Chapter 12: The Cycle of Fate

Seeing the faint smile on Gu Jianfeng’s face, Fu Zhihong said nothing more. He believed that Gu Jianfeng had his reasons for acting as he did. Judging by Gu Jianfeng’s skill in assisting Baiyi with her delivery, Fu Zhihong was certain that Gu Jianfeng’s medical expertise was not inferior to his own.

Bathed in the last rays of sunset, Gu Jianfeng and Fu Zhihong finally made their way back to the company barracks.

Upon returning to the dormitory, Gu Jianfeng found that there were four new faces inside.

“Hey, brother! I’m Guo Yudong, but you can call me ‘Slick Guo.’ It’s my first day in First Company—please take care of me!”

Guo Yudong was naturally outgoing. As soon as he saw Gu Jianfeng enter, he hurried over to greet him with enthusiasm.

“Hello, I’m Gu Jianfeng. I’ve just arrived in First Company as well—right on your heels!” Gu Jianfeng replied with a smile.

“Huh?” Guo Yudong let out a sharp yelp before exclaiming, “You wouldn’t happen to be that… that…”

“Yes, that’s me,” Gu Jianfeng replied, his tone calm.

Hearing Gu Jianfeng’s hint of reserve, Guo Yudong quickly closed his mouth. One dog-slayer like Xie Yidao was already enough for him; if he offended this blooded, fearsome figure from Sirius, his days in First Company would truly be numbered.

Gu Jianfeng shook his head with some resignation. It was true—good deeds seldom spread, while bad news traveled like wildfire. News of his transfer to First Company had likely reached the entire Border Defense Regiment, perhaps even the whole Northwestern Military District.

“Hello, I’m Xiong Xiong, formerly the squad leader of First Squad, Third Platoon, Reconnaissance Company of the Border Defense Regiment.”

When Xiong Xiong saw Gu Jianfeng, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, stepped forward, and greeted him.

“Gu Jianfeng, now just an ordinary soldier in First Company,” Gu Jianfeng replied with a smile.

“Thank you for saving Baiyi!” Xiong Xiong said gratefully. After all, he had come to First Company for Baiyi’s sake.

“Baiyi is not only Taotao’s mother but also Bailong’s. Saving her was my duty,” Gu Jianfeng replied, nodding slightly at Xiong Xiong. This was a man worthy of respect.

“No matter what, I’m grateful to you,” Xiong Xiong said simply. He was the sort to see much and remember everything in his heart.

“From now on, we’re all brothers sharing the same pot—no need to be so formal,” Gu Jianfeng replied.

Xiong Xiong was a worthy talent. When he had fallen back then, Gu Jianfeng had truly regretted it. The cycles of fate had drawn these young men together, as if destiny itself had willed their meeting.

Suddenly, the sharp barking of two dogs interrupted their conversation. It turned out that the puppy Guo Yudong had brought with him was squaring off with the pup Gu Jianfeng had just returned with.

“All right, all right. He’s smaller than you—give him a break!” Guo Yudong patted his puppy’s head soothingly, though his tone was more provoking than comforting.

The little one, hearing Guo Yudong’s words, was displeased. Its fur bristled, and it glared at Guo Yudong with fierce eyes.

“Little one, these are your own from now on. You mustn’t bite or hurt people anymore, or I’ll be upset,” Gu Jianfeng crouched down and spoke gently to the pup.

Hearing this, the little one whined softly, its voice full of grievance.

“Your puppy’s not bad, but compared to my Rifle, it’s still a bit lacking,” Guo Yudong joked cheerfully.

The little one, who had just calmed down, darted at Rifle the moment it heard this. Despite being bigger, Rifle couldn’t hold its own for even a round, yelping miserably and dodging frantically.

“All right, all right, stop it!” Gu Jianfeng hurried over to intervene. Only then did the little one release Rifle, then barked at Guo Yudong in open challenge.

A cold sweat broke out on Guo Yudong’s back. He hadn’t even realized what had happened—he’d only seen a black blur, and then his Rifle was in distress.

“Rifle, are you all right?” Guo Yudong quickly knelt beside Rifle, checking for injuries. After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief; Rifle was only a bit scraped, nothing serious.

“What’s your puppy’s name?” Guo Yudong asked, still a little shaken.

“I’ll call him General,” Gu Jianfeng mused aloud.

“Woof, woof, woof!” The little one seemed delighted with the name, wagging his tail and squinting his eyes in happiness.

“Go apologize to Rifle. From now on, you’re comrades, brothers. This can’t happen again,” Gu Jianfeng instructed.

Perhaps because General now carried a trace of Gu Jianfeng’s soul power, Gu Jianfeng felt a strong sense of familiarity with him. He could understand General, and General could understand him.

General trotted over to Rifle. Under Guo Yudong’s worried gaze, he let out a few soft barks. Strangely, Rifle, who had just been afraid, immediately got up, lowered his body, and licked General’s nose. The two puppies, who had been at odds moments before, were instantly reconciled.

Gu Jianfeng recognized this as a gesture of submission from Rifle to General. Such behavior was more common among wolves than dogs, and Gu Jianfeng couldn’t help but wonder how Rifle, who had grown up among humans, knew what to do. Was it an instinct?

At that moment, Wu Fugui, who had been quietly reading his magazine, caught a glimmer of interest in his eyes at the pups’ interaction, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He returned to flipping through his well-worn magazine.

“Something’s wrong—Chaser’s in trouble!”

There weren’t many people in First Company; if something happened and someone shouted, everyone would hear it.

Like Beibei, Chaser was a retired meritorious service dog sent to First Company. Hearing the shout, Gu Jianfeng hurried to the kennels. The others, not knowing what was happening, followed along out of curiosity.

When they arrived, they found Long Fei already there, looking down at Chaser, who lay motionless on the ground. The mood in the room grew heavy.

“Captain, Chaser, like Beibei, has starved to death. After what happened to Beibei, I paid extra attention to Chaser, but I never expected we’d see such an outcome again,” Fu Zhihong said, his voice heavy with sorrow.