Soldiers Assault: Starting from the 7th Steel Company

Chapter 266 Dare to bully military families? Destroy them!

Chen Jiang coldly surveyed the group of cowardly thugs in front of him, his gaze finally settling on the bald man's face, which was contorted with fear.

"Attacking active-duty officers, obstructing military affairs, and violently coercing military families." With each sentence Chen Jiang spoke, his voice grew colder. "Are you really not afraid of death?"

The bald man and his gang were completely panicked.

They were used to bullying honest people, and had never seen anything like this before. The officer in front of them was not only incredibly skilled, but the murderous aura he exuded, forged in the crucible of death, made their legs go weak.

"Leader, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!" The bald man's expression changed instantly, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace. "We didn't know they were military dependents, we'll leave right now, we'll leave right now!"

"Leave?" Chen Jiang stood in front of the Cheng family mother and daughter-in-law, his figure as imposing as a mountain. "You hit someone, frightened a child, pushed an elderly person, and you think you can just leave with a misunderstanding?"

"Didn't I just hear you say that it doesn't matter even if he's here? Isn't that enough proof that you know they are military dependents?"

Just when Chen Jiang had completely gained the upper hand, a fierce shout suddenly rang out, "Which son of a bitch dares to ruin my good time? I'll skin him alive!"

"Brother Long, you've finally arrived!" Upon hearing this voice, the bald man's attitude of almost kneeling down and begging for mercy vanished, replaced by the excited sycophantic manner of a lackey seeing his master again.

Chen Jiang glanced at the man and saw a burly man wearing a floral shirt, sunglasses, and a thick, gleaming gold chain around his neck, surrounded by a group of henchmen, sauntering over with a cigar in his mouth, exuding an extremely arrogant aura.

Needless to say, this person is most likely the "Brother Long" that the bald man mentioned.

Brother Long walked closer, took off his sunglasses, and sized up Chen Jiang with his triangular eyes. He frowned when he saw his men on the ground and the military rank on Chen Jiang's shoulder, but his tone remained arrogant: "Oh ho, a soldier? Pretty tough! Do you know whose territory this is? You dare to hit my men?"

Chen Jiang remained calm and retorted, "Your men, in broad daylight, violently coerced military families, forcibly demolished civilian houses, and even violently attacked me. Am I not allowed to defend myself?"

"Self-defense? Hmph!" Brother Long scoffed. "Don't try to scare me with that! So what if they're soldiers? Paying debts and receiving compensation for land occupation are just the basics! They already received their compensation, but they complained it wasn't enough and refused to leave! Obstructing urban development makes them troublemakers! Does being a soldier's family give you the right to be a holdout?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Cheng's mother retorted excitedly. "The compensation you're offering isn't even enough to buy a toilet in the county town! We're not trying to be holdouts; we just want a place to live!"

"Shut up, you old fool!" Brother Long glared fiercely at Cheng's mother, then turned to Chen Jiang, "Brother, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. It's not easy to wear this coat, it's not worth it for this little thing. If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."

Seeing Brother Long's fearless demeanor, Chen Jiang felt a surge of anger rising within him, but he forcibly suppressed it, his tone becoming even colder: "I'll give you a choice: immediately take your men and get out of here, apologize to the military families, compensate for the losses, and guarantee never to harass them again. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences."

Brother Long burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, and his henchmen behind him joined in the laughter.

"Consequences? Hahaha! On this ground, I, Brother Long, am the consequence! You're asking for it, aren't you? Get him! Take care of this soldier too! I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!" Brother Long completely tore off the mask and waved his hand to signal his men to take action.

Upon hearing their leader's command, the dozen or so thugs behind him immediately brandished clubs and machetes, shouting as they charged forward.

The neighbors gasped in alarm and quickly backed away, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Upon seeing this, Chen Jiang's driver immediately stepped forward to help, but was stopped by a look from Chen Jiang.

He alone is enough to deal with this rabble.

Chen Jiang moved swiftly, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

His movements were lightning fast, ruthless and precise, each move aimed directly at vital points, yet skillfully controlled to subdue rather than kill.

He dodged the cleaver by sidestepping, grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it to disarm him, then delivered an elbow strike to his ribs, causing the man to scream and fall to the ground.

He turned around and kicked another thug who was attacking him with a stick, sending him flying. The thug then crashed into two other thugs who were rushing towards him from behind, and they rolled around in a heap.

In the blink of an eye, the ground was covered with groaning and rolling thugs, leaving only Brother Long and the bald man standing there dumbfounded, their faces ashen.

They finally realized that they had kicked a hornet's nest today, and a red-hot one at that!
Chen Jiang dusted off his military uniform and walked step by step toward Brother Long.

Brother Long was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, his legs gave way, and he almost fell.

He's really really messed things up this time!

Brother Long's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Chen Jiang stopped looking at him and turned to the driver, instructing, "Contact the local J district and the public security bureau, and send someone over immediately to handle this. I want to see if they're really going to take this seriously!"

"Yes, Chief!" The driver immediately took out his phone and started making calls. The headquarters had contact lists for various locations, so it wasn't difficult to find the right one.

Now "Brother Long" and his men were even more desperate. This guy actually had a high-ranking position and was even calling in people. He looked ashen-faced.

Soon after, the roar of many vehicle engines grew louder as they approached.

The first to arrive were the armed police forces of Division J, followed by a large number of police vehicles.

Moreover, the leaders of Division J and the police also arrived.

When they saw the scene, and especially after learning about Chen Jiang's workplace and the course of events, they were all shocked and outraged.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!" A J district leader with graying temples, his face ashen with anger, gripped Chen Jiang's hand tightly. "Director Chen, you've been shocked! We will definitely handle this matter seriously and show no leniency!"

The police chief immediately stated, "Rest assured! We will resolutely crack down on such acts of violence and coercion against military families and blatant provocation of the law, and investigate them thoroughly!"

Brother Long's men were all terrified, their faces ashen. After being handcuffed, they were all put into police cars.

The arrogant and domineering Brother Long from just a moment ago is now like a lump of mud, unable to even walk steadily and needing two people to support him.

Chen Jiang expressed his gratitude to the leaders who came to the scene, and then solemnly said, "My comrade-in-arms, Cheng Haibo, bravely sacrificed his life in the earthquake relief efforts. His family is our family. I hope that the local government can protect the legitimate rights and interests of military families in accordance with the law, so that the hero can rest in peace."

"Absolutely! Please rest assured, Director Chen!" The local leader promised on the spot, "Comrade Cheng Haibo is a hero, and his family deserves high-level treatment and compensation! We will definitely handle today's matter properly!" After dealing with the scene, Chen Jiang accompanied the frightened Cheng family mother and daughter-in-law back into the house, carefully checked the situation at home, and comforted the still sobbing child.

"Thank you so much, sir." Cheng's mother didn't know how to thank Chen Jiang, but she knew very well that if Chen Jiang hadn't appeared today, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Auntie, sister-in-law, don't be afraid. With us here, they can't jump around."

At this moment, the driver had already retrieved the items from the car. When Cheng Haibo's wife saw this, she immediately sensed that something was wrong. As a military wife, she was well aware of some of the rules in the army.

Normally, honors are given to Haibo personally. If an honor is to be sent home, it's either sent with great fanfare or by one or two people.
"Auntie, sister-in-law," Chen Jiang looked at their faces, feeling a little reluctant, but these words had to be said, sooner or later, "Comrade Cheng Haibo during an earthquake relief mission..."

Before Cheng Haibo could finish speaking, her elderly mother fainted.

In their haste, everyone pinched his philtrum until he slowly regained consciousness.

"My poor, unfortunate son!" the old mother cried out in anguish. "This child has had a hard life since he was little. His father passed away long ago. He seemed to enjoy his time in the army, but he rarely came home, not even once a year. How could this happen?"

"Commander, how did Haibo sacrifice himself?" Cheng Haibo's wife asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Chen Jiang immediately recounted the actual events of that day.

"So, you didn't find Haibo's remains?"

Chen Jiang nodded heavily, his throat tightening slightly: "Yes, sister-in-law. The situation was extremely complicated. We were performing a high-altitude blind descent, and we knew nothing about what was below. Otherwise, with his parachuting experience, there would have been absolutely no problem. We organized several search and rescue operations afterward, but the search was extremely difficult, and we still haven't found him."

He didn't use the word "body," but said "not found," a subtle difference that left the grieving family with a faint yet cruel hope.

Just as Cheng's mother had caught her breath, she burst into another heart-wrenching wail upon hearing this: "I want to see you alive or dead! My son, you didn't even leave behind a complete corpse?"

Cheng's wife hugged her mother-in-law tightly, her own tears falling like a broken string of pearls. But she was stronger than the old woman, and she forced back her grief as she asked, "Commander, is Haibo considered a martyr?"

"Yes! Of course it counts!" Chen Jiang said firmly. "Comrade Cheng Haibo heroically sacrificed his life to protect the lives and property of the people while carrying out a major disaster relief mission. How could it not count? The army has already nominated him for martyrdom and posthumously awarded him a first-class merit! He is a hero, and the country and the army will never forget his contributions!"

He solemnly handed a heavy red wooden box and a file bag to Cheng's wife.

"This is Comrade Haibo's First-Class Merit Medal and Certificate, as well as his Martyr's Certificate." Chen Jiang's voice was low and solemn. "The compensation and related benefits will be implemented as soon as possible in strict accordance with regulations."

Cheng's wife, her hands trembling, stroked the box containing her husband's medals, as if she could still feel the lingering warmth of his presence. She looked up at Chen Jiang, her eyes blurred with tears, and said, "Thank you... thank you, Commander Haibo. He didn't let the army down, did he?"

“No! He was incredibly brave and outstanding!” Chen Jiang’s eyes also welled up with tears. “He is the pride of our A-Team and a role model for all soldiers!”

Hearing this, Cheng's mother's sobs gradually subsided, transforming into a complex emotion mixed with boundless sorrow and indescribable grief. She murmured, "My son... he's a hero... he did it to save people."

“Yes, Auntie, Haibo is a hero.” Chen Jiang squatted down and held the old woman’s withered hand. “He did what a soldier should do. He was a true man. Please take care of yourself. Haibo’s spirit in heaven would also hope that you, your sister-in-law, and your children can live well. In the future, if you have any difficulties at home, you can come directly to me or contact the army. Haibo is gone, but we are your family.”

Chen Jiang then added another business card.

At this moment, the little boy who had been hiding behind his mother and sobbing softly seemed to understand something and timidly asked, "Mom, Dad is a hero, so did he turn into a star?"

The child's innocent words were like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of everyone's emotions.

Cheng's wife could no longer hold back, hugged her son tightly, and burst into tears.

Cheng's mother was also in tears, but there was a hint of determination in her eyes. She had lost her son, but she still had her grandson and a glimmer of hope.

Chen Jiang turned his face away, took a deep breath, and suppressed his surging emotions.

He knew that any words of comfort would be inadequate at this moment, and all he could do was provide the family with the strongest possible support for the future.

Upon returning to his office, he reported the situation to his superiors and then directly contacted the military district leaders in the city where Comrade Cheng Haibo was located to inquire about the follow-up progress of "Brother Long's" case and the treatment and security of the Cheng family.

Fortunately, they faxed him a detailed report.

The main point is that the local government leaders attached great importance to the matter and instructed relevant departments to conduct an in-depth investigation to completely eliminate the gang led by "Brother Long" and others, who will face severe legal punishment.

The Cheng family's benefits as martyrs' families have been fully implemented. Not only that, the local government also helped Cheng's wife find a job, which can be considered as relieving their family's worries.

After reading all this, Chen Jiang took out his phone and called his wife, Chu Ning, to give a brief "report" on what he had been doing recently.

Chu Ning's voice sounded tired, but she still firmly supported her husband.

She said over the phone that there are too many injured people in the earthquake zone, and the surrounding medical institutions are already full. Medical personnel are being continuously transferred from all over the country.

Some critically ill patients were directly airlifted to major hospitals in the capital and Shanghai, so everyone has been very busy and tired during this period.

Chen Jiang quickly asked, "How many aftershocks are there now?"
"There are many, but the intensity is not high. We are in a safe place, so there's no need to worry."

Chen Jiang felt a little relieved after hearing this and told her to be careful, assuring her that he would take good care of the family.

On the other end of the phone, Chen Jiang clearly heard someone calling "Dr. Chu," so Chu Ning had to hang up the phone in a hurry.

After a long time, Chu Ning sent a hug and a "striving hard" emoji.

Simple symbols, yet they convey endless warmth and understanding.

Chen Jiang put away his phone, closed his eyes, and the fatigue and sorrow of the past few days were gradually replaced by a firm strength.

(End of this chapter)