First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 219
Chapter 219: Background
Ji Ban and Zhao Zhuoluo were both shocked by Lian Sheng's arm.
Because she wore gloves and long-sleeved clothes, nothing was apparent. No one noticed it was a mechanical arm. But once the killing power emerged, it was exposed.
While sufficient for daily life needs, sacrificing the sense of touch and pain in the hand, its flexibility, strength, durability, and defense were qualitatively enhanced, correspondingly compensating for the loss. For a soldier, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Especially with her exclusive mech undergoing modifications and potentially being launched.
So Lian Sheng felt she was a lucky person.
So-called luck didn't mean smooth sailing without any bumps. Those setbacks were always unavoidable; everyone had to experience ups and downs.
But whenever she encountered setbacks, someone always pulled her out of the abyss, and she herself didn't even have time for despair. So no matter how turbulent her life was, looking back, she felt it was nothing much.
Could there be anything luckier than this?
The owner stood still, not daring to clean the table where Lian Sheng's group of three sat, hesitant, unsure whether to strike up a conversation.
The previous customer had already hurried away with her son, seemingly afraid that a second's delay would prevent her from leaving the door.
Other customers in the shop were quite startled, constantly glancing at them, then quickly settling their bills and leaving in a panic.
The three sat at a table with a large hole smashed through it, looking at each other for a while.
No reaction from the surroundings.
Lian Sheng felt that continuing to wait might not get her noodles. But she was really hungry now, especially after waiting for nearly an hour. If she didn't get that bowl of noodles, it would surely become an obsession in her life.
Zhao Zhuoluo showed his identification to the owner, reassuringly, "Don't worry. We are soldiers from the Expeditionary Force, just here for a meal. Could you serve us a bowl of noodles?"
The owner glanced at it and visibly relaxed.
"Are you conducting experiments on modified humans? But I heard that's not allowed. Was keeping the clones in the Alliance before also for this reason? Is what's said online really true?" He looked at Lian Sheng and said, "Little girl... how old are you?"
Lian Sheng looked at him speechlessly. "Your imagination is very rich, and very dangerous. I was just injured in the line of duty and got a prosthetic limb. Cool, huh?"
The owner looked constipated. "...Cool... very cool."
The group got their noodles as desired and left the shop.
Ji Ban and Zhao Zhuoluo strongly urged Lian Sheng to return to the team.
She had already dominated the keyboard online gaming scene, and her effective hand speed even surpassed Ji Ban, a professional manual operator. This indicated her arm control was sufficient for using manually operated mechs.
Coupled with the inherent strength of her arm, judging from that move just now, the neural connection was also excellent.
Although Jiugong hadn't been released yet, Lian Sheng could totally report to the team first, gradually transitioning from the rear to the front lines. They believed that even if she had Jiugong, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger wouldn't let her pilot a mech into battle without any experience or adaptation.
On the way back to the base, Lian Sheng stopped to apply glycerin to her hand.
"The wood splinters seem to have gotten stuck just now, it feels catchy," Lian Sheng said unhappily. "That's why I particularly dislike children under sixteen."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "...Sixteen can already be called youth."
Lian Sheng said, "Youth is youth. Youth means having independent living ability and self-thinking, but some can only be called oversized children. I feel his joining the ranks of youth lowers the overall IQ level."
Zhao Zhuoluo: "..."
Lian Sheng tried moving her fingers and asked, "Play games?"
The two: "..."
Ji Ban's vacation time was quite long. After all, he was the only manual mech operator, and the Alliance hadn't invested in related production yet. After his fighter was damaged, the replacement time was lengthy.
His father, a precious manual mech researcher, currently had no time for minor matters there, engrossed in modifying Jiugong. The repair, debugging, and transfer issues of Moshi ultimately had to be handled by subordinates in the research institute. Ji Ban had been living freely in the 29th District these past few days.
But excluding travel time, Zhao Zhuoluo only had a three-day vacation. After all, during special periods, catching a spacecraft to the Gelen border area wasn't always possible; time wasn't flexible.
However, when the three days passed, he couldn't recall what he had actually done. He rested for three days, but instead became more haggard due to staying up late.
Then he returned alone to the Gelen war zone.
At this time, the war zone had shifted once, gradually moving inwards. Domestic anti-war sentiment was high, with negative attitudes towards Maxwell and Barite, who initiated the war, as well as the Alliance military.
Analyzed pessimistically, they believed this was merely a power struggle between Maxwell and Barite due to conflicting interests, with the Alliance taking the opportunity to profit from their national crisis. All three parties were quite detestable.
At such times, they didn't want to believe the words of either the military or the government, because it was impossible to tell how much truth or falsehood lay within.
After a war of public opinion involving mutual exposure of scandals and attacks, neither side achieved the expected effect of harming others for self-benefit; both successfully suffered losses.
However, judging from governance policies and post-war prospects, the public believed Maxwell would adopt a development policy maintaining peace. Understanding the current sacrifices and turmoil as transitional pains wasn't that difficult to accept.
Of course, the public barely accepting Maxwell didn't mean they were willing to accept Alliance soldiers.
During periods of ceasefire and non-combat rest, Fang Jianchen and others basically didn't dare go out. The various Expeditionary Forces were arranged similarly. They would stay collectively in their dorms, hold large meetings, summarize experiences, or casually play games and browse their optical computers.
After Zhao Zhuoluo returned from his rotation leave in the 29th District, the others inquired about related intelligence.
They didn't plan to go back during the rotation period because transferring shifts was too troublesome, and there wasn't much to do in the 29th District anyway. Living with the troops was also quite interesting.
Fang Jianchen asked, "How does Lian Sheng seem?"
Zhao Zhuoluo said conflictedly, "Seems... quite good, I guess. Getting along very happily with her arm. The arm is also getting along very happily with games."
Lu Mingyuan asked, "Is she really not forcing a smile or anything?"
Zhao Zhuoluo: "She can now go out and perform acts like breaking stones on her chest, climbing knife mountains with one hand, and splitting bombs barehanded. It probably isn't a forced smile."
"Damn—!" Everyone exclaimed. "Is that arm that powerful?"
Judging by current technology, prosthetic limbs were already quite common. Based on shoulder or leg muscle movements, prosthetics could completely replace original limbs for daily activities. With simulation, you might not even be able to tell it's a prosthetic.
Like Ji Ban, although he lacked two legs, he could walk and run. His running speed and jumping ability were even better than theirs, soldiers. However, the wear on the connection points would be relatively severe, and it couldn't be used frequently. Moreover, greater force was needed to move the prosthetic, and flexibility couldn't match the original parts.
Previously, Lian Sheng's rapid adaptation in keyboard online games indicated no problem with the prosthetic's flexibility. Everyone had already marveled at the magic and greatness of this new technology. Now, hearing Zhao Zhuoluo talk, did amputation not even matter?
Everyone suddenly fell silent.
Fang Jianchen almost crushed the biscuit in his hand. "Did she get so engrossed in gaming that she forgot to come back?"
Ye Buqing said, "Think about how much that prosthetic costs. The wealthiest research institute's life research branch, after so many years, only managed to create one left and one right arm. Equivalent to taking half their assets."
Cheng Ze said, "Look again at who performed the surgery. That's technology not available in hospitals, nor in ordinary research institutes. Only branch research institutes directly under the Alliance would conduct such research products."
Harry's hand trembled. "I believe it now, Lian Sheng is a rich second generation."
"A rich second generation couldn't achieve this," Ye Buqing said. "Because she's a military Nth generation possessed by the Martial Star."
Although only two female descendants remained in the Lin and Lian families, these two were truly not to be trifled with.
Not long after, Ji Ban returned to the team assembly point with his Moshi Mark III. Lian Sheng remained in the 29th District, doing her rehabilitation exercises.
She finally settled all the code commands and recently started experimenting and practicing.
Half a month later, she felt soreness in her shoulder again, even slight redness and swelling. This hadn't happened since the initial adaptation period.
Lian Sheng consciously went to find Doctor Lin for a check-up.
Lian Sheng asked, "Am I evolving again? My arm feels faster than I imagined lately. Sometimes my eyes see it, my brain hasn't processed it, but my hand has already moved."
"You're just used to it, muscle memory from your shoulder," Doctor Lin said expressionlessly. "Pay attention to rest. Although you use a mechanical arm and your fingers won't twitch, the neural connection still triggers the shoulder muscles. This is muscle damage."
Lian Sheng: "..."
Doctor Lin cursed impolitely, "Idiot!"
Lian Sheng came out from Doctor Lin's place and went back to the research institute.
Lin Lie sat on top of a cargo container, holding a cup of coffee, staring blankly at the scattered parts in front.
Lian Sheng sat down beside her.
"Give me another month, it should be fine," Lin Lie said. "The overall framework is confirmed. Now starting to design the component parts, assemble, confirm, debug. About a month should be enough."
Lian Sheng said, "Then you need to hurry."
"Haste makes waste," Ms. Lin Lie said. "Comrade Lian Sheng, this eagerness of yours to rush onto the battlefield is quite wrong."
Lian Sheng: "No, I'm afraid if it's any later, the war will be over, and I won't even have a chance to stroll around."
Lin Lie: "..."
The entire shell of Jiugong would be repainted and polished. Only a red metal plate engraved with the name "Lian Heng" still leaned against the wall, untouched.
Lian Sheng picked up the cutting torch nearby and added her own name below the flamboyant characters.
She stepped back to admire it, nodding with satisfaction.
Far away in Gelen's 21st District, after days of scorching sun, a torrential downpour suddenly began.
Fighting in the rain basically meant every shot stirred up layers of mud.
Sitting inside a mech was relatively fine. But for infantry, or logistics soldiers driving vehicles to transport supplies, the experience was rather miserable. They basically had to endure the downpour and occasional splashes of muddy water.
Fang Jianchen carried his long boots barefoot, walked into the temporarily erected tent stronghold, tossed the shoes aside, picked up the newly connected water pipe, and went outside to wash his feet.
Cheng Ze shouted, "The ground is full of stones, son, put your shoes on quickly."
Fang Jianchen asked, "Is there anything for Dad to eat, son? Dad is hungry."
Cheng Ze picked up a portion of fried noodles from the table and handed it to him.
"Maxwell isn't kind, won't even assign us a building, too much." Fang Jianchen sat cross-legged on the chair. "What kind of damn place is this! This area is just undeveloped mountains, right? Damn, both sides planned this too well, perfectly calculated to reclaim the land, right?"
Both sides chose very remote war zones, tacitly avoiding key urban areas. So they ended up in this desolate mountainous region.
Gelen's land was mostly barren. Either covered in forests of rocks, impossible to cultivate, or clusters of mountains, unsuitable for building roads and residences.
Now both sides fought fiercely, various weapons and shells flying everywhere. Nearby personnel were all evacuated. Suburban towns were simply abandoned, completely leveled.
The ground was leveled and clean. The preliminary work for expansion was done in one step. Impressive, these people!
Cheng Ze glanced at his communicator. "I'm leaving, going to change the mech's power source. You rest this afternoon. Brother Dao told us to go to the main ship tonight for rest; he has something to announce after seven."
Fang Jianchen waved him off, watching him leave. He sighed, "Being on call like this feels really bad."
Everywhere was short-staffed, but when short-staffed, no team was easy to dispatch. Only scattered teams like Zhao Zhuoluo's were available.
Formal squads had fixed rest times; their scattered team didn't. Even worse, because they were designated as support personnel, their treatment was also much poorer.
For example, meals: formal squads had early access at 11:30, while logistics and support units generally had to wait until 12:00.
Another example, shift rotations: formal squads changed shifts at 8:00 PM, and those relieved could go shower immediately. They changed at 8:15 and had to queue up after returning.
And various medical priority policies...
Because mech piloting required extremely high concentration and physical condition—lack of sleep could even affect physical indicators—they received the best treatment. The military had to save them every possible moment for rest.
Fang Jianchen put his shoes back on, preparing to go back to the main ship to sleep.
Ji Ban was already sitting cross-legged, fingers flying across his optical computer.
Fang Jianchen asked, "What are you doing? Playing games again?"
Ji Ban: "No. Chatting with Lian Sheng."
Fang Jianchen rushed over. "Chatting about what?"
Ji Ban said, "Chatting about Jiugong. She said in just over a month, she can see her own mech."
"Just over a month..." Fang Jianchen held his head and sighed.
Ji Ban sighed along. "Yeah, still have to be a lackey for over a month. Want Lian Sheng to lead us out, settle scores."
Lu Mingyuan ran in from outside just then, pushed open the main door, and shouted forcefully, "Want to eat hot sweet and sour pork!"
Ji Ban raised his hand. "Want to shower in an empty bathhouse!"
Fang Jianchen raised his hand. "Want to sleep until I wake up naturally, with someone occasionally bringing us snacks!"
Lu Mingyuan raised his arm again. "Want to go to the infirmary without queuing!"
Ji Ban shouted the slogan, "Want to smear muddy water all over the opponent's face!"
Fang Jianchen: "I want to walk the damn green channel!"
The three planned their future, vented their emotions for a while, and felt much better.
Fang Jianchen exhaled, grabbed the towel nearby, preparing to go shower.
The bathroom space on the main ship was limited. Normally it was fine, not too crowded, but these few days of heavy rain, and the tense battle situation outside... basically, every trip out required coming back for a shower.
Logistics personnel needed to run around outside in shifts constantly, leading to overcrowding now.
Fang Jianchen felt his clothes sticking damply to his body, muddy water mixed with fine sand making him itch all over with every movement, extremely uncomfortable. He impatiently went inside.
Looking at the queue ahead, he didn't know how long he'd have to wait again.
While feeling annoyed, someone patted his shoulder.
Fang Jianchen turned his head and saw Zhang Ce passing by. Seeing him, the other person showed him his squad insignia, let out a strange laugh, then sashayed inside, wiggling his hips.
Fang Jianchen angrily threw down his towel, gave him the middle finger. "I'll tolerate you for one more month! Just one month!"
Zhang Ce turned back and laughed wildly at him.
Because Fang Jianchen rested in the afternoon, he set an alarm for himself. Woken up from a deep sleep, he grabbed his card and headed to the cafeteria for food.
Hot sweet and sour pork!
Actually, the cafeteria food was kept warm; the meals provided were all fresh. But his obsession with being in the first batch made him unable to give up this opportunity.
He felt if he didn't act perversely for a bit, his mind would become twisted.
Fang Jianchen got dinner for the others and carried it back to their dorm.
After five o'clock, everyone returned one after another. They gathered around to eat.
Rainy days easily made people irritable, not to mention the constant lack of rest time. No one spoke much.
Later at seven, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger arrived punctually for the meeting.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger clapped his hands, waking up the few sleeping slumped over the table. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I know you've all been running around lately. The capable do more work, but I know everyone is overworked. Really sorry."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger walked to the center. "Chaos Kings, the main reason for coming today is to introduce someone to you. A new recruit who just joined the team today. Because operating as a scattered team is very inconvenient and doesn't utilize the team's strength, it's a waste of personnel. After discussion, our military decided to assign you a captain."
Everyone suddenly woke up.
Ji Ban: "Huh?"
Fang Jianchen said, "But what about the manpower shortage? Did the Expeditionary Force transfer people from elsewhere?"
"Strength only grows under pressure," Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said. "Actually, if you didn't go help, could they not handle it? No! We were just spoiling them!"
Everyone: "..."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger opened the file. "Actually, it's like this. Because you few scattered soldiers are relatively versatile, or have stronger individual advantages, you are often dispatched everywhere, move frequently, and are prone to physical exhaustion. But because you lack fixed rest times and task assignments, it's difficult for me to find reasons to refuse for you, leading easily to a vicious cycle. I think your mental stress is also very high."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger pressed his hands on the table, sighing with difficulty. "Mainly, it's been almost a quarter now. With personnel already very tight, allowing a formed squad to operate independently outside due to someone's reason is quite inappropriate. After receiving complaints and suggestions from various parties, we decided to recruit a commander first to fill the gap."
Fang Jianchen: "Complaints? We wanted to complain too! Why didn't we complain?!"
"Don't panic, listen to me." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger pressed down with his hand, soothingly. "This is a newcomer with no actual combat command experience, but evaluations from all sides are very high. I believe you can definitely get along."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger turned and beckoned. "Come in."
A person rubbed their head and slowly walked in from the door.
She raised her gaze, meeting several pairs of eyes.
Those gazes first held scrutiny and caution, then shock, and finally, a hint of ecstasy within the shock.
"Lian—Sheng—!"
Ji Ban screamed directly.
Everyone was greatly shocked, jumping up from their seats with a "swish". "Lian Sheng?!"
Lu Mingyuan: "Didn't you say you wouldn't come for another month?"
Lian Sheng: "I only said Jiugong needed another month, but didn't say me."
"Lian—Sheng!" Ji Ban excitedly rushed over, really wanting to hug her leg.
Lu Mingyuan raised a finger and shouted, "I want to protest! I want to report! The system here is simply insane!"
"We held back from complaining precisely because we were afraid Brother Dao and the others would randomly assign us a commander. Lian Sheng, you have to appreciate our intentions and efforts! We believed in you so much! Lead us to settle scores!"
"Walk the green channel! I want to walk the green channel! I can even sleep on it!"
The group shouted excitedly, no one could hear clearly what the others were saying. But it didn't matter; emotion was enough.
Lian Sheng looked at them with the loving gaze of a matriarch, raised her hand to pat their heads. "Got it, got it."
The group's wails choked, looking warily at her left hand.
Lian Sheng patted Ji Ban's head. "What are you afraid of?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said, "Looks like you have no objections. Then I'll report it for you. Starting tomorrow, receive tasks for frontline rotation. And this is your schedule."
Lu Mingyuan took it, glanced at it, and said, "I'll send the schedule to you guys, and set an alarm for you too. There's no task until eleven noon tomorrow, it's okay."
Lian Sheng: "Understood."
Lian Sheng: "Understood."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "Now you can go rest."
The group cheered, surrounding Lian Sheng as they walked out of the meeting room door, heading towards their dorm.
"What are you shouting about?"
Several people met unexpectedly in the corridor.
They swung their military caps, also stunned upon seeing Lian Sheng.
Lian Sheng saw a few familiar faces and raised her hand in greeting.
Several people also said happily, "Lian Sheng, you're finally back? Recovered well?"
"When did you get back? Eaten yet? Let's go eat, the cafeteria is still open."
"What's your number? Where are you on duty? Will we run into each other?"
"Are you Lian Sheng? When do you start work? Long admired your name, just waiting to broaden my horizons!"
They winked at Zhao Zhuoluo and the others. "Spring has arrived, looks like you can finally sprout and grow strong."
Lian Sheng exchanged pleasantries with them for a while, then was hijacked by the growing crowd and headed to the cafeteria to celebrate.
She hadn't expected to be so popular here in the Expeditionary Force. Seeing her return, whether they knew her or not, everyone was very happy for her.
Fang Jianchen and the others looked at the newly empty corridor, lost in confusion.
Zhou Shirui: "...Is she our commander?"
Ji Ban: "Yeah."
Cheng Ze: "Looks like the group favorite."
After Lian Sheng returned to her dorm, it was already past nine. Due to the time difference, she felt somewhat sleepy, so she showered and went straight to bed.
She woke up at five the next morning, got up again to exercise and work out her body.
Not long after, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger came looking for her.
"Lian Sheng, come with me later to familiarize yourself with the main ship. Your workplace is on the main ship, responsible for commanding a single detachment. You'll be assigned a position then." Hundred Meter Flying Dagger warned seriously, "But pay attention to the overall commander's opinions. Your command policy cannot conflict with his. Don't lose your temper, understand?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger was still worried and added, "First time on the command platform, definitely don't be nervous."
Lian Sheng replied calmly again, "Oh."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "..."
Lian Sheng didn't seem to take it to heart. Made him seem overly anxious, very awkward. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger stopped talking.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger led Lian Sheng to the command room early to familiarize herself with the environment.
This was the command platform for the Sixth and Fifth Army Corps, roughly estimated at 500 square meters. It was filled with various instruments and equipment.
The overall commander sat in the centermost position, with the chief data analyst sitting behind him.
Directly in front was an enlarged battle model screen. On both sides were the command platforms for each squad, as well as the small squad models individually constructed by the various deputy commanders.
Because many personnel were dispatched in a battle, one overall commander was definitely not enough; there were also many command assistants. The division of labor among the various commanders was clear.
First was the overall commander dispatching the entire force, mainly formulating overall strategies. Then came the main commanders for each Expeditionary Force numbered squad, like Lian Sheng. Additionally, there was a main commander responsible for logistics units. They would implement the overall commander's general directives in detail within their own teams.
The commander of an Expeditionary Force squad, besides arranging troop movements, also needed to provide guidance suggestions for troop combat based on the deputy commander's model and analysis of the battlefield situation.
Ji Fangxiao was now also a member of a formal squad, but he wasn't sitting on the command platform. Instead, he sat as an intern observer, offering suggestions, next to the main commander, learning.
Currently, only Lian Sheng was someone with no experience, who had never sat on a command platform, yet directly occupied a main commander's seat.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger led her to the side, pointing at the machine number. "Remember this position. This is number fourteen. A reminder, different command platform numbers are responsible for different positions. The daily numbers will be sent to your military communicator in advance. When shifts change, you rotate. If you have nothing to do now, you can observe and learn here."
Lian Sheng nodded.
The area responsible for that main commander currently had no situation. He turned back, glanced at Lian Sheng, and greeted her.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger added, "These next few are deputy commander positions. Your deputy commanders are Zhou Shirui and Lu Mingyuan. If you encounter situations you can't handle—battlefields often have unexpected situations, I think you understand. If you can't handle it, call report, let the overall commander give you guidance. But definitely don't act rashly out of panic."
Lian Sheng said, "I know. I am a mature youth."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said, "Alright, alright, it's just your first job, I'm worried. This is real guns and bullets now."
Many commanders with high potential, highly regarded, would fall into the newcomer's trap when sitting on the command platform for the first time.
They could be decisive in simulated battles, but hesitated in real command. This was a completely different world, and their reason and emotion couldn't switch smoothly.
The soldiers they commanded were their brothers, friends. Facing dangerous situations, situations requiring sacrifice, they would waver and hesitate, then miss the optimal timing, consecutively harming other teams, causing the overall structure to collapse.
These things happened, and were quite tragic.
Originally, Lian Sheng shouldn't have commanded a squad on her first time. But her previous excellent performance, several instances of temporary command experience, the collective request from her team members, and the joint guarantee from Liliana and him, finally led to this decision.
There were definitely opposing opinions. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger wasn't afraid of losing face himself; he was afraid Lian Sheng couldn't adapt to the rhythm here, ultimately developing some psychological trauma, ruining a promising youth.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger walked over, greeted the overall commander standing nearby waiting to take over. "Thank you for your trouble, Colonel. This is our new recruit."
That overall commander had graying hair, looking quite aged. He glanced at Lian Sheng and said, "She's Lian Sheng? Understood."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger said, "I'll go rest first, see you tonight."
The overall commander nodded.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger left. The overall commander turned, nodded towards Lian Sheng, his weather-beaten face carrying its usual indifference. "Come over here, I'll talk with you."
Lian Sheng thought he was going to call her over for a reprimand, or declare some important matters to an inexperienced youth, and consciously followed.
The overall commander led Lian Sheng out of the command room, turned into the corridor, and walked straight ahead.
Occasionally, a few people hurried past in the corridor, greeting the overall commander.
Lian Sheng walked step by step, hearing the clear sound of footsteps. She heard the other person suddenly ask, "Eaten breakfast?"
Lian Sheng: "Eaten."
He finally stopped, pushed open the office door at the end of the corridor, and gestured for Lian Sheng to follow.
The overall commander said, "Back in the day, I also served as the overall commander for your father."
Lian Sheng froze for a moment.
The overall commander walked behind the desk, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Lian Sheng to sit too. "Commanders move around quite a bit, especially overall commanders. Feels like a long time ago. Really has been a long time."
Lian Sheng bowed slightly towards him, then sat down too.
"I remember him clearly. He was a very capable person, seemed like he could accomplish any impossible mission. So when he sacrificed himself, I simply couldn't believe it. Could such a person also die?" He took out a can from the cabinet. "Later I figured it out. Humans can be very strong, but life is very fragile."
"I collaborated with him many times. He got along with everyone, truly amazing. Even now, people still mention him, though mostly among us old bones. Especially when I heard Ms. Lin Lie transferred Jiugong, I was very expectant. Unfortunately, I later heard the bad news about you. But then I knew you would come over, knew you persevered. Good child." The overall commander said, "I haven't experienced such an up-and-down life for a long time."
He opened the can; inside was a box of snacks. He pushed it towards Lian Sheng, gesturing for her not to be polite, eat freely.
Lian Sheng: "Uh..."
She politely took a bag and nodded her thanks.
Lian Sheng asked, "What would you talk about him? What kind of person was he?"
"He..." The overall commander thought carefully. "There are many things, I don't know where to start. Everything he did was interesting, but I don't think any single thing can represent him alone. Some heroic, some foolish. Those were all very interesting. He also had talent in command, but preferred fighting on the front lines. Had a strong voice in the team, a trustworthy person."
Lian Sheng rubbed her eyebrows. "Then what did he say most often?"
"What he said most often was probably just meaningless catchphrases. But there's one sentence I remember most vividly. He would tell his commander, 'What are you afraid of, bro's got your back. I have background too.'" The overall commander said, "Hmm... a likable fellow."
If Lian Heng had background, didn't that mean Lian Sheng also had background?
Lian Sheng was startled. "Do I have background now too?"
The overall commander clearly hadn't expected her leap in thinking, smiled slightly, and said, "You can try."
Lian Sheng asked, "How do I try this?"
"When encountering special situations, submit applications. Or when promotion opportunities arise, you can see. Not restricting your development prospects, not afraid you'll make mistakes. Mistakes will first be criticized and educated without public announcement, someone taking the blame for you, things like that." The overall commander said, "These can all be considered your background. Someone will help you."
Lian Sheng became very interested.
"Although your father and grandfather have both passed away, and your mother's parents also passed early. But they had connections throughout the military; we haven't retired yet. Importantly, even if people have sacrificed themselves, we still remember their past contributions. We remember, and will strive to tell the next generation." The overall commander said, "With your level and contributions, I think if you can stay in the military, obtaining the rank of General might not be impossible."
The rank of General, compared to the rank of Colonel, that was a chasm-like difference.
The biggest black swan event of 2018, the US-China trade war began -.-#
This kind of great power game, digging into the details is quite interesting, like gossip.
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