Episode 3

"Really?"

"How is that possible?"

"......"

"This is not just my idea; it's the idea of ​​others who met with me. Compared to Song Ran, his published content is slightly inferior."

"......"

"Later, he expressed regret that Sasin did not come up, after all, he was the one who gave him the intelligence, but Song Ran gave it to him instead. Therefore, he kept his distance from this person named Song Ran."

"How about it?"

"I'm going to see someone,"

"I didn't have anything going on here, so I went back and stayed for a while that day. I came back when a small-scale war broke out. The war has been temporarily stabilized because of a certain government. But just in case, I think you should go back a little later, even though the longer you stay here, the more dangerous it will be for you."

"How many days left?"

"One week."

"good."

Benjamin seemed to understand why he was late after Li Zan's answer that day. Ten minutes later, the government issued an official statement, the content of which was so outrageous that it seemed...

Here we go again!

"I told you, the government is having internal conflicts."

"I think we shouldn't have any opinion on this matter."

"The same applies."

"So what are you going to do?"

"It won't affect my going back."

"......"

Where is Song Ran?

"I'm washing my hair."

"......"

Benjamin didn't want to know anything about what the government had released, but he also didn't want to ask the two of them what they thought. He had read the report after the war. Song Ran in the news wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest, and Li Zan had also read the reports from that time, and he hadn't seen Song Ran wearing one either.

"You didn't put a bulletproof vest on her, did you?"

"Because she didn't meet with us when she first came here, and she has no relationship with me, in conclusion, whether or not to wear a bulletproof vest is not up to me."

"So the second time you met, you put a bulletproof vest on her?"

"right."

"So whose bulletproof vest is that?"

"You gave it to Sasin to wear."

"......"

However, when Song Ran heard that the bulletproof vest she was wearing belonged to her junior brother, she took it off and gave it to Li Zan. This time, she boldly went to other places without wearing the bulletproof vest. Song Ran, who thought she had won over the situation, naturally made Benjamin very unhappy.

"Withdraw!"

"They withdrew?"

"Here you go. You've finished collecting the materials, time to go home."

"Bye-Bye."

Li Zan returned the bulletproof vest to Benjamin. He wanted to take Song Ran back. Benjamin was the only one standing there, and amidst his growing sadness, a sense of habit accompanied him, until...

"Are you here on duty so late at night instead of sleeping?"

"It's my duty to be on duty."

"Why?"

"Li Zan appeared with his young wife."

"Song Ran? You've only met her a few times and you're already asking me to call her your 'little darling wife'?"

"This is the second time, I guess."

"And then they ran away? Aren't they afraid of setting up a roadblock and then being lured away by them?"

"That's why I was put on duty."

"These days, I've seen what it means to reverse the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches."

"It also gives me a lot of trouble."

"You and Sasin are just as troublesome."

"?"

"I'm telling you, you're just as much of a worry as Sasin!"

"Likewise."

"......"

"Isn't he coming back?"

I don't want to answer that question a second time.

"And then what? Don't you still regret him not coming back?"

"I don't regret it, anyway, I can still find him."

"......"

"I mentioned this to Li Zan, and I thought I could see him as early as tomorrow, but I never expected..."

"There are too many uncertainties."

"Is that so..."

"My biggest worry is whether he'll get into trouble for doing this?"

"Li Zan?"

"I really can't think of anyone else who could act like this. But Sasin is quite special. Compared to other people, I can see that he has something that no one else has."

"Does he possess something that no one else has?"

"It is our original aspiration."

"Original intention?"

"I hope his original intention will not change, and I also hope that he will be happier there because of the greenhouse effect."

However, what you fear most is what happens. The next morning, Sasin came over and specifically asked to see Benjamin.

"Captain!"

"What's the matter?"

"Someone wants to see you."

"Okay!"

He thought it would be Benjamin's comrades coming to see him, or at worst, those reporters who had stepped on landmines and needed his help to rescue them. But he never expected that the person looking for him would be none other than Sasin!

"Sasin?"

"It's me."

What are you doing here?

"Interviewing you, handsome and brave mercenary."

"......"

So, would you like to be interviewed by me?

My answer is three words: I don't want to!

"Why?"

"For no reason?"

"You have to give me a reason, Mr. Mercenary?"

"......"

Perhaps it was because he brought up a sore spot, but one of the soldiers directly asked Benjamin, "What are you going to do if there's only one bed left in the solitary confinement cell?" Benjamin immediately replied:

"Put him in the brig!"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier "mercilessly" sent Sasin straight to solitary confinement. For Sasin, solitary confinement would be safer, given the chaos outside and the uncertainty of their purpose. Despite Benjamin's "enthusiastic invitation," Sasin smiled throughout without a single complaint, and even patted Benjamin on the shoulder as if they knew each other well, saying in a brotherly tone:

"Bye-Bye!"

"......"

However, Sasin overheard what Benjamin was about to say: this time they were going to launch a surprise attack to rescue someone.

"So that's how he is..."

"By the way, what's he doing here?"

“Because he told me that day that he would come back, and when I asked him what the purpose of his return was, Sasin said that he would not only continue to collect materials, but also continue to interview me, the mercenary.”

"?"

"What's wrong?"

"Just for this ridiculous reason, you put him in solitary confinement?"

"That's because he insists on acting foolishly in front of me."

"He's not just going to act recklessly, he's already acting recklessly, otherwise you wouldn't have put him in solitary confinement."

"......"

"Is this the first and last time you've put Sasin in solitary confinement, and also the last time you've activated the solitary confinement cell?"

"......"

"Let me give you a piece of advice: solitary confinement is fine, joking is fine, but don't go too far with these things. Also, where did the stars on your arm go?"

"Stars? Oh no!"

Benjamin was reminded by Pei Xiaonan that the star on his arm was gone. He was shocked at first, then realized that Sasin had taken the star while taking pictures of him. He then stormed into the solitary confinement cell and opened the door for the soldier in charge of the cell to see Sasin.

"Let me out!"

"go back!"

"I don't want to!"

I'll count to three.

"three!"

Benjamin had originally intended to count to three and see Sasin's reaction, but as soon as he entered the room, he saw Sasin, who had started to sulk because he thought it was a joke but it turned out to be real. Benjamin didn't care about Sasin's small stature at all; he could even beat him with one hand. However, today, Benjamin would not give him any face no matter what.

What do you want to do?

"Lie down."

"I can't lie down, but sitting down is another matter."

"You don't know how to lie down, huh? Then I'll show you exactly how you should lie down in front of me. How about that?"

"I don't need you to teach me!"

"Why?"

"Everyone else teaches me properly, but you don't. You're definitely going to take advantage of me while you're teaching me! Let me tell you! I'm a very clean guy!"

"Then what?"

"If you act like a hooligan, believe me, I'll let everyone in this unit know that my current impropriety is all because of you!"

"Then what?"

"And then? That's it."

"......"

"Let me out, and I promise I won't smear you in the newspapers."

"I know you and Song Ran are not in the same TV station, but you were acquired by the same superior. I also know that you are still in school. I heard that you are a liberal arts student. Liberal arts students use quite elegant language. Do you want to be the most beautiful liberal arts student?"

What do you want to do?

Give it back to me.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Did you take this?"

Benjamin pointed to the star with the letter B etched on his arm. It turned out that Sasin had taken the star off when they were chatting and patting each other on the shoulder. He had never seen Benjamin do this to him in solitary confinement. If he hadn't taken the star, he wouldn't have known about his own fiery temper. From that day on, Sasin knew Benjamin's temper and understood that the only way to get his attention was through this method.

"for you......"

"goodbye."

"......"

Their conversation in the solitary confinement cell ended there. They thought this incident was quite telling, but when Benjamin and Pei Xiaonan learned that Sassin was a long-term mercenary, they had different opinions.

"That's good. He has ideas, he has potential, and more importantly, he's on the right track."

I disagree.

"Why?"

"Resources are scarce. We can't even protect our own lives, so how can we possibly have the chance to protect him?"

"Bulletproof vest".

"?"

"Is it because of that bulletproof vest?"

"......"

"Looks like I guessed right, you still mind what happened that day."

"Why?"

"Because you were angry when you saw Song Ran give the bulletproof vest to Li Zan and then mail it to you, right? Your temper hasn't changed at all, just like before."

"You understand me best."

"You're overacting."

"......"

"I reckon even when I'm your age, I won't have as many wrinkles on my face as you."

"......"

"However, I must remind you that just because he appears indifferent to everything on the surface does not mean that he is indifferent to everything in his heart."

"He might be being sarcastic."

"I just have this feeling."

Is this what they call a sixth sense?

"You also have a sixth sense, you just don't feel it."

"......"

Her purpose in saying this seemed to be to get information out of Sassin, but she was actually trying to get information out of Benjamin. She simply thought that Benjamin was very similar to Sassin, nothing more.

"......"

"I'll let you go."

What?

“Close the door.”

"Yes, sir!"

Sassin overheard Benjamin saying "Close the door," but he didn't understand Benjamin's purpose in locking him in solitary confinement. After all...

"Why did you bring him here?"

“When we went to Dongguo, Song Ran had to take a few days off because he wasn’t feeling well, so we asked him to come to Dongguo as a temporary war correspondent.”

"A tool..."

At this moment, in a bar, Song Ran and Benjamin are having a conversation. The purpose of their drinking is to express Benjamin's dissatisfaction with Song Ran.

"A tool? You mean Sassin?"

"right."

"Isn't he a year younger than Song Ran? You don't need to be so jealous, do you?"

“You know my temperament, Li Zan.”

"......"

"From the moment you sent her away, I understood what it means to be a tool. I could also understand what it feels like to be a tool?"

“Song Ran is not a tool; she is just a reporter who came to conduct an interview.”

"Was it a reporter who was forced to conduct an interview because of a huge explosion?"

"Judging from your tone, you still have a problem with Song Ran."

"Anyone with eyes can understand what this means."

"I do not understand."

"This is a battlefield. When we are fighting the enemy to the death, the only thing we can protect is ourselves, not others."

"It's really unbelievable."

"Unbelievable what?"

"I never expected that just this one sentence would make me realize that you are this kind of person!"

"On the battlefield, the only people you can trust are yourself and your gun."

Are you afraid that we'll end up fighting each other in the end?

"Not just you, but anyone."

"......"

Benjamin was right. It was unlikely that they would neither turn against each other nor defect. Moreover, Benjamin was a mercenary, as was Li Zan. They were only on the same side now, but when they were assigned to different camps in the end, they would be enemies.

“We are comrades-in-arms this time, but our relationship will change over time, so I came here to remind you more.”

"What about Song Ran?"

"The same applies."

"....."

"This is the result of throwing a bulletproof vest at you."

"I just want to ask one question: Did she do anything to provoke you?"

“That’s the bulletproof vest I gave Sashin to wear when he came back to interview everyone. If you can give me a better bulletproof vest, then that’s another story.”

"Captain!"

Don't worry.

After checking the key areas, he went into the solitary confinement room where Sasin was locked up. However, because of Sasin's attitude towards Sasin when he returned to school, his opinion of Sasin changed again.

"what?"

"How's it going?"

"I feel very uncomfortable."

"This is a battlefield, the equipment is poor, so please make do."

"......"

"What's wrong?"

"You've suddenly become so gentle in your speech? Something's definitely up! Tell me, when did you start acting like this?"

"Is there?"

"......"

When Sasin got out of bed, he asked Benjamin about the smell of his breath. Upon learning that Benjamin had actually said those things while drunk, Sasin mostly criticized him:

"What!"

"What's wrong?"

"You've been drinking?"

"Um."

"You actually admitted it so readily!"

"yes."

The difference between Benjamin when he's sober and when he's drinking is so stark that sometimes he wonders why Benjamin drinks, but Benjamin just tells him the truth:

"Stay here for a few days, and I'll find you a decent bulletproof vest. Wear it before you interview me, things aren't very peaceful outside these days."

"?"