Chapter 360: Turning Back, Awkward Moment
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
On Wu Jianfeng’s side, nobody could sleep at that moment.
They weren’t allowed to set up tents and had to sleep in the wilderness in the middle of the night, which made everyone quite uneasy.
Aside from the fear of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, everyone was also very curious about and concerned with the situation in the battle.
Even though their group had been wiped out in the first wave, everyone had hoped that Zheng Ke could bring back good news.
However, it had already been over an hour.
Since Zheng Ke had led the pursuit team, no one had returned.
People had gathered in small groups, constantly looking around, and occasionally lighting up a cigarette.
It had been eerily quiet there.
Everyone had been afraid of making noise and provoking Wu Jianfeng’s curses, especially since their group had been wiped out in the first wave, which had been truly embarrassing.
The four members of Class Eight had been in the same situation.
They had sat by a tree, with cigarette butts piling up in front of them.
“I’m out of cigarettes!” Suddenly, Li Bing had whispered as he had pinched the last cigarette out of the pack.
“I’m out too!” Across from him, Wei Qinghai had smiled bitterly.
I…I’m out too!” Peng Yuhang had also spoken up.
He hadn’t actually smoked, but following Wang Ye’s example, he had always carried a pack of cigarettes with him.
As soon as he had finished speaking, he glanced at Wu Jianfeng, who had been sitting about ten meters away from them.
They had had a campfire going in the middle, so he could see Wu Jianfeng’s posture there.
He hadn’t known if he had been asleep.
But after holding it in for so long, he felt like he couldn’t hold it any longer.
Gently pushing the bowed head of Peng Yuhang, Li Bing then asked in a very low voice, “Hey, Yuhang, come on, what did you really say to the captain earlier?”
At that moment, Wei Qinghai and the other two instantly became alert.
Their gazes were fixed on Peng Yuhang.
Peng Yuhang had originally been dozing off, but when he heard this, he suddenly became alert too.
He looked helpless and glanced at Li Bing.
“Squad leader…” He was a bit hesitant to speak, after all, Wu Jianfeng had just given instructions.
“Don’t worry, I swear I won’t say it to anyone else.” Li Bing whispered, then looked at Wei Qinghai and the other two, and added, “If you’re still worried, just tell me, it can be just between us!”
At this, Wei Qinghai quickly spoke in a hushed tone, “Don’t, Li Ge, we can keep a secret too!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Luo Yang also nodded quickly.
They were actually extremely curious, but they hadn’t dared to ask before. Now that Li Bing couldn’t hold back, they naturally wanted to know.
Peng Yuhang felt helpless, and he glanced back at Wu Jianfeng, who seemed to be asleep.
After a moment of consideration, he spoke in a very low voice, “Then let our class know!”
“Okay!”
“Sure, just keep your voice down, and it’s best to tell us one by one!”
“Right!”
Li Bing and the others were also worried that some big secret might be overheard by students from other classes nearby.
“Good!” Peng Yuhang nodded and shifted his position. Li Bing was the first to perk up and lean in.
But at that moment, suddenly a voice appeared, startling everyone there.
“Hehe, um, hey there, folks!”
A voice that was not at all unfamiliar to everyone sounded.
In Class Eight, the three others who had been prepared to hear the secret were instantly stunned, and then Wei Qinghai exclaimed, “What the heck!”
“Deputy Squad Leader!”
“Damn, it’s Wang Ye!”
“Brother Wang!”
Various titles were uttered in succession.
Everyone was a bit dumbfounded.
They looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared in the jungle.
Although they couldn’t see the person clearly, they could only make out the silhouette in the darkness of the night.
But this voice was familiar to everyone in Squad Four.
At this moment, Wu Jianfeng immediately opened his eyes.
Reflexively, he remembered.
But immediately, he retracted his hand from the ground, and even his body, which had been sitting upright, leaned back against the tree trunk, with his head tilted to the side.
He was feeling a bit embarrassed.
“Why is this guy back?” In his heart, Wu Jianfeng was a bit speechless.
He had prepared to return to the regimental headquarters, smiling as he explained to the company commander, battalion commander, and even the chief of staff who had killed him.
But he hadn’t expected to run into Wang Ye, this jerk…
“Hehe, um, folks, looks like you’re not asleep yet. Come on… smoke, smoke!” Wang Ye was cheerful, walking closer to the firelight while constantly lighting up cigarettes.
He lit one for everyone he met.
At this moment, behind him, Wen Xiaoman, who hadn’t followed him out of the jungle, also widened her eyes.
What’s going on?
Is this Wang Ye’s old squad?
Her mouth was slightly agape.
She had no idea, as Wang Ye hadn’t said anything to her all the way here.
She hadn’t expected to see this scene now.
In fact, she wasn’t the only one who saw it at this moment.
At the division command post.
On one of the nine large screens divided into sections, a scene displaying what was being monitored on Wang Ye suddenly appeared.
The soldier responsible for managing the surveillance feed of Wang Ye found it amusing.
So he mentioned it to the officer in charge beside him, and the officer authorized it, causing this particular feed to appear directly in front of the division commander and the chief of staff who was still present there.
Uh… what is this?” The division commander and the chief of staff, who had been seriously watching other combat footage while smoking, were momentarily taken aback.
Then, the division commander was the first to chuckle, “This is from Iron Blood Fourth Company, right? It’s Wang Ye’s feed?”
“What is he doing?” The chief of staff didn’t smile.
In fact, at this moment, he quickly glanced at the division commander, and then furrowed his brows.
Because Wang Ye’s current situation was starting to bend the rules a bit.
He, a living person, was talking to the dead, trying to get close to them.
“All right, bring up the audio from Wang Ye’s surveillance!”
“Yes, sir!”
Someone responded, and soon, amid the sounds of combat in other areas, Wang Ye’s voice came through the speakers.
“Hehe, folks, come on, don’t be shy, smoke, smoke…”
Wang Ye wasn’t saying anything else at the moment, just distributing cigarettes to everyone he encountered.
The division commander was quite amused by this scene.
“This guy, as a reconnaissance soldier going out, how many packs of cigarettes did he bring with him!”
As for how many packs, no one naturally knew, and Wang Ye definitely wouldn’t tell them. He could probably produce them at any moment.
“Brother Wang!”
“Wang Ye!”
At this moment, Li Bing and the others walked over to Wang Ye, looking a bit unsure, but they all greeted him with various forms of affection.
After happily handing them cigarettes and saying they would talk later, Wang Ye walked directly to the side of Wu Jianfeng, who was still pretending to be asleep.
In fact, at this moment, the other members of the Fourth Company had also realized that something was off.
Wang Ye happily distributed a cigarette to each of them, saying they would talk later.
With that, he walked directly to where Wu Jianfeng was still pretending to be asleep.
In fact, at this moment, the other members of Squad Four had also realized that something was off.
In the blink of an eye, the enthusiasm from earlier had disappeared, and some of them didn’t even take the cigarettes Wang Ye offered. Even those who took them didn’t dare to light up.
Because as Wang Ye approached the firelight, his green camouflage face paint, full combat gear, and the unit patch on his arm all clearly indicated who he was.
The enemy who had attacked them!
How could they smoke these cigarettes now!
At this moment, they had actually overlooked the rank insignia on his shoulder.
Of course, some had noticed it but chose to remain silent.
“Captain!”
Wang Ye crouched down next to Wu Jianfeng and called out. Wu Jianfeng still had his head tilted, eyes closed, pretending to be asleep.
“Well, Captain, want a smoke? Here’s a cigarette!”
Wang Ye took out a cigarette and extended it toward Wu Jianfeng’s mouth.
Now Wu Jianfeng couldn’t continue pretending to sleep.
“What are you here for? Are you not busy right now?”
“Not really, just came back to borrow something.”
Wang Ye didn’t waste much time. He primarily didn’t like the atmosphere on the field and wanted to leave quickly.
“What do you need?” Wu Jianfeng didn’t move, just slightly opened his eyes, and didn’t accept the cigarette Wang Ye offered, asking directly.
“Type 80 grenades!”
“Hmph, we’re all dead; you can get it yourself. Also, pay attention to the exercise rules. From now on, don’t talk to the dead!”
“Well… alright… hehe, thanks, Captain, thanks, Captain…” Wang Ye grinned awkwardly, then prepared to get up.
But the next moment, Wu Jianfeng spoke again, “How many cigarettes do you have left? Give them all to me.”
“Just half a pack left!”
Wang Ye didn’t dare to say more.
He had mostly given out cigarettes earlier, and he couldn’t produce several more packs now, especially with surveillance on him.
Wu Jianfeng took the cigarettes and then looked at the others, saying, “We’re all dead; do you all understand the exercise rules? When you’re dead, just lie there like a dead person!”
No one said a word; everyone was watching Wang Ye.
Wang Ye, with a smile, didn’t linger and went straight to Class Eight.
“Old Wei, give me the mortar, and also the rocket launchers you guys have.
Besides, keep an eye on my rifle…”
In the midst of their puzzled looks, Wang Ye quickly scavenged their equipment.
Some who hadn’t noticed Wang Ye’s rank insignia before had now spotted it.
However, since Wu Jianfeng had just told them to play dead, they had to restrain their curiosity for the time being.
Soon, Wang Ye found two Type 80 grenades and ten mortar shells. He left his Type 05 rifle behind and exchanged it for a Type 88 sniper rifle from another squad.
With these items in hand, Wang Ye quickly disappeared into the jungle.
At this moment, Wang Ye was glad that he had encountered the group from Squad Six and Wen Xiaoman’s assistance earlier. Otherwise, he would have felt embarrassed to actually take Wu Jianfeng’s unit patch.
Watching Wang Ye disappear, Wu Jianfeng remained silent.
It wasn’t until nearly a minute later that he looked at the others and spoke, “Alright, we’re not really dead. You can smoke the cigarettes Wang Ye gave you. It’s better to die at the hands of the freaks in our Fourth Company than strangers, right?”
With this statement, he directly acknowledged that the people who had attacked them earlier, including Wang Ye, were from their own squad.
Of course, Wang Ye was just one of them.
But Wu Jianfeng didn’t care about the others; he now considered himself to have died at Wang Ye’s hands.
The rest of the Fourth Company exchanged glances.
In the end, it was Class Eight that first produced the sound of a lighter.
“Hey, I was feeling quite uncomfortable earlier, but now that 1 know I died at the hands of my own squad leader, I accept it. He’s always been a psycho!” Wei Qinghai, being quite clever, cooperated with Wu Jianfeng’s words and was the first to light a cigarette and speak up.
Actually, this whole situation would certainly leave some resentment in part of the Fourth Company towards Wang Ye.
But, there were pros and cons to everything. If they were killed by Wang Ye, they could at least say that they were killed by one of their own, which would save face externally.
“Was that your own old squad just now?”
“Not really. I’ve always been a part of the Fourth Company. I’m still in the roster, so that’s my squad. I came to the reconnaissance company for a learning experience!” In the forest, Wang Ye looked at Wen Xiaoman, who had reappeared, and explained with a smile.
While speaking, he handed her a Type 80 grenade, saying, “Here, take this, and also some mortar shells!”
Wang Ye wasn’t going to stubbornly carry two mortars and ten mortar shells on him. He also had thirty hand grenades, a rifle, and body armor.
The burden was too heavy.
“Alright!” Wen Xiaoman didn’t hesitate and quickly accepted the equipment.
This had been discussed before they set out. Wang Ye had asked her if she wanted a mortar. If she didn’t, he would only carry one.
With the division of spoils completed, Wang Ye was now carrying a mortar, six mortar shells, thirty hand grenades, and a Type 88 sniper rifle he had obtained. He made his way through the jungle, every step echoing with gear clinking.
With everything ready, he was off to hunt down the company commander..