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墨書 Inktalez
Qing's sudden death plunged Ren Dongchuan's already heavy heart into deeper sorrow. After all, she had served as his adjutant for four years; it would be a lie to say there was no camaraderie between them.
The bloodstained note still lay on his desk. Her last words were just a single sentence directed at him. Ren Dongchuan knew it was meant for him, and she had never once complained about the hardships she faced in life, even though he vaguely understood her struggles.
What surprised him most was her loyalty. She never criticized his incompetence as a superior nor made excessive demands; her only simple request was for him to take care of her brother.
Ren Dongchuan closed his eyes for a moment, then decided to burn the prepared list he had intended to submit. He lit it with a lighter and tossed it into the nearby brazier. After hesitating for a moment, he also threw the bloodstained note into the roaring flames.
Then he wrote a letter at his desk and called for his adjutant.
“Go, send this letter via satellite communication to Zhou within the Free Federation! And transfer this one million as well; let him inform Qing Deputy’s brother that his sister sacrificed herself for the country, earning first-class military honors as a Revolutionary Martyr!”
“Commander… are you sure about sending this to Zhou? I think that kind of favor shouldn’t be used for handling subordinate matters…” The adjutant seemed hesitant, believing such an important favor should not be spent in this way.
“Just do it. I know what I’m doing,” Ren Dongchuan instructed firmly.
The adjutant said no more, saluted, and turned to leave.
After his subordinate departed, Ren Dongchuan pondered for a moment and drafted another report in his mind. With determination, he picked up his pen and quickly wrote down the content he had planned.
In Berg's office, Tang Kede stroked his chin while observing an energy compass in his hand. The needle swung erratically from side to side before eventually stabilizing on a yellow warning label.
“You guessed it right; the sandstorm has arrived earlier than expected. The energy fluctuations mixed within it are quite strange,” Tang Kede concluded as he closed the compass and analyzed the situation.
“Are we changing the plan?” Berg asked.
“No need for that. We'll proceed according to the original schedule. If it fails, we’ll just abandon this place,” Tang Kede said, stroking his chin. “At worst, we can request the higher-ups to send in the Cleaner to sweep through and start over, heh heh.”
Berg nodded in agreement with Tang Kede's approach.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted them.
“Come in,” Berg called out, looking at the door.
An aide entered and reported on the recent death of General Ren Dongchuan's aide.
Tang Kede listened calmly, while Berg turned to look at him after hearing the report, unable to discern any emotion on his face. He then waved his hand to dismiss the subordinate and turned back to gaze out at the storm, which showed no signs of abating.
“Doctor, it's best to keep things low-key. If our plan leaks out, it could cause trouble. The higher-ups don’t want any hints of our plans getting caught by those politicians from the Free Federation or anyone at Military Headquarters,” Berg advised, his back to Tang Kede.
“Heh heh, don’t worry. When have I ever not handled things cleanly?” Tang Kede chuckled, seemingly unfazed by his past misdeeds.
After a while, another knock sounded at the door, and Berg allowed the person to enter.
“Report. Ren Dongchuan requests an audience.”
Berg turned to look at Tang Kede before letting Ren Dongchuan in.
Ren Dongchuan entered with a blank expression and handed over a prepared report, showing no signs of distress over the incident involving his aide who had followed him for many years.
Berg picked up the report and scrutinized it carefully. After a while, he set it down and glanced at Ren Dongchuan, who showed no expression. Berg continued reading until he finished, then closed the report and tossed it onto the table, fixing his gaze on Ren Dongchuan as he began to question him.
"Is it true that one of my soldiers was poisoned solely by your Female Colonel?" Berg looked at Ren Dongchuan, trying to discern any emotion or change on his face.
"Yes, it was all her doing. For nearly a year, she has shown signs of depression. There are past records from the Military Doctor confirming this," Ren Dongchuan replied flatly and decisively.
"So she intended to take revenge on society by poisoning Federal Soldiers, and ultimately committed suicide out of guilt when you discovered the truth?" Berg's tone carried a hint of doubt.
"Yes, Colonel!" Ren Dongchuan answered without hesitation, his gaze fixed straight ahead like a javelin.
Berg glanced at Tang Kede, who smiled and then patted Ren Dongchuan on the back, saying with a knowing grin, "Ren Major, you truly are an experienced hand; you handled this matter quite efficiently."
"Thank you for the compliment, Dr. Xie. I am merely doing my duty," Ren Dongchuan responded in a formal tone.
"Alright, I understand the situation now. You may leave," Berg waved his hand, signaling his acceptance of Ren Dongchuan's report on the poisoning incident. After all, it involved factors from his subordinates as well, so he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Ren Dongchuan saluted and prepared to turn and exit.
"By the way, Ren Dongchuan," Berg suddenly called out just as Ren Dongchuan was about to open the door.
Ren Dongchuan turned around, standing straight and waiting for Berg's instructions without any sign of concern.
"I hope such incidents do not occur in the base again."
"Yes. I understand," Ren Dongchuan replied firmly.
"Go on," Berg waved his hand, feeling a bit disgusted by someone like Ren Dongchuan.
After Ren Dongchuan left, Tang Kede chuckled softly and turned to Berg. "I like people like him."
"Oh really?" Berg asked with a lack of enthusiasm.
"Hmph, someone who would unhesitatingly throw their subordinate under the bus for their own career might just climb even higher in the future," Tang Kede remarked.
Berg didn't express any opinion on this. He indeed disliked Ren Dongchuan's methods. Although he saw through his tricks, he felt guilty and could only let the matter rest. Moreover, if he were to remove Ren Dongchuan, it would likely provoke a strong backlash from those officers and soldiers in the base who had followed him for many years.
Once Ren Dongchuan exited the office and walked down the corridor, he finally let out a heavy sigh of relief; he had passed this hurdle.
At that moment, Lu Fei Fan was on his way to the Base Hospital after being informed that Da Biao had woken up and wanted to see someone familiar.
When Lu Fei Fan arrived at Da Biao's hospital room, he found the doctor examining Da Biao. Da Biao coughed a few times as the nurse finished changing his IV and treating his back wound before allowing Lu Fei Fan to enter.
Da Biao lay on the hospital bed, looking at Lu Fei Fan.
"I thought it would be the captain who brought me back," Da Biao said weakly with a smile.
"I had bad luck; I lost the draw," Lu Fei Fan replied with a grin.
Da Biao chuckled but winced as it pulled at his wound, leading him to cough again. Lu Fei Fan stepped forward to help ease his breathing, channeling a gentle Pulse Energy to calm his airflow. Instantly, Da Biao's complexion improved significantly.
“Have they returned with any news, Captain?” Da Biao suddenly asked.
Lu Fei Fan shook his head and pointed to the window, which was nailed shut. “There’s a sandstorm outside, and communication is down. I can’t reach them.”
Da Biao's expression showed concern, as if he felt guilty about his own injuries.
“Don’t think too much. They’ll be fine. Once the storm passes, I’ll go look for them. Any news will be immediately relayed to the hospital staff,” Lu Fei Fan reassured him.
Da Biao nodded and chatted for a few more moments before Lu Fei Fan stepped out to let him rest.
Seeing Da Biao starting to regain his strength eased Lu Fei Fan’s worries.
The night gradually passed amidst the raging storm, and by morning, the winds began to calm, leaving sand piled in every corner of the base.
Soldiers and support personnel began to emerge, clearing away the accumulated sand. The once-silent base slowly regained its vitality, though outside was still a scene of swirling dust, resembling a desert. The Special Operations Team drove their vehicles cautiously through the sandy terrain.
The sun rose slowly at the end of the Gobi Desert, its warm rays dispelling the chill brought by the sandstorm.
Operations at the base resumed as usual. Berg's unit started assembling large machinery of unknown function. Lu Fei Fan had visited them several times; some instruments resembled radiation devices, others looked like energy engines, and some appeared to be heavy experimental equipment he had never seen before. He noticed that when the energy patterns on those machines lit up, waves of energy rippled around the base.
Just as he planned to find the logistics officer to procure supplies for his search for the captain, alarms blared throughout the base, and everyone entered a state of heightened alert.
After a while, three vehicles approached from outside. As they drew near, the alarms were silenced.
The vehicles looked as if they had endured a night in the sandstorm, covered in dust. The occupants wrapped their hands and feet tightly and jumped down wearing goggles. As they gradually unwrapped their clothing, Lu Fei Fan recognized them; they were members of Bauhinia Squad, led by their captain.
"Quick, get them to the Battlefield Hospital for emergency treatment!"
The Female Captain named Suma was recognized by Lu Fei Fan. She was helping to carry two injured team members off the vehicle. Lu Fei Fan rushed over to assist, and Suma glanced at him with a look of gratitude, though she said nothing more.
After handing the injured team members over to the busy staff at the Battlefield Hospital, she silently opened the trunk of the vehicle with two other team members and pulled out two bodies wrapped in body bags.
By the time Suma finished this task, she had already cleaned up with her two team members and was sitting in the dining area, silently eating. She was consuming her food in large bites, an Energy Pistol resting on the table. If anyone whistled at her or her other Female Team member, she would immediately grab her gun and fire a shot at the whistler. The bullet would kick up dust on the ground, leaving the whistler looking extremely pale. Some considered retaliating but quickly abandoned the idea upon seeing the approaching Military Police.
Suma was in a foul mood. Her Special Operations Team had seven members; two were being treated at the Battlefield Hospital, one man and one woman were eating with her, while the other two lay forever with their eyes closed in body bags. It was easy to imagine how terrible she felt.
Lu Fei Fan initially wanted to approach her to ask if she had received any news from their commander, but seeing her distressed demeanor, he decided it was better to keep his distance for now to avoid any confrontation.
Halfway through her meal, Suma seemed to be struggling with an unspoken frustration. She abruptly flipped her bowl over, grabbed her pistol, and turned on her heel toward the Base Command Center. Her two team members were momentarily stunned before hurriedly discarding their half-eaten food to follow her.
Lu Fei Fan hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to follow and see what was going on.
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