27. Chapter 27: The Disparity

Xu Qiao was stunned for a moment. In that brief instant, she realized that they were living in an era of peace—a prosperous era of peace she had never once imagined. For soldiers, military service was no longer a lifelong career; there was a life to be lived beyond the uniform.

Still, she felt a lingering sense of reluctance. "But Squad Leader, you..."

"What about me?" Squad Leader Wu asked with a smile. "I love this uniform, but I am not the same person I was back then." He shook his head. "And this isn't a thought that just occurred to me; I have been considering it ever since I was injured. Now, I have finally come to terms with it. Even though it's hard to let go, it is time to leave." He turned to look at Xu Qiao. "Since the Company Commander gave you the commendation notice, he must have ordered you back to the Communications Squad, right?"

Xu Qiao nodded slightly. "But I wanted to stay here..."

"Stay? Why would you stay? You aren't a soldier of this unit to begin with; sooner or later, you had to return to Communications. I can rest easy now that I know you're heading back."

The atmosphere in the kitchen had grown heavy. The usual banter and laughter were gone. Just as military orders were as immovable as mountains, requiring her to report to the mess hall immediately upon command, she now had to report back to Communications without delay.

"Of course," Xu Dafei said with a smile. "Even though you weren't here long, you were still a member of our mess squad."

Hearing this, Xu Qiao paused. "Honestly, before I arrived at the mess hall, I really didn't like it here." Her joke made everyone laugh. She had never imagined that in just a few short months, she would receive such a heartfelt, ceremonial farewell. It was this feeling that made her realize the mess squad was entirely different from what she had imagined.

It turned out that even before Squad Leader Wu’s scheduled retirement, she would be the first to leave.

"If it hadn't been for this exercise, perhaps it would have taken a while longer, but this drill gave you the opportunity," the Squad Leader noted. "There was no need for me to say anything; you could just head back directly."

Whether in her past life or this one, despite having faced life and death, she had never experienced anything like this.

"Is this... specifically for me?" she asked, finally realizing the spread was in her honor.

She hadn't expected that upon learning she was leaving, the entire mess squad would prepare a farewell ceremony uniquely their own.

"I didn't expect you to progress so quickly and truly become a soldier," Squad Leader Wu said, looking at her with a smile. "Alright, everyone, stop pulling such long faces. I’m just transitioning to civilian life, not sacrificing my life."

Xu Qiao realized that the mess squad had its own significance. "New recruits come with high expectations, dreaming of being elite soldiers, only to be tossed into the kitchen right after boot camp."

Xu Qiao regained her composure, knowing they were trying to avoid a overly sentimental scene, and joined in the joking. No one took offense, as everyone there had likely felt the same way once.

"When you arrived, based on your previous performance, I was confident I could change you, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast," Wu said. "And you... well, you came here feeling quite reluctant, didn't you?"

"I was," she admitted, sighing. "But who told me to make a mistake? I had no choice but to come."

Squad Leader Wu nodded. "Exactly. Regardless, you are one of ours, and that doesn't change whether you were here for months or just days."

"People always say Special Forces or reconnaissance soldiers are the best at wilderness survival," she remarked. "It turns out you all are the real masters. After all, even a scout wouldn't stir-fry red-braised pork out in the wild, would they?"

"Stop standing there stunned and sit down to taste our handiwork," Chuan Beibei said with a laugh. "You've been here so long eating the standard mess hall food, you've never tasted our private cooking, have you?"

Looking at the table full of dishes, Xu Qiao felt a strange, indescribable emotion. She hadn't moved her belongings into the mess squad barracks, so there was no packing to do, but saying goodbye was difficult.

"Xu Qiao, since you're heading back, tell us the truth—how did you feel about these last few months?" Yin Li, who was the closest to her, asked more casually.

Xu Qiao sighed. "I suppose anyone starting out wouldn't like it here, right?" She looked at them seriously. "But ever since I arrived, I discovered it was nothing like I had imagined. During my time here, when I truly integrated into the squad, these hands that learned to shoot began holding kitchen knives to chop vegetables, and the strength I used for combat training was put to use hauling rice and flour."

Despite the news of Squad Leader Wu’s departure casting a shadow, the team still performed their duties. Surprisingly, her military training had not been hindered; in fact, she had improved significantly.

"But now that I'm leaving, we have to do something, don't we?"

Xu Qiao knew her time was short, so she approached even the simplest tasks with focus.

"As for the veterans, those of you who came from conventional units, this sense of disparity must be even stronger than it is for the new recruits," Wu said, turning solemn. "I think I feel that more than anyone."

His words silenced the room. Indeed, going from a special operator to a cook was a transition no one would be content with. Yet, as she looked at the table of food, she realized that even here, she had found her own way forward.