EM Chapter 27. Responsiblity

“Aaaugh—!” Bai Xuyao let out a pained scream as he was hurled through the air.

Just a few minutes earlier, he had been standing tall with smug confidence, barking orders like a seasoned drill instructor.

“One at a time! You—” he pointed at Song Feng. “You go first. Stop dragging your feet like some delicate little flower.”

He even ran up to drag Song Feng forward himself, bouncing with excitement as if all his earlier exhaustion had been swept away.

Song Feng allowed himself to be pulled over.

Bai Xuyao spread his stance, full of bravado, and crooked a finger at him. “Come at me.”

Song Feng hesitated. “Why don’t you go on the offensive?”

Bai Xuyao looked at him seriously.
“I’m instructing you right now. You have to attack me so I can show you how to counter. If I go on the offensive, I might drop you in one move.”

Wei Xiaoyan had to turn around, burying his face in the corner as his shoulders shook. A nearby instructor noticed and walked over.
“What’s wrong? You sick?”

“No,” Wei Xiaoyan said, trembling.
“I’m laughing. I just can’t let anyone see me laugh—hahaha…”

The instructor fell silent.

“I can’t—I have to look!” Wei Xiaoyan clapped a hand over his mouth and turned back just in time to see Bai Xuyao still trying to deliver his lecture. Song Feng had no choice but to stretch a little and approach.

“I’m going to strike now, alright?”

Bai Xuyao nodded. Then suddenly he froze, recalling how both of them had jumped onto the truck that morning with flawless agility. A sense of doubt crept in.

“Wait a minute. You guys really don’t know any hand-to-hand?”

“Nope,” Song Feng replied with a perfectly innocent look. “I don’t even know what the first move is supposed to be.”

That was all Bai Xuyao needed to hear. He relaxed and got into position. “Alright then. Let’s do it.”

Song Feng paused for a second, then threw a controlled punch. Bai Xuyao’s eyes sharpened. He took a step to the side to dodge and grabbed Song Feng’s arm. His other hand reached for Song Feng’s collar, clearly aiming to execute a clean over-the-shoulder throw.

Song Feng twisted his waist and slipped free. He pivoted around, caught Bai Xuyao’s wrist, and flipped him over in one fluid motion. The technique was clean and fast, with just enough control to keep it from doing any harm.

“Augh!” Bai Xuyao went flying with a shriek.

Wei Xiaoyan darted over and crouched beside him. “You okay, sweetie? Want me to tag in?”

Bai Xuyao’s last thread of sanity snapped with a loud internal crack. He lunged forward and grabbed Wei Xiaoyan by the throat. “I swear to god—! You said you didn’t know how! You said you didn’t know a damn thing!”

Wei Xiaoyan scrambled back. “Calm down! We really don’t know grappling!”

“Then what the hell was that? You think I’m blind? What do you call that just now?!”

Wei Xiaoyan explained patiently. “We only know how to fight. No official techniques. No named forms.”

“…”

Song Feng walked over.
“How about this. We teach you how to fight instead? Or are you scared to get hit?”

Bai Xuyao shot to his feet, full of righteous determination. “Bring it on!”

Song Feng beckoned with a finger, and Bai Xuyao charged forward.

Wei Xiaoyan sat back down, watching with a bright grin. The two of them had attracted attention since day one. Even the other recruits could not help glancing their way from time to time. Seeing Wei Xiaoyan sitting alone, someone came up to him.

“No sparring partner?”

Wei Xiaoyan looked up and saw it was the same guy who had asked earlier about the mouse bag. He had been at the front during the mountain run, clearly one of the top-performing soldiers.

Wei Xiaoyan nodded. “What about you?”

“I don’t feel like sparring with them anymore,” the man said. “I saw you move this morning. Want to go a few rounds?”

Wei Xiaoyan looked surprised. “You’ve trained?”

The man smiled. “Want to give it a try?”

Wei Xiaoyan figured he had nothing better to do, so he got up and walked with him to the open area.

Bai Xuyao had just climbed to his feet again and happened to catch sight of them. He turned to Song Feng.

“Hey, that guy’s from our group army. Ace of the 112th Division.”

Song Feng blinked. “He’s that good?”

Bai Xuyao nodded, eyes fixed on the sparring ground. “He’s had at least ten years of training in sanda and combat. You think Xiaoyan can take him?”

“Mind your own fight,” Song Feng said, dragging him back. “Let’s go again.”

“You’re not going to watch?”

Song Feng did not answer. “Are you coming or not?”

“Wait, let me watch first,” Bai Xuyao said, his eyes locked on the match. Others nearby had started watching too.

Song Feng walked over and sat down where Wei Xiaoyan had been earlier. He figured it did not matter how good the other guy’s technique was. Those who had never faced real bloodshed could not truly understand combat. He and Wei Xiaoyan were trained to kill. If the sparring had been based on formal technique, neither of them would have stood a chance. But if it came down to raw fighting, there was no comparison.

On the other side, Wei Xiaoyan dodged several fast punches. Then, with a quick sidestep and a low dip, he slipped under the man’s arm and darted forward, hand snapping out to grab him by the throat from behind.

A wave of cheers rippled through the crowd.

The instructor who had come over earlier had not left. His eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath, “Combat-honed reflexes?”

Song Feng gave a quiet affirmative.

They saw the soldier shake it off and prepare to engage again. Song Feng smiled. Even though he had only been in the camp for a day, he found himself liking it. Everyone here was working hard, focused and driven. Everything felt pure, even clean, unlike the life he and Wei Xiaoyan had lived. They had seen too much filth and shadow.

He understood the frustration on the faces of the elite soldiers after hearing his and Xiaoyan’s results. He understood why everyone was pushing themselves even harder. The atmosphere here was good. Even if they complained that the training was brutal, even if they cursed quietly to themselves, none of it mattered. If they failed to train now, then once they entered a real battlefield, the only outcome would be death. In the midst of gunfire and chaos, there was no such thing as compassion. Simply surviving would already be a blessing.

But they did not understand that yet. Maybe they never would. Even among this group, including himself and Wei Xiaoyan, no one knew who would still be standing at the end. He remembered Wang Yizhong once said that this special forces unit was unlike any other. No one knew what was coming next. He could not even say for sure that he would make it through.

Bai Xuyao finished watching and ran over.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was thinking,” Song Feng said, still staring at him, “If training you like this is right or wrong. If I had left you alone, maybe you would have ended up with a different kind of life.”

Bai Xuyao frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Song Feng shook his head. Forget it. Everyone had their own path. Whatever choice Bai Xuyao made in the future would have to be his own. For now, a little extra physical training could only help. But if he really chose to stay, then like Wei Xiaoyan, he would become Song Feng’s responsibility.

After dinner, Song Feng once again strolled cheerfully into the main building.

“Reporting in.”

Xiao Mingxuan did not even lift his head.
“Come in.”

Song Feng pushed the door open and saw that a few others were still inside. He waved with a grin.

“Yo~” Then he quickly straightened and saluted. “Hi, good evening.”

The others looked at him, half amused and half helpless. After checking the time, they stood and went off to dinner, leaving the office quiet once more.

As soon as they left, Song Feng rushed over.
“Where’s my cage?”

Xiao Mingxuan pulled two plastic bottles from under the desk. Song Feng’s eyes lit up. He grabbed them and held them up for inspection, then smiled with satisfaction.
“Nice. I’m off then.”

“Wait.” Xiao Mingxuan called out. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.

“Song Feng, what would you do if there was someone you could never forget… someone you couldn’t be without?”

He paused, then went on. “He’s not a relative, but you just don’t want to let him go. What would you do in that case?”

Song Feng put on an innocent face. “I don’t know anyone like that. Does my dog count?”

Xiao Mingxuan looked at him. “Did you hear me say the word ‘person’?”

Song Feng glared at him. “Are you discriminating against my dog?”

“Just tell me what you would do.” Xiao Mingxuan sighed. “You don’t need to say anything else.”

Song Feng frowned. “What would I do? I’d spend the rest of my life with her. If she refused, I’d tie her up. If she didn’t like me, I’d drug her and fuck her anyway. If once isn’t enough, then twice. You can make love even if you don’t have love. You’ve been in this circle long enough, haven’t you? Do I really need to teach you this stuff?”

He paused. “Wait. Is there someone you like now, young master? Who is it? That woman in the kitchen? There’s actually a woman here?”

Xiao Mingxuan stared at him in silence.

Song Feng blinked. The normally calm eyes before him seemed unusually deep tonight. He shrank back a little.

“Did I say something wrong? Fine, maybe I shouldn’t have told you how to hurt her. Women should be treated gently. Still… is there really a woman?”

Every single sentence ended with the wrong emphasis. Xiao Mingxuan fell even more silent.

Song Feng inched back again. “Did I really say something wrong just now?”

“No.” Xiao Mingxuan said slowly. “In fact, I think everything you said earlier made a lot of sense.”

“Really? Then good luck with that. By the way, in the kitchen—” Song Feng caught Xiao Mingxuan’s expression and shut his mouth. He figured there was probably only one woman in the kitchen and that this man had already staked his claim. He checked the time, waved his hand, and muttered,
“I’m going.”

Xiao Mingxuan watched him leave, then stood up and walked to the window. After a short wait, he saw the man appear in the courtyard below. He moved quickly, the neatly fitted combat uniform hugging his frame. His movements were smooth and agile, like a predator on the hunt.

The others had all been worked to exhaustion. Their stamina had dropped sharply after a full day of drills. That night’s five-kilometer weighted run was nothing like the one they did in the morning. Bai Xuyao saw the two men carrying their little bottles and rushed forward.

“Didn’t you say the captain wouldn’t let you keep them?”

“He didn’t at noon. Now he says I can.”

Bai Xuyao veered away. “I can run five kilometers on my own, alright?”

“I know.” Song Feng followed with a grin, swinging the bottle.

“But this time I want speed. Also, this cage is great. It’s got a little door that opens whenever I want. Way better than a plastic bag. Now it can really slide right down the back of your collar.”

The very thought made Bai Xuyao break out in goosebumps. He bolted ahead.

“Son of a bitch!”

Once again, the two of them chased Bai Xuyao all the way to the finish line. He collapsed across it, utterly spent.

Song Feng beamed. “See? This time we were almost neck and neck with the front group. Isn’t that great?”

Bai Xuyao did not even have the strength left to curse. He could only gasp for breath, ignoring him entirely.

Song Feng cheerfully hauled him to his feet and dragged him along to walk off the fatigue. After a while, he said, “Alright. Let’s head back.”

Bai Xuyao gave him a long, weightless look, then glanced at the front runners already making their way back. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and marched off again in long strides. Never in his life had he been toyed with like this. Damn it, this grudge would not be forgotten.

Thanks to the two of them, he managed to return while the bathhouse was still empty. He took a quick shower, dragged his half-broken body outside, and wandered around the designated activity area. It was already dark by the time he returned.

Inside the barracks, most people were resting. Some were already sound asleep. A soldier who had sparred with Wei Xiaoyan earlier in the day came over to chat. His expression was stiff as he watched the two of them repeatedly folding and unfolding their quilts. The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Seriously, what are you two?”

Song Feng tapped at the edge of the folded blanket, saw the angle was off, and undid it to fold again. “Just here to play errand boy…”

Wei Xiaoyan responded with a tired grunt as he spread his quilt flat again. “We’re just poor errand boys who don’t even know how to fold a blanket properly…”

The man stared. “…”

“Still at it?” Bai Xuyao returned just then and sat down on his bed with a grin.

Song Feng looked up. “Where did you go?”

Bai Xuyao’s smile brightened. “Out to look for something.”

“What is it?”

“This~” Bai Xuyao pulled out a plastic bag. Song Feng and Wei Xiaoyan leaned over quickly. “What is it? Food?”

Bai Xuyao smiled darkly and slowly opened the bag. “Only if you’re brave enough to eat it~”

Song Feng peered inside. “Roaches and spiders?”

Wei Xiaoyan blinked. “Why did you catch those?”

Bai Xuyao was speechless.

The two of them stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly jumped back onto their beds and shouted in unison.

“Ahhh! That’s terrifying! So scary!”

“…”

Bai Xuyao glared at them, his face twitching again and again until it finally cracked. “Fuck! You bastards! I swear I’m never trusting either of you again!”