"Please, let’s focus on the matter at hand, do not make use of this subject as a pretext for your drawnout talk."
"You have to hand in the list," continued Gu Shaoyun. No matter what your thoughts on the matter are, this is a superior order, you do not have the right to keep that list. Your superiors have higher plans and strategies. You cannot act at your discretion."
"The list?"
Qin Feng got closer to Gu Shaoyun, curled his mouth, and smiled with an evil charm, "You are so nervous about this list, is it because you have other interests with this list? Or does one of the code names on the list belong to you?"
"What!? Qin Feng, don't speak nonsense here! You are responsible for what you say and do. Your leader is the motherland's national emblem, not the outfit you have on, please show some self-respect!"
Gu Shaoyun was in a hurry, shouting nervously.
"Hey, you’re getting a bit too excited. I'm only kidding."
Qin Feng looked at him for a long time. Gu Shaoyun slightly flurried eyes gave him some clues as to what was going on in his head. He had originally had some doubts about Gu Shaoyun, this conversation was only supporting his suspicion.
With a cold face, Gu Shaoyun let out an annoyed “Hmph,” before saying "Have you spoken to any officer? If it wasn't for the merit of your mission, I'd be forced to keep you in custody."
"Ha-ha, lock me up, put me in prison for life! I’m sure the world will be at peace since you won’t be able to see me and hear me then."
Qin Feng had stopped caring and shrugged his shoulders, curling his mouth. He smiled and said, "While I’m locked up, you may want to remember to send a meal my way every now and then. If I am hungry, I may just start talking."
His eyebrow lifted, showing a complex look. His mouth opened a few times but he didn’t say a word, and finally he opened his lips, "You have a lot on your plate right now. I’ll give you a few days, you'd better take the initiative..."
Before his voice died down, Qin Feng waved his hand impatiently and said, "I understand. I’m taking this matter more seriously than you are. This is something that me and my Golden Quad members have fought to take back. I know what its existence means and the situation is not entirely transparent for me right now. I refuse to give it to anyone. Please forgive me. This is my basic form of respect for the death of Xiao He and the disappearance of Green Snake. This list must play its part, I cannot allow all that we’ve been fighting to retrieve to be for nothing if it gets in the wrong hands."
Qin Feng's words were clear. He would only hand it in to someone who could really make use of it.
After hearing what he had to say, Gu Shaoyun processed what he had just heard for a moment. He waited for some time, unable to come up with a way to dismiss Qin Feng without raising suspicion. If he reacted too strongly, it would be like a guilty person gave himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence. "OK, you'd better hope so. Since you seem so sure, I'll leave it up to you, but I warn you," he said, “This is not a trivial matter, keep this a secret, otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Qin Feng swung his hand lazily, and said, "Captain Gu, I’d like to get some rest, let’s chat again another day?"
"OK. There will be a celebration tomorrow, and you will serve as a part of this operation……. "
Gu Shao-yun finished half of what he was saying before being interrupted again by Qin Feng. "Actually, I never go to these kinds of events. You said yourself, that we have to be protected against being exposed to the screen at all times. If hostile forces notice us, it would be a danger to our safety. I must go to Tianhe tomorrow. I have a few things to deal with there. I’ll take advantage of this time to rest. When it’s time for the mission, you can just come and find me. You usually don’t bother me."
Qin Feng had always been random in the military. He was such a lax person. In fact, the leaders had already become used to it. Although a style such as his had no military discipline and had the potential to be a bad influence to others, Qin Feng’s skills were obvious to all. Every time someone wanted to take a chance to change his approach, there would always be someone standing up to speak for Qin Feng, and they were always able to cite example after example to leave that person speechless. Over the years, his contributions and achievements were recognized by everyone. He had made heroic contributions to the entire Beijing military region, the entire army and even the whole country. His prestige in the military was high, and he had even become an idol and growth target for many youth military members. If the army blindly punished him, it would be very difficult to explain it to the masses and could lead to negative situations and insubordination problems.
Gu Shaoyun listened to what Qin Feng had to say. Although he felt anger in his heart, there was nothing he could do. He could not easily get angry now. For a long time, he had felt a need to get wrapped up with Qin Feng. Now that the list was in his hands, and he had been irritating him, there would definitely be friction, "Who do you think you are, Qin Feng? Amongst all of China's most capable special forces, you don’t even have shadow. You leave no trace where you wish it so. That’s the special treatment that comes with complex operations, right?"
"Ha-ha, if you understand this, then you’ll see there’s nothing wrong with it."
Qin Feng laughed helplessly.
After Gu Shaoyun left, Qin Feng laid on the bed, with his legs crossed, both hands behind his head, thinking about the matter at hand.
These past few years in the military, it was difficult to decide to stay. He yearned for a life like that of Tianhe, where he would be free to feel the warmth and coolness of the world. There was passion, fighting, chivalrous and gracious people and others of all kinds, all kinds of things outside of military life. Every day could be lived with a fulfilling life.
Although he could probably get closer to his dream by being in the army. The darkness inside was more frightening than the darkness he would see on his actual missions. There is too much competition for fame. Military officials deceive and blackmail each other. They advance secretly through an unknown path. When you fight hard for command in the army, some people might be hiding by your side for their opportunity, some dig a hole behind you to trap you. Even in the face of a serious situation like protecting the people or in the face of foreign enemies, they often don’t know how to work together. They’re all focused on their own personal interests. They cared for nothing else. Even if the sky collapsed, they would still just focus on what could benefit them. They just stared at their merit book and people’s official titles on their shoulder badge all day. Qin Feng was among these high ranking military members, but he was unable to change anything. He could not change it relying on personal strength alone. This is why he wanted to leave and hide out far away. However, he was afraid that when he did leave, the army would become more hopeless.
Qin Feng was very contradictory. He had been trying his best to do well for himself, and hoping to influence a certain amount of people based on his own strength. Although it was very difficult, he had done it well all these years. He believed in the goodness of human nature, and even more, that national honor takes precedence over everything else. No matter how bad they were, they wouldn’t help foreigners harm their fellow citizens, would they?
As he was thinking about this, the phone rang again.
It was Lei Ming. "Hey, Captain Lei. Are you out getting a massage at Onedragon?"
Qin Feng quipped, "It seems that your body has taken its toll. You’re a big guy, but how long can you keep up your stamina? Ha-ha, tell me, how many rounds did you go before you got defeated?"
Qin Feng although not half-joking, as a man, he was a little curious about that kind of thing.
"HAHA Where are you, Qin Feng? Come out and drink. We just finished our first game! Drink more, then our brothers would go to Tessa. You can all just play, it’s my treat!"