Chapter 84: A Sudden Mission

Silly Zhu got married, which made the old deaf lady so happy, but in the entire courtyard, the only one not pleased was Chen Liang.

That little rascal, Liu Siyuan, always gave Chen Liang a meaningful smile when no one else was around, making his heart uneasy. He felt it might have been better not to get married at all; his condition seemed worse than before.

“Xiaoyu, heading to work?” Damn, she’s really haunting him. Liu Siyuan called out to Chen Liang and Xiaoyu, who were about to leave for work in the morning. “Yes! Sister-in-law, do you want to walk together?”

“Sure, wait a moment, I’ll grab something before we go.”

This little rascal is really pushing her luck, huh? Don’t you believe I’ll take out a big stick and beat you to death! Of course, Chen Liang only dared to think this, a little self-consolation. Even if he wanted to act, it’d have to wait until after she had the child; otherwise, he’d feel he was betraying Silly Zhu.

He…tui! You scoundrel, even daring to think about it—Xiaoyu ought to cut you off with scissors! Bah! A scoundrel like you deserves no pity!

When Liu Siyuan left the house with her things, Silly Zhu followed behind, his eyes ringed with dark circles, looking utterly exhausted, as if he’d barely survived the ordeal.

Silly Zhu glanced at Chen Liang, who stood beside him pretending to be aloof, and his eyes shone with envy and jealousy. Only now, after getting married himself, did Silly Zhu realize how formidable Chen Liang was, living a life of nightly revelry. It had only been less than a week since his own wedding, and he was already holding onto walls just to walk—the gap between people was truly staggering!

“Liangzi, is your herbal wine ready yet? Can you spare me some?” Silly Zhu pulled Chen Liang aside and asked in a low, pleading voice.

Chen Liang’s gaze was full of contempt for this amateur—just this? Already worn out after a few days?

Feeling Chen Liang’s disdain, Silly Zhu tried to maintain his dignity. “Liangzi, don’t get the wrong idea. Mainly, I just want to be prepared, you understand?”

Chen Liang rolled his eyes—those excuses were leftovers from when he tricked Old Lu!

A man’s pride is sometimes baffling—so eager to save face, yet suffering for it…

“Wait until it’s done brewing; there’s still more than a month to go,” Chen Liang replied. There’s plenty of time—just endure it!

On the way to work, Silly Zhu parted ways with Chen Liang and the others. Silly Zhu had to drop Liu Siyuan off at the department store before heading to his job at the library.

After seeing Xiaoyu off, Chen Liang arrived at the Red Star Steel Mill and changed into his security uniform. Suddenly, a shrill whistle sounded—three long, two short blasts. Chen Liang immediately dropped his thermos, grabbed his peaked cap from the wall, strapped his belt, and rushed out.

He’d never served in the army, but he’d seen enough to recognize the emergency assembly whistle. The security department was a quasi-military unit; he knew the drill.

He ran to the playground, confidently standing at the front of the line. Just two days prior, he’d been promoted to Security Officer, a twenty-third grade cadre.

In this era, promotions didn’t involve banquets—there were hundreds in the security department, and no one could afford that. So Chen Liang bought candies, sunflower seeds, and peanuts, handed them out to everyone, and called it a celebration.

His uncle, Lu Youwei, stood at the front of the playground. Once everyone was lined up, he took out a sheet of paper and began roll call.

“Chen Liang,”

Chen Liang snapped to attention and shouted, “Here!” Then jogged out of line, standing to the side.

“Bolba,”

After another “Here,” his junior brother joined him.

“Zhao Wei, Yang Guanghua, Wang Weijun, …”

A total of ten names were called. Chen Liang noticed that all those selected were the trusted aides of various department heads—something big was about to happen.

After the roll call, Uncle Lu dismissed the group, then led Chen Liang and the others to the small auditorium.

Once seated, the head of the security department arrived, flanked by two deputy heads.

“Stand up!”

The department head was a mysterious figure, rarely seen except in serious matters. The fact that he was personally involved meant this was no trivial incident.

He stepped in front of the group, gave a military salute, and pulled a document from his folder.

Chen Liang’s sharp eyes caught the red lettering at the top.

Damn! A red-letter directive—this was serious!

“Orders!” The department head, a retired soldier, spoke few words, but each sentence carried a chilling, martial intensity.

Finally, the department head surveyed everyone present. “The order from the military district is absolute. I’m giving you the same—no matter what, even if you have to crawl, you must deliver the supplies safely within seven days. Understood?”

“Mission guaranteed!” ×10. As soon as his words ended, the auditorium echoed with a thunderous response.

“Good! I’m a straightforward man, not given to fancy words. All I know is this—supplies delivered on time means merit; fail to deliver, that’s dereliction, and military law is merciless. Be careful! Do you understand?”

“Yes! Overcome all obstacles, guarantee completion of the mission!” ×10. Another unified, powerful roar!

“Good. This time, Vice Chief Lu will personally lead the team. I wish you all swift and successful completion!” With that, the chief saluted again and ceded the floor to Uncle Lu.

Uncle Lu didn’t speak much either. He swept his gaze over everyone. “You have five minutes to gather your personal belongings. Assemble at the armory for equipment in five minutes. Dismissed!”

Hell, five minutes—what can you do with that? Might as well not give us any time at all.

Grumbling, Chen Liang took off running. Thankfully, the north gate wasn’t far from the auditorium, otherwise he’d have hated running back.

He grabbed four or five thermoses hanging on the wall—didn’t matter whose they were—and slung them over his shoulder. At the door, he told the guard, “Buddy, do me a favor—if you see Chen Dashan or Chen Jian, tell them I’m out on a mission!”

Then, moving like a dog chased by wolves, he hurried to the security department. Once Uncle Lu was in work mode, he recognized no one—miss the deadline, and you’d be scolded, maybe even kicked off the task.

Feeling weak from lack of exercise, Chen Liang managed to reach the armory in time, handing two thermoses to his junior brother.

This time they were heading to the Gobi Desert, so carrying extra water was wise.

From the armory, they received semi-automatic rifles and revolvers, along with two sets of magazines. Fully equipped, the group began boarding the vehicles.

As soon as he boarded, Chen Liang spotted familiar faces: “Brother Niu, Xiao Meng—long time no see!”