Chapter 210: Lovesick Fool?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Instructor, what’s going on?” Wang Ye inquired as he ran alongside Kang Hua. “I have no idea. This isn’t a planned assembly. Something must have occurred.” “Could it be that a high-ranking officer is visiting our recruit company? Didn’t you hear the sounds from the neighboring camp area? What could happen to us?”
Recruits from other squads also caught up and voiced their questions.
“Definitely not. Let’s not discuss this anymore. Get back to the camp quickly!”
After Kang Hua spoke, he increased his pace.
Although Wang Ye was deeply perplexed, he had no choice but to follow suit.
Honestly, at this moment, Wang Ye couldn’t fathom what could prompt such a commotion to trigger the emergency assembly call.
It wasn’t their turn to engage in combat, was it?
What other significant event could it be?
Disaster relief?
That seemed unlikely since there was no commotion in the adjacent camp.
Could it be a deserter?
The thought struck Wang Ye as absurd. Who in their right mind would try to escape now, especially after completing their training and receiving their titles as recruits? It was something no one in their right mind would attempt.
If it wasn’t a deserter, then the mentioned visit by a high-ranking officer from earlier also seemed improbable. If such a visit had been scheduled, they would have been informed in advance. Even if the higher-ups were in disguise and unexpectedly arrived, there would be no need for an emergency assembly call. They could simply ask someone to notify them since it was only a short distance away.
Nonetheless, Wang Ye’s mind buzzed with various conjectures as he continued to run.
They soon reached the entrance of the recruit company’s camp.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Wang Ye inquired of the sentries at the gate, who were soldiers from other companies.
Upon seeing Kang Hua approach, the sentry immediately stood at attention and reported, “Reporting to the chief, it appears that a new recruit is missing!” “WHAT?” Kang Hua’s expression underwent a drastic change.
Wang Ye and the recruits behind Kang Hua were equally shocked.
Fuck.
Could there really be someone so dense?
Who could it be?
“Follow me quickly!” Kang Hua shouted at the recruits behind him with a grim expression before swiftly turning and running.
Wang Ye and the others exchanged glances and promptly followed suit.
“Who the hell could it be? Do any of you know?”
Someone whispered as they ran.
“I have no idea. Everyone in my squad seems perfectly fine. There shouldn’t be anyone that foolish!”
“I can’t say the same for my squad either!”
As they ran, everyone shared their thoughts.
The nine of them originated from the nine squads within the recruit company, all holding positions as vice-squad leaders. They were intimately familiar with the dynamics of their respective squads.
However, after comparing notes, none of them, including Wang Ye, believed there was anything amiss in their squads.
“Fuck man, who in the world would run off at a time like this? 1 hope it’s a misunderstanding. Otherwise, they’re truly brainless!”
Someone vented their frustration.
These sentiments resonated with everyone.
Soon, they spotted the dormitory building and witnessed the assembly of the company’s new recruits in front of it. Wu Jianfeng and the squad leaders were all present.
Kang Hua rushed over.
“Company commander, what’s going on?”
Kang Hua didn’t even pause to catch his breath. He approached Wu Jianfeng, who had an enraged expression, and urgently inquired.
Wang Ye and the others swiftly returned to their respective squads.
Before he could exchange words with the recruit next to him, Wu Jianfeng, who was at the front, spoke up, “Deng Hai from Class 3 is missing!”
“Hmm? Damn!”
In that very moment, Wang Ye, who had just joined the formation, cursed inwardly. He glanced at Wu Jianfeng and swiftly turned his head to observe Class 3’s formation.
Indeed, there was a vacant spot where a person should have stood.
“Brother Wang, Deng Hai has left due to a breakup. Their class monitor confirmed it with his girlfriend just now!” a hushed voice came from Wang Ye’s side.
Wang Ye turned to face Liang Fan.
Liang Fan paid no mind to the fact that they were in formation and promptly shared the details in a subdued voice.
According to Liang Fan, it appeared that the company had instructed everyone to make phone calls to their families after dinner the previous night.
Deng Hai must have used this opportunity to call his girlfriend.
However, his girlfriend chose to end their relationship.
Yet, Deng Hai remained patient, not revealing the news to the class.
It wasn’t until the afternoon’s award ceremony, when they had some free time, that he decided to make his escape. As dinner approached and everyone returned to the dormitory, the third squad leader noticed Deng Hai’s absence. He dispatched someone to locate him but came up empty-handed. He then informed the company commander.
Subsequently, the company commander initiated the emergency assembly call, speculating that Deng Hai might have lost track of time and hoping to hear him running back.
However, Wang Ye had already sprinted back from the family area next door, and Deng Hai was nowhere in sight.
Of course, they weren’t just waiting around.
Liang Fan explained that while waiting, the third squad leader made a phone call. It turned out that Wu Jianfeng believed the phone call from the previous night might be the cause of the situation. Consequently, he confiscated the third squad leader’s phone and requested that he locate the call Deng Hai had made the previous night.
After a few attempts, the other party didn’t give Deng Hai a chance to speak. She uttered, “Deng Hai, I’ve already told you it’s over. 1 can’t wait for you any longer.”
When they called again, her phone was switched off.
At this point, Wang Ye was at a loss for words.
If Wang Ye recalled correctly, when Deng Hai joined the army, he mentioned that he enlisted because his girlfriend admired soldiers.
It was evident that he cared deeply for his girlfriend. It was also his girlfriend’s influence that led him to give in and smoke the pack of cigarettes and consume the tea.
And now, his girlfriend had actually broken up with him.
It wasn’t surprising that he ran away.
“What a lovesick fool!” Wang Ye sighed.
Of course, Wang Ye’s term “lovesick fool” could be translated as someone who would abandon everything for love.
“Company commander, send out a search party again!”
At this moment, Kang Hua, who stood at the forefront, was aware of the situation. He glanced at Wu Jianfeng, whose face had contorted in frustration, and implored urgently.
“Agreed!”
Wu Jianfeng was evidently seething. He nodded while suppressing his anger.
“Everyone!”
Wu Jianfeng issued orders.
Consequently, the entire company divided into pairs and began scouring the entire camp area of the recruit company in search of Deng Hai.
Seeing the recruits depart, the seasoned soldiers also joined the search.
In front of the dormitory building, only Kang Hua and Wu Jianfeng remained. At this moment, Wu Jianfeng, through clenched teeth, uttered, “Fuck!”
He was genuinely vexed.
In the three months of their training, nothing like this had occurred to the new recruits. At most, they would slack off or attempt to evade their responsibilities.
However, now that the recruits had completed their training, and their titles had been awarded, they were on the brink of leaving the company. Such a foolish incident had taken place.
Kang Hua’s complexion turned even more ghastly.
As he wasn’t a bona fide instructor in the Fourth Company but rather an assistant, things were worse for him. He was on the verge of becoming an assistant instructor according to the plan set before the recruit company embarked on the training. This year, he was on the verge of receiving a promotion.
Yet, an incident like this had occurred now.
He felt that his future prospects were bleak, and he even experienced a sense of dizziness.
Dammit, if a soldier truly went AWOL, particularly a group of recruits, he, as the instructor in charge of ideological education, would bear significant responsibility.
In this situation, how could he possibly resolve it?
It could be said that if Deng Hai were standing before him right now, Kang Hua might have been inclined to shoot him..