From the 7th Steel Company to the Synthetic Division

"Deputy Director Liu, we've arrived."

Ai Jia proudly raised her chin, glanced at Sun Zhu, whose scheme had failed and whose face was dark, and took the lead in getting up and going to the door to guide the experts out of the car.

"Okay, thank you for leading the way."

Deputy Director Liu got up and walked towards the car door, followed by many other experts.

Sun Zhu, whose scheme had failed, remained seated, seemingly as if, as he had said before, he held the Seventh Steel Brigade in contempt.

"Comrade senior reporter, aren't you going to get off?"

Ai Jia had noticed Sun Zhu's actions long ago. She called out to him from the car door, deliberately adding the word "senior" to subtly mock his nonsense in the car.

"I'm not going down. There's nothing interesting to see at the 7th Steel Brigade. I'm going to do an interview at Hill 708."

Sun Zhu failed to persuade a single expert to go with him, and he had completely lost face. How could he dare to stay and follow Ai Jia to the Seventh Steel Brigade?

"Row."

Ai Jia readily agreed, afraid that Sun Zhu might change his mind if she hesitated even a second. She then smiled at the experts and said, "It's hot today, everyone has worked hard. The Seventh Steel Brigade's camp is just ahead, but we'll have to walk there..."

While Ai Jia was communicating with the experts, the driver in the car did not drive away. Instead, he said to Sun Zhu, "Commander, if you want to go to Hill 708, you can only walk there. Buses cannot pass through the road ahead."

"what???"

At that moment, Sun Zhu felt like the sky had fallen.

He's always been a coward who only hitches a ride with the experts because he's afraid of dying. Now, he can't accept walking there at all.

"Sir, the car can't get through, there's nothing I can do."

Seeing that Sun Zhu stood there blankly for a long time without reacting, the driver foreman could only urge him on with a troubled expression.

"If I walk over there, where are you going?" Sun Zhu asked, after being woken up.

"Of course I'll go back the way I came. I'll drive back to pick them up after the expert group has finished visiting the Seventh Steel Brigade," the driver foreman replied.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?"

Sun Zhu was now in a bind, so he could only pick up his bag and walk out of the car. When he got out and saw that Ai Jia and the others were still there, he deliberately muttered, "Fine, if you're not going to see me off, then I'll walk there. It's no big deal."

These words were actually meant for Ai Jia, in order to save face for him.

If Sun Zhu had known the car couldn't get there, he wouldn't have talked so much nonsense in the car and would have obediently chosen to go to the Seventh Steel Brigade.

Sun Zhu was now filled with lingering fear, realizing how dangerous his journey had been.

If you were killed by artillery shells during the exercise, it would be a truly pointless death.

"Senior reporter, are you really going to walk there alone?"

Hearing Ai Jia's voice from behind, Sun Zhu immediately stopped and turned around, forcing an awkward smile and pretending to be relaxed: "I can walk by myself, no problem."

"Okay, goodbye then." Ai Jia waved goodbye.

"..."

Sun Zhu was stunned for two seconds.

He thought that if he was just being polite to save face, Ai Jia would at least say a few nice words to persuade him to stay, considering his rank of senior colonel. Then he would be able to take the opportunity to reluctantly agree to go to the Seventh Steel Brigade.

Unexpectedly, Ai Jia, this young girl, didn't give him any face at all, responding so readily and decisively that it made Sun Zhu feel awkward.

Given the current situation, Sun Zhu really couldn't bring himself to stay shamelessly.

All I could do was wave goodbye, pretending to be indifferent, and say, "Goodbye, goodbye experts."

The experts chose to stay and watch the exercise specifically to see a different kind of drill and witness the legendary Steel Seventh Brigade firsthand.

Therefore, none of the experts spoke up to persuade Sun Zhu to stay, as he went his own way and did not follow the crowd.

"Deputy Director Liu, experts, the camp of the 7th Steel Brigade is just ahead, but this road is a bit difficult to walk on, so please watch your step..."

Ai Jia walked ahead, introducing and guiding the group of experts along the path into the woods.

They hadn't gone far when they encountered a group of soldiers. They were sentries on the perimeter, and when they saw the expert team approaching, they immediately came out and stopped them.

At the behest of his squad leader, Huo De walked up to the expert group, saluted, and, as if he didn't recognize Ai Jia, loudly asked, "Halt! This is the 7th Steel Brigade camp. Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Which unit are you from?"

Ai Jia also pretended not to recognize Huo De and returned the greeting in a serious manner, saying, "We are from the expert group. This is the deputy leader of the expert group, Deputy Director Liu from the Academy of Military Sciences. We would like to visit the Seventh Steel Brigade."

These were all pre-arranged scenes. Aija and Huo De's performances were passable, their training paid off, and they didn't arouse any suspicion from the experts.

"Hello, sir."

Huo De saluted and said, "I am Huo De, a soldier of the 7th Steel Brigade of the Capital Theater Army. I am responsible for guarding this area. May I ask how I can help the experts?"

"Hello, we'd like to visit the 7th Steel Brigade, conduct some research and interviews, and learn how the 7th Steel Brigade is causing trouble," said Deputy Director Liu.

"Sir, you're mistaken. We're not causing trouble; we're conducting an exercise," Huo De corrected.

"Hey, disrupting things doesn't always have a negative connotation. It can also be a tactic. Among the Thirty-Six Stratagems, there's the one about taking advantage of someone's misfortune. These are all tactics for disrupting things and profiting from them. You agree, right?"

Deputy Director Liu's explanation was very thorough, which shows that he highly approves of the Seventh Steel Brigade.

"Huo De, go and ask Commander Wang right away. Tell him that all the guests have arrived." Ai Jia was afraid that Huo De would say something inappropriate and made a strong request to him.

"Yes!"

Huo De was a henpecked husband, and he dared not anger his girlfriend. He immediately called out on the radio: "001, 001, this is 901. The most honored guest has arrived at Black Pine Forest. Please give your instructions."

“Bring the experts in,” Wang Qingrui replied.

"receive."

After ending the call, Hod said to the experts, "The brigade commander has agreed to your request. Please come with me."

"Let's go, everyone keep up," Ai Jia chimed in.

With Ai Jia and De Huo echoing each other's words, the expert group of more than a dozen people walked along the narrow path into the woods.

Under Ai Jia's guidance, the expert group proceeded in an orderly manner toward the camp of the 7th Steel Brigade.

On the other side, Sun Zhu, the so-called senior reporter who had just been putting on a tough act and refusing to back down, had now walked more than a hundred meters forward on his own.

But as they ventured deeper into the woods, overgrown with weeds, they found themselves completely alone.

Sun Zhu was sweating profusely!

He was a cowardly coward who feared death, and alone in this desolate forest, he had no courage to go any further.

If some wild animal were to run out of the woods, or if I were to step on a poisonous snake, I could lose my life here.

The more Sun Zhu thought about it, the more frightened she became. Soon, her face was covered in sweat, and her back was soaked. No longer caring about her appearance, she turned around and ran back the way she came. Her stumbling and unsteady running posture was utterly pathetic.

……

As the deputy leader of the expert group, Deputy Director Liu has much better insight. Through the conversation between Ai Jia and Huo De just now, he discovered something unusual.

So, on the way, he asked curiously, "Lieutenant Aijia, you seem to know that soldier from earlier quite well."

“We were classmates before, and now we’re comrades-in-arms, both serving in the Seventh Steel Brigade.” Now that the matter was settled, Ai Jia no longer concealed her identity.

"Huh? You're also from the 7th Steel Brigade?" Deputy Director Liu asked with a look of surprise.

“Yes,” Ai Jia smiled and said, “I am a special operations soldier from the Special Operations Company of the 7th Steel Brigade.”

"Oh, you're actually a special forces member? I really didn't realize you were such a young woman. You're truly a woman who doesn't yield to men."

Deputy Director Liu praised it highly, and even turned to the experts behind him and said, "Gentlemen, it seems that our decision was the right one."

"Look, staying to visit the 7th Steel Brigade was quite an experience! Our group of experts traveled alongside the brigade's special forces members without them even noticing, haha!"

After saying this, Deputy Director Liu burst into hearty laughter, and the other experts also laughed and echoed his sentiments.

I'm increasingly looking forward to this journey with the Steel Seventh Brigade.

"Comrades, we are almost there. There will be even more surprises waiting for you. I guarantee you will not have a wasted trip."

Ai Jia successfully completed the task assigned by Chen Jun and was very happy.

But just as they were having a pleasant conversation...

"Wait, wait, give me a moment."

Suddenly, a series of wailing and howling sounds came from behind, as if someone was being chased and screaming in agony, forcing everyone to stop and look back.

As a result, everyone's gaze turned strange at that glance.

All I could see was Sun Zhu, who had been constantly slandering and belittling the 7th Steel Brigade on the bus, and who was still very defiant when he got off the bus, insisting on going to Hill 708 by himself.

At this moment, it was like a stray dog, running back to the group in terror, shouting loudly.

When he arrived in front of the group, his clothes were almost completely soaked with cold sweat from being frightened, and he was breathing heavily like a bull.

Unfortunately, no one sympathized with him.

Ai Jia felt annoyed just looking at this guy, and she didn't hold back her sarcasm, saying, "Comrade senior reporter, why are you back again? Didn't you say you weren't going to the Seventh Steel Brigade? What are you doing following us again?"

"Look at him, he looks like he's seen a ghost. Could he have been scared away?"

One of the experts, who was quite outspoken, disapproved of Sun Zhu's behavior in the car and, without hesitation, exposed Sun Zhu's true colors.

As soon as the expert finished speaking, he was met with a burst of laughter from the crowd.

"Um, where are you guys headed?"

Sun Zhu forced himself to ignore the ridicule of the crowd and asked a question he already knew the answer to, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"You really are forgetful. Don't you know perfectly well? I told you long ago that we were going to the Seventh Steel Brigade's camp, and you dismissed it without a second thought," Ai Jia mocked.

However, faced with Ai Jia's direct mockery, Sun Zhu even tried to play a trick, deliberately pulling Ai Jia aside and saying in a very low voice, "Let me tell you, you absolutely cannot bring the expert group to the Seventh Steel Brigade. That Chen Jun is a scoundrel, a guy who specializes in petty theft."

Sun Zhu wasn't here just now, so he didn't know that Ai Jia was from the Seventh Steel Brigade.

"Hey, what are you saying? Who are you calling a petty thief? Watch your words." Huo De, who was walking a short distance ahead, frowned and scolded him, clearly annoyed.

Huo De has now transformed and has taken on a more soldierly appearance, but his personality remains impulsive.

He doesn't care about senior experts or journalists; he'll attack anyone who says anything bad about piano music.

"No, no, no, I wasn't talking about you guys. I was talking about Chen Jun from the Seventh Steel Brigade. I really don't like that guy. You'd better listen to me."

Sun Zhu really thought of himself as a leader, and tried to suppress Ai Jia in a very serious manner.

“Hey, where did you come from? You better watch your mouth. Our brigade commander is not someone you can slander. If you don’t respect him, I’ll be very rude to you.”

Huo De raised his fist in a threatening gesture, startling Sun Zhu, who exclaimed in astonishment, "You, you're all from the Seventh Steel Brigade?"

“Not only was he from the Seventh Steel Brigade, but I was too.”

Ai Jia looked at Sun Zhu as if he were an idiot. Amidst his shocked and flustered gaze, she said to the experts, "This person is wasting our time. We won't waste any more time here. Our brigade commander and political commissar are waiting for you."

After Ai Jia finished speaking, she strode forward, and the members of the expert group followed one after another.

When they passed by Sun Zhu, everyone gave them strange looks.

It's like watching a clown.

Sun Zhu was truly shameless. As everyone followed Ai Jia to the front, the woods became gloomy and terrifying once again.

His inner fear prevented him from being tough, so he had no choice but to shamelessly follow along.

He was genuinely afraid to be alone in the woods.

The rest of the journey went smoothly. Sun Zhu, who had already been disliked by everyone, dared not cause any more trouble and reached the campsite in less than ten minutes.

Chen Jun, Wang Qingrui, Tian Baoguo, and their group were already waiting outside the camp.

After all, they were military experts from major national military institutions, and they were very influential throughout the country, so Chen Jun gave them a lot of face.

Seeing a group of officers with the rank of colonel personally greeting them outside the camp, giving them ample face, the experts' faces lit up with smiles.

They were very satisfied with the hospitality they received.

After the two groups met up, Ai Jia continued to act as the middleman, introducing them: "Deputy Director Liu, this is our Steel Seventh Brigade's Brigade Commander Wang, Political Commissar Tian, ​​Chief of Staff Chen, Deputy Brigade Commander Gao, Deputy Political Commissar Ma..."

Ai Jia introduced each of the senior officers of the Seventh Steel Brigade, and everyone saluted and greeted Deputy Director Liu.

After Ai Jia finished introducing all the senior officers of the brigade headquarters, Wang Qingrui, on behalf of the 7th Steel Brigade, said, "Welcome, experts. Please come inside to rest."

A rest area has been set up in an open space in the middle of the camp.

In the middle is a rectangular conference table with bottled water already placed on it. There are two rows of chairs, one in front and one behind, which can comfortably seat twenty or thirty people.

A canopy made of camouflage cloth was erected above, which could both block the sunlight and provide concealment.

The experts followed Chen Jun and his group inside and sat down on either side of the conference table. Only Sun Zhu remained outside, hesitating whether to go in or not.

He was hoping someone would invite him in, so he wouldn't feel so awkward.

Unfortunately, nobody cared about him! (End of Chapter)