Chapter 237: Confrontation
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Wang Ye blinked, but he remained silent.
Despite being a fresh recruit with limited experience, he could sense the tension in the air, as if the atmosphere itself carried the scent of gunpowder.
However, he was still breathing, alive. In this moment, he recalled Zhou Qi’s earlier mention of surveillance cameras.
Thus, even though he had a desire to test the Scout’s capabilities, he restrained himself.
“Class monitor, 1’11 inform the company commander and the others.”
Wang Ye paid no attention to the other two and directed his words to Zhou Qi.
He hadn’t carried the radio with him before, but after Zhou Qi stood up, he retrieved it.
Soon, he established contact with Wu Jianfeng.
However, Wu Jianfeng was already en route, and he didn’t pause just because Wang Ye claimed there were no others present.
Approximately twenty minutes later, Wu Jianfeng arrived.
He didn’t bring a large contingent, only three individuals.
This decision was made after Wang Ye’s notification, instructing everyone else to halt their assembly and bring only the personnel from the command center.
“Tsk tsk, not bad at all. Two scouts, two takedowns with a sneak attack. Wang Ye, excellent work. Even though you’re a private, remember that a private is still a soldier of our Iron Blood Fourth Company. You’ve done us proud!”
Standing near the two scouts, Wu Jianfeng spoke in a patronizing tone.
This caused the expressions of the two scouts to visibly change, even though their faces were concealed with camouflage paint.
“Alright, enough of the staring. Even if there are more of them, they’re just cowards. They won’t dare to show themselves even if their comrades are taken down.”
At that moment, Wu Jianfeng turned and shouted at the few individuals he had brought with him in the forest.
The two scouts lowered their heads, but Wang Ye noticed their tightly clenched fists on the ground.
Wang Ye speculated that if they weren’t being watched by those cameras, they wouldn’t hesitate to challenge Wu Jianfeng’s authority, regardless of his rank. They might even throw a punch or two.
Unfortunately, there were no “ifs” in this situation.
The presence of those surveillance cameras changed the situation drastically.
In a real fight, even though they were Scouts, they weren’t confident in taking on two versus eight. There was a high likelihood that if they dared to engage, they’d end up beaten and strung up in a tree.
“Alright, now that two people have shown up here, it’s quite likely there won’t be anyone else around. Nevertheless, we can’t afford to lower our guard.
Wang Ye, you’ll be carrying the radio on your back. I’ll brief you on the code words and how to operate it.”
The radio wasn’t your standard walkie-talkie; it was more sophisticated, encrypted, and capable of transmitting signals over longer distances.
Though it might have been more complex for some functions, it was relatively straightforward for simple communication.
He strapped the palm-sized device to Wang Ye’s body and handed him the earpiece.
Wang Ye and Wu Jianfeng moved away from the others, and Wu Jianfeng discreetly shared the password and radio operation instructions with Wang Ye.
Afterward, Wu Jianfeng departed with his team.
His presence had been something of a display of authority…
In an instant, only Wang Ye and Wei Qinghai remained.
They had no other option. Currently, manpower was in short supply everywhere. Unless a situation like discovering enemies here occurred, transferring personnel from other locations wasn’t easy.
The primary reason for this was that there might be no one else here, so it made sense for Wang Ye and the other two to continue patrolling and searching.
Of course, if there were still individuals who had deceived Wang Ye and the other party, it would be a unique case.
If such a situation did arise, Wu Jianfeng would quickly become aware of it. Wang Ye had to send a radio message every 15 minutes or so. If they didn’t match up, even in dire circumstances, Wu Jianfeng would realize that something was amiss and immediately send a search party into the mountains.
“A division scout is indeed a division scout. Just look at their gear.”
As they strolled through the forest, Wei Qinghai turned to Wang Ye and remarked, “Wang Ye, I’m willing to bet that you’ve caught the attention of higher-ups this time. They might be considering recruiting you!”
Wang Ye chuckled in response, “Why would they want to recruit me? I’m a soldier of the 4th Company and a part of our division.”
He scanned the surroundings as he spoke.
H
I’m recruiting you for the scout division! You see, our division’s reconnaissance battalion comes down annually to cherry-pick exceptional soldiers. You were already quite outstanding during the initial recruit assessment. Frankly, I’m surprised you weren’t chosen back then. Your performance this time is so remarkable; the higher-ups won’t be able to resist for long!”
Wei Qinghai stopped in his tracks after saying this, waiting for Wang Ye to draw near before continuing with a grin, “In truth, if you genuinely aspire to be a top-notch soldier in the army, joining the division’s reconnaissance battalion is an excellent decision. They are the real deal. Just look at their equipment.
Reconnaissance soldiers had a communicator, and they even sported face paint during missions. How cool is that?
Plus, they’re often on the move, sometimes even embarking on real missions.
Unlike us, we mainly focus on physical fitness and hygiene.”
“Hehe, you think so too? But right now, I’m not thinking too far ahead. I’ve just graduated from basic training, and there’s so much I still need to learn!” Wang Ye replied with an air of innocence.
However, deep down, Wang Ye couldn’t help but find the situation a bit absurd. Did Wei Qinghai really think he could change Wang Ye’s mind by just chatting along this route? It was as though she saw him as an impressionable youth.
It was quite apparent he wanted to get him to turn on the radio and put the microphone to his mouth to see if he’d still be so stubborn.
This guy really believed Wang Ye was just a greenhorn!
Wang Ye, on the other hand, had a pretty good idea of why they were sent away. Being demoted to Class Eight had put immense pressure on him. Leaving aside everything else, Wang Ye had known even before joining the army that most recruits would bully newcomers once they became veterans.
In Class Eight, Qiao Xuan was currently giving everyone a lesson. Moreover, judging from the current situation, as long as Wang Ye remained in Class Eight, as long as their performance didn’t surpass his, this lesson might continue.
As for the two newcomers in the class…
They were of the same age as Wang Ye, and Wang Ye had already put them in their places. How could they possibly have the audacity to assume the role of seasoned veterans and give instructions to these two new recruits?
Hence, wanting Wang Ye to leave might be akin to how they felt when they were once privates who watched a group of seasoned soldiers retire. Perhaps, if Wang Ye did leave, they could secretly buy some wine and raise a toast or even set off a few firecrackers…
“What’s there to learn here anyway? At most, we can drive an armored vehicle. Scouts are the real deal.”
Wang Ye looked at him with a speechless expression. After pondering for a moment, he raised his hand to hush Wei Qinghai, saying, “It’s time. I’m going to contact the company commander.”
ii
Uh, Wang Ye, don’t tell anyone what I just said. I’m just speaking my mind!” Wei Qinghai immediately interjected upon hearing this.
He had felt confident just moments ago, but now that Wang Ye mentioned contacting the company commander, he felt a chill run down his spine. If Wang Ye spilled the beans, not to mention informing the company commander, even if the class monitor found out, he’d be in big trouble.
In fact, he was slightly regretful that he didn’t restrain himself and reveal this to Wang Ye earlier. There was no rush; he could have waited for the division headquarters to come and recruit him. What was the hurry?
Next, after Wang Ye finished making contact, he resumed his duties.
Wang Ye found Wei Qinghai’s behavior a bit amusing but decided not to initiate a quarrel. He couldn’t be bothered to engage in idle chatter with him.
His focus was on his surroundings.
In truth, he was concerned about accidentally stepping on the mines they had planted the previous night. Therefore, he had to be cautious. After all, if he triggered one and caused an explosion, he would face a barrage of scolding when he returned.
Yet, at the same time, Wang Ye was somewhat eager to encounter those elusive individuals in hiding. He was also looking forward to the system’s next mission.
However, things didn’t go as he hoped. Perhaps these scouts were incredibly dispersed, as there were only two of them in this vicinity.
Once Wang Ye and Wei Qinghai completed their patrol of the area assigned to their class, there was no sign of any activity. They even checked the mines and grenades, which remained undisturbed.
It was unclear whether these two scouts were exceptionally lucky or truly skilled.
In the afternoon, Wang Ye and Qiao Xuan gathered four more comrades, leaving only two behind to stand guard. The remaining four ventured into the mountains to search, yet they came up empty-handed.
In truth, on the night of the 7th, Wang Ye only learned through the radio station that three scouts had been captured that day.
Two of them met their demise at the hands of Wang Ye and his companions.
On the 8th, the 4th Company divided into two groups. Half of them continued to hold their positions, while the rest intensified their internal search efforts.
Wang Ye finally left his concealed spot behind the small slope. He followed the Fourth Company members who were retreating, traversing through the mountains and forests. They established checkpoints along the way, conducting inspections and even visiting the nearby villagers’ homes to make inquiries.
The 10th day, the fourth day of the exercise, was drawing to a close.
At night, Wang Ye crouched behind a bush by the road leading to a small village.
Don’t get the wrong idea; he wasn’t taking a dump. He was merely biding his time.
Others were nearby as well.
Tonight, Wu Jianfeng had brought half of the troops from the Fourth Company who had withdrawn. As nightfall approached, they discreetly organized small groups of six to seven soldiers to station themselves in the four cardinal directions around the village.
It remained uncertain if this strategy would yield results. At this point, everyone was floundering in the dark, and they could only attempt every conceivable approach.
“Pa!”
Suddenly, Wang Ye delivered a swift slap to his left cheek.
He lowered his hand, revealing a squashed mosquito in his palm.
Wang Ye remained stoic, showing no change in expression. He simply retrieved some cooling ointment and applied it to the mosquito bite.
Over the past few days, Wang Ye had been the victim of numerous mosquito attacks. Logically, cooling ointment and similar products should repel mosquitoes, but they seemed ineffective. The mosquitoes continued to feast on him.
These insects were utterly infuriating.
“A car is approaching!”
As he stowed away the cooling oil, he heard a hushed exclamation from not far away.
Wang Ye’s alertness surged, and he readied his weapon.
During the night, anyone entering or exiting the village would undoubtedly be subjected to an inspection.
However, he had no intention of dashing out right away.
They weren’t using a vehicle themselves. If the enemy had a car and spotted them running out prematurely, they wouldn’t stand a chance of outrunning the vehicle by running on foot.
Hence, they needed to wait until the car drew nearer before making their move, emerging from both sides at once.