We'll Have It All Eventually

Even though half an hour ago he had still been lingering at the foot of the mountain, standing like a minor lackey, Lao Jian was already well aware that his status as the captain of Squad 1777 would soon be very different. Because of the presence of the three combat powerhouses before him... and they were all still so young. In future meetings at the army level, there was a high probability he would be sitting alongside the captains of the color Erasers and the top twenty, top ten squads... negotiating amicably, slamming tables and cursing... fighting for honor, fighting for resources and rewards, fighting for equipment allotments, and fighting for coverage zones. One day, he might even have to step forward and represent them at the legion level. These were matters where one absolutely could not be thin-skinned, let alone generously yield ground... There was no room to be weak or cower. Otherwise, he would be letting down his own soldiers and breaking the hearts of the squad members under him. All of that would be won by his squad members, slash by hard-fought slash... So what if he was Grade C? So what if he was the weakest captain in combat strength among the top-tier squads? In all my life, I, Lao Jian, have never backed down from a straight fight! So, let it begin right here, today. Golden Eraser was a friend, that was true, but Lao Jian believed Shao Xuan had the magnanimity to be practical and reasonable. For those who were truly strong, if you cowered spinelessly, that was when they would truly look down on you. Boot soles crunched and rustled against the accumulated fallen leaves and dry twigs. As Zhao Feng walked over, Lao Jian stepped up to meet him. Zhao Feng offered a cigarette, and Lao Jian took it, cupping his hands around the flame to light it. "To be honest, if you guys hadn't shown up, we would have..." Zhao Feng started to say while Lao Jian had his head bent, lighting the cigarette. "To be honest, if you guys hadn't shown up, we would have hacked it down ourselves tonight anyway." Finishing his sentence, Lao Jian patted the back of Zhao Feng's hand to signal the cigarette was lit, then straightened up with an impassive expression. "Hey, my three brothers held it off for so long, too." Zhao Feng grew a little anxious, making it clear that his squad had also contributed to the one they felled. What lay before them were spoils of war and military merits; even between allied units, the line had to be drawn clearly. With a calm smile, Lao Jian turned his head toward the foot of the mountain. "I've still got over a dozen brothers down there, standing out in the cold wind." "..." Zhao Feng choked for a second. He could hardly say that outer perimeter security didn't count. After a moment's thought, he shifted tack: "Be reasonable. This was a mission Golden Eraser took on. Captain Lao, by muscling in like this, you're putting us..." "Speaking of being reasonable, by rank, this is something your Captain Shao should be discussing with me." Lao Jian paused after saying this, then smiled and extended his hand. "Since Captain Shao isn't here today, let's leave it at this: when reporting merits, 1777 and Golden will split it fifty-fifty... I'm delighted that our squad's maiden battle was a cooperation with Golden Eraser." Put that way, there was really nothing wrong with it. It was just that Zhao Feng had been in Golden Eraser for a long time and wasn't used to having merits snatched or split, so he hesitated for a moment. In that brief hesitation, Lao Jian had already grasped his hand and given it a few firm shakes. The update was promptly transmitted back to the Rejecters Subzone Headquarters. The communicator erupted into cheers and words of gratitude as news of the crisis being resolved spread swiftly to Rejecters Headquarters, Legion Headquarters, and the Council... And thus, for the first time, the name of the newly established Squad 1777 of Regiment 425, Ninth Army, appeared before everyone. As for the subsequent commendation orders and practical rewards, there was naturally no need to worry. "Should we report this to Regimental Commander Li first?" He Tangtang asked elatedly. In the fight just now, he had driven his blade straight into the Great Spike's back. The thrill of battle and the feeling of making a contribution felt amazing. Oh, right, should he tell his old squad leader? Lao Jian pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a grin. "Let's just give him a surprise. Regiment 425 hasn't had a chance to show its face in years. Finding out suddenly will definitely make him even happier." With that decided, the people from Golden called out their goodbyes and waved. The helicopter's rotor blades spun from slow to fast, thrumming with a rhythmic thud-thud-thud as it began to climb. Lao Jian waved back, then simply stood looking up, watching until the helicopter shrank into a tiny dot in the night sky. "I heard that in squads equipped with helicopters like theirs, all the members have to do extra parachute training after joining so they can skydive down to chop Great Spikes..." he muttered as he watched. Han Qingyu silently walked up, patted Captain Lao's shoulder from behind, and said, "We'll have it all eventually." "Yeah." Lao Jian nodded and gave a soft grunt of affirmation. He turned his head and didn't spot Han Qingyu, only catching sight of him when he turned to the other side. Suddenly his expression shifted, his smile vanishing as he grew stern and whispered, "You're still in the mood to smile? That Wu Xu—the higher-ups haven't even approved his background check, and you just brought him straight into the squad like this. What do you plan to do?" Han Qingyu looked at him. "We can't keep him?" "H-How can we keep him?!" Lao Jian asked back with an exaggerated look. Then he said, "I'd love to keep him, but military discipline is military discipline! Keeping someone whose enlistment vetting hasn't even been approved inside the squad—do you have any idea how huge of a liability that is?" "Then what should we do now?" Han Qingyu asked with an innocent face. "We can't just abandon him here, can we? He just helped us chop down a Great Spike. Besides, Wu Xu isn't familiar with the outside world, he's injured... and he just coughed up blood." Coughing up blood... Right, what to do? What could he do? Lao Jian was stumped. After wrestling with himself in hesitation for a moment, he suddenly took a step forward, waved his hand, and turned his back to them. "Forget it... Let's just pretend I don't know yet and haven't seen him... Get him in the vehicle first. We'll talk once we're there." He Tangtang walked up beside Han Qingyu. "Captain Lao is a genuinely great guy." "Yeah, isn't he?" Han Qingyu nodded with a smile. Calling over Shen Yixiu and Wu Xu, they got ready to head down the mountain. Han Qingyu walked a few steps before realizing someone seemed to be missing. Turning around, he saw a figure standing there blankly, and called out: "Captain Qin! Captain Qin Guowen! Time to go!" "Oh, right." Qin Guowen seemed to snap out of his daze only then. Sheathing his saber onto his back, he broke into a jog and caught up with Han Qingyu and the others. "What's wrong?" Seeing his unusual expression, Han Qingyu asked. "Nothing." Qin Guowen shook his head and walked silently down the mountain with them. After a while, he suddenly said, "I probably can't go back to Golden." Only then did everyone remember that according to the original arrangement, he was supposed to return to Golden Eraser after one year. "Isn't that great? Just stay with us then," He Tangtang chimed in with a grin. "Stay, stay..." Qin Guowen muttered twice. Suddenly putting on a burst of speed, he caught up with Lao Jian. "Captain Lao, let me ask you something seriously." Lao Jian turned around and looked at his face. "What is it?" "Am I still someone you really, really want?" Qin Guowen asked in all seriousness. When he first arrived at 1777, he had come to be the trump card. How long had it been since then? By now, his combat strength didn't even seem to rank in the top three. "W-Well, of course you are." Lao Jian broke out in goosebumps at the question, but he managed to endure it and reassured him, "With all your combat prowess, not to mention the advanced tactics and expertise you brought from Golden Eraser... both 1777 and I need you very much." Qin Guowen thought about it and decided that made sense. Satisfied, he broke into a happy grin. The two continued talking as they walked side by side. By now, they were nearing the foot of the mountain. Wen Jifei suddenly popped out from the side. "Do you know what the most critical thing actually is? Captain Qin has seen the world and can teach Captain Lao the fine line of how rowdy, headstrong, and predatory we can be as a top-ranking squad in the future... It's like a nouveau riche who doesn't know how to carry himself as an established squire. Captain Lao is actually feeling rather insecure on the inside." He said it with a laugh. ... Leaving the car borrowed from the airport behind in Wan City for airport staff to retrieve later, Han Qingyu and the others squeezed into the three jeeps Lao Jian and the rest had driven, packing the vehicles like cans of sardines. In high spirits, they drove out of the city to rendezvous with the main convoy. Including the three returning jeeps, the convoy parked along the roadside now totaled five jeeps and six large trucks. This... isn't this a bit overkill? Thinking this in their heads, Han Qingyu and the others were led by Milla to tour the cargo beds of the large trucks: Televisions, VCRs, gaming consoles, pool tables, ping-pong tables, clothes, food... basketballs, badminton sets... and mahjong! "All these things..." "Station duty is boring most of the time. You'll understand later," Milla said with a smile. "Azure really is loaded." "Not entirely." Milla shook her head, then pointed at the brand labels on the goods. "These are all produced by our own Azure logistics bases. Did you think all those Azure family members, logistics staff, and even prisoners just sit around doing nothing? They all work. Azure has both agriculture and manufacturing." After introducing all this, Milla suddenly turned to look at Shen Yixiu. "Xiuxiu, wait here a moment." With that, she jogged over and climbed into another truck. A moment later, she came down and bent over to set down a small animal. A cat... It looked up, saw Shen Yixiu, tilted its head in bewilderment, and stood there looking somewhat lost. "Mangmang Mangmang?!" Shen Yixiu cried out in delight. Hearing her voice, the cat snapped to attention and immediately bounded toward her with playful abandon. "How did you get here?" Shen Yixiu held the cat excitedly in her arms, turning her head to say repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you, Captain Milla!" "You're welcome. Actually, before we set out, Commander Shen specifically entrusted me to bring it along. He said he was worried you'd be bored out in the field... Mangmang Mangmang is adorable," Milla said with a warm smile, watching them from the side. As she spoke, she was wearing a Tibetan Buddhist style bracelet on her wrist—a gift Han Qingyu and the others had brought back from Nepal. About ten minutes later, the convoy started moving. Captain Lao's jeep was packed with people—Wen Jifei, He Tangtang, Liu Shiheng, and Han Qingyu were all squeezed inside. "Captain Lao, have a smoke." "Some liquor..." "And look at this necklace! These were all brought back from Nepal specially for you, Captain Lao." "So am I supposed to wear a necklace?! Does that look right to you?" Lao Jian snapped sullenly with a straight face. Aside from Milla's distinctive prayer bracelet, almost everyone in the squad had received identical gifts—clearly bought in bulk from the same place. Captain Lao had noticed this long ago, and because he hadn't received his portion yet at the time, he had secretly nurtured a faint sense of anticipation. Who would have thought that in the end, his gift would be the exact same generic batch goods? Displeased, Captain Lao said coldly, "I don't want it." In truth, he knew full well what these rascals were buttering him up for... But as for Wu Xu, from the standpoint and values of an old-school Azure soldier, he truly couldn't bring himself to simply let him stay in the squad. Yet he now understood Wu Xu's background and specific circumstances. He had even called him over for a chat just moments ago, though they hadn't managed to get a real conversation going... Captain Lao truly didn't have the heart to drive him away.