Chapter 923: Chapter 923: New Selection
"What do you think?" Ye Shikai asked Ouyang Feng with a serious expression.
"It’s possible that the young man is the intruder trying to sneak into our base." Ouyang Feng said at first, then shifted his tone, "But I don’t understand why he opened fire. So, I suspect this young man may have died from those two shots." Ye Shikai understood Ouyang Feng’s implication: it is very likely that the intruder was discovered by the young villager while infiltrating, and in a panic, the intruder shot the young man. As for the body, it was most likely buried.
"This symbol, I went through great effort to find it." Ouyang Feng pointed to the symbol on the ’handkerchief.’
"It was left at the scene after our operation went south. I suspect this is an extremely covert organization, unknown even to the local government." Ouyang Feng continued. He had inquired with government officials while on peacekeeping missions, but to no avail. Ye Shikai was also disappointed, as a hard-won lead had suddenly gone cold.
"Alright, I’ll also have someone check it out. Don’t worry." Ye Shikai felt the hope of the investigation diminish, considering it had been four years, and the situation in that area was chaotic. If it weren’t for the Dragon Teeth special forces frequently completing missions there, perhaps no one would even remember they had been there, let alone recall the battle four years ago, where eighty to ninety special forces members perished suddenly.
No matter how slim the hope, Ye Shikai would not give up; he needed to find the truth for those brothers.
Speaking of which, the troop’s base is always very concealed, known only by a few villagers. If the infiltrator came to attack or gather intelligence, how would they know the base location? Of course, the possibility of information leaking abroad exceeds a hundred ways.
Another thing that puzzled Ye Shikai greatly was how their operation deployment was known to the enemy. Ye Shikai was sure the deployment had been known in advance. The Dragon Teeth special forces would not be surrounded on equal terms unless the enemy had obtained their deployment and made preparations beforehand.
"Instructor, Captain, the grilled snake is ready, come eat."
"You go ahead, I’m fine without it." Ye Shikai shook his head. Those brothers, they crawled out from the piles of the dead with him. They weren’t afraid to sacrifice, but it shouldn’t be in vain. Not fearing death doesn’t mean giving away their lives for nothing. After the incident, Ye Shikai had a hard time alleviating the pain for quite a while, even turning to alcohol. The Dragon Teeth unit was almost disbanded, which was a significant loss to Huaxia. Ye Shikai feared most that one day, Dragon Teeth would repeat the same tragedy...
Ye Shikai glanced at the symbol again; this should be an organization. He planned to take it back for the Ghost to see, hoping there might be a clue.
The temperature in the mountains wasn’t high. Wen Ya, being a woman, couldn’t sleep with the male soldiers. So, Ye Shikai had her sleep in the vehicle while he took a sleeping bag and squeezed into the tent with the team members.
..................
"Captain, the army district’s annual assessment is about to start. You must come by then," Ouyang Feng reminded him as Ye Shikai prepared to leave the next morning.
"That would mean it should be around two weeks from now," Ye Shikai estimated. This was considered the ’busiest’ event of the year for the troops. The annual assessment, lasting half a month, was essentially a large military exercise—a real combat exercise participated by the entire army district. It involved many participants, thus it was quite ’busy.’
"Of course." Ye Shikai nodded in agreement. After all, it was an important matter, and as an instructor, he had to participate in reason and emotion.
"Focus on the training here and leave the lead to me." Ye Shikai made sure to remind, worried this matter could become Ouyang Feng’s obsession and affect the troop’s training. Currently, most members of Dragon Teeth special forces hadn’t experienced that battle, only understanding it through records.
"Don’t worry, I’ll handle it." Ouyang Feng nodded. Now he was the captain of the special forces, the leader of the troops. As an excellent commander, he needed to possess strong mental resilience, making calm and correct judgments unclouded by emotion. Ye Shikai believed he could manage his emotions well.
"Wen Ya, sleeping in the car last night didn’t make you sore, did it?" Ye Shikai turned and asked with a smile.
"Hmph, I’m not a flower vase. Besides, you slept in the tent and didn’t say anything, why would I complain?" Wen Ya was somewhat displeased, feeling underestimated by Ye Shikai. In reality, female soldiers played a significant role, and Ye Shikai had heard Yan Kuan say that Dragon Teeth might be recruiting female members soon.
"Alright, let’s get going quickly." Ye Shikai got into the military vehicle, while Wen Ya eagerly took the driver’s seat first. It seemed she planned to ’speed’ back.
"Wen Ya, how long have you been enlisted?" On the road, Ye Shikai asked casually as they chatted sporadically.
"Over five years, I think."
"So long?" Ye Shikai exclaimed in amazement.
"Of course, those years you left the special forces, I stayed here." Wen Ya rolled her eyes. Only then did Ye Shikai realize how quickly time had passed. What used to be new recruits were now seasoned soldiers.
Ring ring ring.
At this moment, the in-vehicle communicator rang, indicating a new message had arrived.
"Quick, help me read the mission brief." Wen Ya immediately commanded.
"Let me see... The female soldiers unit has arrived at the base. Please... Come over... to welcome them." Ye Shikai read to the end, finding himself a bit puzzled. What does it mean, female... soldiers... unit.
"Looks like the special forces are indeed recruiting female members. I have to get there quickly." Wen Ya slammed the accelerator, making Ye Shikai stumble and quickly fasten the seat belt, as it was a bumpy mountain road.
Base.
"They are indeed female soldiers." Ye Shikai got down from the jeep just in time to see a group of female soldiers passing by.
"These are the best of the female soldier units from all military districts, here to participate in the selection," Wen Ya explained to Ye Shikai.
"That is truly interesting." Ye Shikai was intrigued. Unexpectedly, the female soldier selection was implemented so quickly. According to the normal selection criteria, official members would be chosen in two months, although those two months would be very arduous...
"Everyone, gather in the hall." More female soldiers units arrived one after another, and Wen Ya quickly led the base staff to guide them, with Ye Shikai assisting as well.