Chapter Four: Reunion with Long Fei

“Is everything alright?”

Long Fei’s tone was full of disbelief.

Since the day he enlisted, he had served in this very company. His familiarity with military dogs was nearly on par with a seasoned veterinarian, and Bayi’s delivery had been a source of endless worry for him.

To say Bayi was the hope of the company was not quite accurate—she was, in truth, his own hope.

As the company commander, he bore the honor and disgrace of the entire unit. He could not allow the company’s legacy to end with him.

After all, his grandfather had once been a soldier in the very same border defense regiment.

“Yes, just look at these little ones, how happily they’re feeding!”

A genuine, heartfelt smile lit up Fu Zhihong’s face—an expression that had not appeared there in a long time.

The vibrant cries of the puppies reached Long Fei’s ears.

Following Fu Zhihong’s gaze, he saw eight puppies scrambling and jostling for space, their antics lively and full of life.

“Captain… is smiling?”

“I’ve been here so long, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the captain smile before.”

The soldiers were dumbfounded to see Long Fei’s smile—it felt as surreal as winning the lottery.

As he watched these newborn lives, Long Fei’s eyes brimmed with tenderness.

“By the way, Fu, how did Bayi manage to deliver so smoothly?”

It was only after a while that Long Fei remembered to ask.

“Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you—this is our newcomer. He’s the one who saved Bayi and her pups!”

Fu Zhihong hurriedly pulled Gu Jianfeng from the corner and brought him before Long Fei, grinning.

“Captain, I’m back,” Gu Jianfeng said with a touch of emotion.

Seeing his old but familiar company commander, now with a few more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, Gu Jianfeng felt a pang of reluctant nostalgia.

Long Fei had been Gu Jianfeng’s mentor when he first enlisted; much of Gu Jianfeng’s accomplishments were thanks to him. Even when Sirius had once extended an invitation to Long Fei, he’d refused—for he still had his own mission to fulfill.

“How come you’re back?”

The smile vanished instantly from Long Fei’s face, replaced by a chill so palpable that even the soldiers nearby felt an involuntary shiver. For the first time, they sensed the commanding presence that their usually reserved leader possessed.

Long Fei harbored complicated feelings toward Gu Jianfeng. Seeing him was like gazing upon his younger self, which made him care for Gu Jianfeng more than most.

“I…” Gu Jianfeng wanted to explain, but words failed him.

Wang Ping and Long Fei had been the closest of friends; Gu Jianfeng wasn’t sure if Long Fei could bear the news of Wang Ping’s sacrifice.

“Come to my office.”

Seeing Gu Jianfeng hesitate, Long Fei seemed to understand.

Long Fei’s office looked just as it had when Gu Jianfeng left, though it now bore more marks of time gone by.

“Speak,” Long Fei commanded, fixing his gaze unblinkingly on Gu Jianfeng, waiting for an explanation.

“Captain, the platoon leader… has fallen,” Gu Jianfeng said quietly.

With a crash, the cup in Long Fei’s hand slipped, spilling scalding water onto his skin, though he seemed not to notice the pain.

“Say that again?” Long Fei’s voice trembled.

“The platoon leader is gone. Bailong too,” Gu Jianfeng’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Silence fell over the office. Not a sound was heard, save for the faint drip of water onto the floor.

“What happened?” Long Fei struggled to keep calm, but his shaking hands betrayed him.

He and Wang Ping had met in the army. Both were born soldiers; from their early days in boot camp, their brilliance was unmatched. They were brothers, rivals, comrades who had saved each other from death on more than one occasion.

In daily life, they cared for one another so closely that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. On the training field, they were each other’s fiercest competitors, always the brightest stars.

Later, their paths had diverged. Wang Ping joined Sirius, while Long Fei stayed with the company.

“Our last operation was an ambush. I was the only one rescued alive, badly wounded; everyone else fell. Some didn’t even leave behind a whole body.”

“When the platoon leader died, he said he owed Bayi, and asked me to take good care of her.”

Though some time had passed since that nightmarish mission, the harrowing scenes were seared into Gu Jianfeng’s memory, painfully vivid.

“Sirius is our army’s elite special forces—how could the battle have been so brutal?” Long Fei could hardly believe it.

“I still don’t know the details. But the enemy was strong—overwhelming, as if they’d set a perfect trap and were just waiting for us to walk in,” Gu Jianfeng explained.

“So, you’ve come back. That’s just as well,” Long Fei’s voice softened, the heat of his anger replaced by the relief of survival.

At least Gu Jianfeng returned alive—a small mercy amidst the tragedy.

“Captain, why has our company ended up like this? Where has everyone gone?” Gu Jianfeng finally voiced the question that had weighed on his heart.

Long Fei took a deep breath and began to explain the situation to Gu Jianfeng.

“Don’t worry, Captain—the company will never be disbanded,” Gu Jianfeng’s voice was soft, yet resolute.

“How did you manage Bayi’s delivery?”

Gu Jianfeng smiled, “I learned it from a comrade in Sirius—his family has been veterinarians for generations.”

“Not bad. You’ve picked up quite a bit out there.”

“Well, of course. After all, I was trained by the best,” Gu Jianfeng joked.

“That’s a compliment I’ll gladly accept,” Long Fei replied, finally relaxing a little under Gu Jianfeng’s banter.

Suddenly, a breathless soldier burst into the office.

“Captain, Captain—something’s wrong!”

“If I’m standing here, I can’t be that bad off. Can’t you bring me some good news?” Long Fei replied, exasperated.

“No, Captain, that’s not what I meant—Beibei is missing!”

“What?” Long Fei exclaimed, stunned.