Los Angeles defector

On the verge of a crisis

The government soldier who fled at the critical moment unexpectedly became a squad leader. While he himself fought alongside the Second Company in a b****y battle, he ended up getting another beating for no reason. Sandy Sniffles couldn't understand it. The warm noon sun shone on his unlucky face, but it couldn't warm his stubborn heart. What puzzled him even more was how such a ridiculous Ninth Platoon could still have people eagerly joining. A burly bear with a machine g*n, and Martin, who served as a communications officer in the regimental headquarters—did their heads get squeezed by a door?

These questions turned Sandy Sniffles' mind into a confused mess, making him a bit absent-minded. Absentmindedly, he pushed open the door of the kitchen, walked into the courtyard listlessly, completely unaware of the eerie silence and the numerous bewildered gazes directed at him in the compound at that moment. It wasn't until he stopped between two tables that he noticed something unusual.

One side of the table was filled with the soldiers from the Second Company, who had been living with him for these days, while on the other side, four people at the table were from his ridiculous Ninth Platoon. However, they were all staring at him wide-eyed, not eating, all staring at him. What were they doing? Why were they so cold and distant?

The glaring stares made Sandy Sniffles feel a bit dizzy. He quickly looked over his entire body, wondering if he had accidentally touched cat poop or dog urine. He hurriedly adjusted his pants, tightened his belt, and checked the front of his pants, making sure everything was in place. "What's your problem?" he blurted out.

Emily saw Sandy Sniffles, a useless person who couldn't do anything except bask in the sun, clearly from the Ninth Platoon but always hanging around the Second Company. Normally, she would ignore him since out of sight, out of mind, but now that the Ninth Platoon and the Second Company were at odds, she couldn't stand by and watch this wimp freeload off others, publicly disgracing the Ninth Platoon. "Weepy Sandy, come over here right now!" she called out.

Sandy Sniffles' appearance was like a ready-made opportunity to provoke the Ninth Platoon, and immediately someone from the Second Company called out, "Sandy Sniffles, come sit here and eat." After speaking, they even made a seat available for him.

Having been living closely with the Second Company recently, Sandy Sniffles found the cold attitude of that little girl irritating. "You brat who hasn't even grown all your fur, who do you think you are to boss me around?" he thought to himself, turning to move towards the Second Company's side.

Upon seeing Sandy Sniffles' irresolute demeanor, Emily immediately stood up again and exclaimed, "Sandy, have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten about the Ninth Platoon? If you dare to go over there today, then don't ever come back!"

"The Ninth Platoon, yes, I am from the Ninth Platoon. It's the Ninth Platoon that has allowed me to live until today. How could I forget that?" Sandy Sniffles thought to himself. Unfortunately, Sandy Sniffles was not one to go with the flow, nor did he understand the strange situation in the courtyard. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so unlucky. He confidently replied, "I am from the Ninth Platoon. What does that have to do with having a meal?"

Emily, with a competitive temperament, saw that even provocation had no effect on Sandy Sniffles, who was still intent on going to the Second Platoon to sit. Frustrated, she kicked Robert Wealthy, who was leisurely drinking soup beside her, and exclaimed, "Mule, you drag this waste back to me right now! If you can't bring him back, don't bother coming back to this courtyard yourself!"

Robert Wealthy was almost choked by the rice soup in his mouth. He could overlook other matters, but the crucial point was the little girl's foul temper and her relationship with the kitchen staff. This determined that she could indeed make sure Robert Wealthy didn't eat well or enough, and this was no empty threat. "Food is paramount to people," this was Robert Wealthy's life principle, and the little girl had hit the nail on the head with just a few words. Goodness, was it really worth all this fuss just for a matter of face? Insisting on dragging me into this mess too, sigh!

Robert Wealthy was filled with reluctance, but he said, "Girl, no doubt about it, from now on, I'm also considered part of the kitchen staff. Just you wait and see."

Robert Wealthy, this bear of a man, huffed and stood up, his tall and broad figure causing the whole table to shake along with him. Bowls and chopsticks clattered as they were shaken, making anyone unfamiliar with him feel a sense of dread at the sight of his massive frame. With two large strides over the bench, he reached behind Sandy Sniffles, who was about to sit in the Second Platoon, and his hand, like a fan, firmly grabbed the back of Sandy Sniffles' neck, pulling him towards the Ninth Platoon.

Sandy Sniffles, being his own person, didn't take the little girl's words to heart. Just as his bottom was about to touch the bench, he suddenly felt a tightness around his neck, followed by a tremendous force that made his body feel weightless as it was lifted from its place. Instinctively, he began to struggle, but he found himself unable to resist the strength. In a jumble of words, he cried out, "No, help, help me!"

An instinctive reaction from a soldier in the Second Platoon next to him led him to grab hold of one of Sandy Sniffles' legs, attempting to hold him back. However, the bear's strength was just too much, causing the soldier to be dragged down to the ground as well. Despite holding onto Sandy Sniffles' leg, they both slid across the floor. Another soldier on the other side, seeing the situation, hurried over and grabbed hold of Sandy Sniffles' other leg, desperately trying to stop him. Despite their efforts, they couldn't halt the bear's advance, resulting in a comical rear-dragging posture as their shoes slid across the floor without traction.

A third soldier suddenly sprang into action, wrapping their arms around the waist of the second soldier, gritting their teeth and using all their strength to assist. This slowed down the dragging speed, but they were still inching closer towards the Ninth Platoon. Quickly, a fourth soldier joined in, bringing the chaotic scene to a halt.

Sandy Sniffles gazed up at the deep blue sky, the bright sunlight shining so intensely that he could barely keep his eyes open. However, he couldn't avoid it, as his neck was almost immobile, constricted by a tight collar that made breathing difficult and rendered him speechless. The opposing forces pulling in different directions had lifted his body off the ground, causing his joints to creak and groan painfully, making him feel unbearable agony. Realizing he had only one option at that moment, he cried. Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down from the corners and falling in a cascade from his temples. Despite his unattractive crying, it was filled with profound sadness.

With a loud bang, Slashmaster's large hand slammed fiercely onto the table, causing the bowls and chopsticks on it to jump up, shaking his own hand with a sharp pain. He stood up abruptly, ignoring the chaotic scene next to him involving a bear and five individuals, and fixed a fierce gaze on Jason across the table. He shouted loudly, "You've gone too far!"

Jason also stood up nonchalantly, his expressionless face now tinged with a hint of darkness. Finally, he lifted his head to meet Slashmaster's intense gaze and replied emotionlessly, "The affairs of Ninth Company are none of anyone else's business."

With a clatter, the rest of the soldiers from Second Company all stood up, holding their heads high and coldly gazing across the table. It seemed that the time had come to redeem themselves, as they waited silently for the command from their captain. When the order was given, they would charge forward without hesitation.

Emily stood closely beside Jason, her large eyes becoming clear once again, now sparkling with light. She enjoyed this sensation, the excitement it brought, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the storm. Perhaps, this mischievous child was born to be a dealer of war!

Alex slowly appeared behind Emily. Alas, what must come will come. Uncle Bull said not to interfere, but if the girl gets hurt, how could he not feel heartache? I don't want to get involved, but I have to protect the little girl.

The new recruits in the courtyard silently stood up, quietly leaving their seats. No one dared to make a sound, all slowly stepping back, trying to create as much distance as possible from the center of the storm. They had heard about the battle between Two Company and Nine Platoon, thinking it was all just talk, but now, being there in person, even though the battle had not yet begun, they felt as though the ground under the sunlight had already frozen. Involuntarily, the new recruits felt fear. Now they finally understood what it meant to be a soldier who had walked off the battlefield! What morale truly meant!

Creak— the sound of the wooden gate's mechanism rubbing together echoed.

In the silence before the storm, this sudden sound almost made everyone's hearts leap out of their throats. Countless eyes all turned towards the gate, then simultaneously widened in shock, jaws dropping.

Dressed neatly in military attire, yet unable to contain the graceful figure within, like the beautiful and undulating curves of distant majestic mountains, faintly visible in the sunlight. Her short hair, reaching just above the neckline, fell softly, resembling the rows of fields on a hill, enveloping a simple and fair surprised face.

In that moment, Jason's long-planned aura abruptly vanished, forgetting about Second Platoon, forgetting about Slashmaster, forgetting about everything. He stared blankly at those pair of phoenix-like eyes at the gate, those abyssal black pupils, feeling so distant yet so close, feeling so unfamiliar yet so familiar. She was not my woman, but she was my woman. She was not my past, but she was my future.

Rip— the sound of fabric tearing suddenly rang out.

Thud thud— crash— the sound of falling and tumbling followed closely.

At that moment, the formation of a bear and five people collapsed. Sandy Sniffles' pants and shirt finally reached their limit, instantly torn apart, leaving her bare-bottomed and falling to the ground. Robert Wealthy and several members of Second Platoon also fell down in a chaotic mess.

With a clang, the door was immediately shut again, and the graceful figure vanished, leaving everyone in the room feeling as if it were all a dream, as if nothing had happened...