The four-story abandoned Grand Theater in the suburbs had been requisitioned as a temporary venue for the training session, and the vagrants who originally lived there had all been driven elsewhere.
When the automated announcer called out "Grand Theater Station," Uncle Dong exhaled a long breath, stepped off the bus, and stood beside the platform, momentarily dazed.
Ever since he received the invitation to lecture at the training session yesterday, he hadn't closed his eyes for eighteen straight hours.
He couldn't tell whether it was excitement or panic.
Yet now that he was actually here, his mind went completely blank, leaving only waves of bewilderment churning in his chest.
After standing in a stupor for a moment, Uncle Dong gathered his senses and followed a path trampled through the weeds toward the theater.
Two or three hundred paces ahead, a signboard stood in the middle of the path:
*Attendees bear left through the main entrance to the auditorium; lecturers bear right through the back door to backstage.*
He turned toward the back door and soon saw four guards stationed at the entrance, alongside a line of lecturers waiting to enter.
When it was Uncle Dong's turn, he pulled an iron badge from his pocket.
The guard took it and swiped it lightly against a defense comm. An electronic voice sounded at once:
[Verification passed.]
[Blood Dragon Legion, Grade 02 Green Dragon Squad, Winter Squad, Captain Xia Dong.]
Hearing the announcement, the four guards' expressions shifted slightly, immediately replaced by deep respect.
Since its founding, the Blood Dragon Legion had advanced one grade each year, now reaching Grade 29.
This man's Grade 02 status signified a veteran pedigree dating back to the legion's very second year.
Moreover, Green Dragon squads were considered the third tier within the legion—ranked Hatchling, Spiny Dragon, Green Dragon, Winged Dragon, Stone Dragon, and Blood Dragon. Even today, the entire legion possessed barely over a hundred Green Dragon squads.
To have retired and survived to this day left no doubt: this man was undoubtedly one of the Buffer Zone's living fossils!
"Captain Xia, please come in!"
"Thank you."
Tucking the badge back into his pocket, Uncle Dong stepped forward with a touch of trepidation and entered through the back door.
*Whoosh.*
Light transitioned into shadow, and a faint breeze blew down from overhead.
Although requisitioned only as a temporary venue, the interior of the theater had undergone a major overhaul the previous night.
As Harlin put it, with infected entities so active since the start of the year, sessions like this had to be held frequently and on a grand scale to maintain the inspectors' combat effectiveness.
Thus, over a hundred workers had toiled through the night.
By today, the garbage and grime across the first and second floors had been scrubbed spotlessly clean, and cracked light fixtures and worn-out facilities had been replaced with brand-new ones, forming a stark contrast with the dilapidated exterior.
Walking along the corridor step by step, Uncle Dong's long-dormant heart pounded wildly, so much that the ache in his arm seemed to fade away.
Not until he rounded two corners did his footsteps suddenly freeze.
An indescribable expression flitted across his face, finally settling upon several figures gathered in a far corner.
Four men, two women.
Every single one bore scars; every single one had some form of disability.
Yet Uncle Dong's eyes remained fixed on the scarred middle-aged woman, unable to look away.
If Cheng Ye were here, just watching the shift in Uncle Dong's gaze would be enough to deduce that there was some melodramatic history between them worthy of a multi-season soap opera.
And so it was—Uncle Dong truly shared a long, tangled past with that woman.
Still, there was no need to dwell on past melodrama.
What was done was done; one couldn't live forever in fond memories woven by one's own imagination.
*After all these years, I came to terms with it long ago; I just didn't want to face it.*
*Now my stock is completely ruined by water, and who knows how many infected entities have slipped into the Buffer Zone—what else is there to fear?*
The trepidation he had felt outside gave way here to open-minded ease.
Flashes of jumbled memories raced through Uncle Dong's mind, only to be swept into the corners of his consciousness.
He paused, put on the genial smile Cheng Ye knew so well, and walked along the base of the wall.
"Everyone, looking full of energy, I see!"
In the chaotic backstage, Uncle Dong's voice wasn't particularly loud, yet it caused the six seated people to freeze.
When they turned around and saw who it was, surprise and delight burst onto every face.
"Old Xia's here!"
"Haha, the captain finally showed up!"
"Captain still looks so young—clearly living far better than the rest of us!"
"Old Xia, I thought this training session wouldn't be able to move a big shot like you!"
The six swarmed around him instantly, clustering around Uncle Dong like stars orbiting the moon.
As original-generation soldiers of the Blood Dragon Legion, survivors weren't exceedingly rare, but squads that managed to remain fully intact after retirement were few and far between in all of Happiness City.
Uncle Dong nodded in greeting to each of them. When his gaze fell upon the scarred woman, he chuckled softly. "Yun Wei, long time no see."
The woman stared for a moment, then shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. "Long time no see."
Four simple words, yet they seemed to encompass their entire story, folding the whole past within them.
Seeing this, the other five shared knowing looks that said everything without a word, quietly stepping aside to give the two some space.
"How have you been lately?"
"Same as always. I can't sit still, so I went out hauling long-distance freight with a trucking team, delivering across the neighboring provinces and cities. Doesn't pay much, but at least it isn't exhausting."
"With the infected entities stirring this year, it must be dangerous out there. You're not taking a break?"
"How could taking a break be so easy? It's a ten-year contract, and I've still got three years left." Before she even finished, she glanced at Uncle Dong's arm. "Aren't you working just as hard? How many years has that old injury been aching? Why haven't you gone to get it treated?"
"It can't be cured. I've had several surgeries, but the root problem is too deep. There's nothing to be done."
Uncle Dong sighed. As his sleeve slipped down, several hideous old scars caught the light.
The topic seemed to grind to a halt right there, neither able to find words to keep the conversation going.
Fortunately, a burst of applause sounded from the front hall, puncturing the gloom.
"Now that's a rare sight. The people sitting down there are all inspectors—they'd actually applaud for us?"
Yun Wei stood on tiptoe to peer toward the stage, wearing a strange expression.
They were just rough veterans supposedly here to share experience, but in reality, who among them dared presume to lecture inspectors?
As the pinnacle of status in the Buffer Zone, having the inspectors even sit through a talk was a miracle in itself.
Applause and warm welcomes were luxuries beyond imagination.
"They're not clapping for you. The one presenting right now... used to be an instructor at the Public Security Bureau. His spouse is an inspector too—a Rank 4 inspector holding real authority, no less."
A familiar voice spoke nearby. The two instinctively turned to look, finding a member of Thunder Moon Squad.
Another comrade from back then, though Thunder Moon Squad had only one person left.
"Miao Yang, from the sound of it, you actually want the inspectors to applaud you?" someone nearby teased.
"Hey, I was just saying. Aren't we all here for those eight contribution points?"
Miao Yang rubbed his hands together with a chuckle. "Still, I prepared some real substance—stuff I didn't even share when the Blood Dragon Legion invited me to lecture in recent years. Who knows, maybe the big shots down there will enjoy it enough to give me a round of applause."
"Real substance? Don't tell me you're gonna talk about how Thunder Moon Squad almost got wiped out back then?"
"Get out of here!" Miao Yang playfully shoved him with a laugh. "Aren't you the only one left of Red Blood Squad too?"
"How is that the same? When we retired, there were still five of us..."
"..."
Listening to Miao Yang bicker with the others, Uncle Dong and Yun Wei exchanged a helpless smile and quietly moved aside to a quieter spot.
"How about I lend you some money so you can get the surgery?"
"No need to borrow from you. If I really intended to fix this ailment, the favors I've accumulated over the years would have been more than enough. It's not necessary..."
Uncle Dong shook his head. "After all these years, why haven't you thought about finding a partner?"
"I've been waiting for you."
Yun Wei's eyelashes fluttered as she looked up, and then she suddenly burst into laughter. "Isn't that what you wanted to hear? I heard romance dramas from the old era always went like that!"
"Xia Dong, you're the only one allowed to fear death, and I'm not?"
"I wasn't fearing death..."
Uncle Dong's Adam's apple bobbed as he started to protest, but it ultimately dissolved into a sigh.
Back then, the two of them had been dating to the point of setting a wedding date.
Unfortunately, an accident occurred during a mission. The squad was surrounded by infected entities, and though they survived by the skin of their teeth with no casualties, everyone sustained varying degrees of injuries.
As captain, Uncle Dong had sensed abnormal activity among the infected entities. Even though the squad had been on the verge of advancing to "Winged Dragon" rank and breaking into the middle tier of the Blood Dragon Legion, he made the resolute decision to retire, abandoning the rest of Winter Squad.
Without him as their backbone, the rest of the squad gradually lost heart and chose to retire one after another.
Everyone resented Xia Dong, believing his cowardice and fear of death had ruined their futures.
Naturally, their relationship also came to an end.
Yet fate played a cruel trick: in the very winter after everyone retired, Happiness City was struck by a terrifying Plague-level infection tide.
The squads from the same cohort as Winter Squad were almost entirely annihilated, with scarcely any lucky survivors.
Such a catastrophic turn of events made Winter Squad suddenly realize Xia Dong's foresight back then, as well as the madness of ignoring all dangers in their eagerness to advance.
Unfortunately, while the others eventually forgave and understood him, Xia Dong himself could never cross that hurdle.
In plain terms, his warrior's heart had shattered.
A valiant, fiercely driven warrior had chosen to retire and flee at the very height of his prime.
That decision had tortured him for more than twenty years.
"You used to argue back. What, you've finally resigned yourself to it now?"
"I have. What choice do I have? I'm just a useless coward who's terrified of dying. You have no idea how scared I was last night when I heard an on-duty stationmaster had fallen and infected entities had slipped in. Thankfully, I didn't embarrass myself in front of a junior—I even put on the airs of a big shot."
Uncle Dong grinned and patted the badge on his chest.
"Ending up like this serves me right!"
"Well said!" Yun Wei gave him a thumbs-up. "Mind if I join in and curse you out a bit too?"
"No way. You all said before that you'd already forgiven me."
Uncle Dong's touch of stubborn petulance made Yun Wei laugh.
Eavesdropping with pricked ears, the other five members of Winter Squad relaxed their brows.
Over the years, they had constantly tried to play matchmaker, but Uncle Dong always dodged and avoided it.
Could there actually be hope this time?
"Damn it, I talked up there for half an hour! Fine if those inspectors look down on us, but what right do those observers and staff members in the back have to put on that attitude?"
"Was my lecture really that bad? Have I killed fewer infected entities than they have?"
Just then, Miao Yang returned backstage, cursing under his breath.
He hadn't noticed how many people were actually listening to the solid material he had prepared, but he had clearly seen just how many were spacing out.
Not only the inspectors, but even the ordinary folks in the back hadn't bothered to lift their eyelids. It was downright snobbery!
"Alright, alright. Didn't you say you just came to coast for the contribution points? Don't make a racket; if someone overhears, you'll be in for trouble," someone quickly urged.
The staff member in charge of announcing stepped over expressionlessly, gave Miao Yang a long look, and said toward Uncle Dong's direction, "Winter Squad, get ready. You're up next. Discuss among yourselves who goes first."
Who goes first?
"I'll go," Uncle Dong said, dusting off nonexistent dirt. "Last time I was the first to run; this time I can hardly be the last to step up."
He didn't think he would do much better than Miao Yang, but as far as losing face went, he had lost plenty over the years—one more time wouldn't make a difference.
"Captain is mighty!"
"Captain's still got that old flair—badass!"
"Haha, go for it, Captain! If no one claps, we'll clap for you!"
Amid their cheerful jeers, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and glanced back at Yun Wei.
The latter blinked, her gaze seeming both encouraging and questioning—had his spirit truly returned?
Returned?
Uncle Dong shook his head in self-mockery. What spirit could an old grocery store has-been have? Just scraping by, that was all.
"Next, please welcome Blood Dragon Legion Grade 02 Green Dragon Captain Xia Dong to deliver his presentation."
As the announcement came, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage.
The lighting was nowhere near as dazzling as imagined, bearing no resemblance to what was written in the old-era magazines he had scavenged from flea markets—nothing that made one feel the gaze of the world.
Looking down:
The inspectors in the front rows kept their heads lowered, paying no mind.
Those from the checkpoints in the middle rows whispered among themselves, seemingly discussing something important.
As for the back... Uncle Dong would have liked to spot where Cheng Ye was, but with so many heads in the crowd, he didn't have time to search carefully.
"Hello, everyone. I am Xia Dong, a soldier lucky enough to have survived the battlefield.
"The topic I'm presenting today is... Countering Area-of-Effect Water-Affinity Infected Entities."
...
In five minutes, one couldn't delve very deep.
Uncle Dong broke down a battle scenario Winter Squad had encountered, thoroughly explaining their tactical approach and practical execution.
It was clearly structured and compelling.
The squad members standing backstage couldn't help applauding, and even Yun Wei's eyes burned with warmth, as if she were seeing the Xia Dong of the past once again.
Yet the audience reaction below remained lackluster. Watching from the side, Miao Yang curled his lip and sighed helplessly.
"Alright, that is the complete response method. Does anyone have any questions?"
No one in the audience asked anything.
Uncle Dong wasn't surprised. Bowing slightly, he said, "In that case, thank you all for listening."
With that, he turned to leave the stage.
Yet right at that moment, unexpected applause broke the hall's silence.
It wasn't particularly loud, but in the hush, it sounded remarkably clear!
It was...
Cheng Ye clapped softly. To others, Uncle Dong was just an insignificant bystander.
To him, however, he was one of the few people he could talk to and pass the time with since transmigrating to this wasteland.
"Splendid!"
He stood up slightly and gave a nod of acknowledgment to the people around him, paying no heed to their astonished looks as he generously offered his applause.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
Seeing this, Matthew Lee also stood up and began clapping, completely unbothered by the strange looks from others.
To him, a low-risk moment that provided maximum presence was ideal.
Yet.
Almost the moment he stood up to clap, synchronized clapping rang out from behind him!
*Huh?*
*Cheng Ye has this much sway? Why is someone else clapping along?*
Matthew Lee turned around curiously, wanting to see who else dared ignore the factional conflict between Easterners and Westerners just to show off.
*Could it be some reckless nobody who—*
His gaze met that of the person in the row behind. Dario Haven was clapping, a hint of confusion in his expression.
He seemed to be asking: *Are you trying to steal my thunder?*
"Dario Haven?"
Matthew Lee froze, his expression instantly locking up, his eyes wide with shock as if he had seen a ghost.
*How is that possible?*
*The Rank 5 inspector of the Westerners, Harlin's top supporter.*
*The very Dario Haven who was a prime candidate to succeed the fallen on-duty stationmaster.*
*He... he was actually applauding too?*
*Is he trying to curry favor to recruit Cheng Ye to the Westerner faction?*
*No, this guy has lost his mind! Someone so fanatically partisan, clapping for an Easterner warrior?*
The bewildered Westerner inspectors turned around in rapid succession, utter astonishment written on their faces.
Yet, spurred by some flunky who took the lead, others joined Dario Haven in clapping.
The sporadic applause swiftly swelled, and seeing this, the observers and staff of the Westerner camp scrambled to join in.
It was truly a case of "the world's gone mad—mice serving as bridesmaids to cats"!
The Westerner camp, actually applauding an Easterner?
The Easterner inspectors in the front rows hesitated for a moment, silently deciding they couldn't let their momentum be eclipsed. If the Westerners could clap alongside Cheng Ye, what did they have to fear? They all began to applaud as well.
Waves of applause swelled louder and louder, and more and more people rose to their feet!
The hall's applause reached a fever pitch unlike anything seen before.
*What is happening?*
From the first clap to the thunderous hall-wide roar had taken merely three or four seconds. Uncle Dong's feet froze in place, a look of incredulous shock washing over his face.
He whipped his head around, his memories blurring into confusion.
In a daze, he seemed truly to be standing on the stage described in that old magazine.
The lights were brilliant, dazzling like crushed diamonds.
The roar of the crowd boiled like rolling thunder.
The ocean of applause surged from every direction, wrapping around him, engulfing him, nearly stealing his breath away.
Even though all eyes at this moment weren't truly focused on him, but rather fixed on the face of a young inspector in the center of the back rows!
Yet that young inspector was looking right at him, his gentle, slightly bemused gaze seeming to say:
*Xia Dong, you are not a useless nobody.*
...
Chapter 48