Zhou Rong's soul seemed to float in the void, staring coldly at his body standing on the ground.
Whether the cuffs are neat, the trousers seams are straight, the angle of sight, the taut muscles of the cheeks, whether they are completely in line with the etiquette training received in the past, and there is no half-line error.
- To be able to pull it out at any time, he can go directly to the *** show and raise the flag, he suddenly remembered such a funny standard in memory.
"Open me and see," the old man said again.
Zhou Rong saluted and stepped forward to open the freezer. The chill burst out, gradually revealing the two Yin-red antibody test tubes that were fixed on the stand.
The old man nodded, showing no emotion: "Just for this, the military has sacrificed many people this year."
Zhou Rong said: "When we entered the underground research institute of the military region, we sent a satellite communication, saying that we would try our best to find information and go to the South China Sea. Why is the military still..."
"After receiving the communication, the military has been looking for you all the time." The old man sighed with emotion: "But the short-wave communication from Hubei, Hunan and the coastal areas of Guangdong has been completely cut off, and the vast scorched earth, where can I find your traces? The two shelters in Guangxi and Yunnan were filled with the lives of soldiers."
Zhou Rong closed his eyes silently.
"If you can't find you, the military doesn't know whether the information in the B military region has been brought out, so it doesn't dare to carry out missile bombing." After a pause, the old man said: "According to the calculation of the General Staff, you have successfully penetrated There is less than a 1% chance that the B military will rush back to the South China Sea with the information."
It does.
If they didn't meet Sinan, there were only five special forces left, and the journey from City B to the south would be enough for them to die ten or eight times at will.
But on the other hand, if he hadn't met them, even if Sinan had three heads and six arms, it would be very difficult for him to live to this day.
The encounter in the autumn afternoon in T City, a chance of 1 in 10,000,000, is enough to change the established orbit of many things and the fate of many people.
"But you did create a miracle. When you were transferred to the special forces, I never thought that there would be today."
Zhou Rong wanted to speak modestly, but that was the reaction in the regulations. The old man interrupted him: "Lao Zheng told you about returning to his original position?"
coming.
Zhou Rong thought for a while and said, "Yes, General Zheng told me that 118 has been abolished."
The old man nodded and said nothing, Zhou Rong looked at him and said sincerely: "Chief, I hope the Military Commission can consider rebuilding 118. If there are no more soldiers, we can recruit more. As long as I am the captain, the establishment of the sixth squadron is there, and 118 is still there. 118 was established. Although the time is not long, he has made countless amazing military exploits…”
The old man didn't interrupt him, and he couldn't tell whether he agreed or disagreed. It wasn't until Zhou Rong finished speaking that he suddenly asked, "You know about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs going to 118 to pick people two years ago?"
Zhou Rong was stunned, "I know."
"Why didn't you sign up?"
Zhou Rong pondered for a long time before he said, "I think that under the current situation, I can do more things for the country by being an ordinary major in the special forces."
Sinan is right on one point. Zhou Rong is a character who speaks to people and speaks to a ghost. He can always find the most appropriate words to express the meaning that is not very pleasant.
The old man's cloudy eyes flashed a little smile, and he clearly felt the same way as Sinan, and said, "No, Colonel. I heard that you were cured by serum antibodies. I think you stayed in the military until the vaccine was developed. Headquarters will play a bigger role.”
Zhou Rong said: "Yes, but..."
"The 118 Brigade has made indelible feats at the beginning of the outbreak of the virus, but there are still many troops that have been abolished because of the collapse of the entire army. The 118 is just one of them, and it will be forever recorded in the military history of the Republic along with its brothers. ."
Zhou Rong wanted to say something, but the old man could see his thoughts keenly: "The chance of sacrifice on the front line is too high, Colonel. Why does a man who doesn't even care about his family talk about the country?"
This time Zhou Rong was speechless for a moment and stood there stiffly.
At this time, a cadre-like person hurried in, leaning over the old man and whispering a few words. The old man raised his hand to indicate that he knew, and then patted Zhou Rong on the edge of the table: "Okay, you have to go back!"
Zhou Rong was puzzled, and the old man sighed softly.
"You don't know yet? Lao Guo is gone, what happened when he was transferred from the B military area. Go see his grandson, the relics have just been delivered to him."
When the B military region collapsed, the Military Commission organized a large-scale retreat, and Deputy Minister Guo voluntarily stayed and took command, but he missed the last helicopter to take off.
Zhou Rong nodded and thanked the guards who led the way. At the end of the corridor was a small cafeteria. It was not yet dinner time. There was no one at the moment, only Chuncao and Ding Shi stood at the door and looked in nervously.
"Brother Rong..."
Zhou Rong put his index finger on his lips, motioned them to keep silent, and then walked in.
Guo Weixiang was lying on the side of the dining table, facing the corner of the wall, and he was sitting alone in the entire cafeteria. Seeing from the back that he was burying his face in his palm, Zhou Rong walked past him, went to the vending machine beside the other wall to buy beer and cigarettes, turned around and piled them on the dining table, and opened the door in front of Guo Weixiang. folding chair.
"Come on," he opened a bottle of beer and pulled down Guo Weixiang's left hand involuntarily, and shoved the beer can into his hand: "This is all the cash on your brother Rong. I'll give you my life today to invite you."
Guo Weixiang's eyes were flushed, and he was about to cover his eyes with his right hand, but Zhou Rong forcibly stuffed a soft Chinese root.
"Brother Rong..."
"How did the old man go?"
Guo Weixiang burst into tears again, and shook his head with a choked breath.
"The virus suddenly broke out from the research institute. When he was retreating, the army was in chaos. He insisted on telling others to leave first. He took the password and key to close the security gate on the third underground floor... He was almost eighty years old, and he had nothing to do with him. , temporarily came out to apply for emergency authority.”
It is true that Deputy Minister Guo has to retire, and in recent years he has stopped doing many things himself. If it wasn't for him to stand up and demand strongly, this kind of rear-guard task that was destined to be sacrificed would not have been handed over to an old man who was nearly eighty years old.
"I didn't have time to say goodbye to him." Guo Weixiang's nose was red, and he said, "The day I was leaving, the military vehicle drove past the gate of the compound. You asked me if I wanted to stop for a while. Give me five minutes to go in and say goodbye to the old man... But I was always afraid that people would think that I was specializing, so I insisted not. Why didn't I go in? Why didn't I go in, and I didn't even meet the last time... "
Zhou Rong lit a cigarette for himself and lowered his eyelids in the white mist.
Guo Weixiang had a gray iron box in his hand, the size of an ordinary shoe box, sealed with a golden-red ribbon. Zhou Rong knew what it was—a relic box, which contained bits and pieces that Vice Minister Guo had used during his lifetime.
Pens, manuscripts, reading glasses, and at least half a box of heavy merit certificates and military medals.
"You're an 118," Zhou Rong said in a low voice, "The old man has been showing off this to others, he will close his eyes."
Guo Weixiang cried and shook his head, saying that Brother Rong, you don't understand, you don't understand.
"He originally wanted me to do something else, but I had to take the special forces exam... I wanted to prove myself, I wanted to fight for my breath, and yelled at him that I wanted to realize my ideal... But he actually just wanted his only grandson to be safe. Staying peacefully by my side, I didn't expect anything from me at all..."
Guo Weixiang's voice was not high, and he was even a little hoarse because of crying, but Zhou Rong seemed to be stabbed by something sharp and could not speak for a while.
"If I had been with him, he wouldn't have died." Guo Weixiang held his cigarette and pressed his palm to his blushing forehead, muttering: "If I was there at the time, I would never let him be like this. The eighty-year-old man is going to close the gate, and I must…”
Zhou Rong patted Guo Weixiang's arm, as if conveying some kind of power, and pressed it heavily: "Don't think like that. If you live so long, you won't be able to do anything, and you won't be serious except to accompany the old man all day. How can Deputy Minister Guo go on the road with peace of mind?"
"Your grandfather is actually happy when you yelled at him that you want to pursue your ideals." Zhou Rong added, "You don't understand, Xiangzi. The old man must be relieved when he leaves. He knows that you are promising, and you don't need to rely on anyone. already."
Xiangzi gasped for breath, and the nasal cavity made a sharp cracking sound, which finally turned into a burst of tears.
Ding Shi walked over cautiously, and Chuncao followed behind him lightly. The four people sat around this small dining table, Ding Shi patted Guo Weixiang's back hard, and couldn't help comforting him in a low voice, the latter's howling finally slowly turned into a hoarse and low sobbing.
"Brother Rong," Chuncao asked softly, "Are you sure about the abolition?"
Zhou Rong spit out a mouthful of white mist and seemed to smile bitterly, but he couldn't see clearly.
Chuncao and Ding Shi looked at each other and seemed a little reluctant to believe, "But... our No. 6 Squadron is still there. Doesn't it mean that as long as there is a captain, there will be a team? You can withdraw..."
Zhou Rong did not answer.
Chuncao wanted to ask again, Ding Shi touched her hand and motioned her to look down with his eyes.
——I saw Zhou Rong smoking one by one in his left hand, but holding a can of beer without a ring in his right hand. He probably didn't realize how strong his hands were, but the aluminum can was slightly deformed, and his fingernails made deep marks on the smooth body of the can.
Chuncao's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't make a sound.
"What is your ideal?" After a while, Zhou Rong suddenly asked in the white mist of tobacco.
Chuncao and Ding Shi looked at each other.
"My ideal is to do something real." Zhou Rong seemed to be talking to himself, saying, "It's not that I pay attention to whether the seam of my trousers is straight or not, the collar is not straight, and I can't be photogenic when standing in front of the camera. Have you ever lost face in front of a foreign media camera? It's not about wondering what a look in someone's eyes means, how many meanings are hidden in a sentence, and how many intricate interests are there between which person and which faction... I just want to Do something real, even like the People's Liberation Army troops back then, and help the orphanage shovel a little snow when you get up early."
He wiped his face, turned his hand to put out the cigarette butt, and smiled sadly.
Guo Weixiang unknowingly forgot to cry and whispered, "Brother Rong...?"
Zhou Rong answered and asked nonchalantly: "That's it, it's good, everyone is on the road to realize their ideals."
He stood up under the inexplicable gazes of the crowd, exhaled with all the strength of his body, as if he had finally finished a difficult battle, and patted the three comrades on the shoulders one by one in the gap between the artillery fire: "I am proud of you."
He showed a short smile, turned and walked out of the small cafeteria.
Sinan really didn't cooperate, he just rested on the bedside of the intensive care unit, no one dared to disturb him. He didn't sit up straight until he heard the footsteps of Zhou Rong coming back, and in an extremely imperceptible detail, his state seemed to loosen up slightly.
The supplies on the aircraft carrier were okay, and Zhou Rong came back with meals and sweet soup. The sky quickly turned dark on the sea, and when night fell, they ate with their heads leaning on a small table in the ward. The hot steam of the Lantern Festival Pineapple Sweet Soup permeated under the lights.
"Is Big Rooster all right?" Sinan asked without looking up.
"It's okay." Zhou Rong said, "don't go to him, give him some alone time."
Sinan nodded thoughtfully.
After a while, Zhou Rong saw him open a lunch box next to him that he had just sealed by himself, and began to eat two pieces of braised chicken legs and half a bowl of sweet soup, and suddenly understood why Sinan had to keep this lunch box alone before eating— Not to save for breakfast tomorrow.
He wanted to take it as a gift to see Guo Weixiang.
Zhou Rong burst out laughing, and Sinan spit out chicken bones expressionlessly: "What are you laughing at?"
"No, it's nothing." Zhou Rong waved his hands again and again, and most of the dark clouds in his heart suddenly dissipated.
After the meal, the nurse finally dared to come to draw blood. Zhou Rong was watching from the side. Unexpectedly, he didn't draw too much, and stopped at 100cc. He asked why, and the nurse's attitude was very good: "Dr. Ning from the Institute of Strategic Studies said that he had only drawn 800CC a few days ago. He was afraid that too much blood would affect his body. He must insist on long-term sustainability..."
The nurse slipped her lips, and her face flushed immediately.
However, Sinan didn't know much about the basic national policy, so it was rare for him to take the initiative to ask: "What's going on?"
The nurse ran in a hurry.
As soon as the door clicked shut, the ward filled with orange-yellow light became a small bedroom. Zhou Rong took a hot shower and came out. After being wiped with a towel, his black hair stood up in a mess. The water droplets flowed down his strong back muscles. He leaned over and put his hands on the side of the pillow, staring at Sinan who was lying on the bed. .
Sinan had a very full dinner - although it was only a few pieces of chicken thighs and the sweet Lantern Festival soup, it could be seen that he was very comfortable eating.
This is the best meal he has had since he met him, Zhou Rong thought.
No need to eat compressed biscuits, no need to drink cold water in winter, no need to worry about gobbling down half of it when you are extremely hungry, suddenly picking up weapons to fight zombies.
But none of this is what I can give him, I have nothing.
Zhou Rong swallowed his saliva, and the base of his tongue filled with unspeakable sourness. Sinan moved: "What?"
"...Nothing," Zhou Rong whispered, kissing the soft white gauze in front of his eyes.
The next moment, the back of his neck was pressed by Sinan's hand. With a bang, Zhou Rong's back hit the bed board, and before he could even react, the two of them switched up and down. Sinan straddled Zhou Rong's sturdy waist, condescendingly facing his face, raised his eyebrows and asked: " What's the matter with you, are you looking for fuck?"
Zhou Rong's crotch pushed up threateningly: "Who fucks who?"
Simon: "..."
Zhou Rong said harshly: "Comrade Si Xiaonan, the organization wants you to face up to the disparity in hardware. When have you ever seen someone blasting a Type 92 pistol with an anti-tank rocket launcher?"
"It's an anti-tank pile driver." Sinan smiled and groped for the thing with his backhand: "Anyway, the user experience is not good, so forget it..."
Zhou Rong hurriedly pulled his hand over, forcibly stuffed Sinan into the quilt tube, rolled it into a cake and hugged him in his arms.
The two of you poke me, and I scratch you. After a long time, Zhou Rong was too hard. He held Sinan tightly between his thighs to prevent him from struggling. He snapped the light off and ordered: "Don't play, go to sleep!"
Sinan: "Ear."
Zhou Rong then kept rubbing and kneading the tips of Sinan's ears with his fingers, making him very comfortable, and his breathing slowly became deep and steady.
There were no fingers in the ward, and the surroundings were quiet, as if the sound of waves crashing on the beach came from a distance. Zhou Rong opened his eyes in the dark, and he didn't know how long it took before he stopped moving.
"Tomorrow the ship will dock..." he said almost silently, not knowing whether to ask Sinan or himself: "What will we do in the future, eh?"
The surroundings were silent for a while.
"Cooperate with research, make vaccines, and go out to fight zombies." Suddenly, Sinan's sober voice sounded in his arms, and he mocked unabashedly, "Can you sleep, Miss Zhou?"
Zhou Rong: "..."
The corners of Zhou Rong's mouth twitched, Sinan shrank comfortably towards his chest, and after a while he ordered, "Ear."