two days!" Joe Liebgott eyed Parks up and down.
"Of course," Parks smiled, "I'm strong now, even Sobel has to admit I'm the best guy in E Company. Of course, he can only be second."
"Oh, why are we talking about that guy again? Don't say he's second, he can't even do the standard thirty clapping push-ups, do you believe that? Every time he leads us in doing them, he only does twenty." Luz blinked.
"Let's not discuss him anymore, otherwise, I won't be able to drink another beer!" Toy looked up, "Look, Lieutenant Buck Compton is betting with someone again."
Parks looked over and, sure enough, Buck Compton was surrounded by many people, with others cheering him on.
"It looks like they're playing darts!" George Luz exclaimed excitedly, "Interested in watching?"
"Alright, I'd like to watch!" Parks and George Luz walked over, holding their beer glasses.
"Want to make a bet!" Buck Compton shouted at Parks, "Look, they all want me to lose, don't you want to win too? We're betting big this time, ten dollars!"
"Oh, ten dollars! That's really big!" George Luz was startled, "Forget it, I'll just watch! Parks, you're someone Lieutenant Sobel values highly."
Suddenly, there was a cacophony of noise all around.
"Alright! Then let's bet. Of course, it's me and Lieutenant Buck competing in darts. If you're not afraid to lose, then bet on Buck to win!" Parks picked up a dart, laughed at everyone, and then threw the dart in his hand.
Throughout the entire process, Parks always faced the crowd, his gaze not even glancing at the dartboard. Then, amidst the astonished stares of the crowd, he gestured to Buck Compton to go ahead.