All the soldiers tensed up immediately when they saw the middle-aged man in a wheelchair.

One by one, they stood up. Those who couldn't stand up leaned against the wall as much as possible to make themselves look more upright. Everyone's back was straight, like a steel spear or a pine tree.

The middle-aged man's face showed a satisfied expression. He took a deep breath, as if using all the strength he had been holding back for a long time.

"Attention, everyone! Line up! Get your food!"

Everyone was holding their own bowls and chopsticks, and they lined up in a neat row. Because there were so many people and the room was too small, they had to line up outside the door. But none of the soldiers outside complained. They stood still no matter how strong the wind was blowing.

Then, the middle-aged man laboriously raised his right hand and saluted Lu Yuan and the others.

This military salute immediately made Lu Yuan and his companions feel incredibly honored, so they all put down what they were holding, stood up straight, and returned a not-so-standard military salute to the man upstairs.

"Thank you. On behalf of... the 13th Mixed Detachment of Shandong Province, I would like to express my gratitude to you!"

Lu Yuan felt a surge of excitement. This was the first time he had ever been so close to a real military unit. These people must have come from all over the country. They had gathered here to protect the safety of the region, but now they had ended up like this, which made him feel quite sad.

However, each of them still held fast to their beliefs, which made Lu Yuan feel a deep respect for them.

"You're too kind, sir! It's what we should do!"

After saying that, Lu Yuan quickly took out a bag of dried meat from his pocket and rushed upstairs.

"Commander, please have some too!"

However, the other party firmly shook their head.

"No, I want to wait until all the brothers have finished eating before I eat. No one here has special privileges, including me!"

Lu Yuan was speechless. He hadn't expected that even when they were starving to this extent, the other person would still hold onto this belief, which left Lu Yuan somewhat bewildered.

The man tried to prop himself up, but he couldn't. Prolonged malnutrition had worsened his already wounded leg, and the army doctor had even suggested amputation to save his life. However, he still wanted to wait until he had enough to eat before he could stand up again.

However, this wait lasted for more than half a year. During this time, he was unable to stand up. His days in the wheelchair made him see things more clearly, but also made his belief in finding the main force even more steadfast.

Because Lu Yuan secretly added a lot of golden fruits to the soup, after drinking the mixed soup, everyone felt their strength gradually recovering. They happily sat together, their eyes filled with hope.

Upon entering the office on the second floor, Lu Yuan and his group accepted the man's invitation.

"Please don't call me 'Commander' anymore. I used to be just a lieutenant colonel. If you don't mind, let's just call each other friends. I'm a few years older than you, so just call me Brother Lei!"

"Okay, Brother Lei! Thank you so much for saving us this time. I really don't know how to thank you enough!"

"Cough cough cough! Don't say that. We should be thanking you. Without you, so many of our soldiers wouldn't have survived for long!"

Upon seeing the other person cough, Lu Yuan immediately noticed an old ashtray on the table. Although the ashtray was cleaned thoroughly, the tar inside had seeped in and emitted a faint yellow glow under the light.

So Lu Yuan took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it over.

"Brother Lei, try some of our homegrown tobacco!"

The moment Lieutenant Colonel Lei saw the cigarette, he froze on the spot, then grabbed it and smelled it.

Then the other person put the cigarette back in its place, shook his head with a frustrated look, and said with a wry smile, "Sigh! You! I finally managed to quit smoking for more than 30 years, and you... this has just reignited my addiction! If I don't have cigarettes to smoke in the future, I'll have to start all over again!"

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Lu Yuan said with a smile, "Brother Lei, don't worry, if we run out of cigarettes, we'll grow our own! I have catalysts and tobacco seeds here! I guarantee everyone will be able to smoke from now on!"

Despite the widespread resistance to tobacco and the numerous news reports and statistics highlighting the dangers of cigarettes, the military remains a major smoking hotspot. Aside from female soldiers, very few male soldiers there don't smoke.

Without cigarettes, the already bored soldiers became even more depressed, but Lu Yuan's words immediately brightened up Lieutenant Colonel Lei's eyes.

"A catalyst? Are you serious? Those bastards outside can't get their hands on that stuff! You guys..."

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and the veteran walked in carrying a basin of hot water, smiling as he said, "Team Leader Lei, I haven't told you about this yet. Lu Yuan and his group came from District Five. He owns a mining center, and they've already been able to develop and extract catalysts from the ore!"

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant Colonel Lei was overjoyed and excitedly tried to stand up, only to find that his legs still hadn't regained feeling and he almost fell to the ground.

The veteran helped Lieutenant Colonel Lei up: "Captain Lei, don't be nervous, this is a good thing!"

"Am I nervous? I'm happy! Really happy!"

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