Standing Like Nobodies

"Actually, we've known all along that this day would come sooner or later." The speaker's voice was rather heavy. Huaxia Front, Rejecters Fifth Subzone Headquarters. The dozen or so command personnel sitting in the conference room finally found a moment to wipe the sweat from their brows after receiving consecutive reports confirming the arrivals of Golden Eraser and Squad 1777. Prior to this, they had nearly collapsed from the stress. For a long time, the garrisons of the Sole Witness Legion's various squads were mostly stationed at a certain distance from central cities... This time, it was fortunate that the early warning had come quickly, that a Golden Eraser detachment equipped with a helicopter happened to be not far away, and that Squad 1777 was passing through and could help establish a perimeter. Otherwise... "If our Rejecters' technical methods don't see any breakthroughs in the coming period, then a strategic redeployment on the Sole Witness Legion's side is practically foreseeable—it will be unavoidable." Someone else spoke up. When a failure like this occurred once, there would be a second time. That was what everyone feared. "Indeed. But no matter what, everyone should relax for a moment and drink some water... then wait for the results. Since Golden Eraser is there, everything should be fine this time." The leader did his best to put away his grim expression, offering words of reassurance as he got up himself to pour water. The thermos cap was unscrewed, and the sound of pouring water arose, but the mood and atmosphere in the room did not take a turn for the better. The immense defensive pressure had lasted for more than a year. The four lines of defense that the Rejecters had always taken pride in had finally suffered a complete breach: a shuttle craft had landed in Wan City, a municipality within Huaxia with a population of over eight hundred thousand. The time: Thursday, February 7, 1991. Just as other countries around the world handled similar situations, they made one final effort, coaxing this "disobedient" shuttle craft to ultimately land on a scenic mountain inside the urban area... rather than in a residential neighborhood. Most cities in Huaxia had one or two such scenic hills or mountains located within their main urban area, usually not very large. Fortunately, Wan City's Baiyun Mountain was relatively sprawling, and due to the area's comparatively underdeveloped economy, it had not seen much development. On ordinary days, residents strolling there never ventured too deep. Moreover, the current time was the dead of night. "No, you're not a cop. You're lying." Under the pale moonlight, in front of Team Captain Lao Jian—who had already unstrapped his combat blade—a drunk swayed unsteadily, holding a liquor bottle. He took a few crooked sideways steps, looked up at Lao Jian, and said, "You don't have a hat." Having said this, pleased by his own razor-sharp intellect, he let out a smug chuckle. Lao Jian gave him a helpless look. "We're special forces... I'll say it one more time. We're pursuing fugitives. Please vacate the area immediately." "Wh-what's special forces?" Lao Jian thought for a moment. "The Flying Tigers. Like in the movies." With ten years of service in Azure, Captain Lao had never had to deal with this sort of perimeter guard duty; this was his first time encountering such a situation. "Oh... wait, that's not right." The drunk remained unconvinced. Tilting his head with his neck stiff, he pointed a finger and asked, "Then how come... how come you don't even have a gun?" Lao Jian: "..." *Smack!* Qin Guowen strode over from behind, knocked the drunk unconscious with a swift strike of his hand, hoisted him up, walked over to the side, and tossed him together with the other one he had already knocked out earlier. "We can carry them down the mountain on our way later... Drunk like this, they'll probably black out by morning. Even if they don't, they won't be able to trace it back to us." Qin Guowen dusted off his hands and straightened up, anxiety in his eyes. "The crucial part is what's deeper in, Captain Lao. In an emergency like this, the merit rating is exceptionally high." As he spoke, he jerked his chin toward... the interior of the mountain. Inside, Golden Eraser's eight-man squad had probably already engaged the Great Spikes. "I know," Lao Jian said, knitting his brows, equally anxious. He raised a hand and keyed his communicator. "Squad 1777 calling. 1777 calling. How are things on your side..." "Just ordinary Great Spikes. We don't need backup for now. Please help maintain the outer perimeter and prevent any unnecessary sightings." "Understood, but nearly twenty of us are here. We can send..." "No need, don't worry. We can handle it... Moving in! ...*beep, beep, beep*." The transmission ended. Lao Jian lowered the now-dim communicator, glancing at the squad members beside him with a mixture of helplessness and embarrassment. That was Golden Eraser for you. They had the standing to speak like that, and no one could dispute it. "Actually, in a situation like this, adding another squad would be totally fine," Qin Guowen muttered in mild frustration, though there was nothing he could do. "Captain Shao and the others aren't even here. Zhao Feng is leading the eight of them. Against two of them, the tactic is definitely to split off three to tie one down while the remaining five finish off the other first..." "Then why won't they let us join? Are they hogging the credit?" Qi Rourou stepped forward and asked. "Of course they're hogging the credit! Where do you think Golden Eraser and the other top-ranked squads in the legion get those massive battle merits every year?!" Qin Guowen had come from Golden Eraser himself, so he spoke without hesitation. In reality, as long as a squad didn't actively steal credit by force and could bear the responsibility, the legion brass turned a blind eye—in fact, they quietly encouraged it. On one hand, this indeed helped resolve many emergencies swiftly. On the other hand, the presence of this incentive and reward system allowed for a degree of resource tilting under Azure's overarching principle of fairness... It fostered top-tier experts and elite squads without drawing criticism or fueling discontent. "Then why don't we go take a share?!" a young squad member asked right then, glancing eagerly back into the mountain. Qin Guowen glanced around the group. "How are we supposed to take it?! There are eighteen of us. How many can we spare to split one with them? Send too few, and we can't take it down. Send too many, and we won't have enough people left to guard this vast stretch of the mountain foot." Given the strength of Squad 1777's members present, taking down a Great Spike safely and swiftly would require at least fifteen people, and that had to include core combatants like Captain Lao and Qin Guowen. That was the reality. So when Lao Jian offered to help earlier, he wasn't thinking of taking one Great Spike for themselves, but rather of leading a few veterans alongside Qin Guowen to lend a hand. That way, when the battle merits were evaluated, 1777 might get a slightly larger cut. "So unless the day comes when five or six of us can bring down a Great Spike and about ten of us can hold off two, things like offering full-scale backup and vying for credit will always be out of our league." Qin Guowen added another comment. It was purely an objective analysis; he wasn't expressing any regret over leaving Golden Eraser. No one spoke. A few people thought of Han Qingyu and Shen Yixiu, but their achievements in the Nepal canyon were still just rumors. Besides, counting them up, that was only two people. Would that even be enough? Even Qin Guowen was said to have been among the bottom-tier fighters in Golden Eraser. The young soldiers tilted their heads, looked at Captain Lao's expression, and prudently reined in their curiosity, shutting their mouths. From the moment the communicator clicked off until now, Lao Jian, as squad captain, hadn't uttered another word. He just stood there holding the communicator, his arm hanging limp, his head slightly drooped. The dispersed perimeter watch continued, but aside from those two drunks, not a single post encountered anything out of the ordinary. Just standing there like that. Standing like nobodies. Maybe in a little while they would have to shake hands with the people from Golden Eraser? And receive a word of thanks... *Beep, beep-beep.* Suddenly, the signal on Lao Jian's communicator sounded. Lao Jian hurriedly raised it and connected the call. "Hello? Hello... Do you need help?" Thinking it was a request from Golden Eraser, Lao Jian felt a surge of excitement. He wanted so badly for the squad to have an extraordinary beginning, for Squad 1777's history to start by resolving a historic crisis... even if they only took part in the fight. Didn't Golden Eraser still constantly boast about having participated in the battle that killed a Red Shoulder? They had bragged about it for over a decade, and no one ever probed whether they had actually been the main force back then. "What? Need help with what?" A somewhat puzzled voice came from the other end of the communicator. It sounded very familiar. Lao Jian froze. Azure's portable communication gear only worked within a limited range. Did that mean... that kid was in the vicinity?! "Is the fight over there finished yet? Captain Lao, as soon as we heard the all-region broadcast, we rushed straight over from the airport... Hello? Captain Lao?!"