Compared to the pain of the flesh, he suffered even more from the destruction of his soul. Qin Feng hadn’t made Qin Wannian lose face, growing up to be the greatest Special Forces soldier in the country, but Qin Wannian was never been satisfied with him, never praised him even once. Each time they met, he would always maintain a formal air and say, "It is far from enough. In my opinion, even you don’t have what it takes. You need to work harder."
Qin Feng used to feel lost, but now he had become accustomed to it. He hadn’t even seen that old villain for over two years. He wanted to beat that madman in countless dreams, but looking back, he had to wonder… Perhaps this was also a kind of fatherly love? Perhaps he will figure it out one day when he’s older. After all, Qin Wannian always told Qin Feng: "Every drop of sweat you shed now spares you a drop of blood on the battlefield."
A common saying, but infused with his father’s care and concern.
Although Qin Feng had not yet established a family of his own and could not understand what it was to be a parent, he knew that Qin Wannian loved him, but in a particularly extreme way. But from another perspective, if his childhood weren’t so extreme, could he - an art lover – have become someone like the "Lone Ranger"?
There is cause and effect in everything. This was his fate.
"Ah, I really can't accept the thought of Xiao He's death. I can't believe he’s gone, just like that. I can still see his smiling face in front of me; I see him in my dreams," Green Dragon sighed. "We have been fighting side by side for so long, brother. I really never thought he would end up like this."
"Yes, he died for me, and I will never forget that he pushed me down the hillside and faced hundreds of mercenaries alone. He will always live on in my heart. Therefore, I would rather disobey orders than abandon Sister Flower in Tianhe. At the very least, I must first arrange matters here so that I can safely leave for a while. I'll keep in touch with her even if I go far away on a mission in the future," Qin Feng said.
Green Dragon wanted Qin Feng to return quickly to HQ, to resume his duties, and to pass on the list to high command so that Gu Shaoyun would not force Green Dragon to retrieve it by force. Green Dragon’s promotion might be delayed further, but he could wait for a few more years. However, if Qin Feng died because of him, he would never forgive himself.
Qin Feng's persistence finally evoked Green Dragon’s conscience, which stemmed from Qin Feng’s kindness to him and the care he always showed to each of his comrades.
"No, this was Xiao He's only wish before he died,” Qin Feng said gravely. “I don’t know who else could do it. Sister Flower’s character is very similar to Xiao He’s. I always think of him when I see her, which is why I feel very attached to her. I’d even give my life to protect her. I don’t expect anyone to understand."
"What are you going to tell General Gu? If I return to him empty-handed, he will just send me right back to bring you in, or face a court-martial," Green Dragon said anxiously. "If things here are getting out of hand, you can just take Sister Flower away for a period of time. When you are free to protect her, you can send her back to Tianhe. What's so hard about that?"
"You don't understand. She's just like Xiao He. Her boss, Zhao Jun, is struggling with a bit of a problem at the moment. If she goes away, Zhao Jun will become a target for every mobster in the city. Even though I've been trying to protect her and help her keep a low profile, her unyielding personality... You know what I mean."
Qin Feng was actually quite happy, because her personality made him feel like he was still fighting alongside Xiao He. Although they were different genders, they had the same blood in their veins. Qin Feng was very pleased that the Xiaos had produced such excellent sons and daughters. The quality of a person determines everything. He believed that Xiao Jinhua would have a bright future. He would never let Sister Flower fall before her time, like Xiao He.
"Why does such a simple thing have to be so complicated? What are you going to tell HQ?" sighed Green Dragon.
If Qin Feng did not take the initiative to deal with the list as soon as possible, Green Dragon would be pressured and tempted by Gu Shaoyun’s promises until he could not bear it any longer and would finally harm Qin Feng.
If he really took that step, Green Dragon knew that he would never be able to redeem himself. His sinful hands would be forever stained with his brother’s blood and no amount of good deeds, no amount of saved lives, could ever make up for it.
But if people do not put in the effort for themselves, they would be killed by Heaven and Earth. Green Dragons had no other choice.
Everything depended on Qin Feng’s choice.
"Just leave it; I have a plan," Qin Feng said.
"Don’t just blow me off. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?" Green Dragon pressed on.
" Why are you so anxious about me going back to work?" Qin Feng cracked a smile, "Does this have anything to do with you?"
Qin Feng’s question caught Green Dragon with his guard down. He smiled stiffly and said, "You are my Captain Qin, my best friend. If I don’t care about you, who will?"
Qin Feng smiled, "Right. You don't care about me. Who does?"
As he spoke, he clasped Green Dragon’s shoulders, quivering slightly, but he soon settled down.
The two became lost in their own thoughts, looking over the rugged lake, silently gazing into the distance for a long time.
Finally, Green Dragon turned to Qin Feng, "Will Xiao He’s death really not be remembered or honored?” he asked earnestly. “We can't just quit. We should fight for him."
"And we won’t,” Qin Feng said resolutely. “Even if our superiors do not give him his dues, I will try my best for his sake. He died for his country, and there should at least be an honorable mention of him somewhere."
"If we’ll just end up the same as Xiao He, do you think all the fighting makes sense?" Green Dragon finally spoke his mind. He was not afraid to suffer, not afraid to bleed, but he was afraid that all his hard work would be for nothing.
Qin Feng looked at him, his hands in his pockets. "When you dedicate yourself to the people, there is no need for reward."
"Bullshit."
Green Dragon seemed to see through Qin Feng's thoughts, "You can say that because you do not lack for anything. I do not know your family, but from your open-minded thinking, I guess you must have a good material foundation to support such a noble spirit. And I, as you know, grew up hungry."
Qin Feng understood all of Green Dragon’s worries. He put a hand on his shoulder and said solemnly, "You feel inferior and you’re having doubts about the military. I get it. In fact, when we met during training, I thought you would be a great soldier and I wanted to fight with you. That’s why, every year, I sent twenty thousand Yuan in your name to your hometown. It’s not much, but it’s enough for a few people to live a decent life. As far as I know, your eldest brother got married the year before last and had a son. The child should probably be able to walk by now. By the way, there's a picture of your nephew in my locker. I never gave it to you because I didn’t want you to get distracted."
Boom!
Green Dragon was completely shocked. He couldn't believe his ears. "What are you talking about?"
" I have been taking care of your family. You can rest assured, they are quite comfortable."
Qin Feng smiled lightly. He thought nothing of it. That's what he felt he was supposed to do as Captain.
He had the means, so he felt he should do more for his brothers.
"Captain Qin... I… I..." Green Dragon’s knees trembled; he almost fell to the ground. His eyes glistened with tears, "Why didn’t you say anything before?!"
He almost did something irreversible to Qin Feng because of Gu Shaoyun's provocation. If he had really hit Qin Feng on that day in the salt factory, Green Dragon would have had to repent for the rest of his life!!!
Green Dragon would not have hesitated to kill anyone else for Gu Shaoyun, but he just couldn’t do it to Qin Feng.
"I was afraid you would get distracted. It’s really no trouble for me; there is nothing more to say. As long as you work hard, I am happy. Remember, our efforts today will eventually show a return," Qin Feng said.
"Well, OK."
Green Dragon reproached himself a hundred times in his heart. He was a real bastard. Captain Qin treated him so well, but he wanted to kill him. He almost made a huge mistake.
Just then, the rumble of a motor drifted to them across the lake. Qin Feng furrowed his brows, "Someone’s driving a speedboat in the middle of the night?"
"Hey, it looks like it's coming towards us!" Green Dragon said in a hurry. "Something's not right about it."
No sooner had he spoken than flashes of gunfire in the distance illuminated the calm night sky. Qin Feng instinctively dragged Green Dragon behind a bush as bullets whizzed around them, "We’re under attack!"
Green Dragon had a ferocious face. He did not understand what the hell just happened. Did Shark Kun pick up Qin Feng’s trail? Or had Gu Shaoyun had enough of waiting and sent people to kill him?