Chapter 31: The Foul-Mouthed Veteran (Revised)

Lost in his own thoughts, Su Yang gathered his rifle, gear, and backpack, then followed the others in a daze toward the barracks on the first floor.

He reached the dormitory at the end of the hall, pushed open the door, and saw two men chatting inside while a third was performing push-ups on the floor.

"A new guy? And a private at that?"

Seeing Su Yang enter, a private first class looked at him with surprise and exchanged a glance with the junior non-commissioned officer sitting nearby.

"Interesting. You must be something special to make it to the scout training camp as a mere private."

The man doing push-ups on the floor stood up, and Su Yang realized he was another private first class.

"Hello, Squad Leader!" Su Yang quickly saluted.

There was no helping it; he was just a raw recruit, after all.

"No need for that, no need. My name is Xiao Fei, from the 588th Regiment’s Scout Company. You can just call me Old Xiao," the junior NCO said modestly, quickly stopping Su Yang’s salute.

He wasn't about to act like a superior veteran. Anyone arriving at a scout training camp as a private either possessed immense talent or significant connections; either way, they were not to be underestimated.

"Zhong Huatao, Divisional Reconnaissance Battalion."

"Ye Cheng, Steel 8th Company, 588th Regiment."

"Su Yang, Night Tiger Scout Company."

Su Yang hurriedly introduced himself.

...

Deep in the mountains, far from the city, lay the base of the Langya Special Operations Brigade. In the headquarters office, a colonel in his forties nodded repeatedly while speaking into the phone.

After a moment, he hung up the red landline, picked up a walkie-talkie, and called out, "This is He Zhijun. Send Wild Wolf to my office."

A short while later, a military off-road vehicle pulled up to the brigade headquarters. A tall, thin major stepped out, returned the salute of the sentry at the door, and headed to the third floor.

"Reporting!"

"Come in!"

The major pushed the door open and walked in, asking, "Brigade Commander, you wanted to see me?"

He Zhijun, standing by the window staring blankly at the mountains and trees rushing past outside, turned his head after a moment and said, "Xiao Gao, there aren't any training missions lately, are there?"

Gao Dazhuang shook his head. "Nothing much at the moment. Lone Wolf is just conducting routine training and standing by for any potential missions."

"That’s good. By the way, the plan you submitted to me regarding the formation of the Lone Wolf B-Team has been approved by headquarters. You can start making preparations."

As he spoke, He Zhijun walked to his desk and handed the newly received document to Gao Dazhuang.

Gao Dazhuang opened the file, read it carefully, and said with pleasant surprise, "It’s finally approved. Once we establish the Lone Wolf B-Team, Ma Da and the others will have it much easier. Otherwise, they are all getting on in years, and I truly worry about them constantly charging into a hail of bullets."

He Zhijun sipped his tea, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Once Vulture returns from the B Group Army, have him take over your current duties. You will focus entirely on selecting the members for the Lone Wolf Commando Unit."

"Understood. I’d be at ease with Vulture taking over." Gao Dazhuang understood the Brigade Commander’s intent—building a reserve force was of the utmost importance.

He then asked, "Brigade Commander, could I go observe the scout training camp being held by the B Group Army? There might be some good prospects there that we need."

He Zhijun nodded. "You can, but go during the final month. There’s no point going now. I will also instruct Vulture to keep an eye out for promising recruits."

"Yes, Brigade Commander."

After discussing further details regarding the team's formation, Gao Dazhuang left the office.