Chapter 61
Behind the glory hides a lonely danger.
Author's note
Zuo Ming has been feeling down lately. He's been listless during meals and training, only mustering up energy when executing tasks. It wasn't until Shao Hui and Liu Junhao repeatedly asked him that he finally revealed the truth.
Zuo Ming's family lived in a rural area with poor conditions. His parents were conservative and forced him to get married and have children when he turned 18. This only stopped after Zuo Ming joined the army. Later, Zuo Ming met a girl who was initially attracted to his military uniform and special police identity. He also liked her, and they fell in love. However, when she found out about his poor family conditions, she started to distance herself from him intentionally or unintentionally. By then, Zuo Ming had already invested all his emotions in her, and love blinded his eyes, making him unable to see the situation clearly. He continued to maintain contact with her. In fact, most men in the military are like this - Einsteins on the battlefield but born weak-minded when it comes to emotions. Except for a small number of soldiers who are exceptions, these men spend their days training and handling various weapons, suddenly encountering romance, and if they meet the right person, that's great. But if they meet the wrong person, even if they get taken advantage of, they'll still help count the money with a smile.
The girl couldn't stand Zuo Ming's persistent pursuit, so she made up various excuses to break up with him. When Zuo Ming was about to be discharged from the army, the girl thought of a plan and said that if he could buy an apartment in the capital within six months, she would marry him; otherwise, she would get married on time, regardless of whether it was him or someone else. Zuo Ming was stunned - even if he sold himself, it would be impossible to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in such a short period of time. What made him even more stunned was that before he could think of a solution, he inexplicably went abroad. Today is the day set by the girl, and now he's completely stunned.
Loving you until forever is me.
Last night you were already married to me.
Who will help me lift up that wedding dress?
Look at the main character clearly...
As soon as Zuo Ming was free, he would find a place to be alone and sing this sad love song with abandon. Several times, Liu Junhao deliberately hummed "Sweet Honey" while walking back and forth beside him, but after being slapped several times, he didn't dare get close again. He asked Shao Hui how to save Zuo Ming's lost soul, and Shao Hui simply spat out two words: "Serves him right".
Some people believe in fate, while others don't. Whether or not this abstract thing called "fate" exists is unknown to anyone. However, when searching for the other half of your life, you must be particular about what's suitable for you. What do you value most? Focus on that aspect and look for it. If you prioritize wealth, then find someone with a good family background, like a so-called "rich second generation"; if you prioritize appearance, go find a handsome guy; if you want to find someone who treats you well, focus on their character. You think you can find a handsome guy who drives a sports car, wears sunglasses, and is cold and aloof, but only has eyes for you? I advise you to stop watching so many Korean dramas and study Marxist philosophy instead. Get back to reality quickly.
As for soldiers, especially active-duty ordinary soldiers, if any girl wants to date them, she must think carefully first. They can only offer two things: simplicity and purity. Together, that's just simplicity and purity. Left Ming's girlfriend didn't consider her own priorities, and he foolishly thought his emotional desert had become an oasis. That's why this relationship ended prematurely.
The most painful thing for people is not being unable to get something, but rather not knowing when to give up. So, Shao Hui's evaluation of the situation is: "deserved it." Special police officers aren't necessarily special in terms of emotional intelligence. Who says special forces soldiers won't experience heartbreak? You learn from your mistakes. Shao Hui thinks that Left Ming will mature a lot in his next relationship.
Today the weather is not bad. The snowy season has gradually gone away. The bright sunshine shines on the earth, revealing a bit of vitality. Last night, Su Yue Song gave the team members a task. After receiving a notification from the United Nations, they were required to escort two experts to a distant place to rescue several seriously ill people today. The name of this place is Takar. A distance of one meter means a little more danger. Su Yue Song did not elaborate on the precautions for the journey. He only told them that there was an armed organization in Takar City, with a name that had a literary flavor when translated - Red Snow. This organization has a strong presence in the area, second only to the government army or other organizations. They never make enemies with the government army or other organizations, and their prestige is very high locally. In short, it's hard to say what kind of nature they have. They are just influenced by some radical ideas and don't like foreigners, especially foreign men. So this time Su Yue Song strongly emphasized that they absolutely cannot repeat the situation last time. Otherwise, they won't even have a chance to do the check-up.
The team members are fully equipped and waiting for the two experts and the truck carrying machinery. This long-distance mission has the team members both excited and tense. Basera, this country, has not been polluted by human civilization, so the scenery is different and pure everywhere. The land is vast and sparsely populated, with distant mountains that have a sense of desolation. The Gobi Desert has a primitive and wild flavor. The desert stubbornly repeats its own color and shape, endless and with the simplest lines and colors of nature. Along the way, they occasionally encounter streams that are like heavenly water. After completing this journey, the team members will be deeply infected by the charm of nature. As for the tense emotions, in an unfamiliar battlefield, once you really get into trouble, calling out to heaven won't help, calling out to earth won't work, and calling out to people will only make them run away. At that time, these desolate ancient mountains, wild Gobi Desert, and stubborn desert will become a desolate wilderness. Therefore, the team members have brought sufficient ammunition, enough for them to fight a larger war.
Very soon, two experts and the transport vehicle were ready. Zhao Zhenghao nodded at them and jumped onto the lead off-road vehicle. In the middle was the transport vehicle, followed by Shao Hui's rear guard vehicles. The base gate slowly opened, and the convoy drove out of the gate, accelerating into the distance. Such scenes often appeared, but going so far was a first. Before departure, Su Yue-song specifically instructed that without special circumstances, they were not to converse with the two experts. If they couldn't return within a day, they could stay overnight at their discretion and bring the experts back the next day. If they encountered major situations or insurmountable difficulties on the road, team members had the right to decide to change routes or terminate the mission. Therefore, this time their authority was greater than ever before, but so was the pressure.
May 15, 2006. Morning. Desert.
Zhao Zhenghao's car was speeding along, passing through a small town and entering the vast, uninhabited desert. The rocks in the Gobi Desert cracked and split with a loud noise due to thermal expansion and contraction. Three cars sped off, kicking up thick yellow dust. Zhao Zhenghao drove carefully, searching for a clear road to take. The desert was full of landmines, some of which had been there for a long time, exposed by the wind and sun, while others were buried deep and invisible to the naked eye. There were anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and the most frightening ones - hidden mines that you couldn't see even if they were right in front of you, and could unknowingly take your life at any moment. And then there were tripwires, a thin thread stretched across the entire road, which would explode with just one touch. Zhao Zhenghao glanced sideways at the road surface far away, looking for any signs of reflection, ignoring the driving environment. After all, when driving in this desert, you only had to worry about what was ahead and behind - there were no other concepts. No one would bury landmines without a reason, but he was afraid of encountering some that had been left over from before. Just one mine was enough to send an entire car full of people away. As the commander of the vanguard, Zhao Zhenghao couldn't afford to be careless in the slightest.
After crossing the Gobi Desert, a small patch of desert passed by, and then another vast mountain range appeared in front of them. The team members took off their hats and bowed their heads in respect... All four companions died in the deep mountains. When they encountered mountains, the team members' hearts began to ache secretly. This journey was very long and took a lot of time. Along the way, they rested for half an hour, ate something, and then rushed on without stopping. Finally, at dusk, they arrived at their destination... Takel City. Although this city is large, it looks dilapidated and has a decadent feeling. Only the stone carvings on the buildings can still reveal that this place was once prosperous. When Basela's snowy season ended, it was already autumnal equinox. The temperature in the early autumn evening was very low. The setting sun was jumping down below the horizon, making Takel look even more desolate against its backdrop. There were almost no pedestrians on the road. The team's convoy drove into this dim yellow city and gradually disappeared into the twilight city.
