Chapter 5: The Brave Heroic Dog

Beibei was born in First Company, a military dog adorned with countless honors. Not long ago, she reached the age of retirement and was brought back to First Company, where she was meant to spend her remaining days in peace.

Long Fei hurried to the kennel, only to find a crowd gathered around Beibei’s pen, deep in discussion about something unknown.

“What’s going on?” Long Fei pressed forward, anxiety coloring his voice as he addressed the group.

“Company Commander, I came as usual to feed the dogs, but Beibei didn’t seem to have much appetite. I thought I’d get her something better to eat, so I left the door unlocked,” Su Weiguo explained, stepping up. “I was gone just a short while, but when I returned, Beibei was gone.”

Long Fei said nothing, lost in thought, a heavy silence settling over the air.

“Beibei always finished her food before, but lately, she’s seemed more and more listless. I can’t figure out why,” another soldier added.

Long Fei entered Beibei’s pen, inspecting every corner carefully, but found nothing amiss.

“Hmm?” Just as he was about to leave, his gaze caught on something in an inconspicuous corner—a pile of dog food and supplements, untouched.

“This isn’t good. Everyone, get out there and search!” Long Fei ordered sharply.

“Commander, what did you find?” Fu Zhihong approached, puzzled.

“Look over there,” Long Fei said, his tone growing heavier as he nodded toward the corner. The men followed his gesture, and all were struck speechless by what they saw.

They had assumed Beibei’s lack of spirit was due to the adjustment to her new environment. But they hadn’t realized—Beibei had been refusing to eat.

“Why are you all just standing there? Go, hurry!” Old Fu’s voice trembled with urgency. He cared for every military dog as family; seeing Beibei in such a state rattled him deeply.

“But, Commander, our post is so remote—just a handful of us out here. Where do we even start looking?” Xue Meng couldn’t help but voice his doubts.

Though blunt, Xue Meng spoke the truth. The post was perched on a mountain; even with twice as many searchers, it would still be daunting to comb through every inch of the terrain.

“We still have to try!” Fu Zhihong declared, already heading out.

“Wait, Old Fu. Mengzi’s right, but I think I know where Beibei went,” Long Fei said, striding away purposefully.

“Commander, this is the path down the mountain. Aren’t we supposed to be looking for Beibei?” Xue Meng, never the quickest to catch on, was utterly confused.

After more than ten minutes, they spotted a German Shepherd lying beneath an old locust tree halfway up the mountain. Quickening their pace, they drew near—indeed, it was Beibei.

“She’s gone. Bit her own tongue,” Fu Zhihong reported after checking, his voice tinged with grief.

They gathered silently beneath the ancient tree, at a loss for words.

“Commander, what’s going on? Beibei is the fifth decorated dog to take its own life recently,” Su Weiguo asked, his voice heavy.

Every meritorious dog was a treasure to the army, even after retirement.

“Military dogs are proud creatures,” Long Fei said, voice thick with sorrow. “Like soldiers, they have their dignity. After retirement, when they come here, there’s no more training, no more missions. They feel a crushing sense of loss. They don’t want to live out their days as pampered pets, so they choose to die with dignity.”

“But why did Beibei choose to die here?” Wu Fugui asked.

Long Fei looked around at the weathered tree and replied quietly, “Because this is where Beibei parted from her first handler.”

“In a military dog’s life, there may be several trainers, but only the first is truly recognized as their master,” he explained to the group.

It was the first time Long Fei had spoken to the men about the lives of these distinguished dogs, and his words left a deep impression.

These men had all been transferred to First Company as punishment for past mistakes. Originally, they planned to serve out their terms and apply for discharge, but Long Fei’s words stirred something in their long-stagnant hearts.

The previous members of First Company had all transferred or moved up the ranks; after all, who doesn’t care about their own prospects? Only Long Fei remained, steadfastly guarding the honor of First Company, and the dogs who had given everything.

“Go fetch a stretcher. Carry Beibei and come with me,” Long Fei ordered quietly.

Soon, they placed Beibei on the stretcher and followed Long Fei down the mountain, stopping at a secluded spot.

Long Fei raised a torch, standing in silence for a long moment before lighting the wood piled around Beibei’s body. The flames leapt up instantly, consuming Beibei and, slowly, erasing her from the world.

There was no grand ceremony—only Long Fei and a dozen soldiers stood witness.

“A drifting soul of a dog lingers, sorrow echoes between heaven and earth.
Where in the vast world will it go, wandering east and west, lost and aimless.
In the next life, may I be a military dog again, to serve my country without fear of death.
How many times do dreams of youth flash through these eyes—life is sorrow in autumn, and so is death.
Galloping with the army throughout the land, with copper head and iron tail, magnolia’s scent upon the snout.
Once more, the sound of barking resounds to the sky; even among the clouds, I shall lead a hundred dogs.”

Long Fei suddenly recited this soul-stirring verse.

“That poem sounds so familiar!” Gu Jianfeng felt a rush of emotion, as if recalling something dear.

“Isn’t that from that novel? Could it just be a coincidence?” In this world, everyone fought just to survive, with little in the way of entertainment. Reading novels was Gu Jianfeng’s only hobby. He didn’t know how to describe his own feelings at this moment; perhaps it was excitement.

Everyone watched Long Fei’s every move, listened to his every word, and, in that stillness, realized something—they were all part of First Company. All soldiers of First Company.

Even if they’d always felt Long Fei had never truly accepted them as his own.

After taking care of Beibei’s remains, Long Fei turned to them. “I know you all have a question: what’s locked inside that old, rundown building at the post? Today, I’ll show you.”

“When we enter, you must be careful,” he warned.

Ever since their first day in First Company, that building had piqued their curiosity, but now, at last, standing before it, their curiosity was laced with something heavier.