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墨書 Inktalez
At the beginning, we were chatting excitedly and completely unaware of him. After a while, Jing seemed to notice this person and quietly asked me, "Hey, what's up with that guy?"
I glanced over and said, "Maybe he's looking for someone. Let's not get involved."
Just then, Old Ma walked over. "Hey, you two aren't staying here tonight, right? I won't reserve a room for you. I'll go cancel it now. Just let me know when you need it again; every little bit helps."
Old Bi and I nodded in response. Old Ma walked around the front of the car, climbed a few steps up the stairs, then turned back and said, "Oh, one more thing. Make sure to arrive before nine tomorrow. The competition venue is at the Provincial Military District's activity center. There will be a brief opening ceremony in the morning, and everyone must be in uniform. The actual competition starts in the afternoon. Since you're not staying here, make sure you manage your time well! If you're late, you'll lose your qualification to compete! Even as part of the organizing committee, I can't help you then!"
After finishing his speech, Old Ma turned and walked into the hotel. We opened the car doors to leave when suddenly the person sitting on the steps reacted to Old Ma's words. He jumped up and grabbed Old Ma's clothes, startling him. "Hey! What are you doing? If you want money, go somewhere else; I don't have any on me!"
"Leader! Leader! I'm here to check in!"
His words left us all stunned. To be honest, this guy looked very plain—no, he seemed a bit shabby—lacking any of the vigor typical of someone who had trained in martial arts or served in the military.
"What? What? Can you repeat that?" Old Ma was taken aback; he couldn't believe that this disheveled-looking man was actually a soldier, let alone a competitor.
"I—I’m here to check in, Leader! I have my unit's notification and introduction letter!" The guy fumbled with a large bag he had dropped on the ground and rummaged through it until he pulled out a few papers to show Old Ma.
Old Ma took them with skepticism, holding them up under the light at the entrance to read. "Shen Han?!"
"Yes, it's me, Leader! That's right!" Shen Han hurriedly replied, completely oblivious to how odd his words sounded. Meanwhile, Jing started giggling beside me; I shot her a glare, and she quickly covered her mouth but continued to laugh.
"Shen Han, why did you arrive so late? Do you know what time it is? What did the notification say about when to check in? Did you even go inside? Is there a receptionist? I specifically kept half an hour extra for you newcomers! And look at this—it's almost seven o'clock!" Old Ma's authoritative tone returned as he thrust his watch in front of Shen Han.
"Leader, I came from the farthest southern sea..."
"I don't want to hear your excuses! I don't care where your unit is; that's your problem. Not arriving on time shows you lack even the most basic sense of time as a soldier. That's enough; just go back! Check-in has already ended."
“Leader! Leader! Please give me a chance! I traveled by boat, train, and car to get here. I was delayed by rough seas…”
“No, soldiers must be punctual!” Maliao said expressionlessly, turning to head up the stairs.
“Leader! Let me participate; this competition is very important to me!” Shen Han pleaded, grabbing Old Ma's arm.
“Old Wang, come on, do me a favor. This guy looks older than us and is begging like this; it’s too pitiful. So what if he’s a bit late?” Old Bi said, unable to hold back, as he stepped closer and spoke softly.
I hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t that I was hard-hearted; I actually wanted to plead for him too. But you have to understand that Old Ma was in the right. He was exercising his authority, and besides, Shen Han and I were not close at all. I really wasn’t sure if Old Ma would give me face if I approached him.
At that moment, Jing did something that left both Old Bi and me speechless. She swung open the car door, shot us a glance, quickly walked a few steps over to Old Ma, and said, “Ma Ge, he’s so pitiful; please help him!”
Old Ma turned to look at her and then at Shen Han, frowning. “Oh dear, sister, I’m working here. It’s not that I’m trying to make things difficult for anyone. What if the leader sees? How am I supposed to explain? They might think I’m not managing well!”
“Ma Ge, how about this? Help him out and let him register; I’ll invite Brother Wang to dinner with you at my house!”
“Hmm, well…” Old Ma’s eyes darted around as he pondered for a moment. “Alright, alright. Just this once because you asked. Remember, you owe me one, sister.”
“Hehe, thank you, Ma Ge!” Jing stuck out her tongue and bounced back toward us.
“Alright then, come with me! Old Wang, he’ll be staying in your room tonight! We’ve already assigned rooms based on headcount by six o’clock!” Old Ma called back to me.
“Got it, Old Ma; good deeds will be rewarded!” I waved my hand and then lowered my head to Old Bi. “Old Ma doesn’t do anything without gain; Jing’s dad is a leader in the Development Zone. I heard Old Ma is from that area too; this guy is slick!”
“What are you two talking about?” Jing had already run over to us and asked with a smile.
"Nothing much, Old Wang just praised your enthusiasm and kindness," Old Bi chuckled.
"That's not true! He probably thinks I'm unreasonable and spoiled! Wang Wei, right?!" Jing asked me with a glare.
"Haha, no way!" I laughed it off.
At that moment, Shen Han put down his bag and approached Jing from behind. "Ahem, um, this lady, thank you!" Jing turned around in surprise to see the stammering Shen Han.
"It's nothing! No need to thank me! I just helped out since I ran into you! Besides, my friends are also participating in the competition, so I hope you'll go easy on them!" Jing said with a cheerful smile.
"Uh, um, okay, if needed, I definitely will," he replied as if he had made a significant decision.
"Hehe, this is interesting; it's like you're destined to be first place," Old Bi said somewhat begrudgingly.
"Jing! Don't be reckless," I called out. "Brother Shen, sorry for the confusion. Don't listen to her nonsense; just go ahead and check in. We're just here to have fun; don't take it seriously."
To my surprise, Shen Han looked at me and Old Bi in shock after hearing my words. He took two steps back to size us up again, shook his head, and seemed disappointed as he turned around and hurried off with his bag towards Old Ma.
"What the hell!? Who is this guy?!" Old Bi exclaimed in disbelief. "Does he think we're a couple of losers? Did you see the look he gave us? He completely disregards us! Old Wang, this guy is an idiot; being humble with him is pointless!"
"Hehe, he's just a straightforward person, Old Bi. Let's go," I patted Old Bi's shoulder and called out to Jing before turning to get into the car.
"Excuse me, since you're not going to school today, can you come pick us up tomorrow? After all, we saved you the ticket money, right? As they say, outsiders watch the excitement; you're in for a treat with all the experts from All Military Regions here. And it's not open to the public," I said as I settled into the passenger seat.
"Hehe, no problem!" Jing said cheerfully as she started the car and drove us back to our unit.
On the way, we chatted about the schedule, which seemed acceptable and reasonable. It also allowed for plenty of rest, so it wasn't exhausting. Before long, we arrived at the entrance of the unit. After agreeing on a meeting time for tomorrow, everyone dispersed.
Back at the Unit, I made it just in time for Roll Call. I told Old Tang to take a break while I took over hosting Roll Call. I hadn't hosted it for several nights, and I was sure some of these kids had gotten ideas; I needed to keep them in check. After calling the roll, I commented on our current work and set some expectations before dismissing the unit. To my surprise, Jinghe and Murong Qian mysteriously followed me to Company Headquarters. As I was taking off my hat, they asked, "Company Commander, I heard you're going to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament?"
I couldn't help but laugh, "Whose idea is that? Sheng Xiong's? Have you been reading too many comics? There's even a first Martial Arts Tournament?"
"Company Commander, we believe you can definitely place!" Murong Qian said flatteringly.
"Is that so? Thank you. Now hurry up and wash up before bed!" I replied with a smile.
"Uh, then Company Commander, do you have any confidence?" Murong Qian asked pitifully.
"What does that have to do with you?! Go on, go sleep with Fatty!" I retorted in confusion.
Jinghe exchanged glances with Murong Qian and pulled her out, saying, "Fatty, can't you bet less?"
"No way! You've already put all your money on Sheng Xiong; do you think you'll get it back?"
"Ah! Company Commander! If only I could transform into Super Duck Slayer!"
...
What a mess.
Not thinking too much about it, I washed up and went straight to bed. My left shoulder was hurting less now; it seemed like the wound was healing. Speaking of which, there would be many experts tomorrow—truly elite martial artists. What kind of spectacle would that be? Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep...
The next morning was just like any other: wake up, exercise, eat breakfast. After assigning tasks for the Unit, I changed into my short-sleeved uniform and arrived at the gate on time. Oddly enough, while Jing's car was there, Old Bi hadn't arrived yet. When he saw me coming, Jing waved from the rolled-down window.
"Hey, you got here first? Heh heh, sorry for not letting you sleep in," I greeted him as I walked over to the car.
"Come on! I wake up at six-thirty every morning to go jogging, okay?" she shot me a glance.
"Oh, no wonder you're so slim!" I chuckled.
"Hmph, do you prefer someone a bit heavier then?"
I was about to explain when Old Bi came running up from behind, shouting, "Hey, hey, wait for me! Don't elope without me!"
"Hey, Brother Bi, you... you're wearing a uniform..."
"How about it? Handsome, right?" Old Bi said proudly.
"Still, you look better without the uniform!"
...
(To be continued, more exciting content tomorrow!)
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