Chapter Thirty-Nine

  I didn't get the third-class merit medal.

  And I almost got dragged into a military prison to eat old rice for several years!

  It turns out that this is the stinky virtue of a Hunanese country bumpkin like me.

  That day happened to be a training session, which was the usual five kilometers. I really didn't take this fully armed running on the road and strolling around the streets to heart.

  With our group of brothers' physical condition, each and every one of us is so exhausted from the day and night training that even when we occasionally open our eyes during sleep, they are all green, just like wolves!

  Who has seen a wolf run five kilometers and still say it's tired?

  As I ran out, I happened to see a few brothers from the Army Transportation Corps planting trees voluntarily. Coincidentally, there were also several old friends from Hunan, so I took the opportunity to greet them and even got half a cigarette from those guys' mouths, which I lit up myself. Amidst the loud laughter and curses of "live donkey" from those Hunan brothers, I continued to sprint wildly.

  When I ran back, I barely counted as the first one, and then I saw those transportation team brothers standing by the road arguing with a group of people?

  I slowed down and went over to take a look. As soon as I looked, I felt that something was wrong. The brothers in the transportation team were all furious, their faces green with rage, and the iron hoes in their hands were clenched so tightly they were dripping with sweat. And what about those ten or so young guys wearing casual clothes? What were they doing here? Why did they have such arrogant expressions on their faces?

  The brothers of the transportation team, although they don't specialize in individual combat tactics like we do, their daily basic training is still top-notch. You could say they're also one of the tough guys.

  If such a fierce person can be called arrogant with a green face and yet dare not take action, what kind of person would it take to achieve this effect?

  I pulled over a fellow countryman and asked him in our local dialect, "Brother, what's going on? Why are all of you brothers' faces as green as scallions?"

  That brother just gave a sideways glance at those wearing casual clothes and said in his hometown dialect, "You don't know, we're doing good deeds by planting trees voluntarily, but it's really done to the extreme!"

  Originally, our team had arranged for voluntary tree planting, and everyone donated money to buy seedlings and fertilizers. We even sent a car and people to take advantage of the spring season to plant some poplar trees, so that there would be some greenery on both sides of the road and also maintain some water and soil.

  We came here and saw that the roadside was all leftover sand and gravel from road construction. If we plant trees like this, they will definitely not survive for three days. In the end, it's equivalent to planting two rows of firewood for others.

  The leader of the team said that we should go to a farther place to fetch some soil and fill it into the tree pit, so that the trees can survive. We who wear vests must do things practically and cannot cheat ghosts, so the brothers took the carts themselves and fetched soil from a distant wasteland.

  Just now, this group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere? They insisted that when we were taking the soil, we moved the soil in their field and asked us to compensate. Our team leader tried to reason with them, but those guys refused to listen and even used force to pull our cart, saying they would use it as compensation.

  Isn't this simply extortion?

  I almost fainted at that time!

  I asked that brother, are you guys stupid from planting trees today? It's obvious that this is a scam and you're actually wasting your time with them? You won't...

  That brother just looked at their boss and whispered, "No way! Last time your brother from that place caused trouble while eating, we all know. Our boss emphasized again and again that we need to maintain good military-civilian relations, which means not fighting back when attacked or insulted!"

  It's better not to mention it, but once the landlord mentioned this bird feather thing, I really got angry!

  Yes!

  The army and civilians are as close as fish and water!

  In the years of war, if it weren't for those ordinary people who risked their lives to provide logistics and supplies to the troops, take care of the wounded, and even sent their own children to join the army to fight, we wouldn't have had the chance to wear this uniform!

  In the peaceful years, the common people who paid taxes and handed in grain supported us. They are our parents who provide for our food and clothing. We wear this uniform, which is a fundamental point that we cannot forget. Our overall designation is the People's Liberation Army of China!

  But that's what those kind-hearted people are saying, those honest and hardworking people who use their conscience as a guide for being human!

  Why should I have a good relationship with this kind of scum? The ordinary people who give me military rations are calling for me to smash this kind of scum!

  I threw my backpack and went up to grab the little brat who was holding onto the cart with a sly face, I opened his hand and said get out! Don't you dare try to extort us, you're not trying to die or something?

  That thug probably didn't expect me to fight back and was stunned for a moment, but immediately shouted: "Ah, the PLA is beating people! You're from the PLA, how dare you beat people? Ah, this is outrageous! The PLA is beating people..."

  Those hooligans next to me started cheering, and one by one, they intentionally or unintentionally bumped into the brothers of the Army Transportation Corps. Especially that hooligan who opened my hand, he simply lowered his head and used his forehead to bump into my chest while shouting "You People's Liberation Army, you hit people, you killed me, come on, hit me, you're not hitting..."

  He bumped into me twice in a row, and at that moment, my Hunan temper flared up!

  "This is really unreasonable! I practice every day, how can I be compared to a professional fighter? And yet this rascal dares not make a move?"

  At that time, I was indeed a hot-headed and arrogant kid with a natural reaction from daily training. I instinctively threw a block and then an uppercut palm strike. Then I heard a faint sound on the thug's nose bridge, followed by his loud yelping as he covered his nose and retreated.

  This is a finishing move, I've always thought that's the essence of martial arts. Never mind whether the move looks good or not, but its effectiveness is undeniable.

  But using it to teach people a lesson might feel like using an anti-material sniper rifle to shoot mosquitoes!

  The destructive power is indeed slightly larger than expected...

  With just a light touch, the thug's nasal bone was broken into three sections. Blood gushed out of his nose and he frantically rolled around on the ground, shouting loudly. The dozen or so onlookers who had been waiting to take advantage of the situation were also shocked senseless.

  Actually, these thugs all know that the guys wearing vests are not to be trifled with. If they were to get into a fight, they would definitely be able to take down several people at once. The reason they dared to come over and cause trouble is because they thought that since there are strict military rules, these capable and fierce guys would be restrained and wouldn't dare to fight back!

  This guy really came out and said that if you fight, you'll die, those hooligans' faces turned white on the spot, and the loud slogans of the Liberation Army beating people also became less loud.

  That thug who broke my nose probably knocked me dizzy, and then he picked up a shovel from the ground and charged at me with a loud yell, as if he wanted to die with me.

  Still an instinctive reaction, at that time I didn't even think about it and just made a side-body elbow strike!

  Then I knew something was wrong...