From the very beginning, Lin Mo’s words had been simple and direct without any embellishment. Soldiers did not need fancy expressions, nor did they need to beat around the bush.
Commander Ma gave Lin Mo a perfect score from the conversation and his psychological quality. No wonder Regiment Commander Jiang picked Lin Mo to cooperate in the Dark Night operation. He also praised the people of Dark Night for having a good eye and discerning the treasure in their base. All of the pilots here were carefully selected and were all future ace pilots.
“I heard that you are also learning aircraft construction and repair from the mechanics team in your spare time. You also often pick up discarded parts to disassemble for practice. A young man with good energy and motivation! Study hard, and you’ll have a bright future ahead of you.”
“I have an interest in this area, so I tagged along with them!” Lin Mo appeared a little bashful, but he was actually wiping cold sweat in his heart. His reputation as a scrap collector was not going to disappear. But it was just as well since it also quietly disguised the fact that he was stealing scrap metal to feed the Metal-Attribute Giant Dragon from another world. He did not dare dwell on this topic anymore. The commander in front of him was like an old snake who experienced countless ups and downs. Speak less, and there would be less trouble of going wrong. This was the strategy he maintained since he entered the office.
“However, the actual combat missions of Dark Night are far more dangerous. They use real guns and ammunition, and there may be sacrifices. If you are really keen, find Regiment Commander Jiang later, and he will make the arrangements for you.” Commander Ma was now using official terms. Everyone knew that the Air Force was not only high tech but also high risk. There were casualties even in non-combat situations, so how could there be no danger?
Lin Mo smiled, stood up, and saluted Commander Ma. “Thank you for your concern, Commander. A soldier is not afraid of death. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a soldier!” After that, he exited the office.
“Young man, do your best!” Commander Ma seemed to see his young self in Lin Mo when he turned to leave and could not help but clench his fist.
…
“You will be going to the Dark Night Special Service Brigade that Brigade Commander Feng Chenye is directly responsible for. Dark Night lacks strong aerial fire support. It just so happened that your performance last time was outstanding, and the coordination was perfect. Moreover, you know a thing or two about aircraft repairs and learned how to do maintenance on the base. I asked Engineer Chen and Engineer Wang from the mechanics team, and they commended your learning ability and your foundation. Dark Night will be able to save a lot of trouble, so they requested for you, and the base leaders agreed. But not every mission will need you. You’ll have enough time to get to know and adapt to them, but you’ll have to shoulder multiple tasks, including flying and maintenance support. Remember, you’re going there from our base. Don’t make us lose face. You’ll know the specifics when you get there,” Regiment Commander Jiang, who had been waiting for some time, explained the mission to Lin Mo. He did not say too much because of the confidentiality regulations. He told Lin Mo where he was heading and gave him three days to prepare.
“Understood!” Lin Mo nodded. He was going to move again, and this time he was really going to fight again.
He was still used to fighting on the battlefield, so Lin Mo could not suppress the hot blood boiling in his veins.
Chen Haiqing heard about Lin Mo’s transfer from who-knew-where, but he did not know the specifics. He bought a bunch of peanuts and a variety of canned food from the little grocery shop and stole some Red Star Erguotou and Shaoxing wine from the kitchen to have a farewell party for Lin Mo.
There were four big irons in life that soldiers went through together—windows they climbed through together, guns they carried together, walls they climbed over together, and the spoils they split together. They were the same batch of aviation students on the same base. Although Lin Mo was not the most active nor the most introverted, he was someone who was easy to talk to and had a mild temperament. Such a person could quickly integrate into the local community anywhere he went.
Not afraid of the chill from the impending winter, they prepared a small banquet for Lin Mo’s departure in a small hangar. They closed the door so that no sound could escape outside, no matter how rowdy they got. They gathered equipment boxes of different sizes into makeshift tables and chairs, and dozens of pilots that were on better terms crowded around.
For the tightly-guarded base, this small action was not enough to escape the eyes of the leaders. But they would just turn a blind eye to it.
The food was not special, nor was it enough for everyone to eat. Comrades came anyway though. The longest duration that any one of them knew each other was merely half a year, but they were comrades whom they could trust to guard their backs. Such trust was not easy to form in a society where money and desires intertwined.
“Let’s toast to Lin Mo’s promotion!” the natural organizer shouted as he knocked on the large enamel jar on the table.
“To promotion and wealth!” Everyone cheered. The crisp metal percussion sound from the army green enamel jars clang together. Everyone knew that transferring to somewhere else meant there was an opportunity to showcase yourself, and as long as you did not make any mistakes, you would be promoted.
“That’s not the case! It’s only a transfer of the same rank!” Lin Mo’s face was blushing slightly, being infected by everyone’s enthusiasm. The pungent alcoholic taste of the Red Star Erguotou with 45% alcohol made him frown. There was no spirit as strong as this in the other world.
“Cheers!” everyone shouted without giving a hoot to what he was saying.
The volume of erguotou and huangjiu in the jars was not little at all. No one cared anyway. They raised them up and gulped them down in a shot. Lin Mo simply stared at them. A whole group of Wine Immortal reincarnations! He could only act like a hero and finish the half jar of baijiu in his hand.
The alcohol content of huangjiu was slightly lower and had a sweet taste, but its after-effects were not weak. Many Northeasterners drank it as though it were plain water and were sometimes played out by it.
“Lin Mo, we won’t ask where you’re going, but remember to come back often!” Lei Dong, who used to be in the same dormitory room as him in aviation school, raised his cup again to Lin Mo.
“Of course. I’ll fly back!” The gulp of alcohol just now set his stomach on fire, and some sweat broke out on his face. His jar touched Lei Dong’s. This Qinhuangdao young man usually drank coke but was also a shockingly good alcohol drinker. His freshly-filled half-jar of baijiu was no less than Lin Mo’s
“Farwell!” Another comrade stood up. It looked like they were not going to let Lin Mo off easily today.
*”*Bah!What the hell are you saying?! He’s not going to the gallows! Idiot, how can you say that?!” Lei Dong’s bronzed face grew even darker and redder, but his brain was still functioning properly, so he immediately pointed out what was wrong.
“Yes, yes, yes, Dong’zi is right. Then, fair winds on your wings!” That comrade quickly changed his words.
“If a plane followed the wind, would it still be able to fly?!” Someone spotted another mistake.
“Argh! W-what should I say then?!” That comrade was flushed with agitation, not knowing what would be appropriate.
“Rise up! Awesome!” a comrade with a Sichuan dialect said unclearly. He started with two jars of alcohol and did not know whether the expression was appropriate or not.
Chen Haiqing looked at the chaotic table and the intoxication caused by the alcohol and tried to conduct some first aid. “Safety! Safety is a blessing!” Safety was the best outcome, even better than promotions.
With Chen Haiqing’s lead, everyone around the table banged the table and shouted in unison, “Safety! Cheers!”
Some did not hold alcohol well, but they downed them all the same with the collective toast.
In such a short time, the baijiu and huangjiu stolen from the kitchen were eliminated by a quarter.
“Thank you! Thank you…” Lin Mo stood up and saluted every one of his comrades.
The others stood up one by one and toasted Lin Mo. This was brotherhood; this was human touch. The entire army was a melting pot. Even if waste slag were to go in, it would become a piece of good steel. The pure feelings between men erupted in the hangar. Endless words, endless blessings. They said their words of admiration, jealousy, encouragement, congratulations, all sorts of nonsense under the influence of alcohol.
Everyone was laying on the ground after the two boxes of erguotou and three boxes of huangjiu were finished.
The canned luncheon meat, braised pork, anchovies, and yellow peach had not been touched at all.
These people would probably not be able to get up again before sunrise.
The price to pay for drinking the alcohol was high, and every one of them woke up with a splitting headache at noon the next day. Only then did they discover that someone had switched on two heaters in the hangar to keep them warm. The lead cook brought a huge pot of soup in with a smile. “You’re up, huh. Come here and have some hangover soup!”
Everyone said their thanks quickly and praised the thoughtfulness of the lead cook.
The next sentence that came out from the lead cook’s mouth froze them. “Let’s settle the bill for the alcohol. Hmm, two boxes and three and a half bottles of erguotou makes a total of twenty-seven and a half bottles. Three boxes of premium Shaoxing wine makes thirty-six bottles. For the erguotou, I’ll charge you one hundred yuan per bottle, and Shaoxing wine at eighty per bottle. The total is 5,630 yuan. The hangover soup is free. I’ll make it a whole number, so just 5,600 yuan. Thank you for your patronage. Who’s going to settle the bill?”
“That can’t be. Erguotou only costs about ten yuan a bottle at the supermarket, and Shaoxing wine is even cheaper. That’s daylight robbery!” Someone recovered from the alcohol and found the lead cook’s price too shocking.
“Hmph!” The lead cook leaked murderous intent. “Who cleared out my inventory without giving me a heads up? Anyway, this is the price. Willing buyer, willing seller. Don’t even think of getting out of it. I’ll starve you monkeys for three days, hmm, and put croton as a giveaway.”
The gentle threatening tone of the lead cook fell into everyone’s ears, and it was not much warmer than the negative temperature outside the hangar. Everyone lost their color.