Chapter 49: Uncle Dong’s story, the world focuses on you!
A four-story abandoned theater in the suburbs was requisitioned as a temporary study venue, and the refugees who originally lived there were all driven away to other places.
When the station announcement sounded "Grand Theater Station", Uncle Dong breathed a sigh of relief, got off the bus, and stood by the platform for a moment in a daze.
Since receiving the invitation to be a lecturer at the study session yesterday, he has not closed his eyes for 18 hours.
It’s hard to tell whether it’s excitement or panic.
But when I really got here, all my thoughts were suddenly cleared, leaving only a trace of confusion surging in my heart.
After a moment of daze, Uncle Dong came to his senses and walked towards the theater along the path trampled through the weeds.
About two or three hundred steps ahead, there is a sign in the middle of the road:
The audience goes to the left through the main entrance to enter the stage, and the lecturer goes to the right through the back door to go to the backstage.
He turned and walked towards the back door, and soon saw four guards guarding the door and lecturers queuing to enter.
When it was Uncle Dong's turn, he took out an iron badge from his pocket.
The guard took it and swiped it on the defense communication channel. An electronic voice sounded:
【Verification passed】
[Blood Dragon Legion Level 02 Green Dragon Team, Winter Squad, Captain Xia Dong.]
After hearing the announcement, the four guards' faces changed slightly, and they immediately put on a respectful expression.
Since its creation, the Blood Dragon Legion has been upgraded by one level every year and has now reached level 29.
The man in front of him was at level 02, meaning he had been in the second year of the Legion's founding.
The green dragon team belongs to the third level within the legion (divided into young dragons, spinosaurs, green dragons, pterosaurs, stone dragons, and blood dragons). Even now, there are only more than a hundred green dragon teams in the entire legion.
There is no doubt that he has been able to retire and live to this day. He is definitely one of the living fossils of the buffer zone!
"Captain Xia, please come in!"
"Thanks."
Uncle Dong took the badge and put it in his pocket, then walked in through the back door with a little trepidation.
call.
The light and dark change, and a breeze blows down from above the head.
Despite being a temporary venue, the interior of the theatre underwent a major renovation last night.
According to Harlin, since the beginning of the year, the activities of infected groups have been so frequent, and this kind of study session must be held frequently and on a large scale to maintain the combat effectiveness of the inspection team.
As a result, hundreds of workers worked overnight.
Today, the garbage and dirt on the first and second floors have been cleaned up, and the broken light bulbs and old facilities have been replaced with new ones, forming a sharp contrast with the dilapidated appearance.
Walking forward step by step along the passage, Uncle Dong's heart, which had been silent for a long time, began to beat violently, and even the pain in his arm seemed to disappear.
After turning two corners, his steps suddenly stopped.
An indescribable expression flashed across his face, finally lingering on the few people in the distant corner.
Four boys and two girls.
Everyone is injured and everyone has some disabilities.
But Uncle Dong's eyes were always fixed on the middle-aged woman with a scar on her face, and he could hardly move his eyes.
If Cheng Ye were here, just by observing the changes in Uncle Dong's eyes, he would be able to guess that there must be a melodramatic story that could be made into dozens of episodes of a TV series.
And this is indeed the case. Uncle Dong does have a long story with women.
However, let’s not talk about the bloody story.
The past is the past. People cannot always live in the beautiful memories they create.
"After so many years, I've actually figured it out a long time ago, but I just don't want to face it."
"Now the goods have been soaked in water, and there are countless infected bodies entering the buffer zone. What are we afraid of?"
The uneasiness outside the door turned into a sense of openness when I got here.
Chaotic memories flashed through Uncle Dong's mind, and were eventually cleared into the corner of his mind.
He paused, put on a kind smile that Cheng Ye was very familiar with, and walked along the wall.
"Everyone, you look so energetic!"
In the chaotic backfield, Uncle Dong's voice was not loud, but it startled the six people sitting around him.
When they turned around and saw who was coming, everyone's face was filled with surprise.
"Old Xia is here!"
"Haha, the captain is finally here!"
"The captain still looks so young, and it's obvious that he lives a more comfortable life than us!"
"Old Xia, I thought that studying wouldn't be enough for a big Buddha like you!"
The six people gathered around him instantly, encircling Uncle Dong like stars surrounding the moon.
As the first generation of warriors of the Blood Dragon Legion, there are quite a few survivors, but there are only a handful of teams in the entire Happy City that can still maintain full staffing after retirement.
Uncle Dong nodded in response. When his eyes fell on the scarred woman's face, he chuckled, "Yunwei, long time no see."
The woman was slightly stunned, then shook her head and said with a smile: "Long time no see."
Just four short words seem to tell the whole story and include the past.
When the other five people saw this, they all had a tacit understanding of "I understand, I understand" in their eyes, and they quietly made room for the two.
"How have you been lately?"
"That's it. I can't sit still, so I go out and drive a truck with someone else. The team delivers goods to the neighboring provinces and cities. I don't make much, but at least it's not tiring."
"The infected bodies are moving around a lot this year. It's very dangerous out there, right? Why don't you take a break?"
"How can I rest so easily? We all signed a ten-year contract, and I still have three years left." Before she finished speaking, she suddenly glanced at Uncle Dong's arm, "Aren't you busy too? This old injury has been hurting for years, why don't you go get treatment?"
"It's incurable. I've had several surgeries. It's a fundamental problem. It's very difficult."
Uncle Dong sighed, and where his sleeves slipped down, a few hideous old scars were faintly visible under the light.
The topic seemed to end at this moment, and neither of them could find a topic to continue the conversation.
Fortunately, a burst of applause suddenly came from the front court, breaking the silence.
"That's strange. Those people sitting there are all prosecutors. Why would they applaud us?"
Yun Wei stood on tiptoe and looked at the stage with a strange expression.
These peasants said they were here to impart their experience, but how could they dare to teach the inspectors?
As the most powerful group of people in the buffer zone, it was a miracle for me to hear them finish their talk.
Applause and welcome are beyond our reach.
"That's not applause for you. This guy is teaching... He used to be an instructor at the Public Security Bureau. His wife is also an inspector, and a fourth-term inspector with real power."
A familiar voice came from the side, and the two turned their heads subconsciously and found that it was from the Lei Yue team.
He was also a colleague from that year, but there was only one person left in the Lei Yue team.
"Miao Yang, judging from what you said, you really want the prosecutor to applaud you?" people around him joked.
"Hey, let me put it this way, aren't we all here for those 8 contribution points?"
Miao Yang rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "But I do have a trick up my sleeve. I haven't told anyone about the Blood Dragon Legion's invitations to give lectures in recent years. I'm sure the audience will be pleased to hear it and applaud."
"Hardworking, are you going to tell me about how the Leiyue team was almost wiped out?"
"Get lost!" Miao Yang cursed and laughed as he pushed the other man away. "Aren't you the only one left in your Red Blood Squad?"
"How can it be the same? There were still five of us when we retired..."
“…”
Listening to Miao Yang arguing with others, Uncle Dong and Yun Wei smiled at each other helplessly, and walked to a quiet place tacitly.
"How about I lend you some money so you can have the surgery?"
"Why would I need to borrow from you? If I really wanted to cure this, the favors I've accumulated over the years would have been enough. There's no need..."
Uncle Dong shook his head, "After all these years, why haven't you thought about finding a companion?"
"I've been waiting for you."
Yun Wei's eyelashes trembled as she raised her eyes, and she suddenly burst into laughter. "Is that what you wanted to hear me say? I heard that's how the romance dramas of the old days were played out!"
"Xia Dong, you are the only one allowed to be afraid of death, but I am not allowed to be afraid of death?"
"I'm not afraid of death..."
Uncle Dong's throat rolled as he tried to refute, but in the end it just turned into a sigh.
The two were dating each other at the time and had even agreed on a wedding date.
Unfortunately, an accident happened during the mission and the team was surrounded by infected bodies. Although they survived and no one died, they all suffered injuries of varying degrees.
As the team leader, Uncle Dong noticed the unusual movements of the infected body. Even though the team was about to be promoted to the "Pterosaur" level and join the middle level of the Blood Dragon Legion, he still resolutely chose to retire, leaving behind the other members of the Winter Team.
Without him as the backbone, the other members of the team gradually became discouraged and chose to retire one after another.
Everyone resented Xia Dong, thinking that he was cowardly and afraid of death and had ruined everyone's future.
Naturally, the relationship between the two came to an end.
But fate played a trick on us. Just in the winter when everyone retired, Xingfu City was hit by a horrific "plague"-level infection wave.
Almost all the teams that were in the same period as the Winter Squad were wiped out, and only a few survived.
Such a tragic change made the Winter Team suddenly realize Xia Dong's wisdom back then, and even more so, his madness of ignoring all dangers when he was about to be promoted.
It’s a pity that although others were able to forgive and understand him later, Xia Dong himself could never get over that hurdle.
To put it simply, it means that the heart of Tao is broken.
A brave and newly-arrived soldier chose to retire and escape when his momentum was at its peak.
This decision tormented him for more than twenty years.
"You always contradicted me before, so why are you finally accepting your fate now?"
"I admit it. What else can I do if I don't? I'm just a useless coward. You don't know how scared I was last night when I heard the station chief died and the infected sneaked in. Luckily, I didn't embarrass myself in front of the younger generation. I even pretended to be a big boss."
Uncle Dong grinned and patted the badge hanging on his chest.
"You deserve this day!"
"That's good!" Yun Wei gave a thumbs up. "Then should I curse too?"
"That won't work. You all said before that you've forgiven me."
Uncle Dong's little arrogance made Yun Wei laugh.
The other five members of the Winter Team, who were eavesdropping nearby, immediately relaxed their brows.
They have tried to bring the two together many times over the years, but Uncle Dong always evades them.
Could it be that this time, there really is hope?
"Damn it! I've been speaking on stage for quite some time, and it's one thing for these inspectors to look down on me, but what about those observers and staff in the back? Why are they acting like this?"
"Am I a bad speaker? Have I killed fewer infected bodies than them?"
Just at this moment, Miao Yang walked back to the backcourt cursing.
He was very prepared. He didn't notice how many people were listening to him, but he could clearly see how many people were distracted.
Not only the inspector, but even the ordinary people in the back row were too lazy to even raise their eyelids. This is simply looking down on others!
"Okay, okay, didn't you say you were here to get contribution points? Stop shouting, or you'll be in trouble if someone hears you." Someone advised quickly.
The announcer walked over expressionlessly, gave Miao Yang a deep look, and said to Uncle Dong, "Team Frost Winter, get ready. It's your turn next. Decide who will go first."
Who goes first?
"Let me do it." Uncle Dong brushed off the non-existent dust. "I was the first one to escape last time. I can't be the last one this time."
He didn't think he was much better than Miao Yang, but as for embarrassment, he had already suffered enough embarrassment over the years, so this time wouldn't be a big deal.
"Captain is mighty!"
"The captain is still as impressive as ever, awesome."
"Haha, Captain, go ahead. If no one else applauds, we'll cheer for you!"
Amid the clamor, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and turned to look at Yun Wei.
The latter blinked, as if to encourage him, but also as if to ask if he had really recovered his spirits?
Have you recovered?
Uncle Dong laughed at himself and shook his head. How could an old useless guy who worked in a grocery store have such ambition? He just wanted to survive.
"Now, please welcome the Blood Dragon Legion's Level 02 Green Dragon Captain, Xia Dong, to give us a lecture."
When the announcement sounded, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.
The lights were far less dazzling than he had imagined, and nothing like what he had seen in the old Time magazines he had found at the flea market, which made people feel like they were the center of attention.
Look down.
The inspectors in the front row all lowered their heads, unconcerned.
People at the middle checkpoint were whispering to each other, seemingly discussing some important topic.
As for what happened later... Uncle Dong really wanted to find out where Cheng Ye was, but unfortunately there were too many people and he didn't have enough time to look at him carefully.
"Hello everyone, I'm Xia Dong, a soldier who luckily survived the battlefield."
"Today I'm going to talk about...responding to area-of-effect hydrophilic infections."
“…”
In five minutes, you can’t go into too much depth.
Uncle Dong disassembled a battle scene encountered by the Winter Team and fully described the response ideas and actual combat results.
Clearly organized and engaging.
The players standing in the backcourt couldn't help but applaud, and even Yun Wei's eyes were a little hot, as if she saw the old Xia Dong coming back again.
However, the response from the audience was lukewarm. Miao Yang, who was watching from the side, curled his lips and sighed helplessly.
"Okay, this is the complete response method. Does anyone have any questions?"
No one in the audience asked any questions.
Uncle Dong was not surprised and bowed slightly. "Then, thank you all for listening."
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave the stage.
However, at this moment, unexpected applause suddenly broke out in the silent conference hall.
The applause was not loud, but it was particularly clear in the silence!
yes...
Cheng Ye clapped his hands lightly. To others, Uncle Dong was just an insignificant bystander.
But for him, they were one of the few people he could talk to and relieve his boredom after traveling to the wasteland.
"Wonderful!"
He stood up slightly, nodded to the people around him, completely ignored the surprised looks, and gave applause without hesitation.
Pa pa pa.
Seeing this, Li Matthew also stood up and applauded, not caring at all about the strange looks from others.
For him, this kind of moment with little risk and the ability to make his presence felt is the most suitable.
However.
Almost as he stood up and applauded, synchronized applause broke out behind him!
ah?
Cheng Ye is such a big shot, why are there still people applauding?
Li Matai turned around curiously, wanting to see if there was anyone else who dared to ignore the dispute over the East and come out to show off his presence.
Could it be some fearless little character...
?
The eyes of the people in the back row met with Li Matthew's. Dario Haven applauded while showing some doubts.
It seems to be asking again, why the hell are you stealing my thunder?
"Dario Haven?"
Li Matai was stunned, his expression froze instantly, his eyes were full of astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.
How is that possible?
A fifth-term inspector of the Westerners and Harlem’s number one fan.
Dario Haven, who is likely to succeed the station chief.
He, he was actually clapping too?
Is he trying to curry favor and win over Cheng Ye to the Western camp?
No, this guy is crazy. How could he, who is obsessed with standing up for his own side, applaud an Eastern warrior?
The confused Western inspectors turned around with astonishment on their faces.
But I don’t know which lackey took the lead and started clapping along with Dario Haven.
The sparse applause suddenly became louder, and the observers and staff of the Western camp saw it and hurried to follow suit.
It really is like 'this world is too crazy, the mouse is the bridesmaid for the cat'!
The Western camp is actually applauding the Eastern camp?
The Eastern inspectors in the front row hesitated for a moment, thinking that they must not lose face. If the Westerners were applauding along with Cheng Ye, what were they afraid of? They also started to applaud.
The applause came in waves, getting louder and louder, and more and more people stood up!
The applause in the entire venue reached an unprecedented level of enthusiasm.
???
what happened?
It was only three or four seconds from the first round of applause to the whole audience's thunder. Uncle Dong's feet suddenly froze in place, and an expression of disbelief and astonishment crossed his face.
He turned his head suddenly, and his memory seemed to be confused at this moment.
In a trance, I actually found myself standing on the stage depicted in that old magazine.
The lights are bright, dazzling like broken diamonds.
The crowd was noisy and surging like thunder.
Applause like waves came from all directions, enveloping him, drowning him, and almost making him breathless.
Although all eyes were not focused on him at the moment, but on the face of a young prosecutor in the middle of the back row!
But the prosecutor looked at him and told him with a gentle but slightly surprised look.
Xia Dong, you are not a useless waste that no one cares about!
...
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