Section 1 Fault

  From racing high-speed cars to driving heavy trucks, from national stadium champion to an ordinary plateau car soldier, the drastic change in identity will not make Zhao Zhong feel any discomfort. Not to mention that this was his choice, serving in the army is also a duty that every enthusiastic Chinese should fulfill, at least he is willing to spend two years tempering his will and quality.

  From the bustling metropolis to the desolate northern highlands, on the endless Gobi desert, not a single human figure can be seen, only the roar of engines and the bumps of cars remind humans that this is a forbidden land for life. Perhaps in the sky, there may still be one or two vultures patrolling from time to time, but on the ground, only small crawling insects can survive.

  There is no greenery, no moisture, and the dry earth is cracked all over.

  Half a year after joining the troops, the monotonous scenery outside the window no longer had much appeal to Zhao Zhong. Although he was happy to drive in the troops, he never thought that after coming to the troops, he would always be sitting in the passenger seat and hadn't even touched the steering wheel yet.

  "Hummm!"

  Hearing the discordant sound from the engine again, Zhao Zhong raised his eyebrows and glanced at the engine cover in front of the windshield before turning his face to Hu Song, who was driving, and said urgently, "Commander! We really need to stop the car now. I think the engine is about to break down."

  "Listen? Can you be more reasonable?"

  Facing Hu Songyan's contemptuous gaze, Zhao Zhonggao stiffened his mouth and couldn't say a word. He had to turn his face aside, pouting and spitting out a mouthful of bad air.

  He wasn't trying to prove anything for himself, just a little worried, really didn't know why the instructor was unwilling to believe him. To be honest, he was quite skeptical that Hu Song, such a stubborn person, could become an instructor, or was he really just targeting himself?

  But since it's like this, why did he bring himself personally, which made Zhao Zhong really puzzled.

  "Don't you understand? Although I don't know if you're here to get a free ride, but with such a short military service period now, there are many people like you who come to the army to get a free ride. Don't think that someone will give you special treatment in this unit, even though it's not wartime, as soon as we stand on the plateau of Se, we car soldiers are just like fighting."

  To this day, Zhao Zhong still remembers the words of class leader Xu De to himself, which not only explained why Hu Song was targeting him everywhere, but also explained why other comrades were deliberately keeping their distance from him.

  The troops' barracks where Zhao Zhong was located were on an oasis fifty kilometers outside the county town. Although the construction corps had made long-term efforts, modern high-rise buildings also rose on the plateau, but if specifically to the construction of the troops' barracks, it still maintained a relatively simple style.

  "If there's anything that has changed inside, it's that the ceramic washbasin has been replaced with a plastic one and the ceramic lunchbox has been replaced with a stainless steel one."

  Perhaps Zhao Zhong found it hard to understand how there could still be soldiers over 40 years old in the current troops, but from Xu De's words, he had already made up his mind to die in battle.

  However, in Zhao Zhong's eyes, Xu De seemed more like an old guide in the troops. For a place like the Saishang Plateau, even if the troops had been stationed for a long time, they still couldn't do without professional guides who were familiar with local conditions. That was no longer something that could be explained by science, it was purely a kind of spiritual dependence.

  With a full beard, Xu Dejia was in the nearby county town. Unless it's visiting time, he would never think of shaving. As a local, Xu Dejia is also the only person in the auto squad who can have a decent conversation with Zhao Zhong.

  As long as there was time, Zhao Zhong would always sit with Xu De on the mountain ridge at the edge of the camp, eating and chatting while gazing out at the desolate land outside. Although this wasn't a privilege that Zhao Zhong could enjoy, it was one that Xu De possessed. Perhaps many new recruits had sat on the mountain ridge listening to Xu De tell stories like Zhao Zhong, but there weren't many new recruits who could stay with Xu De all the time, or rather, who needed Xu De to stay with them all the time.

  I remember last time I was eating a bun, muttering to myself: "Squad leader, is this really necessary? Do they have to exclude me because of what happened in the past? We're all soldiers, what's the point of doing these things? And those achievements were honors I earned through my own hard work, not just because of who my father is."

  "Zhao Zhong, haven't you heard of 'birds of a feather flock together'? It's like the goats I raise, the fast ones can never get along with the slow ones. Maybe it's their physical pride, destined to be a lonely existence. Don't you have such things in the racing world? Of course, this situation is not common in the troops, you just need to let them know they are ordinary people too."

  "Is he an ordinary person?" Recalling the class monitor's words, Zhao Zhong could only sigh again and turn his face towards the Gobi Desert outside the window.

  The vehicles used in the troops are mostly heavy trucks, especially the transportation team that Zhao Zhong is in, which specializes in transporting various materials to high-altitude sentry posts. In general and special situations, although most of the time the transportation team acts collectively as a fleet, if an emergency situation arises, there will also be dual-vehicle transportation like this time.

  No matter how much cargo is being transported, for safety reasons, each trip of the transportation team will have at least two vehicles traveling together. In a desolate place like the northern highlands, it's absolutely unimaginable to travel alone in a single vehicle. Even if not for personal safety, but for the safety of the mission, no one can be an exception.

  "Humming... Boom boom bang!..."

  The strange noise that suddenly came out made Zhao Zhong's heart jump, and before he could say anything, Hu Song on the driver's seat shouted: "Not good."

  Although Hu Song had stepped on the brakes in an emergency, Zhao Zhong obviously felt that it was the engine that stopped first before Hu Song stepped on the brakes. Hu Song's braking only prevented the car from surging forward and did not truly avoid the problem.

  Because the speed was not fast, although the first car made an emergency brake, the second car also stopped quickly. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Hu Song had already grabbed the toolbox and hastily opened the door to jump out of the car, and a blast of cold air also poured into the driver's compartment.