Chapter 29: How Did You Do It?

Cheng Yifei choked on her words. It was true—what Xu Qiao had achieved this time was truly eye-opening, so much so that they couldn't even believe she was the one who had pulled it off. Yet, no one would ever play along with a prank during such a massive exercise; even if the Red Team had agreed, the Blue Team certainly wouldn't have. Thus, Cheng Yifei could only attribute it to sheer, dumb luck. But hearing Guan Yuqi’s words now, she found it impossible to simply call it luck.

Seeing her fall silent, Guan Yuqi looked at them helplessly. "I know you’re all unconvinced, but being unconvinced isn't about making snide remarks here; it’s about relying on your own hard work. She’s a new recruit who has basically only been in training for these past few months, and she managed to do all that. What reason do you have to be unconvinced?"

She turned to Xu Qiao, momentarily unsure of how to comfort her. "Don't take it to heart..."

Xu Qiao waved a hand dismissively. "I know. What I did before was indeed... too much. It was embarrassing not just for me, but for our communications squad. You have every right to blame me." In her memories, this Yu Xiaoyu had been quite kind to her during recruit training, but the original Xu Qiao had looked down on everyone, her attitude nothing short of atrocious. She realized in her heart that this might be a fresh start.

Xiaoyu laughed, finding the scene rather amusing. Hearing Xu Qiao’s reply, she sat up and leaned over. "This exercise... how did you manage it?" She couldn't help but chuckle. "Your methods were ruthless."

"It wasn't really just me blowing them up. That area was their logistics and supply base, so it held more weapons and ammunition than anywhere else." Seeing Xiaoyu’s excitement, Xu Qiao was somewhat surprised. "Actually, when I first found them, I didn't think I could really destroy the entire camp. After all, it was so large, with so many people... how was I supposed to handle that alone?"

Xu Qiao sighed with a smile. "I had no choice. Aside from that, I really couldn't think of any other plan." These past few days, she had returned to the dorm late every night and hadn't interacted much with the others. She began to recount, point by point, how she had slipped them laxatives and where she had planted the explosives in the Blue Team’s camp.

Xiaoyu suddenly understood. "So that’s how it was."

"Yes. Everyone, let's get some sleep," Guan Yuqi said, stepping forward to whisper to Xu Qiao, "She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't blame her."

Listening to the sound of breathing around the room, Xu Qiao realized she had truly returned to the communications squad. She felt a tinge of regret. "It’s a pity, though. If I had been more cautious, I might not have been spotted by the camp guards. I could have gone further and perhaps made an even greater contribution."

She had expected that after all this, they would despise her just like Cheng Yifei did. Instead, she found that earning their acceptance didn't seem so difficult; as long as she showed absolute sincerity, nothing else was a problem.

"You're still thinking about making more contributions? This was already incredible, you know!" Xiaoyu was so stunned she couldn't recover for a long time. "So many people, and you just blew them all up like that?"

"It’s still impressive—to be able to slip them laxatives right under so many people's noses..." Xiaoyu added, looking at her in disbelief. "You have no idea, we were all stunned when we received the battle report."

Cheng Yifei had come back to her senses as well, looking at Xu Qiao with a complex expression. She opened her mouth, then said in a huff, "What are you all staring at? It’s almost lights out. Don't you need to sleep?"

Even though she had always slept in this dorm in her own bed, for some reason, today felt different. It was no longer just a place to stay—it was becoming her home.

"Xu Qiao, are you asleep?" A whisper, barely audible, drifted over from the side. Xu Qiao turned to see a fellow recruit who had joined at the same time as her. "You wiped out the entire enemy logistics force by yourself and cut off their supplies. It’s something I wouldn't have dared to even imagine, yet you actually did it?"

Guan Yuqi paused, then smiled. "You all heard it, then?"

"You managed to make them all exit the exercise—how did you get their logistics troops and supplies to go down?" Xiaoyu asked, suddenly shy.

"A single explosion can trigger a chain reaction, and I had set the bombs at different locations," Xu Qiao explained.

"But that’s still amazing. If it were me, I think I’d only be able to think of... taking the bombs and going down with them," Xiaoyu admitted subconsciously.

Hearing this, Xu Qiao laughed. "Which one are you asking about?"

"Then how did you actually pull it off?" Xiaoyu pushed, not noticing Xu Qiao’s brief distraction.

Xu Qiao looked at her and smiled. "I actually had that thought at the time, but I remembered the squad leader telling me that everything requires a brain, and you can't just think about mutual destruction."

"So, I suppressed that idea."

"But ever since I went to the mess squad, I believe you all have seen my performance. I won't say I'm outstanding now, but at least I’ve been working hard, trying to make myself stronger."

"So... please believe me. This time, I really am different."

Guan Yuqi paused, then nodded with a smile. "Alright, let's take your word for it. We'll take it one step at a time."

"You get some rest too. We'll... take it one step at a time?"

Xu Qiao nodded. "Squad leader, I'm fine." She realized that other beds were shifting as well. Hearing those sounds, she couldn't help but smile. It turned out that as long as she showed genuine sincerity, nothing was an obstacle. Now, all she had to do was wear this uniform well and enjoy her military life in this era of peace.