Chen Qiong stood in the corridor, lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag. He felt a hot gas rush into his lungs, his throat starting to dry and itch, causing him to cough violently.

"If you're not feeling well, don't smoke." Just then, footsteps sounded, and a large hand appeared from the side, offering him a throat lozenge.

Chen Qiong turned his head and saw that the person who had come was his old comrade-in-arms, the Xijiang Chief who had once hunted Li Tianran.

"You were...very out of line just now! In front of Number One, it was quite unsightly!" The Xijiang Chief asked with a smile on his face, "What's wrong with you?"

Chen Qiong looked out the window, his voice both helpless and indignant. "I really don't understand. The world is already in this state, and humanity is still fighting amongst itself! Tit for tat!"

"We can't trust our cooperating comrades!"

"We condescendingly mock the warriors who resist the beast tide!"

"Yes, we all want to gain benefits, and I'm no exception, but even so, shouldn't we at least consider the occasion and the situation?"

"When the Pioneer Legion first appeared, I said not to use military suppression or coercion against them, but to cooperate! Many people didn't listen, believing that they were weak and that the best option was to control them with powerful nations and extract their resources!"

"As a result, that great battle showed everyone that it's impossible to obtain any benefits from the other side through military suppression."

"A few hours ago, I said to provide Li Tianran with free fire support! Many people opposed me, saying that Li Tianran would definitely be afraid and would take the initiative to ask us for help, so we could take the opportunity to gain huge benefits!"

"But now, Li Tianran hasn't asked anyone for help. He chose to face those monsters on the sea alone, preferring to empty his own coffers rather than bowing his head to any country."

"Can't you see now that Li Tianran is a stubborn, unyielding stone? It's simply impossible to extract benefits from him through force, calculations, or conspiracies!"

Chen Qiong was very emotional. He took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and continued, "He's the kind of guy who...if you scheme against him, he'll fight you to the death, paying even more of a price, just to keep you from achieving your goal!"

"In the meeting room just now, many people said he wasn't rational enough, didn't consider the future, and didn't consider the gains and losses!"

"But have you thought about it? He's only in his twenties, he's a young man! Passion is his first reaction. He's not like us old guys, who consider the gains and losses, the benefits, and whether it's worth it when we encounter something, and put dignity and other factors behind!"

"What he values most is passion, courage, and the tenacity to not let others feel comfortable even if he himself doesn't feel good!"

"And we've been treating him with the methods and attitudes we use towards old guys like us, which may be why we've consistently failed with him."

The Xijiang Chief listened to Chen Qiong's words and said, "What you're saying...I understand."

"In the minds of us old guys, we believe that in national-level forces, friendship, kinship, and dignity may be worthless in the face of interests, but in front of Li Tianran, these things may be more important than anything else."

"Those ridiculous things we think are laughable may be exactly what Li Tianran values most."

"Several facts have already proven that if we want to obtain benefits from Li Tianran, then we must abandon our previous rigid thinking, just like the approach of sitting in the meeting room and watching the monitoring screen, waiting for Li Tianran to make a fool of himself, waiting for Li Tianran's troops to collapse, and waiting for Li Tianran to seek our shelter, which should be abandoned immediately!"

"Everyone must abandon their self-righteous ridicule and condescending comments!"

Chen Qiong waved his hand, his eyes with a kind of aggressive aura, and said, word by word, "Completely change your attitude towards Li Tianran, that's the only choice!"

"What do you think we should do?" the Xijiang Chief asked.

"Now, immediately, right away, mobilize all the troops that can be mobilized to support Kuangxi Island!" Chen Qiong said in a deep voice, "Just like when we responded to him and besieged the Heavenly Kingdom's lair! Let him see that even without benefits, we will still show him goodwill!"

"But isn't it a little late now?" the Xijiang Chief asked in a deep voice, "The war has already begun, and Li Tianran's troops are still able to resist the beast tide outside the defense line. If we appear now, won't the other side think that we have no sincerity? Should we wait until his troops begin to collapse, so that we can gain more of his goodwill..."

"Absolutely not!" Chen Qiong waved his hand. "Li Tianran is not a fool. If we show up after his troops collapse, it will backfire."

"And it's not too late now..."

"The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago, the second best time is now...as long as we show our attitude, it's never too late!" Chen Qiong stared into the Xijiang Chief's eyes and said, word by word.

"I'll go apply to Number One Chief right away." The Xijiang Chief turned to leave.

*Pa!*

Chen Qiong grabbed his arm and shook his head. "It's too late. Once we apply, the Supreme Council will hold a meeting to discuss it for several hours...and there will be no result!"

"We don't report to anyone, we use our own authority to deploy troops. If something goes wrong, I'll take responsibility!" Chen Qiong's eyes showed a firm light.

The Xijiang Chief was stunned, his eyes shocked. "Old Chen, you have to think this through. If you do this, you'll be in a military court if something goes wrong, and your lifelong reputation will be ruined!"

"We've calculated too much and considered the gains and losses too much, so we've always been passive in our contact with Li Tianran." Chen Qiong's voice was firm. "This time, I'll be crazy for once, passionate for once! If we win, the entire Yanhuang Federation will soar ninety thousand miles! If we lose, I'll bear the consequences myself, take off my uniform, and take a bullet, I accept it!"

"I'm leaving, are you coming with me?" Chen Qiong looked at the Xijiang Chief and asked in a deep voice.

The Xijiang Chief was silent for a long time. He suddenly looked up and laughed loudly, "I'm really crazy, to be moved by you, an old guy! I'll be crazy with you this time. Xijiang and Beijing will act together, let's make some noise in the world!"

Two old hands clasped together, and at this moment, passion surged, as if they had returned to the battlefield full of bullets and rain in their youth!

They walked out side by side, striding away from the command building.

...

There are two more chapters.

...

"By the way, what's your impression of Li Tianran? He broke into your military region and made a scene, making you old bastard very angry, right?" Chen Qiong asked with a laugh.

"From the perspective of the country, I can't wait to kill this bastard! But from a personal perspective, I really like this kid to death! He traveled thousands of miles for his girlfriend, unafraid of strong enemies, unafraid of heavy pressure! This kid is a real man!"

"If my son-in-law and son had half of what he has, I could wake up laughing in the middle of the night!"