Ace Special Forces in Movies and TV Shows

Chapter 0035: In That Lonely Place

"Are you... alright?" Zheng Yingqi asked, patting Xu Sanduo's shoulder. Xu Sanduo had recovered and grinned sheepishly, "I'm fine."

Zheng Yingqi wasn't asking pointless questions like "Are you alright after getting beaten up?" He was worried that Xu Sanduo might have psychological problems after being transferred from the third platoon to the fifth squad. However, judging from Xu Sanduo's current appearance, he didn't seem to be the type to have psychological problems.

"Let's go inside."

Zheng Yingqi patted Xu Sanduo on the shoulder and led the way into the dormitory of Class 5. Xu Sanduo followed behind, entering in a cheerful mood. He hadn't expected Wu Liuyi and Zheng Yingqi to come see him, and he still felt like he was dreaming.

The room was already filled with smoke. Lao Wei and Xue Lin were talking to Wu Liuyi with great enthusiasm. There were only a few faces in Class 5, and they felt they could talk until dark tomorrow.

"Squad Leader Wu." Xu Sanduo's voice interrupted Lao Wei and Xue Lin's lively conversation. Seeing Xu Sanduo coming over, the two of them stood up as well: "Sanduo, your squad leader from the recruit company has come to see you. Come over here quickly."

At this moment, they gave Xu Sanduo a lot of face and didn't care at all about how Xu Sanduo had refused to leave the post.

Looking at Xu Sanduo, who was still the same after a month apart, Wu Liuyi suddenly felt a nameless anger rise in his heart. What he disliked most about Xu Sanduo was his simple-minded smile and dullness.

"Sergeant Shi sent me to see how you were doing. Hmm, you seem alright. Don't just stand there, come on, sit down." As Wu Liuyi spoke, his heart softened.

Xu Sanduo stood there grinning sheepishly, "Squad Leader Wu, I really didn't expect you to come see me."

"Sanduo, speak Mandarin," Zheng Yingqi reminded him. Wu Liuyi disliked hearing Xu Sanduo speak in his local dialect the most. Xu Sanduo realized what he meant and quickly continued in Mandarin, "I'm so happy."

In front of the members of the Fifth Squad, Wu Liuyi certainly wouldn't scold him; he understood this basic principle of conduct. Although he wanted to talk to Xu Sanduo amicably, seeing the guy's signature goofy grin always made him furious, and even his kind words sounded off.

"His energy and spirit are still the same."

Xu Sanduo responded with a simple smile, always feeling awe towards Wu Liuyi.

Old Ma sensed they were getting in his way, so he gave Old Wei and Xue Lin a meaningful look. But the two of them were too busy to notice Old Ma's signal. Old Ma cursed them inwardly for being so useless, and finally spoke up: "Old Wei, Xue Lin, come and give me a hand. There's a section of pipe that needs checking."

"Didn't we just finish the inspection yesterday?" Old Wei blurted out, looking rather clueless. Xue Lin, being more quick-witted, retorted irritably, "The squad leader asked you to lend a hand, why are you being so nosy? Come on!"

Old Wei then reluctantly stood up.

"Old Ma, do you need any help?" Wu Liuyi asked hurriedly.

Old Ma smiled and said, "No need, you all sit down first, we'll be right back."

Old Wei, who still wanted to chat with the others, looked at the people in the room with reluctance, even more reluctant than when he saw a pretty girl before he joined the army. But in the end, he was dragged away by Xue Lin's thin body.

After the three troublemakers left, Wu Liuyi spoke much more freely. He glanced at Xu Sanduo, who was still clinging to him, and said irritably, "What are you still standing there for? Sit down!"

Xu Sanduo sat down with a simple smile. He was already used to Wu Liuyi's tone of voice when he spoke to him, but he was not used to the tone of voice when they met just now.

"Can you adapt to this place?" Wu Liuyi knew he'd asked a pointless question. Sure enough, Xu Sanduo grinned and said, "It's great here. My squad leader is very good to me, and Lao Wei, Xue Lin, and Li Meng are also very kind to me."

Wu Liuyi sighed inwardly. This guy was just like the company commander said. He didn't care too much about others treating him badly, and he only clung to those who treated him well. This place was the most suitable for a soldier like him.

Wu Liuyi wanted to say some of the things he often said to new recruits who had just joined the company, but after seeing Xu Sanduo's happy face, he gave up the desire to speak. It would be disgusting to say such things to a soldier who had no ambition or goals!

Zheng Yingqi could tell from Wu Liuyi's expression that Wu Liuyi's arrogant attitude had flared up again. He smiled wryly to himself. He was clearly worried about the kid, but once they arrived and met the people, he became arrogant again. Really...

"Sanduo, I think this place can be seen as the rebirth of your military career. You've passed the recruit period, and it's time for you to have your own ideas. I'll say it again: do more meaningful things and don't waste your military career. When you retire in the future, you won't have any regrets!" Zheng Yingqi said. He originally wanted to give Xu Sanduo a few tips, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. These things ultimately had to be figured out by Xu Sanduo himself.

outside the house.

Li Meng slumped over, carrying a gun on her back, and smiled obsequiously at Lao Ma, as if she were admitting her mistake. But Lao Ma felt uneasy looking at Li Meng carrying the gun—he couldn't help but think of Xu Sanduo standing guard. Although it was far from the most standard posture, it was at least the demeanor of a soldier.

"Squad leader, what should we do? How about I go in and get the playing cards?" Old Wei said.

Old Ma glared at him irritably: "What are you doing with playing cards? Go to the kitchen. We have guests, don't you know how to prepare food for them?"

The group chuckled, and Li Meng said, "It seems like Xu Sanduo is cooking today."

"Huh?" Old Ma glared at her. Li Meng covered her mouth to indicate that she hadn't said anything. Xue Lin and Old Wei chuckled and looked down on Li Meng. Then the four of them happily went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for the distinguished guests from Class 5.

Aside from necessary supplies, the Fifth Platoon truly doesn't see outsiders for three months at a time. The political instructor only comes once every year or two. The company commander has given up on Lao Ma and basically doesn't come here anymore. Even when the political instructor does come, he leaves in a hurry and "hurries"—he leaves in a huff because the Fifth Platoon's behavior always makes him, the political instructor, think that out of sight, out of mind. Of course, it's impossible for him to stay for a meal.

Therefore, Zheng Yingqi and Wu Liuyi are truly the most distinguished guests in the new history of Class 5.

Despite being the most distinguished guests, the feast that Lao Ma and his team could prepare was pitifully small. In short, the Fifth Platoon could have enough to eat, but eating well was a pipe dream. In the end, Lao Ma used his veteran skills to make five dishes with the limited ingredients, and the presentation was just like the shabby maintenance station.

Despite the meager meal, the four of them still served dishes in the style of a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

"Squad Leader Wu, Brother Zheng, conditions are tough, please forgive us." Old Ma looked at the five dishes made from four kinds of vegetables on the table and smiled meagerly. Wu Liuyi laughed and said, "It's much better than what we have in our Seventh Company. We often only have half a jin of rice and an ounce of sand for meals. We're lucky if we have anything to eat at all!"

Li Meng and the others thought these were Wu Liuyi's words of comfort, but seeing Zheng Yingqi and Wu Liuyi wolfing down their food, they suddenly felt much better.

During the meal, Lao Ma assured Wu Liuyi, "Squad Leader Wu, don't worry. San Duo will definitely not be mistreated here."

Wu Liuyi said, "I believe you. Our squad leader recruited him himself, but the kid was a disappointment and didn't make it into our Seventh Company. The squad leader has always been worried about him, so when he heard that he was here, he sent us to see him."

Xu Sanduo still smiled shyly, and finally picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and gave it to Wu Liuyi, saying happily, "Squad Leader Wu, you eat." This was the only way he could express his gratitude and excitement, simple yet ridiculous.

Li Meng and the others quickly joined the conversation, even putting down their chopsticks to talk non-stop. Wu Liuyi and Zheng Yingqi were loyal listeners, sometimes talking about things related to the 7th Company. Wu Liuyi tacitly avoided mentioning anything about Zheng Yingqi, not wanting to provoke the five "abandoned" soldiers of the 5th Platoon.

The five members of the Fifth Platoon wanted to prolong this atmosphere, but Wu Liuyi and Zheng Yingqi only had half a day off, so they didn't dare to linger. After the meal, Wu Liuyi said goodbye. Li Meng and the others sincerely wanted them to stay, their attitude even more earnest than when they invited the instructor to stay. But Old Ma said, "Don't cause trouble. The Seventh Company isn't our Fifth Platoon!"

Xu Sanduo had already put on a long face; he disliked this kind of parting the most.

"We...are leaving." Wu Liuyi glanced at Xu Sanduo, who had lowered his head, and said goodbye to Lao Ma and the others. Lao Ma and Li Meng waved goodbye. After Wu Liuyi and Zheng Yingqi reached the guard post, they turned around together and saluted the Fifth Squad stationed there.

Old Ma solemnly returned the greeting, but of his four soldiers, only Xu Sanduo followed suit in a proper manner. The way the other three returned the greeting made Old Ma so ashamed that he wanted to bury himself.

The two figures cast long shadows in the setting sun. The five students from Class Five watched them walk away until they disappeared into the distance. Xu Sanduo, watching their figures slowly fade into the distance, thought to himself:

Watching their figures recede into the distance, I suddenly realized that the distance between us was slowly widening until I could no longer see their backs at all.

"They're gone," Li Meng murmured.

"Okay, I'm leaving," Old Wei said.

"Let's go," Xue Lin said.

"They're gone...it's just us left again," Li Meng continued.

The three of them chatted aimlessly. Xu Sanduo returned to the house dejectedly, while Lao Ma walked to the guard post with a heavy heart. He looked at the guard post as if he were looking at a sentry—but who else would be standing guard here besides Xu Sanduo?

Zheng Yingqi and Wu Liuyi walked across the vast training field, heading towards the Seventh Company's encampment in the distance.

"I really admire them. They can stay here. As for us, we don't really have the right to demand anything of others, because if it were us, we might not be as good as them!" said the strong-willed Wu Liuyi with feeling.

Zheng Yingqi, however, thought differently: "Actually, I think they gave up on themselves, which led to the Third Company giving up on them. This is truly where soldiers are forged; I believe that only true soldiers can shine brightly here!"

"Are you talking about yourself?" Wu Liuyi glanced at Zheng Yingqi, who shook his head. "I... I can't say for sure. Maybe I'm not like a real soldier yet."

Wu Liuyi snorted, somewhat satisfied that Zheng Yingqi had self-awareness. "Don't judge others unless you've been there yourself. In the past, when it came to excellence, our Squad Leader Shi might not have been as good as Lao Ma, but look at Lao Ma, what has become of him here?"

Zheng Yingqi, unconvinced, said, "Squad Leader Wu, how about we make a bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

"Let's take a gamble. This place will definitely be where more than one person shines! It must be the crucible for forging true soldiers!" Zheng Yingqi said.

Wu Liuyi laughed and said, "Okay, I'll take your bet."

Wu Liuyi didn't know where Zheng Yingqi got his confidence from, but he knew that a place that could ruin an excellent squad leader like Lao Ma could only be a dead end.