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墨書 Inktalez
I don't know why, but when the Allies' Floating Bridge reached the other side and a Green Signal Flare shot up into the sky, I suddenly felt a sense of relief. Perhaps it was because my companions were rivals; watching them operate in my own training ground was just too awkward!
"Report, Leader! Operation complete, time four and a half minutes! Please advise on whether to open the bridge!" The Big Black Man came out again to provoke the Commander, and I could clearly see that the Commander's face was dark.
"Open the bridge!" The General waved his hand.
"Yes!" The Big Black Man stood at attention and saluted, then turned and shouted, "Vehicle One leads the way across the Floating Bridge!"
The off-road vehicle, which I now noticed had a white background with a red number one on its rear, slowly started up and made its way onto the Bailey Bridge. Following it, trucks rolled on in descending order, one after another, gradually making their way to the other side.
"Elite troops!" the General murmured. Two Stars Four chuckled beside him. The Big Black Man clearly heard this; from my angle, I saw him hide a smile before quickly glancing at the Commander standing nearby.
However, the Commander was currently looking down, lost in thought. He didn't notice this; I guessed he was pondering how to turn the tide. The key was in maintaining momentum. The Thousand Miles team had arrived, disembarked from their train, and engaged in real combat in unfamiliar territory. Even if we matched their time and repeated the exercise, first of all, there would be no desire for a second look from the leadership. Secondly, this was still our home ground; without truly solid results, it would be better not to present anything at all.
But now was not the time for us to control the pace; everyone was watching the Leader. He slowly lowered his binoculars and turned with a smile to look at the Commander standing nearby. "The guests have finished their performance; what about the host? Is there anything you can demonstrate for our guests?"
As soon as the Leader spoke, the Commander quickly lifted his head and stared intently at him. I quietly took a few steps closer; I could clearly see beads of sweat forming on the Commander's forehead.
After the Leader finished speaking, all eyes were on the Commander. I could imagine the pressure he felt. "Report, Leader! We are preparing to deploy a battalion to build another Floating Bridge!" It felt like the Commander was forcing himself to step up.
"Oh! How much time do you need?"
"Report, Leader! Within five minutes, same specifications!" The Commander nearly gritted his teeth as he spoke.
The Leader didn’t respond, and an awkward silence fell over the scene. Even someone dense would understand that the Leader wasn’t very satisfied. They had come from afar and completed their operation in four and a half minutes in an unfamiliar Water Area. Here on our home turf, we were still aiming for under five minutes—clearly a difference.
"Company Commander Wang!" The Commander had no choice but to break the tension. "Here!" I quickly ran over and stood at attention to salute.
"Notify the other side, prepare for operations!" "Yes!" It seemed that the Commander was in a tough spot, having to push through the process despite the circumstances. I saluted briskly, ready to turn and begin the task.
"Wait a moment!" The Leader spoke up at that moment.
I immediately halted, turned around, stood at attention. It was a joke; this was the second time I had seen the General. Every time I saw that star, I felt an inexplicable excitement.
"Are there still troops on the other side?" The General asked, frowning.
"Yes! One Company, Second Platoon!" The Commander's voice trembled slightly.
"You all, let one Unit pass first. While building the bridge, both sides will proceed together, right?" The Leader asked word by word.
In my heart, I felt a sinking dread! Why? If it weren't for the Allies showing up like this, everything would be fine. We could follow the process without any issues. But now they were here, and everything was based on real combat. Did that mean we had to send over a Unit first to cooperate with the bridge-building?
Oh no, oh no! My heart began to sink further. Sure enough, before the Commander could respond, "Bang!" The Leader slammed his hand on the table. "How do you train usually!? Are you Special Forces or what!? Heroic Regiment?! I see more like a bunch of clumsy bears!!"
The thunderous anger echoed in the air, and everyone fell silent. The General's voice resonated alone; the Commander didn't dare to breathe or lift his head, standing straight as a rod. I was even more cautious! Eyes on my nose, nose on my mouth, mouth on my heart; I stood straighter than the Commander. The sun outside was scorching hot, sweat trickled down my body, yet I didn’t dare to move an inch.
The General! A military district officer! And he was furious! As our former Class Leader from Guilin Military Academy used to say, "The General can wipe you out in an instant!" Not to mention I was standing so close; what if I moved and caught the Leader's eye? I'd be finished.
The General grew increasingly agitated and suddenly stood up, walking over to the Commander. "People can die from anger! My Comrade! Tell me what you usually practice here. You! You tell everyone here, in front of your soldiers and all your officers—are you a competent Commander or not? If not, get out!"
To be fair, those words were rather harsh; after all, this year's training had just begun. I never believed this was truly the average level of Big Black Man's troops. The units sent out for drills were always selected elite forces; who knows? This battalion might have been fighting alongside us!
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smirk. I never expected that at this moment, the Leader was so furious he didn’t even look at the Commander but instead glanced past me at our troops behind me. Just that movement caught the Leader's attention!
The Leader suddenly reined in his anger and spoke in a lowered voice, "It seems you're not completely incompetent; look at your Comrade here standing up for you."
I was so scared that my legs felt like they were about to cramp. Immature, immature—I cursed myself a thousand times in my mind. How could I let my emotions show on my face? This time, I was really done for! If earlier my heart had been in my throat, now it felt like it had suddenly dropped to the pit of my stomach.
"Um, cough, come here, Lieutenant," the Leader spoke.
My heart skipped a beat as I desperately tried to hide my panic. I forced myself to calm down and stepped forward to stand in front of the General. I was a bit flustered, unsure of what to do. I stood at attention and saluted, looking straight at the Leader.
To my surprise, the General returned the salute and then looked into my eyes, asking, "Buddy, tell me honestly, what do you usually train for? Is your training really just about taking shortcuts?"
My heart raced, pounding loudly in my chest as I nervously replied, "Report, Leader! We strictly follow the training outline!" It was a pointless statement.
"Oh, so it's the outline that teaches you to take shortcuts, is that right?" The Leader's tone grew gentler, but it only made me more afraid. I didn't know why; it felt like dark clouds gathering before a storm, making me uneasy.
I remained silent; I wasn't foolish enough to respond to that question.
"What kind of Commander has what kind of soldiers? A bunch of bears!" The Leader shook his head and muttered to himself.
In an instant, those words struck me like a knife, piercing deep into my heart. They wounded the dignity of the Entire Unit, the Sharp Blade Company, and my own dignity as well. At that moment, I felt utterly humiliated, as if all the blood in my body had rushed to my head.
According to my mother, our family has a history of "madness," where we might go wild in certain situations and forget our kin. I didn’t know what my father was like; all I knew was that during my five years in college, I would inevitably return home once a year for a huge fight. The worst incident resulted in both my parents coming together to give me a beating!
This time, I was about to "snap" again! "Report!" I shouted loudly. "Hmm?" The Leader turned around in surprise at my sudden outburst.
Seeing the Leader turn back towards me, I disregarded the shocked expression on the Commander's face and boldly declared, "Leader! According to the training outline, there are no shortcuts allowed. However, this year's training has just begun; not all soldiers in our Unit have the same level or starting point! We must take it step by step and build a solid foundation! That's why we chose to start with connecting from both sides first; once we're familiar with the operations, we can then complete the training with high standards based on real combat."
"Interesting!" The Leader seemed taken aback at first but then crossed his arms and patiently listened until I finished. "Buddy, let me ask you this: why is it that other units can get started so quickly even though they are also just beginning their training?"
I decided to go all out. "Report, Leader! The highest level does not equal the average level!" I shouted fiercely. As soon as those words left my mouth, everyone around me gasped in shock. The people under the awning began murmuring among themselves while the Commander stared at me with his mouth agape and said, "Wang, don't speak recklessly!" Meanwhile, the Political Commissar rushed over from the side and pointed at me angrily saying, "Company Commander Wang! Do you understand the rules? You must not be so presumptuous!" The Leader's secretary also came over without hesitation and pulled me away from the scene.
Leader was also quite surprised. He did not stop the secretary's actions but instead stared at me intently, as if trying to remember who I was. I thought, since I'm already dead anyway, just as I was about to speak again, a voice suddenly came from the side, "Hey Buddy, you don't represent all of us, do you?"
I turned my head to see that it was Big Black Man, who had somehow stood next to our Commander, glaring at me and speaking in a low voice.
"Report, Leader! I didn't mean that. I'm just stating facts. In any unit, there are always advanced and average members. If we generalize based on a few, then there's no way to compare," I replied respectfully as I turned around.
"Good!" Leader suddenly spoke up, and everyone couldn't help but look at him.
"Hahaha! Good! The Special Forces of Comrade should have this kind of spirit, pride, and determination," Leader said with a laugh, and those around him nodded in agreement.
"However!" Leader shifted his tone, "Pride requires capital. What capital do you have?" His words were heavy.
At that moment, all eyes were on me. Honest, I had never been the center of so much attention before, especially from leaders!
It was impossible to end this peacefully. For the dignity of the Entire Unit, for the dignity of Sharp Blade Company, I decided to take a chance! I boldly looked at Big Black Man and turned back with determination, loudly declaring, "Report, Leader! I am Wang Wei, the Acting Company Commander of Sharp Blade Company! I can build the same Floating Bridge with just one company!"
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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