Los Angeles defector

Emily

David Ding pulled open a drawer and took out a pocket watch, turning it over in his rough, large hands. It was the only item found on that deserter. Click, click, click— he wound the watch's mechanism, tightening it fully, then pulled out his own watch, adjusted the time by comparing the two, and slipped it into his pocket before leaving the command post.

In the nameless village with hundreds of households, not too big nor too small, apart from the command post rented in a courtyard from the villagers, the Independent Regiment had built dozens of new houses at the western end of the village, and even established a training ground where the sounds of drills could be heard echoing at this moment. David Ding wandered through various areas before finally heading towards the confinement room.

Approaching from the side, David Ding could see a girl crouching under the window of the confinement room from afar. As he got closer, he saw the girl taking out a hand grenade. Immediately, he shouted loudly, "Stop right there! Put it down!"

The sentry standing guard at the front gate was startled by the sound and quickly realized it was the chief of staff. He hastily saluted in a fluster.

"Stand down from your post."

"Uh?"

"I said stand down from this post, no need to watch the detention room anymore."

"Yes."

The sentry left, and David Ding stood in front of the girl.

The girl squeezed out an innocent smile and said, "Uncle David, I was just playing here. Why did you come? Hehe."

David Ding bent down, took the grenade from the girl's hand, and weighed it in his hand. He said, "Emily, you're quite something! Now you even dare to call yourself 'grandma'! Playing around? Are you trying to blow up my detention room?"

"No, no, I was just playing house and wanted to scare him a bit. Hehehe..."

David Ding's face darkened. "Stop with the playful attitude. Where did this grenade come from?"

The girl's mischievous big eyes flickered twice. "I borrowed it from Weepy Sandy..."

David Ding made an effort to darken his face, maintaining a serious demeanor. "I'm telling you, Emily, this is the resistance army. Can you please stop randomly giving people nicknames? Borrowed? Stolen, more like it! Now, go and stay in the command post!"

David Ding entered the confinement room, and the conversation outside could be heard. Jason knew the person coming in was a "chief of staff." Although he wasn't sure what exactly a chief of staff was, he was certain it was a superior officer. Instinctively, he wanted to salute, but then he remembered he was no longer a soldier, and he was now dressed in coarse civilian clothing. So, he simply stood up and stood still, quietly watching the other person.

David Ding had been part of the resistance army since its establishment, not just as a senior party member but also as a seasoned soldier with extensive experience in judging people. Even though Jason was currently dressed in ordinary civilian attire, David still sensed a strong aura of combat and killing intent emanating from him. This chilling atmosphere couldn't be feigned with mere bluster; it required the accumulation of blood and death to cultivate. Was Jason a government deserter who had forsaken his principles for personal gain? It wasn't that straightforward!

"Jason, I'm sorry for keeping you here for over ten days. It's just the way the system works. The situation has been mostly verified, and from now on, you are free."

After hearing David Ding say these words in person, Jason didn't feel a hint of joy at his newfound freedom; instead, he suddenly felt a sense of loss. This meant that the mission he had set for himself to escort the woman had come to an end, and now he would have to start wandering rootlessly once more. Free? Where to? He didn't know!

After pausing for a moment, David Ding added, "Oh, by the way, this is yours." As he spoke, he took out a pocket watch from his pocket and handed it back to Jason.

The silver casing gleamed, reflecting light like a mirror. Jason silently took it, and with a crisp and pleasant metallic sound, the watch case sprang open lightly. The dial was crystal clear, reflecting Jason's bewildered face, showing a quarter to two.

"How is she?" Jason asked without lifting his head, looking at the time on the dial.

"Oh? Isabella, right. She's not here at the moment. The organization might be arranging new work for her; it's not confirmed yet."

"Isabella! So her name is Isabella." She's his woman, yet she's not his woman. This situation is as messy as tangled yarn. Click—Jason closed the watch case, raised his head again, and looked at David Ding. "Sir, I want to stay. Is that okay?"

Following the soldiers leading the way in front, the platoon leader climbed up to the mountaintop to the east of the village, panting heavily. There, Sandy Sniffles was sitting motionless on a rock, the butt of his rifle on the ground, the muzzle resting on his chin, and his finger through the trigger guard.

"You sniveling son of a g*n, are you done yet? Put that g*n down!" the platoon leader shouted angrily at Sandy Sniffles, his face dark with anger.

"I don't care! My life belongs to the Ninth Company. If the Ninth Company is gone, then I'll return my life to the Ninth Company!"

"You cowardly rabbit, I command you to put down the g*n now!"

The platoon leader's firm stance was met with no response. Instead, Sandy Sniffles used his other hand to pull back the rifle bolt, loading a bullet into the chamber.

"You—" The platoon leader, frustrated and at a loss for what to do, was suddenly approached from behind by several individuals. The chief of staff had been speaking with Jason in the confinement room when a soldier suddenly reported that Sandy Sniffles was planning to commit suicide on the eastern hill. The chief of staff hurriedly arrived as well.

"David, you've arrived just in time. Take a look at this bear of a situation. It's out of control, and we can't afford to let it continue."

"Sandy Sniffles has only been in the military for a year, just turned eighteen this year, still a green recruit. In the brutal and b****y battlefield, many new soldiers who are not psychologically prepared often suffer from shock, unresolved psychological pressure, leading to changes in their character or even paranoia, appearing somewhat deranged. It seems that Sandy Sniffles is currently experiencing this situation."

David Ding patted the captain on the shoulder, signaling him not to be impatient, then leisurely walked over to Sandy Sniffles and asked, "Sandy Sniffles, even if you don't remove the Ninth Company's designation, without a company commander, how can it still be considered the Ninth Company?"

Sandy Sniffles was taken aback by the question, hesitated for a moment, and blurted out, "I am the company commander."

"Well, even if the captain and I both agree that you are the company commander, without any soldiers, what kind of company commander are you?"

Sandy Sniffles was momentarily speechless, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can go find some. If I manage to find soldiers, will you and the captain then consider keeping the Ninth Company?"

David Ding smiled faintly and said, "Alright, go ahead and find them."

Watching Sandy Sniffles' young figure hastily descending the mountain, the captain asked the chief of staff, "I say, David, are you really going to let him continue to make a mess of things?"

David Ding sighed, "Ninth Company is in trouble! This kid has been affected. We might not have any battles to fight recently, so let's give him something to do to keep him from causing trouble again. Besides, he won't be able to find them. What do you think?"

A young soldier entered the confinement room, not tall in stature but with long legs, exuding a clever energy all over. He smiled shyly at Jason and said, "Hello, I'm Martin, the signalman. The chief of staff left in a hurry and didn't have time to arrange things, so he ordered me to settle you in first." After speaking, he picked up the bedding on the confinement room bed and led Jason out the door.

On the way to the dormitory, Jason casually asked about the matter concerning the young girl. Since they were going to become comrades in the future, Martin didn't hold back and answered Jason's question carefully.

The young girl, twelve years old, named Emily, both of her parents were part of the resistance army. Her father sacrificed his life in the battles against the government forces, and her mother died while crossing the Missouri River. Before the relocation, the unit planned to foster her with local families like other children, but the eight-year-old Emily insisted on running back to the unit. After the unit was reorganized into the resistance army, the regiment wanted to leave her in Philadelphia to attend school with the children of martyrs. However, Emily, who had grown wild in the unit, couldn't socialize with children her age at all. She threw tantrums, fought to the death, and used all means to resist. She then followed the unit to the Independent Regiment.

After briefly describing Emily's situation, Martin paused and added, "Even though Emily doesn't have parents, the regiment leader says she is the child of our entire regiment, and we all must pamper and indulge her."

Jason smiled helplessly, "Yeah, this stubborn girl has been pampered to the point where she's calling the shots, acting like a little princess."

Thinking that Jason might not believe him, Martin added, "Really, don't underestimate her because of her age. Sometimes she's even more skilled than us new recruits, her marksmanship is incredibly accurate! If it wasn't for the regiment leader keeping a close watch on her, she might have sneaked onto the battlefield."

Jason was completely convinced of this. Over the past ten days, the "g*n tower" in the detention room almost fell several times, and today it was almost taken over by that little girl...