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墨書 Inktalez
When I found Old Bi, he was lounging at the Company Headquarters, happily smoking and watching TV. He seemed completely at ease, a stark contrast to my discomfort lying in the hospital. I couldn't help but feel a surge of indignation. "You Old Bi! You've kept me in the dark for so long!" I blurted out.
Old Bi was taken aback, then lazily leaned back in his chair. "Oh, it's you. I thought it was someone else. What have I kept from you?"
"Commander is your uncle! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I exclaimed loudly.
"Shh! Shh! Don't be so loud!" Old Bi hurriedly stood up, pretending to cover my mouth. I stepped back a couple of paces. "So you've been keeping this from me all along, Old Bi? Honestly, all my information must have come from you to the Commander, right? And some things, you've intentionally or unintentionally let slip to me, haven't you?"
I wasn't naive; I had suspected the reliability of Old Bi's sources several times before. Yet it always turned out that he was the first to know about matters discussed in the Standing Committee meetings. Some plans were even known to him before they were officially presented. At first, I was puzzled about how Old Bi had such connections, but now everything made sense once I learned that the Commander was his uncle.
"Hey, sit down! Sit down!" Old Bi chuckled as he watched me take a seat. He pulled out a cigarette and took a deep drag before saying, "Honestly, I don't think you need to feel any way about this. Sure, my uncle has been pushing things behind the scenes for you, but that's just creating opportunities. Your character determines your path. And from what I see, you're doing quite well, aren't you?"
"Old Bi, I don't want to be manipulated or passively choose my own life path."
"Old Wang, no one gets to choose their path from the start. Not even me. Even if I didn't want to join the army, here I am. And you—didn't you sign up voluntarily despite not liking the military? Wasn't that for your first love? That's still a passive choice."
...
"Old Wang, I hope we can eventually make our own choices and do what we truly want." Old Bi took another drag of his cigarette and gazed out the window thoughtfully.
"What are your plans for the future?" His question brought me back to reality. Indeed, when in life do we ever get to decide everything for ourselves? Rather than being forced into choices all my life, it might be better to wait until I have more control over my destiny before taking charge of it. However, I believed that Old Bi would surely inform me about the Commander's transition; without his uncle as support, I wondered where Old Bi would go next.
"My uncle won't be around much longer; he needs to consider transitioning soon since he has to go somewhere eventually. The sooner he establishes himself in a new place, the better for him. Once he's laid a good foundation there, I'll also consider transitioning because I'm still young and have great prospects outside." Old Bi spoke with a hint of indifference, but it couldn't hide his slight disappointment. After spending so much time in the military, he had developed an inexplicable attachment and didn't want to hear anyone speak ill of it or think about life outside.
Listening to Old Bi's words left me feeling lost; he already had his plans laid out while I had none. Should I stay here and compete with so many others for just a few positions? Each step forward felt like a battle filled with struggle and pain. But if I left, where would I go? My connections in the military were limited; being assigned to a provincial city unit was already quite good—where else could I transfer? Transitioning? To be honest, that hadn't crossed my mind yet since I'd only been in the military for a few years and held a relatively low position; transitioning would mean wasting those years and starting over.
Seeing my silence and confusion, Old Bi understood he had struck a chord with me and lowered his head to smoke again. After zoning out for a moment, I quickly snapped back to reality; many things were still uncertain and there was no need to think too far ahead—there would surely be a way when we reached the mountain pass. This thought comforted me; I believed I wouldn't remain unnoticed here forever. Remembering what Commander said about seizing opportunities sparked something within me—I realized that I'd need to give my all in the upcoming fighting competition.
“Old Bi, by the way, I have something to tell you.” I recounted what Maliao had told me about the fighting competition. Old Bi smacked his lips and said, “Not bad! If you can place, you’ll get some recognition and might even catch the leader's eye for further opportunities. This is great; you should definitely participate!”
“What about you? Are you interested? I can talk to Maliao and see if I can get an extra spot.”
Old Bi pondered for a moment. “Heh, why not join? But I’m just worried I won’t measure up. No offense, but you’re competing against Blue Outshines Indigo! You’re already better than me; I really don’t have much confidence.”
“Let’s just have some fun. Honestly, I’m not too sure either, considering the experts from All Military Regions will be there. So here’s the plan: I’ll talk to Maliao and see if we can add a spot, but that means you’ll only be able to sign up for the Striking Group, right?”
“Sure, I’ll go just to enjoy the spectacle!”
After finalizing this with Old Bi, I returned to Unit. It hadn’t been long since I left, but there were still things to check on. As I approached the building, I heard Pudding squawking loudly from above while Sheng Xiong looked up at it from below.
“What’s going on?” I casually asked.
“Ah, Company Commander! You’re back?!” Sheng Xiong exclaimed as he turned around sharply upon hearing my voice.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you want me back?”
“No, it’s not that, Company Commander. It’s just that with you gone for two days and no training, Pudding has been quite annoying with all its squawking.”
“Oh, where’s the Instructor?”
“The Instructor is upstairs giving everyone a Political Education Class!”
At that moment, Pudding stopped its circling and flew down to perch on the railing of the second floor, looking at us. “Hey, Company Commander! Now that you’re back, Pudding has calmed down.”
"Stop talking and go find Xu for me."
"Yes!"
I planned to practice my staff techniques whenever I had free time. Since there were no suitable opponents, I organized a few warriors to spar with me. This way, I could train my reflexes and gain practical experience in a one-versus-many scenario. When Xu arrived, I briefed him and asked him to select a few capable fighters to practice with me every evening after dinner.
Time passed like this, and after the troops had another round of rest, they resumed their normal training as usual. According to higher-ups' requirements, one battalion would take turns on duty each week, ensuring that we could respond quickly in case of any incidents nearby. I heard from above that there would be a drill at the end of August, although the specific plan had not yet been determined. Our unit was participating, but since we didn’t know what role we would play in the drill, the Deputy Chief of Staff was eager to cover all aspects of the training outline.
I also informed Maliao about Old Bi's participation in the competition. At first, Maliao was excited, thinking we had a skilled fighter among us. However, when he learned that Old Bi signed up just to gain some experience, he became less enthusiastic. Fortunately, our unit could send one participant for each of the two events, so Maliao added Old Bi's name and asked me to keep my phone available for any updates regarding check-in.
During this time, Huang Zhangxing called me. After learning about the competition, he was thrilled and expressed his desire to see it in person. Although he wasn't a soldier, he wanted to gauge his own skills against those in the military. I promised him that I would find a way to get him in.
Zhang Xing called to arrange a gathering. I suggested we meet after the competition and asked if he would participate. Zhang Xing laughed heartily and said, "Sure! But I haven't trained in over half a year. I'm busy with firefighting now and have social obligations too. I've returned all my gear to my instructor! You go ahead and compete! You have a strong competitive spirit and pride; I know you've been practicing your staff techniques. You'll definitely surpass me by a lot! Just remember not to embarrass our brotherhood!"
On August 1st, our unit had a half-day off. After waking up in the afternoon, I changed into my training gear and began practicing my staff techniques as usual. Surprisingly, my recent practice proved quite effective. Xu invited Guan to join us for assistance, and Guan greeted Old Bi as well.
In the past, it was challenging for me to face both of them alone; now it was more difficult for them to handle me together. The advantage of the Long Staff lies in its dual offensive and defensive capabilities, allowing for seamless transitions between both roles. Often, if we added one or two more ordinary warriors into the mix, they could overwhelm me as a group. However, once I fully committed to defense, they couldn't break through my guard. It seemed my skills had improved slightly compared to before.
As I was sweating profusely from practice in the afternoon, Sheng Xiong suddenly ran over with my phone in hand. "Company Commander! Your phone!" he shouted from outside the training circle. Seeing this, I stopped practicing and took the call; it was Maliao.
"Brother, check in at the Provincial Military District Guesthouse tonight to get the schedule!"
"Alright! Once I've checked in, I can return to the unit?"
"You can return after checking in, but you need to attend the opening ceremony and draw lots on the morning of the second day. If your event isn't scheduled afterward, you won't need to come back."
"Got it! Thanks!"
"Ah, brother, there's one more thing, hehe."
"What is it?"
"Brother, has that beauty come looking for you?"
"Which one?" I couldn't react immediately.
"That one! The one from the hospital room. I don't want to compete with her, but I think she will come looking for you today. Ah, it seems like you don't really like her, so I'm just giving you a heads up; you should be mentally prepared."
"Hey, Old Ma, you're really..." I was about to say too nosy when a thought struck me. Given Maliao's personality, he wouldn't casually tell Xu Zengjing about this. He must have informed her to curry favor. Considering Xu Zengjing's father's position, I found Old Ma to be quite slick.
After hanging up the phone, I thought for a moment and decided to inform Old Bi. I dialed his number, and to my surprise, Old Bi started laughing as soon as he picked up, and it was a rather strange laugh. "Old Bi, what are you laughing about? We need to report to the competition committee tonight at the Provincial Military District. Hurry and change your clothes; we’ll take a taxi there and come back afterward!"
"Hehehe, I already know about that. I'm at the entrance; hurry up! I have a car; we can go directly!"
Wait! When did Old Bi get a car?!
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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