EM Chapter 24. Soy Sauce

The barracks looked more like a storage warehouse. Rows upon rows of military cots were packed tightly together. Each bed was a simple design: canvas stretched across a metal frame. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan’s beds were tucked into a corner. He did a rough headcount and estimated there were nearly a hundred people inside. The space between each bed was minimal. Two tall metal racks stood near the wall by the entrance, meant for storing washbasins and toiletries. The place felt incredibly cramped.

Song Feng narrowed his bright eyes. This barracks clearly could not hold this many people for long. It looked like the first round of cuts would be coming soon.

Wei Xiaoyan was locked in a struggle with his blanket. He suddenly shouted with excitement, “Hey, boss, look! I’ve got corners now—come see!”

Nearby trainees all turned to stare. The corners of their mouths twitched. Were these two really new recruits? No, recruits did not come in as second lieutenants unless they were from a military academy. But if they had graduated from a military academy, there was no way they would not even know how to fold a blanket. And considering how they looked when they first arrived, with their clothing and their hair, it was impossible not to be suspicious.

Doubt spread rapidly through the room. These two stood out far too much. They were like aliens in a military base.

Song Feng looked over, then pointed at the bed next to his. Wei Xiaoyan’s shoulders slumped. He pulled the blanket apart and started over. Although no one here really knew each other, the military always promoted unity, support, and helping your fellow soldiers. The man in the neighboring bed soon came over.

“That’s not right. Let me show you.”

“You’re a good man,” Song Feng said with a grin, standing up to watch. He took the opportunity to study him. The man looked to be in his early twenties, neat and clean-cut, with the rank insignia of a first lieutenant on his shoulder.

The man shook out the blanket and began explaining the folding technique step by step. In no time, he produced a regulation-perfect tofu block.

“That’s what it should look like.”

Wei Xiaoyan beamed as he carefully set the folded blanket at the head of his bed. Song Feng rubbed his chin.

“It really is the same kind. I thought yours might be stiffer.”

“Not a chance,” the man replied as he moved over to fold Song Feng’s blanket as well. He gave a second, patient explanation.
“Fold it a few more times and you’ll get the hang of it.”

Song Feng poked the sharp corner of the folded block and looked up at him.
“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“I’m Song Feng. That’s Wei Xiaoyan.”

“Thirty-eighth Group Army. Bai Xuyao.”

“Hey, the Thirty-eighth… I think I’ve heard of that one,” Wei Xiaoyan said as he tried to remember. In truth, he had not spent much time in the military. Whatever knowledge he once had of army structure had long since faded.

Song Feng added a quick explanation.
“One of the three major heavy-armor group armies in the military. Headquarters is in Baoding. I don’t remember the exact composition, but it’s said to be a rapid-response unit. They can reach any part of China within two to seven days and nights.”

“Impressive,” Wei Xiaoyan said as he looked at Bai Xuyao. “What’s your specialty?”

“Communications.”

“Technical unit,” Song Feng added with a smile. “Nice.”

Bai Xuyao gave a modest smile. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “So what unit are you two from?”

The corner of the room fell into sudden silence. Everyone nearby leaned in slightly, listening closely.

Song Feng blinked. “We don’t know. We got tossed in here directly.”

Bai Xuyao looked surprised. “What did you do before this?”

Song Feng straightened his back. “We were—”

He did not get to finish the sentence. All around him, sharp stares cut across the room like a volley of arrows. Even earlier, when they had fumbled with their blankets, they had not been subjected to looks like these. It was as if the moment he dared say the word “soldier,” the people here would rise up and tear him to pieces.

His voice stopped short. He knew they would not actually attack him, but he understood clearly what they were thinking. They believed he was defiling the title of “soldier.” Because right now, he was not one. He did not even deserve to be called one. Not even in uniform.

That kind of pressure made him fall silent. His shoulders slumped as he curled up on his bed and poked at the corner of his blanket.

“We’re just here to tag along…”

Wei Xiaoyan quickly echoed, “Yeah, we’re just pitiful little tag-alongs who don’t even know how to fold a blanket. We’re harmless. Really. We’re civilians. We haven’t even stepped on an ant.”

Bai Xuyao stared at them in silence.

Song Feng looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “We’re just students. We don’t understand military rules. If we do anything wrong, I hope you won’t get angry.”

Bai Xuyao met that harmless gaze and instantly forgot all about Song Feng’s flashy entrance earlier. He nodded.

“I won’t get angry.” He paused, then asked in confusion, “Who sent you here? Didn’t they say anything before dumping you in?”

“They said it was to build physical strength.”

Physical strength… Everyone around them once again confirmed that this training course must not be anything serious. The fog had lifted. Conversation resumed, and no one paid the two of them another glance. Bai Xuyao continued being helpful and gave them a few tips to keep in mind.

By then, it was already early evening. The mess hall soon opened for dinner, and the group began filing out. Song Feng walked a little faster and threw an arm around Bai Xuyao’s shoulder.

“I heard you tech soldiers can’t keep up physically. Is that true?”

The question was rude. One of Bai Xuyao’s comrades glanced over with a sour expression. Whatever else might be true, they were at least tougher than these two. He held back from commenting and walked ahead. Bai Xuyao had a better temper and explained patiently.

“We do train regularly. The intensity just isn’t as high.”

Song Feng thought about the weight of the standard-issue backpack and asked, “If you had to run with a twenty-kilo load, how far could you go?”

“Not very far…”

Song Feng looked at him. “Are you afraid of anything?”

They walked side by side toward the mess hall. Bai Xuyao turned slightly. “Why are you asking that?”

“Just curious. Look at me. A grown man, still scared of cockroaches. Xiaoyan’s afraid of spiders. What about you? I mean animals. It has to be an animal.”

“I’m not afraid of any.”

Song Feng blinked his innocent eyes. “Really? But you’re a soldier. I always heard soldiers don’t lie.”

Bai Xuyao suddenly felt a little awkward. He had been in the army long enough to joke around with his own unit, but these two really were students. That gave him a strange feeling of guilt. Song Feng’s eyes widened.

“You’re not being honest. A soldier who lies? Heavens—ah—”

Bai Xuyao quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. Before he could explain himself, Wei Xiaoyan shouted from the side, “Oh my god… a soldier who—”

“Alright, fine, I’ll tell you.” Bai Xuyao regretted ever starting a conversation with them. After a moment of struggle, he confessed, “I’m afraid of mice…”

His face flushed red. It was clearly a major embarrassment for him.

“But not the big ones. Just the small ones.”

“Small ones? Don’t you think they’re kind of cute? A lot of people keep them as pets,” Song Feng said as he held up his fingers to demonstrate. “They’re kind of adorable.”

“Enough. Don’t say it.” Bai Xuyao cut him off, clearly uncomfortable. “I mean the house kind. It’s not fear exactly, I just… when I see one I—”

“I get it. Some things don’t make sense, and that’s fine. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Besides, now you know what we’re scared of too. That’s fair.”

Bai Xuyao nodded. Something still felt off, but he did not overthink it. He walked into the mess hall and went to sit with his unit.

“Boss, are you really going to help him?”

“Just giving it a try. Think of it as a thank-you for teaching us how to fold blankets,” Song Feng said. “How far he makes it depends on him. As long as he has something he’s afraid of, we can work with that. The real problem is when someone’s afraid of nothing.”

“What if he said he was afraid of tigers? Would you still go through with it?”

“I was just asking offhand. If it didn’t work, I’d come up with something else. I didn’t expect to get lucky.” Song Feng lined up for dinner with him.

After the meal, they were restricted to the area around the barracks. The two of them found a spot to sit and took the time to look around the camp.

“Boss, if it were up to you, how would you run training?”

“Start with physical fitness. That’s the foundation,” Song Feng said. “Same as when I trained you. Before I became a mercenary, my combat skills were honed by special forces. No difference.” He paused for a moment. “Better sleep in uniform tonight. Just in case.”

“Got it.”

At four in the morning, a sharp whistle pierced the air. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan opened their eyes instantly. After so many years on the front line, even the slightest sound was enough to wake them and put them into full readiness. They grabbed their packs and headed out. Several others were already standing in formation. They joined the ranks, eyes settling on the instructor at the front. It was the same man who had handed out the number tags the day before.

The man checked the time and gave them a sarcastic jab about their speed. Then he climbed into the off-road vehicle.

“Keep up.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the driver started the engine. The barracks sat right by the camp gate, and past that was nothing but mountain road. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan took off at a sprint and, in a flash, caught up to the vehicle. They grabbed the metal railing on the side, stepped onto the rear spare tire, and vaulted cleanly into the open cabin of the truck.

The driver hit the brakes in shock. The instructor turned and stared. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan looked back at him with completely harmless expressions.

A few seconds passed before the instructor cracked.

“Who told you to get in?”

Song Feng blinked innocently. “You said to keep up.”

“……”

“Did I misunderstand?”

The instructor took a long breath. “Get out. I meant for you to keep up on foot.”

“You should have been clearer. You misled our emotions…”

“Exactly. If this were the battlefield, a vague order could wipe out the whole unit, sir,” Wei Xiaoyan added with an earnest look.

The instructor said nothing.

The two of them jumped back down, sighing in genuine disappointment.

Bai Xuyao walked over in disbelief. “Did you two just—”

Song Feng gave him a bright smile and patted him on the shoulder. “Today’s your lucky day. Try to keep pace with us. If you can’t, just shout. Got it?”

Before Bai Xuyao could reply, the off-road vehicle took off again. They had no choice but to run after it.

On the third floor of the main building, Xiao Mingxuan stood at a window and slowly lowered his binoculars. He had seen the entire exchange clearly. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. That man really was something. Life was definitely going to get more interesting. He turned and looked over the current training plan, then made a decision: the first round of cuts would happen within the week.

The mountain road wound upward in a series of bends and turns. Bai Xuyao gritted his teeth. He could not let himself fall behind a pair of students. He pushed through five kilometers, feeling like he was going to cough up blood.

Between labored breaths, he gasped,
“You… you two… don’t… don’t you feel tired?”

“Still holding up?” Song Feng asked cheerfully as he jogged, glancing toward the front of the group. He did a quick headcount and confirmed they were not currently in the elimination range. Then he turned to the side.

“You can’t run anymore?”

Bai Xuyao gritted his teeth.

“No!”
He kept going, even as his lungs burned. His thoughts churned with disbelief. These two claimed to be students? That had to be a joke. There was no way it could be true.

They passed another two kilometers. His pace began to falter. He could no longer keep up. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan exchanged a glance, then both reached into their pockets.

Yesterday, they had used white plastic bags to catch two small mice. Each bag had a small hole poked in it so the mice could breathe. Now, each of them lifted a bag and slowed their pace until they were just behind Bai Xuyao.

“Hey, take a look at this.”

Bai Xuyao turned his head with difficulty. What he saw was two mice suspended in midair, dangling closer and closer.

“Shit—!”
A chill ran through him, and the next moment he took off running.

Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan chased after him, each holding a bag and shouting as they ran, “Oh no, it’s slipping toward your collar. It’s going to fall in.”

“Ahhh!”

The people behind them could only stare as the two so-called tag-alongs charged forward, chasing a junior officer who was clearly outranked by them in every way. Together, the three of them surged past the rest of the formation in a wild stampede.

The rest of the group was silent.

“……”