Shen Feihu’s office was located on the third floor of the Rescue Association building. Xu Qigang was tall and long-legged. He left Zhou Hong in the dust as he made his way to the office.
“Captain of the War Wolf Rescue Troop, Xu Qigang, reporting.” Xu Qigang’s voice was low and hoarse, but it carried a certain strength.
Inside the office, two middle-aged men were engaged in a game of Chinese chess. When they heard the voice, the burly one pushed the chessboard aside and said happily, “The boy is here.”
“Seriously, Old Shen. You need to get rid of your bad habit of finding opportunities to renege on your chess games.” The bespectacled man looked at the messed-up chess board in annoyance and said, “You were already about to lose.”
Shen Feihu’s eyes widened, and he aggressively insisted, “Says who? I was clearly about to win.”
“Now, aren’t you being unreasonable?”
“It’s not as if you just met me yesterday.”
It was rare to see anyone this unreasonable and childish, and Liang Ximing could only huff in exasperation.
“Come in!” Old Shen called.
The secretary pushed the door of the office open, and Xu Qigang walked in, his posture stick-straight. His first action was to greet the two individuals.
“You’re finally here, boy. And how many times did I have someone contact you? What, were you not planning on seeing me unless I called you personally?” Shen Feihu was extremely affable toward his favorite soldier.
“I was too busy with training to leave, President,” Xu Qigang replied to his old leader, an expression of helplessness passing over his stern features.
Liang Ximing smiled with glee over Xu Qigang’s discomfiture. The last time Old Shen called Xu Qigang over, it had been to introduce him to a girl, which had directly resulted in Xu Qigang not stepping foot in the city for three whole months. Zhou Hong had attended all the meetings on his behalf.
And, speak of the devil… Zhou Hong, who was a few steps behind Xu Qigang, appeared and quickly entered.
“Hello, President.”
“All right, boy. It’s cooler on that side. Stand over there. You’ll be more comfortable.” Shen Feihu waved him off absentmindedly.
He was old friends with Zhou Hong’s father and had watched him grow up. He practically treated him as a son.
Zhou Hong felt affronted, and pulled a face.
He was clearly a brave and motivated young man, so why didn’t they pay him more attention?
Liang Ximing patted him on his shoulder in consolation. “Kid, just think about Shen Jianguo. Don’t you feel better now?”
Zhou Hong’s eyes lit up, and his mood immediately improved. Shen Jianguo was the leader’s biological son, but those who didn’t know better would’ve thought he’d been picked up off the streets as a child. Compared to Shen Jianguo, Zhou Hong was treated much better.
Shen Feihu retrieved a brown paper bag from his drawer, and inside it was a thick stack of specialized writing paper.
Although the handwriting on the paper wasn’t beautiful, it was powerful and vigorous.
Xu Qigang could tell in one glance that it was the application letter he’d written.
“I’ve read your application, and headquarters has agreed to consider it. But I want to hear directly from you. What are your thoughts and ideas? If it’s acceptable, I’ll approve it.”
Xu Qigang’s stiff posture hadn’t changed since he entered the room. He said expressionlessly, “This is mainly a summary of my learning and experience. I find the capability of our rescue team to be a world apart from Country M’s. Every time we encounter a siege or a special task, we’re at a disadvantage.
“Continue.” The entire office looked at him intently. Even the security officers, who’d just entered the office, pricked up their ears.