sovbooks Chapter 0075: Steel 7th Company, Company Commander, Outstanding Person
Chapter 0075: Steel 7th Company, Company Commander, Outstanding Person
The rising signal flare finally brought the exercise to a close.
The "dead" no longer needed to lie dead. Together with their "surviving" comrades, they began to clean up the battlefield. After cleaning up, they entered the infantry fighting vehicles. The once high-spirited Seventh Company was now like a defeated army, with no more high morale.
In fact, they did suffer a defeat—although their opponents sincerely believed that the Seventh Company deserved the honor of being called "Steel".
Yuan Lang shamelessly squeezed into vehicle 207. Now that the exercise was over, he was no longer the enemy—so the entire vehicle 207 was eerily quiet.
Looking at the soldiers sitting so perfectly upright, Yuan Lang chuckled and said, "Hey, why are you all so quiet now? I remember the armored soldiers were the most talkative when they were in the tanks. Is it because I, a lieutenant colonel, am here that you're all uncomfortable?"
The word "comfortable" sounds strange here.
"Reporting to the commander, we are the losers. Please allow the losers to remain silent," Wu Liuyi replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Yuan Lang found it even more amusing: "Who said you were the losers? The directors ruled it a tie."
"Reporting to the commander, for the Seventh Company, not winning is defeat!" Wu Liuyi replied decisively.
With just a few words, Yuan Lang had grasped Wu Liuyi's general personality. Losing interest, he turned to Zheng Yingqi: "And you? The strongest soldier in the 7th Company, the initiator of the 'precision marksman' concept, the best precision marksman, and... a soldier who understands special forces!"
Yuan Lang gave Zheng Yingqi a bunch of prefixes, information he had casually inquired about, but when he said it now, it carried a strong sense of revenge that he couldn't shake off.
"Reporting to the commander, I'm wondering why a company as strong as the Steel Seventh Company would achieve such a poor record against special forces!" Zheng Yingqi replied.
"Have you figured it out yet?" Yuan Lang found it very interesting.
"I've come up with a tiny bit."
Yuan Lang: "Tell me about it."
"First, there's the positioning. Our company is an armored reconnaissance company. Our training is mainly aimed at conventional opponents, and we don't have specific training for unconventional opponents. Second, there's the operational mindset. In our minds, we fight fair and square battles, which can be understood as an old-fashioned operational mindset. Finally, there's the geography. We are an armored unit, and this place is not suitable for heavy armored units. Fighting special forces that are good at forest warfare in places unsuitable for heavy armored units is essentially using our weaknesses to attack the enemy's strengths!"
Zheng Yingqi spoke at length.
"So, you're still not convinced?" Yuan Lang suddenly said.
"No, there's no resentment!" Zheng Yingqi replied loudly. "This is the Seventh Company's first time facing an unconventional opponent, so it's understandable that we feel frustrated. But war has no rules. There's no question of being unjustly defeated, nor is there any question of whether we should accept it or not. The losers have no right to say such things!"
"This is boring." Yuan Lang suddenly shook his head, as if he had lost interest in Zheng Yingqi, and began to talk to Xu Sanduo—Xu Sanduo then stammered as he spoke to Yuan Lang, especially about tying Yuan Lang up, and was full of apology, constantly saying, "I made another mistake..."
"You're even less interesting than him," Yuan Lang summarized his conversation with Xu Sanduo, pointing at Zheng Yingqi: "We both did the same thing, but he's still stubbornly holding on, and look at you..."
Yuan Lang was actually most interested in Xu Sanduo because this guy had risked his life to capture him on the battlefield. He never expected that Xu Sanduo would be like this during their conversation. He couldn't tell at all that Xu Sanduo was so ruthless when he was willing to die together with his opponent!
Xu Sanduo chuckled, "Yingqi... Yingqi has always been the best."
Yuan Lang started touching Xu Sanduo again while talking, just like in the original story. Gradually, Yuan Lang gained a comprehensive understanding of Xu Sanduo.
Wu Liuyi still harbors resentment towards Xu Sanduo because this guy always forgets the collective honor he's so proud of, even attributing his sudden burst of inner strength to the "deaths" of Cheng Cai and Shi Jin. So he says:
"Reporting to the commander, it's not for that reason. He couldn't express himself clearly. He did it because of the honor of the Seventh Steel Company, because..."
Yuan Lang disliked such high-sounding words; he only cared about what he saw and understood, so he said:
"I see."
Then, the conversation ended.
The company, which went out full of fighting spirit, returned to the camp dejected. They were even reluctant to get out of the vehicle and didn't want to see anyone.
On the "destroyed" mess van, the quartermaster shouted to the soldiers still shrouded in the shadow of defeat:
"Tonight, each company will have a big feast! Go and tidy up! Get ready for a good meal!"
The soldiers' spirits suddenly soared. After eating compressed biscuits for so long, they missed the superb cooking skills of their comrades in the cookhouse!
The third shift members came down from 207 one after another. Xu Sanduo was the last to come down, carrying a bunch of "spoils," and handed the "spoils" to the arrogant "prisoner."
"Xu Sanduo," Yuan Lang called out, stopping Xu Sanduo who was about to leave. "Do you like this gun?" He waved the Type 95 rifle in front of Xu Sanduo's eyes.
Xu Sanduo nodded. Guns he had never played with before were certainly very tempting.
"Do you want it?"
With his astonishingly quick thinking, Xu Sanduo exclaimed in surprise, "This is military property!"
Yuan Lang smiled and said, "I mean, would you like to come visit us?"
The atmosphere in Class 3, which was just a stone's throw away, suddenly became heavy and incredibly oppressive. This was a very sensitive topic—while Zheng Yingqi muttered to himself: Damn it, they didn't even invite me to give it a try? What if... I accepted?
"I am the 4,956th soldier of the Steel Seventh Company!" Xu Sanduo's answer brought a sigh of relief to the Third Platoon.
"Is this an answer?" Yuan Lang smiled, then ignored Xu Sanduo and no one else from Class 3, and started chatting with Gao Cheng who was coming towards them.
Zheng Yingqi also realized one thing: his answers to Yuan Lang on the tank had not made the lieutenant colonel look at him with new respect.
"Could it be because I didn't leave a deep enough impression?" Zheng Yingqi muttered to himself, but he wasn't too disappointed. The opportunity to join the Old A team wasn't now, and to think he could suddenly take a shortcut was just wishful thinking—and that dream didn't come true!
The beer, originally prepared to celebrate the great victory, lay abandoned in a corner of the barracks. Nobody wanted to drink it at this time; they were too ashamed. But Gao Cheng still insisted that the beer be served at the banquet, along with the four cases of Tsingtao deep-sea bombs left behind by the Old A.
Gao Cheng was a natural leader. He knew that the more critical the moment, the more important it was to prevent the morale of the 7th Company from collapsing. So he led everyone in offering a bowl of wine to the martyrs, a bowl of wine to the defeat, and a bowl of wine to the next victory. After three bowls of wine, the shadow of defeat was cast off.
Then, the Seventh Company erupted in jubilation.
Xu Sanduo, who doesn't drink, hid to the side, staring blankly at his beer, lost in thought, when Zheng Yingqi pulled him over. Zheng Yingqi then called out to everyone:
"Some people are ashamed to be associated with us. Why? Because they have achieved great things and therefore look down on us!"
Xu Sanduo panicked and tried to explain, but the more anxious he became, the less he could say. The soldiers laughed and dragged Xu Sanduo inside. As the hero of the day, even if he couldn't drink, they had to force him to drink.
"After this meal, you will be no different from them." Zheng Yingqi whispered in Xu Sanduo's ear. Xu Sanduo was stunned. He wondered if this meant he would no longer be treated as an immature child.
So Xu Sanduo drank desperately, and soon he was crying and laughing at the same time. He hugged Shi Jin and cried, repeatedly thanking Shi Jin. Shi Jin was both amused and exasperated. With great effort, he handed Xu Sanduo over to Zheng Yingqi. Then Xu Sanduo hugged Zheng Yingqi and cried, saying that without Zheng Yingqi, he wouldn't be who he is today.
After being annoyed by Xu Sanduo for a long time, Zheng Yingqi tricked Xu Sanduo into thinking, "You should go and toast the company commander." Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, Xu Sanduo, under Zheng Yingqi's influence, swayed and carried the wine to find Gao Cheng.
"Company Commander, let me toast you!" Surprisingly, Xu Sanduo didn't slur his words. Gao Cheng, who never refused a drink, chuckled and downed a bowl with Xu Sanduo, then said:
"Xu Sanduo, all these years, I thought I had a good eye for soldiers, but I was wrong about you. That kid (pointing at Zheng Yingqi) said you were born a tiger but were raised to be a coward. I always thought that was nonsense. Shi Jin, that kid, protects you without any principles. I want to beat him up."
You know what? I've wanted to transfer you out of Class 3 so many times, even if it's just to keep you by my side and cause me trouble, just don't cause trouble for my Class 3!
Xu Sanduo listened quietly, showing no signs of being drunk.
"Later, at the maintenance depot, I saw a road! That's when I knew, you're a tiger!" Gao Cheng shouted excitedly to the soldiers.
"You guys don't know, do you? This kid built a road all by himself at the maintenance station! From the moment I saw that road, I knew this guy was definitely not a pig!"
Xu Sanduo!
Gao Cheng shouted, and Xu Sanduo instinctively shouted back.
"I, Gao Cheng, thank you on behalf of the Seventh Company today! It was you who protected the honor of our Seventh Company!" Gao Cheng said loudly. Xu Sanduo's performance in this "defeat" became the biggest highlight of the Seventh Company. Although Gao Cheng did not like this only highlight, he was truly grateful to Xu Sanduo.
Zheng Yingqi slowly sipped his wine, a sense of lofty ambition swirling within him, a desire to leave without a trace and conceal his achievements – because compared to the original story, there were now hardly any regrets.
"Get him drunk! This kid's faking it!" Gao Cheng then burst into laughter, patted Xu Sanduo's shoulder forcefully, and shouted to the soldiers, "If I see Xu Sanduo on the training field tomorrow, I'll look down on you all!"
The soldiers swarmed forward, and Xu Sanduo was so frightened that he tried to run away, but he couldn't escape the soldiers' "clutches".
"He's faking being drunk?" Wu Liuyi asked Shi Jin in surprise.
"He doesn't speak his mind, but after a few drinks, he starts to say it," Zheng Yingqi replied to Wu Liuyi, who had appeared behind them at some point. Wu Liuyi nodded thoughtfully.
Shi Jin laughed, a relieved laugh.
If it weren't for Cheng Cai, this dinner would definitely have been a success—so Zheng Yingqi went to find Cheng Cai, who was holding a glass of wine, about to go find Gao Cheng.
"Want a drink?" Zheng Yingqi blocked Cheng Cai's way.
Cheng Cai looked at Zheng Yingqi, his mind racing with thoughts—on the freight car, the three of them had agreed to join the army under the squad leader (Shi Jin). In basic training, they were in the same squad but were rivals. In the Seventh Company, he worked hard but could never catch up with the person in front of him. Now, as he was about to leave, he was blocked in his way.
"Have a drink." Cheng Cai forced a smile, clinked glasses with the bowl, and then drank it all in one gulp.
"Why do you want to leave?" Zheng Yingqi asked after finishing his drink.
Cheng Cai was stunned for a moment, realizing that Xu Sanduo had told Zheng Yingqi. He had wanted to hold onto his last bit of stubbornness, but looking at Zheng Yingqi's sincere expression, he smiled bitterly: "Staying in the 7th Company, there's no chance. There are only so many spots each year, and I... I don't have confidence in myself."
"You are excellent."
"But there are too many outstanding people in the Seventh Company! And the opportunities are so few." Cheng Cai looked at Zheng Yingqi and sighed in his heart. Besides the chance to stay in the team, there were other opportunities, but did he have such an opportunity in the Seventh Company?
No!
Each opportunity is only given to the most outstanding few people: Zheng Yingqi, Xu Sanduo, Wu Liuyi, Gan Xiaoning... With so many people, how could it possibly be my turn?
He lacks the confidence to become the best!
Zheng Yingqi understood. In fact, he had always understood Cheng Cai's mindset. It's just that he had a "cheat" that made him feel invisible, and he chose to be the best person. Cheng Cai, on the other hand, chose to give up and find another way out.
"Can't we change the time?" Zheng Yingqi said again, looking at Gao Cheng over there. Gao Cheng was still drinking without refusing anyone's drink and would even comment on each person who asked him to clink bowls.
Despite facing defeat, Gao Cheng is using his own methods to boost morale, and the results are proving to be very successful.
"I've exhausted all the channels I've explored, and I've already made all the necessary contacts," Cheng Cai said calmly, but he subconsciously glanced in a certain direction where his beloved Type 85 sniper rifle was located.
"Goodbye, don't bother seeing me off." Zheng Yingqi knew that you couldn't keep someone who was determined to leave. The only pity was that this almost perfect dinner would ultimately leave a regret because of Cheng Cai.
Actually, if Cheng Cai hadn't been in such a rush to make a choice...
Everything was proceeding according to the original plot. Gao Cheng was actually at a loss when he received this message. He was the first person in the history of the Seventh Company to transfer to the company by his own will, rather than by XX's decision.
Like a traitor.
Gao Cheng was puzzled: "Which company is better or more combat-effective than the Steel Seventh Company?"
Cheng Cai stood up unsteadily, as if he hadn't said anything, but at that moment, in the eyes of everyone in the company, he was... a traitor!
The atmosphere was no longer as heavy as before. Xu Sanduo, who should have been sober, was the most intoxicated one, howling miserably. When he vomited, the sound was earth-shattering, like a ghost wailing. Perhaps, Xu Sanduo's idea was to use drunkenness to prevent himself from seeing this scene.
Gao Cheng felt somewhat defeated because he had encountered the first "traitor" in the history of the Steel Seventh Company. It was at this moment that Zheng Yingqi came over with a drink.
"Hey Lian, shall I toast you?" Zheng Yingqi teased playfully. Gao Cheng looked at the person offering the drink and asked suspiciously, "You want one too?"
What are you thinking? Should I forward this?
"Someone as outstanding as me, no other company could possibly let me go!" Zheng Yingqi said smugly. Gao Cheng laughed, his gloom vanishing, and he laughed heartily as he clinked bowls with Zheng Yingqi, saying with a loud laugh:
"Yes, other companies can't afford to overlook outstanding individuals like you!"
Amidst Gao Cheng's hearty laughter, Cheng Cai, who was leaving, stumbled slightly before quickening his pace.
(This is the equivalent of two chapters. A big thank you in advance to the Lord of Demons for the generous donation! I've kept a record of all the donations, and I'll add an extra chapter for each one after the book is published. It doesn't matter how much, it's just to show my appreciation! Uh, the donation from that person on the bookstore who was teasing me doesn't count, really doesn't!)