Glory of Special Forces Episode 6 Recap
> Glory of Special Forces Recap
Yan Poyue tirelessly practiced with his slingshot, failing numerous times as Lu Xiao Tian chattered beside him, calling him the "king of new recruits" and "the strongest." Despite the distractions, Yan Poyue finally hit a target, and then another, to Lu Xiao Tian's excited cheers.
Yan Poyue then told him to get the steel balls, considering collecting them another form of training, dismissing Lu Xiao Tian's complaints about being a "ball boy" and turning into "logistics support," to which Yan retorted that collecting steel balls was also training, just like a military dog, which was also a comrade. Later, Staff Officer Ai Qianxue approached Company Commander Li Xiang after a meeting.
She suggested that the kitchen squad of the Special Service Company, having also encountered drug traffickers, should participate in actual combat, believing it would be more beneficial for them. Li Xiang immediately dismissed the idea, questioning who would cook if the kitchen staff were on the front lines. He suspected someone had pleaded with her on their behalf.
Ai Qianxue admitted to being approached and voiced her opinion that Li Xiang's handling of Yan Poyue was too harsh, suggesting that if he truly wanted to understand Yan, he should check Yan Poyue's file with Staff Officer Zhao. Li Xiang remained firm, asserting that the young man was far more complex than a mere stubborn recruit and that the time was not yet right.
That evening, Yan Poyue and Lu Xiao Tian were late for roll call due to their practice. Fan Jin covered for them, claiming they were "on duty" and later ensured that Guo Kui had saved dinner for them in the cookhouse. The next day, Yan Poyue's slingshot practice was hampered by strong winds, and he failed to hit a single target. He admitted to Fan Jin that he had never learned to measure wind speed.
Fan Jin chastised him for not training hard enough, then offered a new method. He asked Yan Poyue who he disliked most in their 247th Regiment. Yan Poyue named Fan Jin, and Fan Jin prompted him to add Li Xiang. Lu Xiao Tian then volunteered Xiao Fei from Company One, Platoon One, Squad One, mentioning Yan's ambition to surpass him. Fan Jin, approving of Yan's spirit, wrote their names on soda cans.
He taught Yan Poyue a quirky trick for judging wind speed and distance, which Yan quickly grasped, successfully hitting the cans labeled Li Xiang and Xiao Fei. Fan Jin pocketed his own can, calling Yan a "little brat." Ai Qianxue later sought out Yan Poyue at the cookhouse and was directed to the back mountain where he was indulging his craving for shooting with a slingshot, since he couldn't use a real gun.
She found him there, questioning why he wasn't resting. Yan Poyue explained that his poor marksmanship required constant practice. Ai Qianxue highlighted that shooting relied heavily on mental fortitude and that a slingshot was no substitute for a real gun. When she asked to try, Yan initially resisted, deeming it beneath her rank. However, Ai Qianxue asserted her authority, took the slingshot, and impressively hit two targets with a single steel ball.
Impressed, Yan Poyue offered her a Coke as a sign of respect, declaring her "more manly than real men." Ai Qianxue revealed that she was there at Xiao Yun Jie's request, as he cared about Yan but was afraid of hurting his pride. Yan Poyue called Xiao Yun Jie "nosy," but Ai Qianxue warned him not to be ungrateful.
She then mentioned his father, a hero who had served in the military, and the Cheetah Commando, his father's former unit and Yan's ultimate goal. Yan Poyue grew defensive, insisting he earned everything through his own efforts, not through his father's connections. Seeing his emotional struggle, Ai Qianxue offered a confidential ear. Yan Poyue then confided in her about being abducted at age seven by drug traffickers seeking revenge on his father.
He was thrown into a dark, cold pit with other trafficked children, where they fought like dogs for food. He eventually managed to climb out, but the other children screamed to betray him in exchange for a piece of corn. He ran desperately, guided only by the sound of the wind, until he found himself back at the army compound.
He woke up in the army hospital, and from that day, his father began to put him through rigorous military training. Yan Poyue reiterated that the Cheetah Commando was his only dream, the "sacred place for the King of soldiers." Despite the grim reality of his current situation as a cook, he rejected any pity, asserting his resolve to forge his own path. Ai Qianxue offered her contact information and encouraged him to seek her advice as a comrade.
Meanwhile, Xing Tian subjected the surviving drug girl to cruel tortures, forcing her to shoot at oil drums containing people and making her fight other starving women for food, stirring unsettling memories within him. Back at the kitchen squad, Lu Xiao Tian gossiped with Guo Kui about Yan Poyue's conversation with Ai Qianxue, suggesting Yan use the connection to get transferred out of the kitchen squad.
Yan Poyue firmly stated that he would rely on his own strength to return to a combat squad and that his relationship with Staff Officer Ai was strictly professional. Frustrated by Yan's refusal to take a "shortcut," Lu Xiao Tian decided to take matters into his own hands. He delivered food to the administration office, ostensibly for Company Commander Li Xiang, but secretly left a transfer request letter for Yan Poyue at Ai Qianxue's door.
The political instructor, Chen Min Tao, was enraged when the letter was discovered, though Ai Qianxue had already suppressed it. Fan Jin quickly tried to explain that Yan Poyue was unaware of it, but Yan took full responsibility, stating that the letter's intent, regardless of who wrote it, was to help him improve. Chen Min Tao lectured them on focusing on their duties as cooks.
Following the lecture, Fan Jin decided to teach Yan Poyue his signature dish, Braised Tofu, explaining the recipe and using the cooking process as a metaphor for military service: "fried first, then braised on low heat" to develop character. Yan, however, felt more like "stock," boiling in a pot alone. That night, a sudden whistle signaled an emergency assembly.
To everyone's surprise, the kitchen squads from different companies were gathered together for a "kitchen squad competition" that was to be held concurrently with a full-regiment confrontation drill. Lu Xiao Tian was bewildered, but Yan Poyue was exhilarated, sensing real combat. The first event was a five-kilometer loaded march. Each squad had to carry all their equipment and ingredients, with the squad's final score determined by the last member to cross the finish line.
Yan Poyue surged ahead, even taking some of Lu Xiao Tian's gear to help him. Although Lu Xiao Tian struggled immensely, Yan Poyue finished first. However, when questioned by the officer about why he didn't support his comrades given the scoring rule, Yan Poyue simply stated, "Someone has to be the champion," clarifying it was his "target," not an excuse.
Despite Yan Poyue setting a new regimental record of 18 minutes and 27 seconds, his kitchen squad ultimately placed last in this event because of their slowest member's time. The second event was resisting enemy and launching harassing attacks, involving shooting moving targets while traversing a combat zone, with the winning squad determined by the number of surviving members at the 3 o'clock hillside. When their squad found themselves surrounded, Fan Jin and Yan Poyue realized they couldn't charge head-on.
Yan Poyue volunteered to draw fire, but Fan Jin stopped him. Instead, Fan Jin used a wok as a makeshift shield, leading his squad forward. During the shooting phase, Lu Xiao Tian selflessly gave Yan Poyue his full magazine, stating he couldn't shoot accurately anyway and that Yan needed it more. Fan Jin endorsed the move, explaining that in real combat, ammunition should be concentrated on skilled shooters to maximize combat effectiveness, and Yan Poyue embodied that effectiveness.
The Special Service Company excelled in this event, scoring 90 points for hitting targets and an additional 80 points for having all eight members survive, totaling 170 points and securing their victory. Other company leaders accused them of using "petty tricks."
Fan Jin retorted that it was "reasonable and clever use" of resources, emphasizing that true experts used their brains, and scoffed that in "their" world, a wok was only for cooking, implying "they" were "one wok away from becoming an expert." With little time to rest, the third event of the competition was announced: building a stove, starting a fire, and cooking a main dish with four side dishes and one soup in a field environment. The first team to complete the meal would win.
