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Chapter 2634 Hell Vanguard (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

The honor belongs to them!

It belongs to the most ordinary soldiers!

This wasn't because he had some kind of fastidious fastidiousness, but because he was very aware of the weaknesses of human nature. The weakness of human nature is that people are born to pursue fame and fortune.

If you don't take steps to prevent this possibility from the beginning, then everything will be eroded and riddled with holes.

Moreover, Li Yi'an knew that the courage shown by ordinary soldiers on the battlefield was the most praiseworthy aspect of war.

Generals' glory will accompany them throughout their lives; they will be praised and lauded by the world. But what about ordinary soldiers?
Their sacrifices, their courage, their dedication... are often overlooked.

It will be a success!

It is an age-old truth that people will mention famous generals and renowned commanders from World War II.

They would recount how Guderian swept across Western Europe and how Zhukov fought his way to Berlin.

They'll also go to Tibarton, charging headlong into the chaos.

Biographers will do their utmost to depict the wisdom, bravery, and brilliant decisions of these generals.

But only the soldiers!
Biographers don't spend much time on ordinary soldiers, just as people remember Patton, but who cares about the soldiers under Patton's command?

Because in the grand scheme of the war, those soldiers were merely the most insignificant individuals.

Their courage, their sacrifice, their dedication.

Well, nobody cares.

That is why medals—the highest level of medals—became a recognition of their bravery, their sacrifices, and their contributions.

Instead of using medals to embellish the generals' achievements.

It is based on this philosophy that sEA has developed a unique medal culture.

In this medal culture, medals are more of a reward for soldiers, courage, sacrifice, responsibility, and duty.

Rather than serving as an embellishment on the generals' fine uniforms.

"so,"

Li Yi'an paused slightly, then said:
“I will pray for him, and I will wait until he recovers and personally award him the Order of the Double Stars at the official residence in recognition of his extraordinary courage in battle.”

……

Can you do it?

With his eyes fixed ahead, Li Mingfan asked himself the same question once again.

Thinking of the soldier who threw the grenade in the news a few days ago, his courage is amazing and his actions are admirable.

However, right now, Li Mingfan feels that if there were a grenade, he would really pounce on it and end all the torture.

But he had to persevere.

A humid, hot wind carrying heavy moisture rushed towards us. The fog here was like rain, but even more like a steam room. Under the midday sun, it felt like being in a sauna, sticky and suffocating.

In the heart of the West Irian Swamp, sunlight is fragmented into countless spots by the dense, impenetrable branches of giant trees, falling onto the murky black water.

Where there was a place to land, some huge saltwater crocodiles lay there, and when they heard any noise, they would wriggle their bodies and swim into the black water pool.

This place is home not only to saltwater crocodiles, but also to pythons that can swallow a person whole.

This is hell, and hell is nothing more than this!
Li Mingfan's boots sank into the mud once again, making a dull "squeak" sound when pulled out, as if the earth was dragging him, trying to pull him into this hell.

The mud seeped into my boots and socks, making every step a torment. The lightweight AR15 carbine, weighing only 2.5 kilograms, felt like a ton of weight on my shoulder.

The patrol team on the Fan Swamp ship was faintly visible, their orange flags reminding him that all the suffering would end if he gave up.

All you have to do is blow the whistle.

It's been four days.

Li Mingfan's consciousness felt heavy, as if enveloped by the surrounding moisture, making even his thinking sluggish.

He glanced down at the military watch on his wrist. The numbers on the dial were blurry, but he remembered that seventeen hours had passed since his last short rest.

Sleep time was compressed to the extreme; the total amount of time I slept over four days was at most three hours.

Every time I closed my eyes, I was forcibly dragged back to reality by the instructor's whistle. In the darkness before me, all I could see were swaying tree shadows and muddy swamps.

This is sleep deprivation, one of the most important training exercises in elite soldier training.

For the past four days, the only food available has been two field rations, packaged in a sturdy metal box, with dry meat sauce inside, biscuits that hurt my teeth, and energy bars that were sickeningly sweet but still not enough to fill my stomach.

His stomach was empty, and now even the stomach acid was burning his lining. With every step he took, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen.

Physical strength was being lost at a visible rate, and the muscles all over the body seemed to have been disassembled and reassembled. Excessive fatigue and prolonged lack of sleep brought on bouts of dizziness.

The air was filled with the stench of decay unique to the swamp, and mosquitoes swarmed around us like dark clouds.

Li Mingfan's lips were dry and cracked. He subconsciously licked them, tasting only salty sweat. His vision began to blur, and the backs of his comrades in front of him gradually overlapped, turning into swaying blurry figures.

"Give up! If you just give up, you can finally get a good night's sleep!"

The instructor's shouts rang out again, like a devil tempting him to give up.

"Or I should just give up. No one will say anything to me!" This thought flashed through Li Mingfan's mind, but he was unwilling to give up—he had waited for months to get the opportunity to enter the elite soldier school. Only by obtaining the elite soldier badge could he gain the military's recognition.

Just then, Li Mingfan smelled a fragrance.

It wasn't the stench of swamps, nor the sour smell of sweat, but a rich, oily aroma!
Like freshly fried French fries, the crispy outer layer coated in piping hot oil, with the caramelized aroma of a hamburger patty mixed with the rich flavor of cheese. Li Mingfan's pupils contracted sharply. He looked up, following the direction of the aroma—

Deep within the fog, a bright neon light pierced through the damp mist.

It was a gold "M" logo!
It glitters in this steamer.

Below the sign, you can vaguely see the iconic red eaves, white window frames, and even imagine the cool air conditioning inside, the red-uniformed staff behind the counter, the steaming plates, and the sizzling fries in the oil pan. You can also hear the sound of Fanta hitting ice cubes as it dispenses soda from the chilled soda machine.

All of this made Li Mingfan's throat bob, and saliva uncontrollably welled up inside him.

In that moment, he could almost see crispy fries lying in the cardboard box, taking a bite, a crunch, and the aroma of fried food exploding in his mouth. And then there was the double cheeseburger, the thick, juicy beef patty, the crisp lettuce, the sauce dripping down his fingers…

This was something so simple, so insignificant, something he wouldn't even touch normally, but now it had become a symbol of beauty and comfort.

He was enveloped in a hallucination, a beautiful hallucination.

The fatigue, hunger, and pain of the past four days seemed to vanish at this moment.

His steps slowed unconsciously, and he began to deviate from the direction of the group, walking towards the imagined yellow light.

His eyes were fixed on the "M" sign, his pace quickened, and his strength seemed to return, making him feel as if he were about to take flight.

He drifted further and further away from the team, and the heavy footsteps and breathing of his comrades were drowned out by the aroma of French fries in his mind.

Those were things he used to disdain.

He could even imagine himself sitting at a dining table, with the air conditioning on, taking big gulps of ice-cold Fanta, the bubbles bursting on his tongue, the cool liquid sliding down his throat, taking away all the heat and fatigue.

Sports cars, models, movie stars—none of them can compare to a bottle of chilled Fanta.

"boom--"

A violent impact struck his forehead, causing Li Mingfan's vision to go black and stars to flash.

He staggered back a step, clutching his forehead. Then the pain shattered all the illusions—the neon lights, the McDonald's sign, all the beauty vanished.

The illusion has shattered.

"Damn it...it was just a dream!"

Li Mingfan cursed viciously, then his tense nerves suddenly relaxed. A huge sense of loss instantly overwhelmed him.

What's harder to bear than hunger is the shock of falling from illusory satisfaction back into reality.

He looked at his mud-covered body, at the receding figures of his comrades ahead, and at the boundless, despairing swamp.

He wanted to stop, to collapse in the mud, to close his eyes and never open them again.

Even if he were eaten by a crocodile or swallowed by a python, he wouldn't stand up; he would just accept his fate.

Just then, a sharp shout, like a thunderclap, exploded in his ears.

"Elite Soldier Li Mingfan!"

The instructor's voice made Li Mingfan shudder. He subconsciously straightened his back, and although he was already almost unable to stand, he still stood stubbornly.

He turned his head and saw Instructor Zhao Pengju standing a few steps behind him, the brim of his camouflage hat pulled low, obscuring most of his face except for his eyes.
His eyes were like those of a hawk, no, like those of a vulture, fixed intently on him.

If he relaxed even slightly, he would be torn to pieces by the instructors like a corpse. In fact, he had already become pieces long ago. He had already been torn to pieces in this kind of training.

The instructors' voices remained the same, cold and devoid of emotion. It was as if they were all robots, capable of fighting tirelessly, without rest.

That's the military's goal: to turn them into robots!
"Now, you will take over as platoon leader."

Li Mingfan was stunned.

He suspected there was something wrong with his ears.

Platoon leader?

He was just a cadet; here, they didn't have ranks, everyone was a cadet.

In this patrol team of twelve, he was the least senior. The previous platoon leader was Krause, who had participated in two overseas deployments and was highly experienced.

"Sir?"

Li Mingfan's voice was hoarse, and he could barely speak clearly. All he wanted to do right now was rest.

command?

What the hell are you doing? This is going to kill you!

Even now, he doesn't know how he managed to get through it.

"I……"

"vanguard."

The instructor interrupted him, issuing the order in an unquestionable tone:

"Klaus is out of command due to 'combat casualties'. From now on, you are the highest-ranking officer in this platoon."

(End of this chapter)