Chapter 326: Chapter 318: Requesting Meritorious Recognition
Sisi still lay motionless on the ground; even though the combat had ceased, hadn’t Shangguan Qing said that without his command, they couldn’t leave this place?
"Ah Nan, you are amazing!"
Tian Xinhua rushed over excitedly, followed by Shangguan Qing. However, Sisi seemed as if she hadn’t heard anything, still maintaining her shooting posture without moving an inch. Tian Xinhua’s heart sank suddenly. What’s wrong with Ah Nan?
"Ah Nan?"
Tian Xinhua called out again and took a leaping step to Sisi’s side, trying to turn her body over.
"Don’t move, my whole body is numb, let me recover gradually!"
Sisi shouted loudly at Tian Xinhua. Maintaining one position for over ten hours, it would have been strange if she wasn’t numb!
Hearing his precious one’s delicate voice, Tian Xinhua finally relaxed his nerves. His back was already ice-cold; he had truly thought just now that something had happened to Ah Nan. That feeling as if his entire body had suddenly been drained was something he had experienced for the first time, just like the approach of the apocalypse.
"Ah Nan, I’m glad you are alright!" Tian Xinhua hugged Sisi tightly, his voice hoarse, his whole body trembling.
"Of course, I’m fine! Didn’t I say I would kill those villains!"
Seeing Tian Xinhua, who was always calm and composed, show his rare weakness, Sisi’s heart softened too. She stretched out her hand wanting to pat Tian Xinhua’s back to comfort him.
"Ouch"
"What’s wrong? Ah Nan?"
Tian Xinhua’s heart tightened again, looking left and right over Sisi’s body to see if there were any injuries.
"It’s nothing, my hands are numb, my feet are numb, my whole body is numb," Sisi said, unintentionally using the tone she used when being spoiled at home.
"Numb? It’s alright, I’ll massage it for you." Tian Xinhua’s heart relaxed again, continuously massaging Sisi to promote blood circulation.
Shangguan Qing looked on with amusement at the sweet nothings being exchanged between the young couple, feeling like they were treating him like air.
"Cough cough!"
Upon lifting her head and seeing Shangguan Qing standing behind her, Sisi’s face turned red. She quickly sat up from Tian Xinhua’s embrace and silently twisted him, this darn guy, not even making a peep about the presence of someone else.
"Well done! I will commend you for your actions when we return!" Shangguan Qing said with a smile to Sisi.
Receiving the praise, Sisi was so excited that her entire face turned red, but because it was covered with soot and her hair was filled with dead grass and twigs, it was hard to tell.
"Hurry up, we are withdrawing." Shangguan Qing then said to Tian Xinhua before turning on his heel and going down.
"Brother Xin Hua, Captain Shangguan said he would commend me!" the girl’s delicate voice rang from behind.
"Hm, Ah Nan is the best!" the boy’s obsequious voice.
"Haha, of course, I’m the best!"
"Ouch, my hand is still numb. Hurry up and rub it for me. It’s numb here, numb there..."
Shangguan Qing shook his head with a smile. These girls, each one as bold as tiger sister herself! But even he had to admit that these girls had the guts to back up their boldness.
As Sisi followed Tian Xinhua down, Zhang Jie charged up like a madwoman, hugging her and shouting loudly, "Sisi, well done, you really made us proud!"
"Hehe, just got lucky!" Sisi remained modest.
"C’mon, I’ve already seen that tail of yours wagging behind you!" Zhang Jie glanced at her disdainfully.
"Hmph, I saw your tail too!" Sisi retorted with proud defiance.
The soldiers all watched these two girls bicker with smiling eyes. By now, they had already accepted these newcomers as one of their own. Although they were all delicate girls, they fought no less fiercely than the male soldiers!
What heroines they were!
Sisi sought out a few friends to make sure they were all right. Everyone was doing fairly well, although a bit bruised and battered, but none were too seriously hurt, except for Luo Jun, who needed to be rushed back to the provincial city for surgery. Fortunately, Sisi’s medicinal wine had stopped his bleeding and kept him alive, otherwise, Luo Jun might have been a goner today.
Luo Jun’s injury was quite unlucky. He was the artilleryman of the company, in charge of operating the 82mm recoilless gun (commonly known as the "Eighty-two"), to destroy enemy fire points.
However, the ammunition handler had loaded two duds in a row. Because he had to stand up to fire twice in succession, his position was exposed, and he was hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Luckily, he reacted quickly and dodged most of the bullets, but still, one hit his right chest, creating a wound as large as a wine cup, and blood sprayed out instantly.
After Luo Jun was injured, Tian Xinhua found those two dud shells. Upon checking their production date, he was so angry he wanted to curse someone out. It turned out that this batch of ammunition was manufactured in 1974, when the entire country was preoccupied with denouncing Lin Biao and Confucius. No one cared about production quality back then, it was good enough just to produce a whole round of ammunition.
Sisi knew that Luo Jun was not an isolated case. There must have been many unnamed soldiers like him, some of whom even paid with their lives! Just as in "Flowers on the Mountains," there must have been many soldiers like little Beijing who were killed by defective ammunition in this war.
Alas, those terrifying and chaotic years not only caused various degrees of psychological harm to people but also extended this damage to the life-and-death battlegrounds—truly detestable!
Shangguan Qing quickly completed the handover and led the whole company back to rest and recuperate. After four days and nights without proper rest, everyone was at the end of their strength.
Upon returning to the rear, the first thing the girls did was take a bath and change clothes, then they all slept soundly. It was a very heavy and clean sleep. Sisi originally thought she would have nightmares, but she didn’t dream at all, and her sleep quality was excellent.
Could it be that she was born heartless? Otherwise, why would she have no psychological shadows after killing so many people? Didn’t the books say that even the most excellent soldiers would have a shadow when they killed for the first time?
What was going on with her? Was she too normal, or too abnormal? Sisi was perplexed because she knew she wasn’t heartless. Why was she feeling this way?
The absence of psychological shadows could only mean that her psychological resilience was super strong, beyond what ordinary people could compare with. Definitely! Sisi tried to convince herself, considering herself to be a superwoman.
However, after asking Zhang Jie and Shangguan Qing, Sisi felt more at ease, because it wasn’t just her as an exception. Neither Zhang Jie nor Shangguan Qing had any issues either; Zhang Jie even dreamed of eating chicken legs!
Sisi was reassured. Indeed, believing too much in books is folly. They say everyone has a shadow when they kill for the first time. Sisi believed that those who had shadows were definitely the exceptions, with poor mental quality—in other words, weaklings!
Afterward, Sisi continued to fight in several battles with Shangguan Qing’s company as a sniper. With experience, Sisi got better and better. Almost every bullet was put to good use, either hitting the enemy or enemy equipment like trucks and ammunition boxes.