Chapter 29 Primary Contradictions

As Gao Yuan and Luo Xingyu walked back with the things they had retrieved, they encountered Xiang Weiguo coming towards them.

Upon seeing Gao Yuan and especially Luo Xingyu, Xiang Weiguo finally let out the breath he had been holding.

"Uncle Xiang!"

Luo Xingyu called out from a distance, and Xiang Weiguo immediately stopped in his tracks before sitting down on a stone by the road.

When Luo Xingyu reached his side, Xiang Weiguo sighed with deep feeling, first grabbing Luo Xingyu's hand and looking him up and down before he said with a trembling voice, "You must have been scared, were you hurt anywhere?"

Although she had already had a tearful embrace with Gao Yuan, the day's harrowing experiences were so overwhelming that upon seeing her dearest person, Luo Xingyu couldn't help wanting to cry again.

"I thought I'd never see you all again…"

Patting Luo Xingyu, Xiang Weiguo looked at Gao Yuan with a relieved face and nodded, "Good job, really good. How many were there?"

Gao Yuan held up four fingers and said, "Four of them, and one had a gun, but I took care of them all. They didn't have a chance."

Gao Yuan was extremely proud. Xiang Weiguo nodded and replied, "They even had a gun, good thing, good thing…"

That they could rescue Luo Xingyu today was entirely thanks to Xiang Weiguo; if it had been up to Gao Yuan alone, he would have surely run back to the village like a headless fly. By the time he found the correct path to give chase, Li Bo and his gang would have been long gone, making Luo Xingyu's rescue an impossible feat.

Therefore, Gao Yuan now felt genuine admiration for Xiang Weiguo.

Xiang Weiguo, looking at Gao Yuan, exhaled in relief as well and asked, "Good, they didn't hit you, did they scare you?"

"No, who had time to be scared then?" Gao Yuan exclaimed. "It was all quick moves, and I knocked that guy down instantly. It's just like you said, if you face an armed enemy at close range, you can't hide; you have to confront them. If they hit me, they hit me, but if they miss, they're dead."

Xiang Weiguo nodded in approval and said, "That's good, you remember what I taught you. A person doesn't run as fast as a bullet anyway, and running is useless. You might as well take them down."

Gao Yuan, with a look of excitement, said, "Uncle Xiang, your predictions were all correct! Not a single miss, you really are God."

Xiang Weiguo smiled faintly and asked, "What do you say is the most important thing about being a good scout?"

Gao Yuan replied without hesitation, "Before I might have said marksmanship or physical strength, but now, I definitely know the most important thing is to have brains."

"Exactly," Xiang Weiguo asserted. "To be a scout, the most important thing is to have brains. Whether you are a human scout or a special forces soldier, what's the use of just being able to shoot accurately and run fast? When you're collecting intelligence behind enemy lines, where are their defenses weakest? How can you discern their offensive direction from their military deployment? How do you estimate enemy strength from their logistical facilities? At the very least, if you're sabotaging behind enemy lines, can you afford to not know which targets are most important? An enemy officer is in your sights, do you kill them or not? What are the consequences if you do, and do you have an escape plan? Is it worth sacrificing yourself for one enemy officer? When you're carrying intelligence and encounter unexpected situations that might indicate new enemy movements, do you return with what you've gathered or decide to clarify if the enemy is making bigger moves?"

After Xiang Weiguo fired off a series of questions, he said seriously, "So, no matter who you are, no matter what you are doing, no matter the environment you are in, you have to think first. Having rich experience is one thing, but the most important is whether you are willing to use your brain. Don't just say 'I'm just a scout following orders', only to report back for the staff to analyze. If you can't find the most crucial information, then what value does your intelligence have for them?"

Gao Yuan nodded and said, "Now I really understand. Uncle Xiang, you must have been the best scout!"

Modest?

Not at all.

Xiang Weiguo nodded with satisfaction and said, "Of course, do I even need to say it? If I hadn't been the best, would it be my turn to train special forces? Many serve as scouts in the military, but how many can make it to the rank of colonel? How many can teach special forces?"

After speaking gleefully, Xiang Weiguo sighed deeply and said, "But I'm getting old. After running just this short distance, I'm already out of breath. Back in my younger days, a run like today's wouldn't even make me sweat."

Xiang Weiguo was obviously exaggerating; after running non-stop for over three hours, not sweating would be impossible, and by now, Xiang Weiguo was indeed tired.

After wiping his sweat, Xiang Weiguo asked nonchalantly, "The gun, show me."

As he took out the pistol from his pocket and presented it to Xiang Weiguo, Gao Yuan boasted pridefully, "I brought the gun back but, unfortunately, it's out of bullets. It only had two, and they've both been fired."

Taking the pistol and aiming it as if to gauge it, Xiang Weiguo quickly said, "I don't like the 92. I prefer the 54."

An old soldier's love for guns is in his bones, so naturally, given the chance, he had to fiddle with it. After declaring his preference over the 92, Xiang Weiguo swiftly disassembled the gun with practiced ease.

Gao Yuan said, "Uncle Xiang, there are only two bullets in this gun, but I heard…heard from the person we caught that this gun was originally fired eight times, so that's a total of ten bullets. But isn't this gun supposed to hold fifteen bullets?"

Gao Yuan had also warned Luo Xingyu not to slip up, but he himself let it out first. They all heard it, so they must surely have caught someone alive.

Xiang Weiguo smiled and said, "This gun can hold 15 rounds, but no one usually does that—it's easy to jam. The 92 pistol is double-stack double-feed, so if the bullets are too full, the spring gets compressed more, and it can cause feeding issues. So we normally load ten rounds. Hmm, this gun isn't as reliable as the Type 54."

Gao Yuan had never handled a gun; how would he know these things?

"Then in the army, you use the Type 54? That's impossible, right? Special forces and still using Type 54?"

"Of course not, now we've switched to an improved version of the 92, and there are also imported handguns we can choose from. There are many more options. Speaking of which, the improved 92 is much better. The magazine has been changed to double-stack single-feed, so it doesn't drop as easily. There are fewer issues with incomplete cycling, the spring is stiffer, and it's less prone to jamming. Anyway, it's been greatly improved after the modifications."

Listening to this, Gao Yuan could only give a wry smile before he said helplessly, "That means this gun is pretty trashy…"

Xiang Weiguo waved his hand and said, "Having many guns in our unit naturally means we can encounter all sorts of malfunctions, but these issues can't all be found in one gun. Anyway, I don't like this gun; I would rather use the Type 54."

After chatting casually about guns, Xiang Weiguo stood up and said, "Let's rest for a moment before we start walking back slowly. So, what's up, did you catch a 'tongue'?"

"Mm…"

"Dead? Or did you let him go? Don't tell me you let him go."

Xiang Weiguo looked very serious. Gao Yuan felt much more at ease now and said, "Dead."

Xiang Weiguo immediately nodded and said, "That's good. Without any warning, they directly attacked. These people must have done plenty of bad things. An ordinary person who has evil intentions would still need to feel there's an opportunity before daring to do something bad. Anyone who doesn't assess the situation and dares to act on the slightest chance is definitely planning to leave no survivors. If worse comes to worst, they could just kill someone and run away. So you must be ruthless with such people. If you encounter them, you can't afford to be merciful either. If you hold back, you're definitely the one who's going to die."

Gao Yuan gave a thumbs up, his face full of admiration, and said, "Uncle Xiang, you didn't see them, but what you said is spot on. I'm impressed, really impressed."

Luo Xingyu, looking smug, said, "See, I told you I was right, didn't I, Uncle Xiang? He was just worried you would blame him."

Xiang Weiguo dismissed it and said, "Blame you for what? With my temperament, when I see those lawbreakers, I feel like crushing them with my own hands. In troubled times strict laws are needed, and even more so in times of great disaster. Strict control is necessary, or else the world would be spoiled by those scoundrels. Speaking of which, what news did you manage to get?"

"The shelter is crowded with people…"

Gao Yuan told Xiang Weiguo everything he had learned from Li Bo without leaving anything out. Xiang Weiguo listened very attentively.

Only after Gao Yuan finished speaking did Xiang Weiguo frown and say, "Didn't they mention conscripting veterans back into service or calling up reservists?"

"They didn't, he didn't know either. Uncle Xiang, if you want to go back to the unit, then just go back directly. Why wait for a mobilization order?"

Xiang Weiguo sighed and then said in a low voice, "You see, I just said you need to think more. What's the use of the shelter having so many people now? Is it useful? Has the main conflict been resolved?"

Gao Yuan shook his head. Xiang Weiguo halted in his steps and pointed upward, saying, "Look at the sky."

In the sky, a ship as massive as a mountain was still hanging there.

"What is the main conflict between us and the enemy? It's that the aliens want to wipe out humans. Let's assume the aliens plan to occupy Earth. Now that the aliens haven't made a move, does that mean they've calmed down? Would they consent to that?"

Gao Yuan had already discussed the same thing with Luo Xingyu. Xiang Weiguo was simply reiterating his point.

With a heavy sigh, Xiang Weiguo said with a helpless look, "What I'm hoping for is not the call to mobilize reservists, but the hope for a counter-attack. Do you know why the shelter is so crowded? Because there are troops stationed there, soldiers to protect the civilians. But the protection isn't meant to drive away the aliens; it's simply because those civilians need protection, that's all. The real conflict remains unresolved!"

After finishing, Xiang Weiguo looked at Gao Yuan, then he said with a pained expression, "The army can only keep civilians safe from the zombie threat. This is not a solution to the main conflict. That's why I won't go, because going would be pointless. One more or one less of me makes no difference. What would I be able to do even if I went?… I've dedicated enough of my life. If I can't fulfill my filial duties to my parents while they are alive, then I'll join them in the afterlife."

The mood turned somber again, and Luo Xingyu said in a low voice, "Uncle Xiang, do you think there's still hope? What would have to happen for it to be considered hopeful?"

After a moment of thought, Xiang Weiguo said, "Wait until the nation begins a total mobilization, marshaling every available resource, and the focus shifts from protecting civilians to waging a full-scale war. That will be the sign of hope, at least the hope for a counter-attack."