114: Chapter 114: The Final Verdict! The cook was a good comrade!

The sky brightened again!

The wind over the Gobi Desert carried a bone-chilling cold, whipping up gravel and moaning as if mourning all the heroic souls who died in battle.

The newly expanded territory of the Dragon Kingdom was ablaze with lights.

Countless engineers and The Military were working through the night to construct new defensive fortifications.

Rows of temporary barracks rose from the ground, already resembling a sturdy frontline fortress.

The joy of victory should have been plastered on everyone's faces.

But at this moment, inside the tent where the Falcon Reconnaissance Team was resting, the atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

Boxes of military medals and stacks of award certificates were neatly arranged on the table.

First-Class Merit!

Collective First-Class Merit!

This was the supreme honor that a soldier of the Dragon Kingdom could achieve!

Discovering and reporting the "red giant" strategic mineral vein, expanding the country's territory by fifty miles, destroying the enemy's secret frontline arsenal...

Any one of these achievements would be enough to make them go down in history.

However, Platoon Leader Long Zhan, Chen Mo, Squad Leader Zhang Shan, and Tie Zhu, who should have been the most dazzling heroes of the day, were currently sitting in silence, none of them even glancing at the gleaming military medals.

Their gazes were all fixed on the certificate in the very center of the table, which was also for a "First-Class Merit."

On the certificate, there was only one codename: "The Chef."

No photo, no name, no military unit number. A hero, nameless.

"To hell with the First-Class Merit!"

Platoon Leader Long Zhan slammed his fist onto the table, making The Military medals clatter.

He grabbed the certificate belonging to "The Chef," his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at those two characters, his arm trembling violently from the force.

"I don't want this damn merit! I just want them all to come back!"

The roar echoed in the quiet tent, filled with endless grief and remorse.

"Platoon Leader..." Tie Zhu's lips trembled; he wanted to console him, but couldn't say a single word.

"It was me who harmed him..." Platoon Leader Long Zhan's voice suddenly dropped.

"It was me... who let him go alone... It was me who pushed him into the fire pit..."

He curled up in his chair in pain, like a wounded lion.

This iron-blooded man, who had never frowned even once on the battlefield, was now shaking uncontrollably at the shoulders.

Chen Mo silently picked up a bottle of military-grade hard liquor, unscrewed the cap, and without using a cup, took several large gulps.

The spicy liquid burned like fire, traveling from his throat down into his stomach.

He put down the bottle and wiped his mouth. His gaze remained calm, but in those eyes, the liveliness and playfulness of the past were gone.

"It's not your fault, Platoon Leader." Chen Mo's voice was soft, yet clear. "This was his own choice."

He paused, picked up the bottle, and filled the cups in front of Platoon Leader Long Zhan, Squad Leader Zhang Shan, and Tie Zhu.

"You can't stop a man like him. Even if you didn't let him go, he would have gone on his own. He was just... an untamable tiger."

Chen Mo took another gulp and looked toward the sliver of morning sun outside the tent, his gaze somewhat unfocused.

It's already been five days!

Engineering vehicles and excavators had been working on the high ground for five whole days.

The Falcon Reconnaissance Team had also been digging alongside the engineers for five days.

Except for finding The Chef's black pot, everything else had turned to ash.

Everyone knew that under that level of saturation attack, it was impossible for anyone to survive.

Reality! It was often just that cruel.

"I was still thinking that once this mission was over and we returned to Sharp Sword Base, I would definitely have a good drink with him."

"Make him take out all the good stuff from that old pot of his for us to taste..."

"I also wanted to ask him how he practiced that god-like marksmanship... and how his brain worked..."

"I also wanted to..."

Chen Mo couldn't continue.

He tilted his head back, trying to force the moisture from his eyes to recede, but the uncooperative liquid still slid down his determined cheeks.

"Damn it!" Squad Leader Zhang Shan suddenly raised his glass, downed it in one gulp, and then smashed the cup onto the ground.

"Clang!" The cup shattered into pieces.

"Those sons of bitches from Bear Country!" Squad Leader Zhang Shan's eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to eat someone alive.

"I've noted this grudge! As long as I have a single breath left, one day, I will rip their flag off the pole in their capital!"

"Count me in!" Tie Zhu also wiped away his tears and said viciously.

The tent flap was lifted. The Captain Commander walked in with two guards.

He glanced at the scene inside the tent, then at the broken glass on the ground, a trace of unbearable pity flashing in his eyes.

"I know you are hurting inside." He walked to the table, picked up the certificate belonging to "The Chef," and stroked it gently. "The Chef was a good comrade; he is a hero to us all."

"The higher-ups have already decided to posthumously award Comrade Qin Feng... the title of 'Defending the Nation Martyr'."

"All of your honors will be processed as quickly as possible, and there will be commendations for the entire military!"

Qin Feng. When this name was spoken by the Captain, the three men in the tent all shuddered.

Qin Feng... A name that sounded quite ordinary, even a bit weak.

Who would have thought that the owner of this name had accomplished such earth-shattering deeds?

"A martyr?" Platoon Leader Long Zhan raised his head, his eyes full of sarcasm.

"The person is gone, so what's the point of giving him the title of 'martyr'? Can it bring him back to life?"

"Platoon Leader Long Zhan!" The Captain's face sank. "Watch your language! This is an order!"

"To hell with the order!" Platoon Leader Long Zhan stood up abruptly, pointing at his own chest.

"I want to go to those ruins right now! Even if I have to turn over every inch of dirt there, I will find him!"

"I want to see him alive, or see his body if he's dead!"

"Are you crazy?!" The Captain's eyes were sharp.

Soldiers! Obedience to orders is their sacred duty.

Platoon Leader Long Zhan was just upset, just venting, wanting to let off some steam.

But he was a soldier.

No matter how much he wanted to explode, he had to suppress the fire in his heart.

The tent fell into a deathly silence once again.

To avoid awkwardness, Chen Mo took a few more cups and filled them with liquor again.

The men silently raised their glasses.

"The first cup." Platoon Leader Long Zhan's voice was hoarse. "To The Chef."

"To The Chef!"

Four wine glasses clinked gently in the air, making a crisp sound.

The four men downed them in one gulp.

"The second cup." Platoon Leader Long Zhan filled them again. "To Monkey, to Stone, to all the brothers who sacrificed themselves in this mission."

"To our brothers!"

Again, they downed them in one gulp.

"The third cup..." Platoon Leader Long Zhan looked at the clear liquor in his cup and remained silent for a long time.

"To ourselves."

"Cheers!"

After three cups of liquor, everyone's emotions were on the verge of collapse.

Tie Zhu couldn't hold it back any longer; he slumped over the table and wailed.

Squad Leader Zhang Shan's eyes were red, and he punched his own thigh silently, one blow after another.

Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, slowly drinking the rest of the bottle, his eyes looking hollowly at the top of the tent.

Platoon Leader Long Zhan slowly stood up, stumbled to the tent entrance, lifted the flap, and looked at the cold Gobi Desert shrouded in the night outside.

The wind had grown stronger.

He seemed to see that figure carrying a large black pot again, turning back to smile at him amidst the hail of bullets, revealing a set of white teeth.