Chapter 179 Military Dog Retirement: Death or Injury
Zhou Jue almost lost control of his facial expression.
"So beautiful? This dog knows how to compliment people." She was secretly overjoyed, but she had to keep a straight face. After all, Captain Wang Meng was standing next to her, and she couldn't just chuckle like an idiot to a group of dogs.
[Huh? Did she understand what I was saying?]
[Black Wind, you bastard, all you do is flatter! "So beautiful," you say? Why don't you just say she's a fairy descended from heaven?]
[Exactly, exactly, you bootlicker!]
[However... she is indeed quite pretty, much prettier than Captain Wang's dark face.]
Before anyone could react, Captain Wang Meng, who had been caught in the crossfire, sneezed. He rubbed his nose, looking completely bewildered.
Zhou Jue cleared his throat, deciding to give these little guys a little shock.
“I am neither an instructor nor a new comrade-in-arms.”
Upon hearing Zhou Jue's answer to Hei Feng's question, the entire kennel fell silent instantly.
The barking stopped.
The wagging of its tail stopped.
All the military dogs stared wide-eyed at each other, their innocent and pure eyes filled with bewilderment and shock at their dog-like perspectives being turned upside down.
【……who? 】
【Who is speaking? 】
She really can understand what we're saying! Aww~
[A ghost! There's a ghost!]
The German Shepherd named "Black Wind" suddenly bristled, arched its back warily, and let out a low growl.
Zhou Jue almost burst out laughing when he saw their ghostly expressions.
She spoke again: "Stop looking, it's me talking to you."
At this moment, several pairs of dog eyes focused on Zhou Jue once again.
In those eyes, there was three parts shock, three parts bewilderment, and four parts disbelief as if they had seen a ghost.
It's her?!
[This two-legged creature, can it really talk to us?!]
[Oh my god! Is the end of the world coming? Have the two-legged creatures evolved?]
How did she do that? Is this some new training program?
"Black Wind" tilted his head and tentatively asked, "[Big Beauty, is it really you?]"
Zhou Jue responded: "It's me, Hei Feng. By the way, you sang very well, very energetically."
"Boom!" It was as if a firework exploded in Black Wind's mind.
It knew! It really knew! Not only did it know what I was saying, it also knew I was singing! And it even praised my singing!
Black Wind let out a howl and excitedly started circling in its small cubicle, its tail wagging like a helicopter propeller. If it weren't for the railing, it probably would have pounced on it.
Its excitement caused the other dogs to erupt in a frenzy as well.
Holy crap! They can actually communicate!
[Quick, quick, tell her! My teething toy, which I hid under the third pine tree in the training field yesterday, is gone! Did 'Lightning' from next door steal it?!]
Tell her! I want double the chicken drumsticks! I'm still growing!
Tell her! Captain Wang secretly ate instant noodles last night without me!
Zhou Jue's mind was instantly filled with all sorts of complaints, demands, and gossip, making her head spin. She quickly said, "Take it one at a time, don't rush."
Wang Meng, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded as he watched the group of military dogs suddenly go berserk.
"Major General Zhou, what... what's going on?" He looked at these "soldiers" who were usually disciplined and obeyed orders, but now they were jumping around like a bunch of destructive huskies, and he was completely baffled.
“Captain Wang,” Zhou Jue turned his head, his smile enigmatic, “Do you believe I can talk to them?”
Wang Meng was taken aback, then a troubled yet hesitant expression appeared on his face.
Talking to a dog? But isn't this joke... a bit too much?
He chuckled dryly twice: "Major General Zhou, you're joking. These kids are clever, but they're still..."
“For example,” Zhou Jue interrupted him, his gaze falling on a Kunming dog that was anxiously pawing at the ground, “that one called ‘Chase’ is complaining to me that its chew toy, which it hid under the third pine tree in the training field, is missing, and it suspects that ‘Lightning’ stole it.”
Wang Meng's smile froze. It's common for military dogs to hide things, and their handlers usually turn a blind eye, but where they hide them is the dog's own secret. How could an outsider possibly know?
Zhou Jue then looked at the other one: "The one called 'Thunder' said that you secretly ate instant noodles in the dormitory last night and didn't share any with it."
Wang Meng's eye twitched violently. He was indeed starving last night and secretly made himself a bowl of instant noodles. This was something only heaven, earth, and himself knew. How did this bastard find out? And he even leaked it out!
“And that one, ‘Fearless’,” Zhou Jue pointed to the largest German Shepherd, “it asked me to tell you that it’s growing, and it wants double the chicken legs today.”
Wang Meng was speechless. He opened his mouth, looked at Zhou Jue, and then at the group of military dogs that were still howling. He felt that his worldview, which had collapsed countless times, had collapsed once again.
Could it be that Major General Zhou has mastered some kind of beast language magic?
"Captain Wang, do you believe me now?" Zhou Jue asked with a smile.
"I...I believe you!" Wang Meng stammered, his eyes filled with fanaticism as he looked at Zhou Jue.
You can communicate with animals!
My goodness! This will be a revolutionary change for the training and command of military dogs, and even the entire field of special operations!
In the past, training relied on repetition day after day and on the tacit understanding between the trainer and the military dog. However, even with the best understanding, there would always be deviations, and it was impossible to achieve 100% accurate communication.
But now, if they can communicate directly, military dogs will no longer be just tools, but true "comrades-in-arms" who can communicate without barriers!
Wang Meng was trembling with excitement: "Major General Zhou! Your...your ability...is simply..."
He stammered for a long time, unable to find a suitable word to describe the shock he felt.
“Staff Officer Chen has already reported it. The superiors instructed us to conduct a pilot test at the base first and see how it goes,” Zhou Jue explained. “That’s why I came to ask you and the military dogs for help.”
"Help?" Wang Meng thumped his chest loudly. "Major General Zhou, you're joking! This isn't helping, it's a tremendous opportunity for our military dog team! Whatever your instructions, all of us, including all the dogs, will guarantee to complete the mission!"
Zhou Jue nodded, her gaze sweeping over the excited military dogs again, when she suddenly noticed a German Shepherd with grayish fur lying quietly in a kennel in the far corner.
All the other dogs were celebrating, but it seemed completely detached, not even lifting an eyelid.
Zhou Jue was a little curious, but the military dog didn't speak, so she quietly grasped the Listening Sea Beast's milk teeth and probed it with her mental energy.
The military dog showed no excitement, no curiosity, and not even much emotional fluctuation. What Zhou Jue heard was a sense of weariness and a faint sadness.
[So noisy...]
Another new person has joined?
When will I finally get a good night's sleep...?
Its inner thoughts were fragmented, and the whole dog was filled with depression. Zhou Jue found it strange that no one intervened or provided treatment for the military dogs in the base who were in low spirits.
Zhou Jue asked, "Captain Wang, what's wrong with that dog? It seems a bit listless."
Wang Meng followed her gaze, his excitement fading somewhat, replaced by a complex expression—a mixture of regret and respect.
"Major General Zhou, you mean 'meritorious service'."
"It's not an active-duty military dog; it's a retired meritorious dog that's already twelve years old, equivalent to a human's seventy or eighty years old. Because it's not in good health and has gotten used to being in the unit, we weren't comfortable sending it to a specialized sanatorium, so we made a special exception to let it stay in the unit to retire."
"A meritorious dog?" Zhou Jue pondered the term.
“Yes.” Wang Meng’s tone was full of respect: “‘Meritorious Service’ is a hero who ranks among the top in our team and even the entire military region. It has participated in hundreds of missions, big and small, and is proficient in search and rescue, bomb disposal, and pursuit. It still has many scars on its body, and one of its legs is lame.”
"Then it?"
Wang Meng sighed: "This is the fate of most military dogs. They either die in the line of duty or retire with a body full of injuries. So, when military dogs retire, they either die or get injured."
Zhou Jue listened quietly, and when he looked at the old dog again, his eyes had changed. He no longer looked at an ordinary animal, but at a respectable, silent hero.
She looked at the old dog lying motionless on the ground. Its fur had lost its luster, its eyes were cloudy, and it seemed to be breathing with difficulty. Zhou Jue's heart clenched for no reason.
She suddenly wanted to know what this hero was thinking in the final moments of his life.
She concentrated her mental energy and attached it all to the old dog named "Meritorious Service". The noisy sounds instantly disappeared and the whole world became quiet.
She "heard" some images, fragmented images: smoke, fire, collapsed ruins, piercing alarms...
Another young figure, dressed in military uniform, flashed before its eyes again and again.
That figure was always smiling, rubbing its head, and calling its name.
【charge……】
[Charge! Well done...]
Charge! Wait for me to come back!
charge?
Zhou Jue was taken aback. Wasn't it called "Meritorious Service"?
Just then, a clear yet endlessly weary and sorrowful thought pierced through all the chaotic images and crashed into Zhou Jue's mind.
Why isn't he back yet?
I've waited a lifetime...
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