171: Chapter 171: The memorial service has already been held; the burial is not far off!

The twentieth day since Qin Feng's "sacrifice".

Southern Military Region, 9th Group Army.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

At the entrance of the camp, a huge black banner hung from the top of the gate all the way to the ground.

"Deeply Mourning the Defender of the Nation Martyr, Comrade Qin Feng!"

The black characters on a white background were shocking to the eye.

From the camp gate to the auditorium, a fully armed soldier stood guard every ten meters.

All the students undergoing military training were lined up neatly.

They knew that today, a special "comrade-in-arms" was coming home.

...

The Military Region auditorium.

A high-level memorial service was being held here.

The Military Region's number one and number two commanders, along with the main leaders of various departments, were all present.

In the center of the auditorium, a black and white photo of Qin Feng was displayed.

The photo was taken during military training; the young man was wearing camouflage, his eyes were clear, and there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

Below the photo, there was no urn.

There was only... a black pot.

This was Qin Feng's "memento".

Platoon Leader Long Zhan, with a white flower pinned to his chest, sat in the front row as the representative escorting the hero's memento.

His expression was solemn and mournful.

Yesterday, having arrived two days ago with Qin Feng's "memento", he was at the Southern Military Region.

Company Commander Zhou Hailong had personally brought people to meet him.

Upon seeing him, that seven-foot-tall man's eyes had turned red.

He grabbed his hand, unable to say a word for a long time, and finally, just patted his shoulder heavily.

That evening, at the dinner table, Company Commander Zhou Hailong raised his glass to toast him.

"Platoon Leader Long Zhan, was Qin Feng… brave?"

"Brave!" Platoon Leader Long Zhan choked up several times.

After a few drinks, he began to reminisce about the Chef's heroic deeds.

"Was he in pain when he left?" Company Commander Zhou Hailong's heart was also torn with grief.

Platoon Leader Long Zhan, having had a bit too much to drink at the time, embellished the story he had told at the memorial service at the Sharp Sword Base in the north and recounted it all over again.

Things like "charging against the artillery fire".

Things like "pushing the Long Kingdom border markers out by fifty kilometers".

Things like "sacrificing his life for the Long Kingdom".

It made Company Commander Zhou Hailong and the Political Instructor weep right there at the table, hugging him and crying their hearts out.

"Well done! You are truly a soldier from my Seventh Company!"

"A hero! A true hero!"

Platoon Leader Long Zhan was so caught up in their crying that he almost believed it himself.

Now, standing in this solemn and respectful auditorium, looking at Qin Feng's memorial portrait, Platoon Leader Long Zhan felt a chill down his spine.

"Chef, you son of a bitch, don't you dare come looking for me in the middle of the night…"

"I'm doing this for your own good, to ensure you leave with glory…"

The memorial service officially began.

The host read out Qin Feng's "heroic deeds" in a low and sorrowful voice.

Of course, the version was one that had undergone "artistic embellishment" by Platoon Leader Long Zhan.

Below the stage, there was a chorus of stifled sobbing.

The Military Region commander personally went on stage and draped the bright red Long Kingdom flag over the black pot.

"Everyone stand! Fire the salute! Send off the hero!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Outside the auditorium, three gunshots pierced the sky.

...

The news of Qin Feng's sacrifice eventually shocked the entire Military Region.

On the parade ground, thousands of students undergoing military training watched the big screen and listened to the broadcast.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

Everyone had a premonition that something big was about to happen.

Company Commander Zhou Hailong appeared on the screen, wearing his crisp service uniform.

Overnight, this iron-willed man seemed to have aged ten years.

His eyes were sunken, bloodshot, his lips were chapped and peeling, and he was covered in stubble.

He held a script in his hand, but the paper shook in his grip like a leaf in the autumn wind.

The Political Instructor beside him patted his shoulder and took the microphone.

"Students, comrades."

The Political Instructor's voice spread to every corner of the camp through the broadcast.

"Today, with a heart filled with immense sorrow, I am announcing some unfortunate news to everyone."

"Our comrade-in-arms, our classmate, an outstanding cadet soldier from the Seventh Company of the Southern 9th Group Army, and also the representative of the university military training camp, Comrade Qin Feng, has sacrificed his life for the country while executing the 'Sharp Blade - No. 2' border counter-attack mission."

"Boom!"

The crowd instantly exploded into an uproar.

"What? Qin Feng sacrificed his life?"

"Impossible! This must be a rumor! Qin Feng is so capable, how could he possibly die?"

"Wasn't it said he went to the north to execute a secret mission? How did he…"

Shock!

Suffocation!

Stiffness!

Petrification!

...

Various emotions spread among the thousands of students.

What was going on?

That freshman who had created countless miracles in the university military training camp had just… died for his country?

Zhao Hu was dumbfounded, his mind completely numb.

Li Lang felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his lips turning pale.

Liu Wei was even more bewildered, feeling like he was in a dream.

They simultaneously remembered the dream from that day, where Qin Feng had bid them farewell.

"Feng… Feng… Brother Feng sacrificed his life? I didn't hear that wrong, did I?"

"I don't believe it, Brother Feng is so capable, how could he sacrifice his life!"

"No, no, no… this isn't right, the script isn't supposed to be played out like this."

The three of them were unwilling to accept this fact; their good classmate had just sacrificed his life like this!

But everything before their eyes left them no choice but to believe it.

Wei Kai and Shi Lei's hearts jumped upon hearing the news of Qin Feng's sacrifice, and they were trembling with excitement.

"There's nothing wrong with it. That kid Qin Feng relied on having a bit of skill and liked to act out. Now he's acted himself to death; it's all his own doing."

Wei Kai's voice wasn't loud, but the three of them—Zhao Hu, Li Lang, and Liu Wei—heard it clearly.

"Haha… that kid Qin Feng finally played himself into trouble, didn't he? He really thought fighting a war was like military training."

Shi Lei also started to twist the knife.

The two were clearly being sarcastic, their eyes full of schadenfreude.

They had long wanted to get rid of Qin Feng but had been struggling because they had no opportunity.

Now it was good.

Hearing the news of Qin Feng's sacrifice, they felt completely satisfied!

At the same time.

In the crowd, there was one other person whose body swayed suddenly.

It was Shen Youchu.

Her little face trembled, and a strange light appeared on her originally dim face.

Qin Feng is dead? The inner demon is dead?

Then will no one bully me in the future?

Yes! That guy is dead, no one can bully me anymore!

What was the point of me persisting for so long!

Everything is meaningless!

That bootlicker deserves to die! Haha…

Hearing the news of Qin Feng's sacrifice, she felt a wave of relief in her heart.

Her whole person seemed to have recovered.

The arrogant "Fairy Sister", Shen Youchu, who was pursued by countless men.

Could finally… be free from her inner demon.

In her world, listening to the Political Instructor's eulogy, it sounded more and more pleasant to her ears.

"...Comrade Qin Feng, at the moment when the country and the people needed him most, stepped forward and used his young life to defend the dignity of the Long Kingdom… The Military Region Party Committee has decided to posthumously award Comrade Qin Feng the rank of Second Lieutenant, a First-Class Merit, and recognize him as a 'Defender of the Nation Martyr'..."

She couldn't hear a single word of what followed.

In her mind, there was only one thought.

Finally, she could get rid of all this and start over.

She wanted to go back to being that arrogant "Fairy Sister".

"Next, let us observe one minute of silence for Comrade Qin Feng."

At the memorial service, all the officers and soldiers took off their hats and observed silence.

One minute later.

Company Commander Zhou Hailong collected himself and finally snatched the microphone from the Political Instructor.

"What is a soldier? A soldier is someone who protects the country!"

"A soldier is someone who is ready at any time to shed their last drop of blood for this country!"

"Qin Feng is our soldier! He is your comrade-in-arms! He is the pride of the university students! He is the pioneer of the youth!"

"He is not dead! He is simply living in the hearts of all of us in a different way!"

"I have decided that from today on, the training volume will be doubled!"

"Do you understand!"

"Understood!"

On the training ground.

The roar of thousands of people converged into a wave of sound that shot straight into the clouds.

In that sound, there was grief, indignation, and even more so, a burning, raging fighting spirit that had been ignited.

"Three days from now, Comrade Qin Feng will be buried in the Southern Military Region Martyrs' Cemetery. Send off the hero!"

Company Commander Zhou Hailong roared out the last sentence.

"Send off the hero!"

"Send off the hero!"

"Send off the hero!"

...

The soldiers at the scene collectively echoed, their voices incomparably high-pitched.