Chapter 54 Brotherhood

In the backyard of the mess hall, Zhao Wei Hu squinted at Su Tianyu, smiling lightly as he said, "Now that the Supervision Council case is over and both sides have exchanged the last of the hostages, do you know what my status will be from now on?"

The two men locked eyes. Zhao Wei Hu walked forward with his hands behind his back. "From now on, I and the Chi Army will be the target of severe crackdowns by the First District and the Dragon City. I should be the most valuable one on Military Intelligence Division Seven's wanted list. Acknowledging me as your big brother might do more harm than good! Haha!"

Su Tianyu strode forward. "These days, district orders can be changed on a whim, and even a dignified mayor can be assassinated in broad daylight. What does a damn wanted order amount to? To put it bluntly, one day the Chi Army's scale expands again, and you gain a strong voice in the old Mexican army, then you might even become a guest of honor for some political big shot in the First District. To be honest, I don't care about that. If I were a cautious person, I wouldn't have leaked information to you in the Supervision Council building."

Zhao Wei Hu turned his head to look at him. "You've got guts, that's for sure."

"Like I said, are kings and generals born that way? If you don't do something exciting these days, you're doing your life a disservice," Su Tianyu replied eloquently.

Zhao Wei Hu sized up Su Tianyu, nodding slowly as he said, "You're a real man! Seriously, why don't you just come to the Chi Army? With your education and ability, it wouldn't be a problem for you to be my chief of staff. We'll drink and eat meat, and if something ever happens to me, you'll be the leader of the Chi Army."

Su Tianyu sighed. "Brother Hu, I really want to get out there, but like I told you, I still have a big family. They can't leave Dragon City, and they can't all join the Chi Army as soldiers. What's more, I still want to work within the system."

Seeing Su Tianyu's insistence, Zhao Wei Hu didn't try to persuade him any further, only continuing to walk forward as he asked, "Are you really sure you've thought this through?"

"I've thought it through," Su Tianyu replied with a serious expression.

"Alright, then I acknowledge you as my brother," Zhao Wei Hu replied readily. "Later, I'll put your name on the Chi Army's roster. Deputy Chief of Staff. I'll announce to the public that you're the fifth-most important figure in the Chi Army."

Su Tianyu was dumbfounded when he heard this, and he immediately replied, "Big brother, let's not joke around! This decision of yours is a bit hasty... I still want to join the system and become an official...!"

"Haha!" Zhao Wei Hu laughed heartily. "You're too sly, kid. If I really acknowledge you as my brother, you might sell me out one day, right?"

Su Tianyu wasn't offended by these words, only replying softly, "You can judge for yourself what kind of person I am. Anyway, the people who usually don't get along with me have problems themselves...!"

"That's got a point...!" Zhao Wei Hu nodded with a smile.

...

Su Tianyu's offer to acknowledge Zhao Wei Hu as his big brother was purely a spur-of-the-moment thing. Because the other party had first mentioned owing him a favor, Gou Liuzi took advantage of the situation, wanting to improve his relationship with the other party. But he hadn't expected that Brother Hu seemed to be taking this matter seriously.

The two men strolled around the backyard for a while before returning to the Chi Army base headquarters together. Su Tianyu had originally wanted to say goodbye and go back to sleep, but he hadn't expected Brother Hu to call him to his office and invite that investor representative called Lao Huang.

"Brother Huang, this kid wants to acknowledge me as his big brother. You be a witness for us...!" Zhao Wei Hu said with a grin.

"Sure, that's a good thing." Lao Huang was a very ordinary-looking person from his appearance to his clothes, but Zhao Wei Hu seemed to respect him a lot.

Seeing that the other party was serious, Su Tianyu immediately latched onto him. "So, what do we do, big brother? Should we have a blood oath ceremony or something?"

"No need. Our Chi Army isn't a gang or some kind of folk organization. We don't need to engage in that feudal superstition." Zhao Wei Hu waved his hand. "You offer me a cup of tea, and from now on, we'll be brothers who have kowtowed on the ground together."

Upon hearing this, Su Tianyu immediately picked up the teapot, pouring three cups of tea skillfully.

"Hehe, little Su, you've really thought this through. Commander Zhao is currently a wanted man in both the First District and Dragon City. Who knows, in the future, he might even get a Europe-wide warrant. If you kowtow and burn incense to him, you might have a lot of trouble in the future," Lao Huang said with a smile as he picked up his teacup.

Zhao Wei Hu rested his chin on his hand, watching Su Tianyu without saying a word.

"Brother Huang, don't worry. The trouble I bring to big brother in the future will definitely be more than what big brother brings to me." Su Tianyu said with a grin as he held up his teacup. "This deal is a steal!"

"Haha!" Lao Huang laughed. "Very good, offer the tea!"

"Big brother, back in the backyard, it was originally just a joke, but I didn't expect you to think so highly of me and really want to kowtow and acknowledge me as your brother." Su Tianyu bowed very formally, raising the teacup above his head. "I won't say anything else. Anyway, once we drink this cup of tea, we'll be brothers of the same clan who have kowtowed on the ground together. In the future, if the Chi Army has any orders, I'll act according to the situation. But if big brother has any orders, I'll definitely go through fire and water...!"

After Gou Liuzi said at least a hundred words of a short essay, he handed the tea over. Zhao Wei Hu reached out and took it. "Little Yu, I hope everything you said to me back in the backyard is true. After drinking this tea, this joke won't be a joke anymore. In the future, we brothers will support each other."

"Big brother, drink the tea!" Su Tianyu also picked up his teacup.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two men drank the "oath-taking tea" under Lao Huang's witness, officially kowtowing and burning incense to acknowledge each other as brothers.

After drinking the tea, Zhao Wei Hu deliberately shouted to the guard battalion commander, Liu Mang, "Tomorrow, add another photo to the Chi Army veteran photos in the headquarters corridor. Put my brother's up there too...!"

As soon as Su Tianyu heard this, he immediately tried to dissuade him, "Big brother, no, no, I still have to continue to lie low in Dragon City! Don't expose me!"

"Haha!"

The three men laughed, sitting in the room and chatting for a while longer.

As it got late, Lao Huang couldn't hold on any longer, so Su Tianyu got up to say goodbye and returned to the barracks to rest.

As soon as Gou Liuzi left, Lao Huang turned to look at Zhao Wei Hu and said, "This kid is a confidant of Li Mingsheng. He's not on our side! Isn't it a little hasty for you to acknowledge him as your brother?!"

"Do you know who his father is?" Zhao Wei Hu turned to ask Lao Huang.

"I don't know. I don't know much about him," Lao Huang shook his head.

"His father was the chief of staff of the old 63rd Army with the rank of senior colonel." Zhao Wei Hu explained softly, "After the 63rd Army was reorganized into the Third Army, the backbone from top to bottom was all wiped out."

"The Dragon City independence incident?" Lao Huang instantly thought of the coup d'état involving the 63rd Army and the Overseas Chinese Expeditionary Force.

"That's right." Zhao Wei Hu nodded slowly. "This kid looks very mercenary and unreliable, but in reality, he and we are both disillusioned with this rotten overseas exiled government. I think him starting the Rotary Club and wanting to join the system isn't just for getting rich and seizing power."

Lao Huang was silent.

"It's good to have another brother in Dragon City," Zhao Wei Hu said with emotion. "As long as he's not a scumbag, I can support him, and he can help me."

...

Three days later.

After acknowledging his big brother, Gou Liuzi reluctantly left the Chi Army base.

The Dragon City civil service examination registration had already begun. It would last for two months and be divided into five stages: written test, political review, interview, physical examination, and trial period.

So, which unit would Gou Liuzi, who had whitewashed his past, choose to apply to?