Shipborne Special Forces.

"It's not like I'm trying to trick you; this is the captain's order," Grandpa Bi said as he walked away without turning his head.

Wang Aiguo was stunned for a moment, then shouted loudly to Grandpa Bi, "Captain? Why is he targeting me?"

"I don't know, but I heard it was the instructor in charge of the chemical protective suits who made the suggestion," Grandpa Bi's voice came from afar.

Wang Aiguo was stunned. Could this really be happening? He ruined the hazmat suit, and this was how the instructor retaliated against him???

.......

On this day, everyone in the Chenyang recruit camp gathered at the large parade ground.

Today is a very important day for new recruits like Wang Aiguo, because after today, they will be real soldiers, soldiers who will shoulder the mission of soldiers.

"Prepare for flag raising," the battalion commander said to the squad leader standing below the flagpole.

The team leader shouted, "Welcome the national flag!"

Soon, four honor guard soldiers in formal attire carried the four corners of the national flag and marched step by step toward the flagpole.

"Raise the national flag and play the national anthem." The captain announced as the national flag was raised to the flagpole.

"Raise the national flag and play the national anthem."

And so, on a bright Monday morning, bathed in sunlight, the bright red national flag slowly rose in the wind.

"Salute!" the battalion commander shouted.

"Swish." Without the slightest hesitation, all the more than two thousand people in the Chenyang recruit camp raised their hands and saluted in front of the solemn national flag the moment they heard the salute.

As the national anthem ended, the brigade leader slowly walked up to the flag-raising platform, then took the microphone and addressed the crowd: "Ceremony complete."

Everyone lowered their hands and looked intently at the captain. Everyone knew that the next moment would be the highlight of the day—the conferment ceremony.

The battalion commander stood on the flag-raising platform, looking down at the vast number of new recruits below, and suddenly smiled.

Those in the back rows couldn't see clearly, but Wang Aiguo, who was at the head of the line, could see it clearly: in this solemn atmosphere, the usually stern-faced captain actually smiled.

Wang Aiguo was stunned. What was so funny about such a solemn awarding ceremony?

The battalion commander didn't just laugh it off; he maintained his smile as he picked up the microphone and addressed everyone: "As you all know, today is the commissioning ceremony. I believe many of you didn't sleep a wink last night. Because you all yearn for the military, you want to join here, become a member, and be a cog in this machine."

After the battalion commander finished speaking, he paused suddenly, took a deep breath, and continued, "But before the conferment ceremony begins, I would like to tell you a short story."

"A little story? Another veteran bragging about his experiences?" Wang Aiguo frowned slightly. It seemed like Grandpa Bi had done something similar before. But today was the conferment ceremony; was it appropriate to tell stories in such a solemn setting?

However, the captain soon began his speech.

"My hometown is a backward little village. The only road from our village to the town is a bridge. That bridge is many years old, and I still remember it. That dilapidated bridge could only support two people at a time; if more than that, it would collapse."

When the captain spoke, everyone was stunned. Why did they suddenly start reminiscing about the past at such a time? However, everyone listened attentively because they all wanted to know what the captain wanted to say.

The brigade leader continued, "Later, the government designated our village as an industrial development zone and built several huge factories next to our village. Our village was also renovated; the muddy paths became roads, and the dilapidated bridge was replaced with an imposing stone bridge. From that day on, we no longer had to worry about the bridge suddenly collapsing when we went to town. The government also arranged a special route from our village to the town."

As the brigade leader spoke, Wang Aiguo glanced at Grandpa Bi and the others. He noticed that Grandpa Bi also looked on with curiosity. It was then that Wang Aiguo realized this wasn't some routine program, but rather the first time the brigade leader was truly telling his story.

"After the village was completely transformed, my parents decided to use their life savings to renovate our house. The day the new house was completed, my parents and I were overjoyed. We no longer had to live in that dilapidated house; we could live in a small villa. Everything was brand new, and it seemed like a bright future was about to begin."

At this point, the captain suddenly paused, the smile on his face gradually disappearing and replaced by a sad expression, as if he had remembered something bad.

"However, the good times didn't last long. Less than a month later, the factory next to the village exploded. I happened to be at home on the day of the explosion. I saw the fire dragon shooting straight into the sky, and dark clouds filled the entire sky. The scene was just like the end of the world."

"My dad rushed back in immediately and grabbed my mom and me, trying to run outside. My mom was terrified and kept crying. But instead of going with my dad right away, she sat at the door and shouted, 'This is our home! Our newly built home! We used most of our life savings to build this home!'"

As the brigade leader spoke, Wang Aiguo looked at him, seemingly able to picture the scene from years ago. A helpless woman sat at her doorstep, crying out weakly. It wasn't that she wasn't afraid of death, but she couldn't bear to leave; she couldn't accept watching her new home burn to the ground.

Everyone fell silent, their expressions heavy as they looked at the captain.

At this point, the brigade leader continued, "Later, my dad forcibly pulled my mom up and said to her, 'People are what make a home. If a home is gone, it can be rebuilt. But if people are gone, then everything is truly gone.' This behavior might seem very foolish to you now, because houses are insured and receive government subsidies; you can always rebuild. But for people back then, a house was their life savings. They didn't know that someone would help them; they only knew that if the house was gone, their home was gone."

"My dad grabbed my mom and we rushed out of the village. At that time, everyone in the village was running frantically out of the village. The stone bridge that originally led out of the village became our last lifeline. As long as we crossed the stone bridge, we would be safe."

"Just as I was crossing the stone bridge, I saw several people walking towards us from a distance. They stood out in the crowd because they were wearing firefighter uniforms. While everyone else was frantically running out of the village, they were running step by step towards the village."