"..."
Li Long's fist flew out, but not towards Andrew. It was aimed at his staff officer, Wei Yong.
A heavy knock landed squarely on Wei Yong's forehead. Andrew couldn't help but feel a phantom pain just watching it.
With a smash that forceful, Andrew wouldn't believe for a second that there wasn't some personal grudge behind it.
"Oww!!!"
Successfully jolted awake by the knock, Wei Yong's eyes flew open. He angrily scanned his surroundings, looking for the guy who dared to hit him on the head.
You have to understand, he was this close to getting a taste of the commander's prized liquor!
He just didn't get why he was always mysteriously interrupted right before he could take a sip. Maybe his dream was running out of material?
Glancing around, he saw his commander, Li Long, standing beside him. He rubbed the spot where he'd been hit, saying somewhat dazedly:
"Commander, why are you holding my insignia?"
But the next moment, he saw Andrew, the guy who had gone on a rampage in their camp earlier. Forgetting all about dreams, he leaped in front of Li Long.
"Commander! Get back, I'll hold him off!"
Seeing Wei Yong shielding him, Li Long couldn't help but reveal a gratified smile. But in the next instant, the smile vanished without a trace.
He slapped Wei Yong on the head, knocking him aside, and his words were just as merciless.
"Get lost, you brat! Do I need your protection? If he really wanted to make a move, we'd have died eight hundred times over by now!"
Knocked aside by the slap, Wei Yong rubbed his head, let out a submissive "oh," and obediently stood behind Li Long, saying no more.
Andrew watched the pair, who seemed almost like a father and son, and gradually relaxed. The tense, confrontational atmosphere between them finally calmed down.
After a moment of silence, Li Long was the first to speak:
"Regardless of anything else, thank you for sparing the lives of my little rascals. For that, I, Li Long, owe you one."
He fumbled around in his clothes for a moment, realizing the cigarettes he'd stashed were finished during the day, and the bottle of liquor he'd opened later wasn't on him either.
"If I had some liquor on me, I'd definitely pour you a drink."
"Forget it, I don't drink. Besides, whether you'll get to drink again depends on your answers to my questions."
Andrew waved his hand dismissively, showing no intention of accepting the gesture.
"Is that so? A real shame. I can't go a single meal without a drink."
Li Long no longer showed any intention of resisting. He said calmly:
"Ask whatever you want. As long as I know the answer, I won't hide anything."
Remembering the rubber bullets from the start, and looking at this commander and his soldiers who refused to abandon their comrades during the fight, Andrew ultimately asked just one question.
"Do you know the name of the person who assigned you to guard this place?"
Hearing Andrew's question, Li Long pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"My unit is stationed here as part of a deal. The person I liaised with is very mysterious; I don't know who he really is."
"A deal?"
Li Long nodded at Andrew's confusion and said:
"After the war, we were actually branded as rebels for two years. It wasn't until five years ago, when we accepted an amnesty, that we were reinstated as an official military unit."
He pointed a finger at the ground beneath them and continued:
"The terms of the deal were to be stationed here, protect the research facility and its director, Wesker. If we failed, our amnesty papers would be revoked."
Hearing this, Andrew immediately understood the mastermind's plan.
If the research was discovered, the unit stationed outside would be labeled rebels. If everything went smoothly until the research concluded, then they would be an official army unit.
This way, anyone who found out would have to be wary of their military status, but if something went wrong, the mastermind couldn't be implicated.
"What a clever scheme."
Seeing Andrew's reaction, Li Long, who had long harbored his own suspicions, became even more certain of his internal guesses.
He couldn't help but feel relieved that his initial proposal for internal defenses had been rejected by Wesker, and that after noticing something was off with the facility, he'd completely dropped the subject.
Even in the one monitoring room where they had to post a guard on rotation, he had tacitly instructed his men to openly sleep on the job.
Otherwise, by now, it would be a case of 'mud falling into your pants—even if it's not shit, it looks like it.' They'd be implicated no matter what.
"Looks like my plan to find a good future for my brothers... has completely fallen through..."
Li Long shook his head, no longer dwelling on it.
This whole path had been a gamble from the start—a gamble that nothing would go wrong, a gamble that they wouldn't be purged afterward.
Although they lost the first bet, after guessing what this research facility was really up to, Li Long felt that this outcome was actually for the best.
Looking at it now, all he could say was that it must be fate.
Andrew didn't have any good solutions for the commander's lament.
After all, his only asset right now was that blacksmith shop, and he'd bought it with a loan.
But seeing this unit, which could absolutely be called elite, Andrew's doubts only grew. He pressed on:
"You were rebels before? Why?"
Li Long couldn't help but sigh, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's not something that can't be told."
Even though Li Long tried his best to sound nonchalant, the bitter look on his face completely betrayed his true feelings.
"It's nothing special. In the end, it was mainly my fault."
He subconsciously patted his pocket again, only realizing after not finding the cigarette pack he was looking for that he'd given up on the idea of lighting one. He continued:
"During the fall of the old capital, our unit received no reinforcements. We fought until our regiment of fifteen hundred was reduced to less than three hundred. And because I ordered a retreat from the front line before the official command came through, we were branded as rebels."
He knew his actions were not technically correct, and he had no intention of arguing. He had no objection to the label.
It just felt a little heartbreaking.
"Even though we had already completed all rescue and holding actions, our commanding officer at the time, for the sake of a so-called 'important mission objective,' ordered us to hold a line where we were taking casualties every minute for another half hour."
In the New Eridu army, there are many people of integrity, but there's no shortage of corrupt individuals either.
Unfortunately, Li Long's CO at the time didn't fall into the 'people of integrity' category.
He looked at his men, still unconscious around him, and couldn't help but curse.
"Important mission objective... what bullshit important mission objective! To put it bluntly, it was his damn dog that he'd left behind in his villa!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, after letting out his sigh, Li Long let out an involuntary, hollow laugh.
"But then these rascals saw I'd become a general with no army and took pity on me. They all snuck away to find me. And just like that, we really became rebels."
Hearing this, Wei Yong, who had been hiding behind him, wasn't happy. He immediately jumped out to object:
"What are you talking about, Commander! You'll always be our commander! We won't serve anyone else!"
Hearing that, Li Long couldn't help but laugh and curse fondly:
"You kid... you're all talk."
Learning the specific reasons, Andrew's attitude gradually softened.
"So, do you know what this research facility was actually doing?"
Hearing Andrew's inquiry, he looked at Andrew again, his eyes filled with immense seriousness.
"At least, before today, I had no idea. All materials coming in and out were delivered exclusively by helicopter. We were just stationed here as security, without even the right to conduct inspections."
Over this period, from the earlier fight to their current conversation, everything made Andrew want to believe Li Long.
However, to think you understand the full picture just by hearing one side of the story—that is true foolishness.
If, after verification, this unit could indeed be considered innocent parties, it wouldn't be too late to decide what to do next.
Just then, Belle, who had been going through the camp's data, ran over.
"Andrew! They've kept very comprehensive mission records over the years!"
Without avoiding Li Long, the commander, Belle continued to scroll through the data being transmitted from the terminal as she spoke to Andrew:
"After they were stationed here, their daily activities were just... uhh..."
The daily logs were incredibly simple, clean, and repetitive, making one feel trapped in an endless loop. There were even video recordings.
"The daily activities consisted only of training, drinking, and playing cards. They did, however, keep very clear records of how much everyone won or lost."
Beside them, Li Long scratched his head and said sheepishly:
"Well, it worked perfectly as a ledger, didn't it?"
With this corroborating evidence, Andrew temporarily believed Li Long's story and gave up his plan to knock him out again.
And Li Long, after finding out what the research facility was really up to, had also completely lost any intention of protecting Wesker.
He contacted his unit via comms, had the soldiers who had withdrawn return, and in less than ten minutes, the entire unit had evacuated, carrying their unconscious comrades and packed-up belongings.
They moved so fast that Andrew suspected they'd probably had an escape plan ready for a long time.
______
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