401 A happily married life (1/2)

The war had started the moment the Razor Sharp Company took Mt. Guan. There was no official declaration of war, with the first gunshot fired being the bugle call.

Attacking Shichuan Village was a very minor interlude in the entire war. Both Second Company and Third Company had come along with Razor Sharp Company to Shichuan Village as this was not a place they could wage a battle on their own.

From here on out, they would be facing the Zong Consortium's regular troops. These regular troops had been put through systematic military training and had shot countless targets before. The only thing was they had never officially been on the battlefield before. Compared with the bandits they faced earlier, these troops were on a completely different level.

According to Zhang Xiaoman, the troops of the Zong Consortium were not that much weaker than those from Fortress 178. The only difference was their experience and ability to adapt on the battlefield. There was also a difference in what they had learned during their desensitization training.

Some of the Zong Consortium's new recruits would throw up, get disgusted, and become fearful when they saw intestines spilling out and legs getting broken. However, the veterans of Fortress 178 would not.

At the forward operating base, Zhou Yinglong got the orderlies to hand out pen and paper to everyone.

”What's this for?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

Zhang Xiaoman raised his head and gave him a look. ”To write your will.”

”Will?” Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a moment.

”On the surface, it's to let everyone write down whatever they want to say. If they don't make it back after a battle, the Administration Division will deliver the letters to their family. You can consider it a letter to pass down any instructions after your death. If the soldiers manage to return, they can go to the Administration Division and redeem their letters,” Zhang Xiao Man explained. ”But we just call this thing a will.”

”That sounds like bad luck,” Ren Xiaosu said with a smile.

”There's nothing unlucky about it.” Zhang Xiaoman shook his head. ”Those who step onto the battlefield should be able to make light of death. Actually, we didn't understand it at first, but after fighting so many enemies outside Fortress 178, we're numb to it.”

”Then who are you writing to?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

”My parents,” Zhang Xiaoman said, ”and my wife too.”

”You're married?”

”Listen to what you're saying. I'm almost thirty years old.” Zhang Xiaoman chuckled and said, ”Can't I have a wife?”

Ren Xiaosu felt a little embarrassed. He did not really understand the concept of marriage, so he assumed everyone else was single like him. Thinking about it, since Zhang Xiaoman was the company commander, he couldn't be that young.

”What does being married feel like?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

”It's not too bad, I guess. There's always a hot meal waiting at home,” Zhang Xiaoman said as he wrote out his ”will.”

”Are you happy?” Ren Xiaosu asked.

Zhang Xiaoman chuckled and looked up. ”You must be hankering for love, huh? Why are you so interested in this? Let me put it this way. I've been happily married for one year.”

”That sounds pretty nice,” Ren Xiaosu said.

Beside him, Jiao Xiaochen laughed loudly and said, ”You don't get it. He's been married for ten years.”

Ren Xiaosu was speechless.

Then Zhang Xiaoman asked, ”Aren't you going to write your letter?”

Ren Xiaosu hesitated for a moment. ”I don't know who I should write it to.”

All the warriors of the Razor Sharp Company fell silent. They realized this was probably the reason Ren Xiaosu had fought so desperately against the Zong Consortium.

After leaving the forward operating base, they could only travel on foot. In the battle plan, they would arrive at the outskirts of Shichuan Village on the third day. But from the moment they stepped out of the forward operating base, they had to be on full alert. This was in case the Zong Consortium's troops had set up an ambush near Shichuan Village.