Chapter 25: The Switch

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Chapter 25: Switched Out

The exercise ended with the Red side winning by a narrow margin, though Xu Qiao had no idea whether she had contributed to that victory.

Still, it was obvious that the way people looked at her had changed.

When she had first arrived in this world—or even when she had just returned to the army—everyone in the Communications Company and the Mess Hall had looked down on her from head to toe.

Xu Qiao did not blame them. Even she looked down on the person she had once been and despised the things that version of herself had done.

She had never expected that merely performing reasonably well in an exercise would earn their approval.

After what had happened, she had to admit that they were rather endearing.

It had taken only one incident to change their opinion of her, and they had even begun to trust her.

Perhaps only people here could be so simple-minded... No, simple-minded was not the right word. It was merely the trust soldiers placed in their comrades.

They all believed that the army, that great melting pot, could change anyone. As long as there was nothing fundamentally wrong with a person, they would surely be able to fit into this big family.

Seeing how eagerly she tried to explain herself, the company commander smiled with emotion. “I really didn’t expect this. You truly have changed.”

It was not that the Communications Company had been completely incompetent.

After he finished speaking, however, his expression took on a somewhat strange look, which made Xu Qiao even more puzzled.

“Although Squad Leader Wu guided you during the first part, your performance after his sacrifice was also outstanding. You could even say... you restored our company’s honor.”

“An award?” Xu Qiao pointed at herself in disbelief. “You’re giving me an award just because of one exercise?”

The moment she stepped into the company commander’s office, Xu Qiao instinctively snapped to attention. “Reporting!”

The company commander listened with a helpless expression. He had truly discovered that just as he had once been unable to understand Xu Qiao’s way of thinking, he now found it impossible to communicate smoothly with her.

She had led them straight into the enemy’s encirclement, and in the end, most of them had died in that nameless little valley before they had even had time to fire a shot.

In truth, she could understand it. Sometimes, luck was also a form of strength.

The company commander smiled and waved at her. “Come in. Sit down.”

When he heard her still trying to console him, the company commander glanced at her in surprise, then shook his head with a helpless laugh. “Xu Qiao, war will not give you excuses.”

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Could you say they were not heroes? Could you say they were incompetent?

Of course not. Some of them were even far more capable than the Xu Qiao of her previous life, yet in the end, they had not even had the chance to enter the battlefield.

Her expression was somewhat awkward, but Xu Qiao had done nothing wrong this time and had nothing to fear, so she sat down directly.

Xu Qiao looked at him in surprise. “Why would a company commander like you want to see me?”

The company commander glanced at her and said directly, “Your performance in this exercise was excellent.”

“In a situation like this, it would be impossible to hold a celebration banquet. Otherwise, you could have gone up onstage to receive the award.”

She had learned all this from Yin Li, who was also a new recruit.

As he spoke, he looked at her and smiled. “Your performance this time is equally deserving of praise.”

Xu Qiao was stunned when she heard that.

“Don’t worry. No one will take Squad Leader Wu’s credit from him. He will receive the commendation he deserves.”

It reminded her of a comrade she had known in her previous life. He had set out with his team, fully prepared to fight the enemy. Even if they died, they had intended to take at least one enemy with them. But fate had never given them the chance.

If the Communications troops had truly been capable enough, the Blue side’s jamming unit would not have been thrown into confusion by Squad Leader Wu alone.

If her first return to the army had been greeted by the company commander’s dark expression, then this was now the complete opposite.

“As I just said, a mistake is a mistake, and merit is merit. Since you performed meritoriously this time, you deserve a reward. In addition to giving you a commendation, the regiment will also allow you to return to Communications Squad One.”

“You don’t need to thank me. You should thank yourself; you performed well this time.” As he spoke, the company commander could not help sighing. “It’s just a pity that the Red side can only be said to have won a disastrous victory. Our regiment in particular was practically wiped out.”

Who would have thought that he would simply wave his hand? “The past is the past. You have already been punished, so the matter is over.”

Interrupted by him, Xu Qiao felt even more embarrassed. “Company Commander, about what happened before...”

Xu Qiao hurriedly said, “Actually, Squad Leader Wu was the one leading me. Without him, I wouldn’t even have been able to find a trace of the enemy.”

Seeing the company commander’s helplessness, Xu Qiao did not know how to comfort him for a moment.

Thinking of this, she could not help saying, “Company Commander, we can’t take all the blame for what happened this time. The people who attacked us were from the Reconnaissance Company. Whether it was concealment and reconnaissance or surprise attacks, their abilities were far beyond anything our people could match.”

Yes, you could have excuses and reasons, but war would not give you excuses.

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If your luck was bad, you would die beneath the enemy’s encirclement. If you were inferior to the enemy in that regard, you would be wiped out in a surprise attack.

They had simply happened to be targeted by the enemy, leaving them no opportunity to display their abilities.

Xu Qiao came back to herself, then smiled in delight. She hurriedly stood up and snapped to attention. “Thank you, Company Commander!”

She could only explain softly, “Although this was merely an exercise, it was a joint exercise involving multiple branches throughout the entire military region. Its purpose was to identify the weaknesses of each unit and prepare for improvements to come.”

Seeing her reaction, the company commander waved his hand. “Forget it. That isn’t something you need to consider right now.”

“So this wasn’t an ordinary exercise. It was highly significant. Performing outstandingly in an exercise like this deserves a commendation, doesn’t it?”

Xu Rufei burst out laughing at her reaction. “How would I know why he wants to see you? Just go and find out.”

“We distinguish merit from fault. Since you rendered meritorious service this time, you should be rewarded.”

Xu Qiao was still somewhat unused to being treated this way. After all, only a few days earlier, everyone had been guarding against her as if she were a thief.

“Xu Qiao, the company commander wants to see you!” Just as Xu Qiao was feeding the little lambs in the Mess Hall, Dafei’s voice came from behind her.

“They beat us, but it’s not something to be ashamed of. It’s a shame, certainly, but this was never our area of expertise.”

In a sense, their defensive abilities were indeed somewhat lacking. But they were a communications technology unit—how could their combat ability compare with that of reconnaissance soldiers?

“We were wiped out the moment the battle began. Sigh...”

Even so, she straightened her uniform and went directly to the company headquarters.

The company commander clearly wanted her to go up onstage so that everyone could see what it meant for a prodigal to turn back and for someone who had gone astray to mend their ways.

When Xu Qiao heard this, she hurriedly waved her hands. “Let’s not. I’m not that outstanding yet. When I truly accomplish something through my own ability, then I’ll be genuinely outstanding.”

The company commander smiled at her. “Now you’re being modest too. If the regimental commander hadn’t personally gone to bring you back, I would have suspected that you’d been switched out.”

Having been struck by the truth so directly, Xu Qiao opened and closed her mouth, unable to think of anything to say.

End of Chapter