Qiao Xuejun stepped forward, hugged Wang Juanfeng, and patted her back gently with a soothing force.
Wang Juanfeng rested his head on her shoulder and reached out to hug her back.
After a while, Wang Juanfeng gradually calmed down. She let go of Qiao Xuejun and spoke, puzzled and bewildered: "Qiao Qiao, tell me, why do natural disasters happen? Why do mutant creatures exist in the world?"
It is so powerful that it can eat a person in two bites.
Wang Juanfeng sat on a chair and said, "Actually, we were supposed to retreat after defeating the second mutant creature today, but Xiao Jiang detected a new sea monster. That sea monster looked very normal, even a little weak."
"In the end, I fell into the trap."
Qiao Xuejun listened quietly. So, this is how the double blue oil came about today.
Wang Juanfeng: "There really isn't enough blue oil. If it weren't for the desire to collect blue oil, Xiao Jiang wouldn't be in trouble today."
Too little blue oil.
Qiao Xuejun thought, now I am really risking my life. Deep sea mutants are everywhere, and no one knew about them before.
Humans have observed and understood less than 1% of the ocean.
See what you have never seen, hear what you have never heard.
What kind of monsters are they?
Strange deep-sea mutants may become more and more numerous and increasingly difficult to guard against.
Qiao Xuejun told Wang Juanfeng: "You have to be careful when you go out with the patrol team. There may be more and more sea monsters that you have never seen before."
Wang Juanfeng nodded: "After this time, who would dare to be careless?"
The two of them prepared to wash up and go to bed.
Lying in bed, Qiao Xuejun remembered Zhao Xian's eyes again.
Self-blame, guilt, and grief.
He stood there calmly, yet he looked extremely embarrassed.
She lay there until the second half of the night, but she still couldn't fall asleep. She thought for a while, then quietly got up, went out, and went upstairs to Zhao Xian's room.
Zhao Xian's room was empty.
Qiao Xuejun came out of the room and went straight to the lord's office.
Surprisingly, the office was also dark, with no lights on.
Isn't Zhao Xian here now? However, given his style, the biggest possibility is that he is here.
Qiao Xuejun pushed open the office door and quietly walked in. She brought a small flashlight with her when she went out, and just as she turned on the flashlight, she heard someone calling her.
"...Mr. Qiao?"
The voice was very soft and a little hoarse.
Qiao Xuejun paused and shone the flashlight over there.
In front of the desk, Zhao Xian sat on the chief's chair, still wearing the blood-stained military uniform from yesterday. He leaned back in the chair, looking dejected.
He was holding a piece of copper metal in his hand, which seemed to be a medal, and he was rubbing and twisting it between his fingers.
Suddenly illuminated by the flashlight, he frowned somewhat unaccustomed.
She walked forward and asked softly, "Why aren't the lights on?"
Zhao Xian replied: "The lights will be turned off at 10 pm. It's not time to turn them on yet."
Zhao Xian looked at Qiao Xuejun: "Why did Teacher Qiao come out so late? Is there something wrong? Or are you not used to sleeping in the new room?"
Qiao Xuejun looked at him pretending to be indifferent, frowned, and asked, "Why are you still in the office so late?"
Zhao Xian said: "Tomorrow we will make the next transaction with Haibao, and we need to think about the subsequent transaction direction."
Qiao Xuejun: “Tomorrow?” After what happened today, shouldn’t we take a break?
Zhao Xian: "Yes. Tomorrow."
Qiao Xuejun: "Xiao Jiang's farewell party...? It's not going to be held tomorrow?"
"Xiao Jiang's body has been buried on the western hillside," Zhao Xian said. "We'll hold a memorial service when we have the chance."
There was still no fluctuation in his voice, and he was not as sad as Qiao Xuejun had seen him sound before.
It was as if he was still the great lord who controlled everything and was calm and composed.
But if that was the case, how could he be sitting here alone in the dark at this time?
Qiao Xuejun had rescued a kitten on the roadside before, and she felt very sad when she failed. What's more, they were comrades who had been with her day and night and fought together.
Qiao Xuejun couldn't help but wonder how Zhao Xian felt when he rescued the person from the fish's mouth and carried the person all the way back.
Qiao Xuejun's flashlight was still shining on him: "Everyone is very sad about Xiao Jiang's accident."
Zhao Xian: “Yeah.”
Qiao Xuejun continued: "You think that Xiao Jiang's matter is your responsibility? Right?" She easily knew that this was what Zhao Xian thought.
Zhao Xian paused counting the medals in his hand.
"...I'm their captain." He said in a dull voice.
It was his mistake in decision making that led to this. If he had retreated earlier, this would not have happened.
Qiao Xuejun: "Zhao Xian, I have said this many times. In the face of natural disasters, we are all human. You are also a human, not a superman."
"It's the fault of the natural disasters that they killed people."
"It's the sea monster's fault that the sea monster killed people."
Qiao Xuejun said seriously: "It's not your fault. I don't think you are wrong."
Qiao Xuejun felt that she came to Zhao Xian just to say this. After seeing Zhao Xian's self-blaming eyes, she really wanted to tell him.
Zhao Xian's mood suddenly became a mess.
Today he sat in darkness, reflecting on himself and judging his sins.
But Qiao Xuejun suddenly appeared, shining a light on him. Like a judge, she pronounced the verdict: the natural disaster was wrong, the sea monster was wrong, but you were not wrong. It's not your fault.
At that moment, he seemed to be truly illuminated by the sudden light.
"What is this?" Qiao Xuejun looked at the golden medal in his hand.
Zhao Xian handed the medal forward and showed it to her.
There is a big five-pointed star in the middle of the medal, and the gold-plated label above it reads "First Class War Merit".
Perhaps because it is often held in people's hands, the medal has a smooth and shiny surface.
Zhao Xian looked at the medal and said, "It belongs to Zhao Hongye, the wartime commander of the alliance's second counterinsurgency self-defense war. He led the Lion King Combat Regiment at the time and defeated the puppet army with a small force without disturbing the local people. His own casualties were also very low. He made great contributions in the war."
It is a battle that is well known and won by the commander's correct decision. It is also a battle that is regarded as a myth by the military.
In military academies, when instructors talk about this battle with students, they will ask, "Can you do it if it were you?"
Qiao Xuejun: "Is it your grandfather?"
Zhao Xian was quiet for a moment: "Yes."
"Zhao Xian, now is a time of natural disasters, and mutants are rampant. Mutants want to treat humans as a dish, and humans want to turn mutants into a barrel of oil. The contradiction is irreconcilable."
"You should know better than me: conflict is inevitable, and sacrifice is also inevitable."
Zhao Xian admitted: "It is inevitable."
Therefore, as the leader of the base, it is useless to feel sad. What he should do is not to sit here in vain, he should think about the next step.
"So," Qiao Xuejun said firmly and confidently, "it's the world's fault."
There is no need to blame yourself.
"Just fuck with this world."
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