Chapter 80: On the Eve of the Battle

The small buildings here are somewhat simple, and stepping inside the house, a wave of heat comes rushing in. An old-fashioned floor fan is swinging back and forth, and the hot air it blows may only bring psychological comfort.

The room was covered with a few thin mats, but there were a lot of men lying around. Just standing in the room, the unique summer heat and the restlessness of the men before the battle mixed together and came at you, making people feel like something had exploded inside them, and they just wanted to have a great battle in this hot season.

A figure rushed towards me, not like when I was a child, who would hang on to me habitually, but just ran over and stood next to me, smiling foolishly, with excitement in his eyes.

“Brother…” Hui Gen’er called out, and then he was a little “shy” and didn’t know what to say.

Has he grown up so much in these days? He suddenly became silent and shy, a sign of a man’s psychological maturity. He no longer chatters like he did when he was a child.

I patted Hui Gen’er’s bald head as I always did. Hui Gen’er was very cute when he was little, but I didn’t resist him growing up, even though the process was accompanied by many unforgettable things.

“Brother…” Qiangzi came over.

“Chengyi!” “Chengyi, you’re here…”

…

Everyone who had fought with me before, Yuan Yi, Xiao Bei, and so on, all came over to me. I hugged them one by one. I didn’t show much enthusiasm, but I was relieved to be able to leave my back to them in battle. This is the bond between men.

Apart from them, most of the people in the house I didn’t know, everyone was more or less a little nervous because of Jiang Yi’s arrival. Hui Gen said in a low voice in my ear, “Brother, there are a lot of people, and there are more upstairs.”

I looked at Hui Gen, who had turned black from the sun, and asked, “Really? Have you been suffering?”

“No, I think this is the life a man should live.” Hui Gen’er’s eyes had a strange light in them.

I didn’t know what to say, so I just put my hand on Hui Gen’er’s bald head and remained silent.

Jiang Yi didn’t say anything, just stood there for a while, then turned and walked out of the house. I held my backpack in one hand and looked at Jiang Yi’s back as I shouted, “Aren’t you going to fight? If you do, at least you can avoid a lot of casualties.”

Having seen Jenny’s abilities, I felt that Jiang Yi’s actions would also be extremely “earth-shattering.” Lao Hui’s death had left a deep shadow in my heart. I was afraid of the death of my close comrades, and I longed for their battles to be protected.

Hearing my shout, Jiang Yi suddenly turned around and looked at me, saying, “If your identity and status reach a certain point, even fighting is not free, because the circle has its own rules, and my role is more of a restraint. Do you believe it? If I participate in the battle, more people will die.”

“Why?” I was puzzled. Why would Jiang Yi say that if he fought, there would be more sacrifices?

But Jiang Yi didn’t seem to want to explain any further. He turned and walked out the door, leaving me with a sentence: “You’ll know when the time comes.”

What will I know when the time comes? I was puzzled, but in the end I didn’t ask too much. Most of the people here know Jiang Yi’s identity, or maybe he needs to maintain his own dignity? I guessed in boredom.

However, not long after Jiangyi left, a whistle sounded in the room, and then a voice said, “Fuck, I’m suffocating. Come on, let’s drink…” In the meantime, I don’t know where that person got a can of beer, and he looked very comfortable taking a big sip.

The room was no longer silent, but suddenly became extremely lively. People were drinking, bragging, and even playing cards… To be honest, this is what a room full of men should be like. I couldn’t help but smile. I put down my luggage. Although I had some obstacles to integrating into the ‘strangers’, this did not prevent me from enjoying the atmosphere. This relaxed atmosphere before the war could at least relieve psychological pressure.

After a day and a half…

I once said that men can easily get close to each other. A cigarette or a drink can lead to a good chat. Even if I don’t know how to communicate and I’m not enthusiastic, a day and a half is enough for me to get to know the 37 men here.

They are the main force of the battle!

There are still two hours before the operation. This is what the captain of our team told us in advance. He said, “There are still two hours to go. Brothers can go find whatever fun they want, but don’t drop the ball. Those guys are extremely evil. They can’t be considered human, and they also disregard life. We have to end their evil deeds.”

It was a simple statement, very simple. After he finished speaking, the men in the room almost all dispersed, arguing about going out to have fun. In fact, many of them just went out to relieve their stress alone, or called their families, but they were unwilling to say so, as that would seem weak.

The six of us sat on the roof, with cold beer from the well at hand. Hui Gen was drinking a local soft drink, 50 cents a bottle. He was still afraid to drink.

It was already late in the day, and the air was finally getting a little cooler. Occasionally, a cool breeze would blow, and looking at the distant sunset and the shadow of the mountains, my mind was strangely blank. I really wasn’t thinking about anything.

Hui Gen was still by my side, bragging about his experiences in the hospital. It was like a fishing expedition, how they moved, forcing Lu Fanming and his gang to flee like rats. Of course, there were also some thrilling moments, and we all laughed as Hui Gen excitedly talked about them.

As he was talking, Hui Gen suddenly asked, “Brother, you won’t blame me for not visiting you in the hospital, will you?”

When he said this, Qiangzi and Yuanyi also looked at me, their eyes full of guilt, as if they wanted to say something but couldn’t.

I put my hand on Hui Gen’er’s bald head, looked into the distance, took a sip of beer, and asked, “What do you think?”

This time, it was not Huigen who answered me, but Qiangzi. His words almost came out of his teeth: “We thought that instead of saying anything, it would be better to stay by his side and hit Lu Fanming more. The more embarrassed he was, the more you could take revenge on him and the more you could take back your injuries. Even if you lost your life, you would not regret it.”

I took another big sip of beer and said after a long silence, “I understand. Just like this time, I said I would kill Lu Fanming with my own hands, even if I had to die trying.”

In the wind, in the setting sun, everyone was silent, and a hint of determination could be seen in their eyes. Everyone clenched their fists, while Yuan Yi just kept counting the pills in his hand, which I had given him when I first arrived. I hadn’t mentioned anything about his grandfather, I just said that an old friend had asked me to give them to him, but he was inexplicably very concerned about the pills. Could it be that he sensed something? I didn’t want to think about it, we were about to fight, everyone stay alive, after we come back alive, we’ll talk about other things.

In fact, I am very afraid of such a scene. Before the battle with the Black Rock Miao Village, my master once proposed to take a walk with me in the town. It was also a sunset that day, but soon after returning from the Black Rock Miao Village, my master disappeared.

I hope that this time, we won’t have to sacrifice anyone!

The two hours were up quickly, and everyone gathered silently in the house. Before that, we had already changed into standard camouflage uniforms, smeared on insect repellent, and so on. The difference between us and the real soldiers was that they were armed and equipped, while we were equipped with various magical artifacts, talismans, and the like.

Hong Zixian set off ahead of us. He is the leader of this troop. Due to some sensitive relationships, the operations department will also participate in this operation to prevent any “accidents” on the border, just like the army over there.

I don’t want to comment on why, and I don’t want to think about it. I only know that this time, we have to stop this group of people, kill Luo Fanming, and eliminate the little devil. If the little devil is with Luo Fanming, then that is our main task.

Before he left, Hongzi hugged us and said, “This time my mission is the lightest. After all, I won’t be in any danger, but you must all be alive!”

Yes, I hope we can return victorious and all alive. Before we set off, Jiang Yi came.