I enlisted four times! My former unit blacklisted me.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Commander. I was wrong. I was talking nonsense this afternoon. Please don't take it to heart."

"No, don't admit you're wrong." Li Cuicui waved her hand, looking serious. "You're so sure, you must have a reason. I've been leading troops for over ten years, and I'm always looking for someone to learn from. I've finally found someone knowledgeable, so I'm not going to let this opportunity slip by."

Chen Zhiyuan, who was standing next to Zheng Tao, also looked at him and said, "Hello, Deputy Captain Zheng, I am Chen Zhiyuan, the company commander of the Third Company. You're the one you mentioned who's a useless company commander who can't lead troops."

"I'm also quite curious and would like to ask for your advice on how to lead soldiers. My skills are really lacking, so I'd appreciate any guidance from Deputy Captain Zheng."

Their voices, one after the other, were both deeply moving.

Zheng Tao stood there, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.

He now truly understands what it means to be executed, especially in front of all the leaders of both detachments.

Wang Rui stood to the side, wanting to say something to help but not knowing how to start.

Lin Jianfeng's face flushed, and he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, pulling Li Cuicui aside: "Alright, alright, Lao Li, stop teasing him. This kid is young and inexperienced, he's unreliable. I'll teach him a lesson later."

"He was indeed in the wrong this afternoon; he spoke without thinking. I apologize on his behalf. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against him."

Shen Yan chimed in, trying to smooth things over: "Yeah, Lao Li, we're all on the same side, we'll run into each other all the time. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, it'll be fine. Come on, come on, let's go to my office, have some tea, and have a good chat."

Li Cuicui knew when to stop. She snorted and waved her hand, "No need for tea. I came here today for two reasons: first, to see if my soldiers have been bullied, and second, to speak up for you, Old Lin."

He turned to Wu Hanfeng, his tone softening slightly: "Hanfeng, that's enough. We're all old comrades and acquaintances. We've investigated, and we've noted down quite a few issues. Let's be lenient. It's getting late, so let's not go into the dormitories or training grounds. Let's call it a day."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianfeng and the surrounding armed police officers immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that you don't go in!

There's still hope if we don't go in!

If Wu Hanfeng were to enter the dormitory building, who knows how many more valuable things he might pull out? We'd be utterly humiliated then.

Wu Hanfeng didn't refuse Li Cuicui's request, nodding and appearing very easy to talk to: "Alright, since the commander has spoken, I won't go into the dormitory or training hall."

"Anyway, it's getting late, so let's just take a walk around the barracks to check the environment and order. If there aren't any problems, that's it for today. As for the issues with the first brigade, just make sure to rectify them on time."

"No problem, no problem!" Lin Jianfeng nodded quickly, like a chicken pecking at rice. "Feel free to look around! Feel free to wander around! We'll cooperate fully!"

The huge weight on his heart finally lifted.

What problems could there be on the outside?

At most, it might be some grass growing in the corner of the wall or a couple of fallen leaves by the roadside. It's impossible that there are contraband buried there, right?

Zheng Tao also let out a long sigh of relief; his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

Thankfully, we escaped unscathed.

As long as they don't enter the dorm or check the lockers, you can wander around outside for as long as you want.

The special forces members all relaxed, their hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled back into their stomachs. Just moments before, they had been on tenterhooks, fearing their home would be raided; now, all they had to do was walk around the perimeter a couple of times, and it would be over—a stroke of good luck amidst misfortune.

And so, Wu Hanfeng and He Dong walked slowly ahead, followed by a large group of people.

Lin Jianfeng and Shen Yan accompanied Li Cuicui and Zhao Long in the middle, with Zheng Tao, Wang Rui, and Zhang Kai following behind. Further back were the officers of the First Brigade and the Special Operations Squadron, a long and impressive procession, like leaders on an inspection tour of the countryside.

Wu Hanfeng walked slowly, stopping every now and then to look at the roadside bulletin boards, touch the holly bushes at the base of the wall, and casually praise, "The camp's greenery is quite nice" and "The hygiene is pretty clean."

Lin Jianfeng stood by with a forced smile, his heart pounding with anxiety, feeling that this kid wasn't so easy to deal with.

As they walked, the group turned to the corner behind the dormitory building.

This place is next to a flower bed, the soil is relatively loose, and there is a row of holly bushes planted along the side. Few people usually come here; it is considered a relatively remote corner of the camp.

Wu Hanfeng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He lowered his head, stared at a patch of dirt at his feet for two seconds, then lifted his foot and gently kicked it twice.

"Pfft."

A small patch of soil had sunk, noticeably looser than the surrounding soil, and was covered with a layer of turf, clearly indicating that it had just been dug up and then refilled.

The crowd behind them immediately fell silent.

Lin Jianfeng's smile froze, and he subconsciously took half a step forward.

Zheng Tao's heart jumped again, and he turned sharply to look at Jiang Kai in the group.

Jiang Kai's face turned pale instantly.

His toes dug frantically into the ground inside his training shoes, his palms instantly broke out in a cold sweat, and his heart was pounding like a drum, "thump thump thump," he could hear it himself.

broken!

How did I end up here of all people?!

The thing buried underneath was something he had just hidden there that afternoon!

I was planning to sneak out with a few old buddies after lights out tonight, to give our old sergeant who's retiring next week a farewell party, and have a couple of drinks as a token of our appreciation.

He deliberately chose such a secluded corner, dug half a meter deep, wrapped it with three layers of black plastic bags, covered it with soil and then laid turf on top, thinking it was foolproof. How could it have been discovered?

Is this inspector born in the Year of the Dog?

Is your nose that sensitive?

Jiang Kai swallowed hard, his legs trembling with nervousness. His eyes were fixed on Wu Hanfeng's feet, as if afraid he would stomp down a couple more times.

Wu Hanfeng, seemingly oblivious, turned around and beckoned to He Dong: "Dongzi, come here for a second."

He Dong rushed over: "Squad leader, what's wrong?"

Wu Hanfeng pointed to the ground and said, "Look at this patch of soil. It's loose and crumbling. It probably collapsed a few days ago when it rained. The soldiers just filled it in without tamping it down."

"It's dark at night, what if someone is running and doesn't pay attention and twists their ankle? That would be terrible."

"Go find a small stick, loosen up this soil, and then re-fill it in. We're comrades, so let's help each other out."

He Dong paused for a moment, then nodded: "Oh, okay, Deputy Squad Leader!"

As he spoke, he bent down to look for a branch nearby.

Jiang Kai was terrified, almost scared out of his wits. He rushed forward, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "No, no, no! How could we trouble the inspectors to do this kind of work!"

"This is such a small thing, you don't need to do it yourself, we'll do it!"

He reached out to stop He Dong, saying, "I'll call two soldiers over right away to tamp the soil down. I guarantee it'll be done by tomorrow, no delays whatsoever!"

joke!

If He Dong really pries it open, wouldn't everything inside be exposed?

Wu Hanfeng waved his hand and said, "Oh, don't be so polite. We're all from brother units, it's just a small favor. Besides, our military police are here to serve the grassroots, this is nothing."

"Dongzi, hurry up and get it done so we can go back sooner."

He Dong responded, picked up a small twig, and squatted down.

Jiang Kai stood to the side, sweating profusely with anxiety. He didn't know whether to stop him or not, and he didn't know where to put his hands.

He watched helplessly as He Dong used a twig to scrape away the topsoil, once, twice...

"Um?"

He Dong suddenly exclaimed in surprise, stopped what he was doing, and looked up at Wu Hanfeng: "Squad leader, something's not right. There seems to be something hard down there."

Jiang Kai's heart jumped into his throat, and he almost fainted on the spot.

It’s over.

It's all over.