Whew!
Seeing the soldiers holster their weapons, Chen Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly been afraid that one of them might make a mistake and accidentally blow him away. That would have been an incredibly unjust way to go!
"You're a procurement officer from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill? Do you have an introduction letter and other credentials?"
Even though the soldiers had lowered their guns, the one in charge did not stop being suspicious of Chen Feng. After all, enemy agents were quite common in these times. Furthermore, Chen Feng had appeared right after the Yunmi Reservoir had just been completed; the soldier had every reason to be wary of him.
"Yes, yes, I have them..."
Chen Feng understood the soldier's concerns. He immediately pulled his introduction letter, his work permit, and the procurement certificate from his pocket. The lead soldier took the items and compared them carefully. It took a while before he returned everything to Chen Feng, though he still wore a frown.
"Comrade, I'm afraid you've made this trip for nothing."
"What? Comrade, why do you say that?" Chen Feng froze, a look of anxiety immediately appearing on his face. "I’m here on an official mission from the factory. If I don’t complete it, how am I supposed to explain myself when I get back?"
Having verified Chen Feng's identity, the lead soldier’s tone softened. "Comrade Chen, it's like this: because of the construction of the Yunmi Reservoir, the labor force from the surrounding communes has been entirely occupied with the project. They have no time to go hunting in the mountains. If you’re hoping to buy wild game from the communes, I suggest you give up on that idea."
This!
A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Chen Feng's mouth. "Comrade, thank you for telling me, but I have to complete the factory's mission. If I return empty-handed after coming all this way, I won't be able to face my superiors! I’ve traveled over a hundred miles—at least let me go and ask around. Maybe I'll get lucky."
The lead soldier looked at the exhausted man and felt a pang of sympathy. "Comrade Chen, if you want to complete your mission, you can come back with us. We are from the reservoir management office, and we are heading into the mountains to hunt tomorrow. If we’re lucky and catch enough, we can sell some to you."
While the military had strict discipline, discipline was rigid, but people were flexible. As long as it didn’t touch upon bottom-line principles, superiors usually wouldn't make a fuss. Hadn't the military even started getting involved in business in the nineties? They were just selling some wild game they had hunted themselves; nobody would care about that.
"Really? Comrade, are you serious?" Chen Feng grabbed the man's hand, his excitement plain to see.
Uh! Although he understood the man's excitement, being grabbed tightly by another man made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Really, Comrade Chen. Why would I lie to you?" The soldier subtly pulled his hand away.
Haha...
Chen Feng smiled. He was laughing because he could finally complete his mission, or perhaps because of...
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The soldier was a little embarrassed by Chen Feng’s enthusiasm. However, as they were both young, they soon became familiar with each other. Chen Feng learned the man’s name: Liu Yuan'an, a platoon leader in the reservoir garrison company.
As the most important water source for Beiping, having the military guard the Yunmi Reservoir was perfectly normal for the times. Even though it had been over a decade since the sixties, the regime in Taiwan remained restless and kept trying to commit acts of sabotage. A place as critical as the Yunmi Reservoir naturally required soldiers to guard it. Otherwise, if the enemy blew it up, it would be a disaster.
Upon returning to the management office, Liu Yuan'an led Chen Feng directly to see his company commander, who was the highest-ranking officer there. After reading the introduction letter and credentials, the commander didn't give Chen Feng a hard time; on the contrary, he seemed to appreciate him.
"Kid, you've got guts! Coming here all by yourself—weren't you afraid of something going wrong? The journey here couldn't have been safe."
He knew exactly what the situation was like outside, and it was precisely because he knew that he admired Chen Feng. Given the distance and the current era, most people wouldn't dare to travel alone. Yet, Chen Feng had done it. Such a promising young man would surely go far in the military.
"Company Commander Zhou, you're too kind. I didn't have much of a choice—if I weren't trying to fulfill my mission for the factory, I wouldn't have resorted to such a desperate measure." Chen Feng put on a pained expression, acting the part of a procurement officer who had no choice but to take risks to complete his job.
No, he wasn't just acting. He really was a procurement officer, through and through.
"Sigh! You kid..." Zhou Zhen also sighed.
These were difficult times for the whole country. He understood the factory leadership; with so many people doing heavy manual labor, they really couldn't go without meat for long. Still, while he understood, he also had some reservations about the factory leadership’s decision. Even with a legitimate reason, they should have sent more people. They could have looked out for each other and ensured safety. However, since it was someone else's factory, it wasn't his place to interfere.
When he heard about Liu Yuan'an's proposal, he thought it was a good idea. He had taken an immediate liking to Chen Feng and felt a desire to be helpful. As for why he felt that way, Zhou Zhen didn't dwell on it—it was probably just a good first impression.
"Platoon Leader Liu, since Little Chen needs the help, you take the first platoon tomorrow. Work a bit harder and bag some more game. The soldiers in the company haven't had meat in a long time, and we shouldn't forget the villagers in the surrounding area who sacrificed so much to build this reservoir."
"Yes, Commander! Mission guaranteed!"
Seeing that Zhou Zhen had agreed, Chen Feng felt a weight lift from his heart and looked on with gratitude. In any era, these brave soldiers were worthy of unconditional trust. Just like right now.
...
Night fell.
After eating a meal from the communal mess hall, Chen Feng stayed in the barracks room that Zhou Zhen had arranged for him. He waited quietly as time passed, and when the moon was eventually obscured by dark clouds, the entire camp fell into a deep silence.
Chen Feng carefully sensed his surroundings. His heightened perception confirmed that no one was paying attention to him. With a single thought, Chen Feng vanished from the room.
The room stood empty, as if he had never been there at all.