Face Slapping the General

Chapter 36 Reunion

On the second night after this contact, Wu Qiao heard that Tan Yan had arrived at the base.

“Strange,” everyone was very puzzled. “Our base is not big, and we haven’t had any important actions recently. How come the admiral will come?”

Before dinner, Darrell called out all the soldiers and asked Tan Yan to tell them about the current situation and inspire them.

Tan Yan seemed very tired, did not say a few words, and left soon.

Wu Qiao didn’t see Tan Yan during dinner, but he always had a feeling that the general would come to him in a moment.

I don’t know why, when I think of this, I feel nervous and my heart is beating.

No matter what he does, he has no thoughts.

At ten o’clock in the evening, someone knocked on the door.

Wu Qiao went to open the door and saw a familiar face without accident.

“Admiral…”

“Ok.”

“Why are you here?”

“You said you want to see me.”

“…” Wu Qiao didn’t know what to answer.

That day, as soon as the emotions opened, I couldn’t help saying what I wanted to say at the time.

Afterwards, Wu Qiao actually regretted it. He felt that he had crossed the line. This was not what the lower-level officers should say to the higher-ranking officers.

He felt very embarrassed.

Wu Qiao used many methods to withdraw the information, but none of them worked.

Originally thought that Tan Yan would only sneer, but now that the other party is really standing in front of him, Wu Qiao has only a feeling of disbelief.

The other party… why is it here? Is it because of yourself? Probably not, it must have just come to the base to inspect it. However, when he thought of the possibility of “coming for myself”, Wu Qiao felt that even his breathing had become something wrong.

After a long absence, reunion, Wu Qiao hesitated to speak but stopped.

Tan Yan looked at Wu Qiao quietly, and said after a long while, “You seem to be very tired.”

Wu Qiao lowered his eyes, “Chongguang, he… is gone.”

I can’t stand it anymore, so I want to see you—

“Yeah.” Tan Yan said softly, “I already know.”

“He… died to protect me.” Wu Qiao’s nasal voice was very heavy at this time, “I…now, as soon as I close my eyes, I will see the blood of that night, and I will hear his parting cry as soon as I calm down.”

“…”

“I can’t stop thinking… I broke down those two days’ things into paragraphs and then kept thinking, what I should do at this moment, what I should do at that moment… But how can I do it? Are there choices that will lead to tragedy one by one?”

Many tragedies are unforgettable because they happened too coincidentally. Before that day, no one knew it would happen. It’s fine if you don’t go, it’s fine if you don’t choose that path, and you’ll just turn around when you find something wrong… It seems to be a coincidence that pushes things to the point of irreversibility. Those accidental factors and unintentional choices, as long as one is missing, will not lead to the final tragedy. Therefore, people who can’t figure it out can only sigh: Maybe this is a fate.

Tan Yan sighed and took Wu Qiao into his arms, “I won’t say that you can’t change anything, because in fact it is possible for you to change.”

“…Ok.”

“But you are not omniscient and omnipotent. Don’t blame yourself too much. You can’t protect him forever. You can only do your own thing.”

“…” After being silent for a while, Wu Qiao whispered, “Admiral.”

“Ok?”

“Have you experienced… this kind of thing?”

“of course.”

“Then what was your state at that time?”

“Very sad.”

“…”

“However, time can really heal everything.” Tan Yan sighed. “At first I found that when my heart gradually returned to peace, there would be some panic, but it would still pass. It’s just that there will be an old wound in your heart, and you will be touched occasionally. It still hurts.”

“…Ok.”

“I will resent the war for being so cruel, but at the same time, I am also grateful that the war is so cruel.”

“What do you mean?” Wu Qiao couldn’t understand. Who would be grateful for such a terrible thing?

“Because if it weren’t, many people would like it.”

“…”

“Wu Qiao,” Tan Yan asked, “Do you know why the development of automated weapons is so slow? In fact, scientifically speaking, warships and mechas driven by humans should have been rid of warships and mechas driven by humans long ago. Control the degree to which the mecha jumps a few times.”

“I know.” Wu Qiao nodded, “because many people in the scientific, industrial, financial, business, public, and even military communities strongly oppose and resolutely resist the development of automated weapons.”

It is particularly remarkable in the scientific community. If a famous scientist intends to do this research, he will immediately be scolded by all scientists collectively, and they will be regarded as a shame in the scientific community.

Because the fastest way for soldiers to gain status, wealth, honor… is to wage war. If one day, the war is highly automated, and soldiers no longer need to go to the battlefield, and will never lose even a single hair, the world will never be peaceful. Soldiers will never die. The culprit is hidden behind the scenes, and innocent people die. This thing is too terrible, so it is always hindered by all parties. Many people even think that the moment when the war is fully automated, it is. When the death knell of the entire mankind rings.

“So,” Tan Yanyou said, “Maybe one day, you and I will die on the battlefield. But this is something you and me, Sheng Chongguang, and my friends need to bear.”

“…Thank you.” Wu Qiao tried to break away from Tan Yan’s embrace, “I feel better.”

It was really strange, Tan Yan seemed to always calm him down.

When they first met, they obviously had frequent disagreements.

“Okay.” Tan Yan lowered his head and kissed Wu Qiao’s hair lightly, then let go of him, and then took a look at the watch on his wrist. “It’s eleven o’clock. Go to bed.”

“…Oh.” Wu Qiao also looked at his watch, “Well, wait a little longer, right? It’s only ten and fifty-seven, and there are three minutes to talk.”

“…” Tan Yan smiled, “Okay.”

For the next three minutes, Wu Qiao kept looking at his watch, and his anxiety was obvious.

He can’t wait for time to stop.

The hour he spent talking with Tan Yan was the peace he had rarely experienced during this time.

If Tan Yan left, in the darkness, the suffocating air would definitely come back again.

“Otherwise, I will accompany you to sleep.” Tan Yan seemed to see what Wu Qiao was thinking, “I will go back when you fall asleep.”

“…” Maybe so, can you really sleep peacefully?

But Wu Qiao couldn’t sleep at all.

Every few seconds, he opened his eyes to look for Tan Yan, only to close his eyes again after finding that the other party was still sitting there.

After a few seconds, do it again.

It seems that if Tan Yan is still with him instead of leaving his room quietly, he will be very upset.

After several times, Tan Yan finally asked him: “How can you sleep like this?”

“…” Wu Qiao whispered, “I want to make sure you are still here.”

“…” Tan Yan sighed again, stretched out his hand to hold Wu Qiao’s two fingers, “Is it all right this time? You don’t need to open your eyes, you know I’m there.”

“…” Wu Qiao concentrated on feeling the body temperature from her ring finger and little finger, “Yeah.”

Sure enough, this way, even if you close your eyes, you know that he is there.

This night, Wu Qiao did not dream of Sheng Chongguang for the first time.

In my dream, there is the warm sunshine of spring, the spilt rain, and the thunder of spring thunder. The tender tree sprouts and the peony blossoms. There are wild geese returning from the south, and the sky is blue, high and far away, like spring that has not been seen for a long time.

…

The next day, Wu Qiao woke up and was surprised to find that Tan Yan was lying on his bed and fell asleep.

And he, in turn, grabbed the other’s finger tightly.

Tan Yan’s eyelashes are very long and her profile is very beautiful.

“…”

“Are you awake?” Tan Yan felt the movement and straightened up from the bed.

“I…”

“How are you sleeping?”

“…Very good.” Wu Qiao looked at Tan Yan’s obviously tired cheeks and eyes, and asked carefully, “You… why… didn’t you go back?”

“Ok?”

“I heard people say that you haven’t slept for a whole night in more than ten days… You only slept for seven hours a week at the most exaggerated time… You are too tired.”

The whole person does not have the same look as before.

“…” Tan Yan looked at Wu Qiao and said, “Because you want me to be with you.”