Chapter 12 : Joining

The speaker was a tall, chubby middle-aged man. Unlike the fat guy who was still coughing up water, this one had a kindly face, his lips naturally curling into a smile. He gave off a warm and approachable vibe.

The squad leader ignored him and turned to scold the sentry on duty: "Who let him in? Letting just anyone wander in—don't want your job anymore, huh?"

The newcomer acted like he didn't hear a thing, still smiling amiably at the squad leader. He waited until the tirade was over, then pulled a file out of his briefcase and handed it over. "Captain Zhang, is it? Please sign for this."

The squad leader shot him a look, took the document, and began reading—his brow furrowing deeper with every line. By the time he was done, his face looked like a knot. After hesitating for a moment, he handed the file back.

"No way. Not even if the commander came himself. My men died in there, and I need to find out exactly how that happened with my own eyes!"

The middle-aged man didn't seem surprised by the reaction. He nodded slightly, as if expressing some kind of understanding or agreement. Once the squad leader finished, the man took a few steps forward and said with a gentle smile, "I understand how you feel. After all, your unit was following orders. Besides…" He suddenly lowered his voice and whispered a few words into the squad leader's ear.

I perked up my ears, but couldn't hear a thing.

The squad leader's expression changed. His eyes took on a strange look—the same look I saw on my own face the first time I saw Wu Mian back in the great hall. "So your department really does exist," he muttered. Then, after a pause, he added in a defeated tone, "You should've come sooner."

With that, he stopped talking to the middle-aged man and turned to his team leaders, his tone dejected. "We're pulling out. This is no longer under our jurisdiction."

And just like that, we were ordered to retreat—for reasons none of us really understood. On the way back, as we passed through the wild mugwort forest surrounding Dead Man's Pool, we noticed seven or eight other people dressed like the middle-aged man standing around there. They seemed wary of us. Only after we left did they start heading toward the pool one after another.

On the return trip, Song the Fool, Li Yan, the fat guy from Narcotics, and I were assigned to the same vehicle. At one point, the fat guy requested to see his superior from the Narcotics Bureau, but was flatly denied. He didn't take it too hard though—after eating the boxed meal handed to him, he leaned back and fell asleep, snoring away like nothing had happened.

The sacrifice of Old Wang and the others was a heavy blow to the three of us survivors—me, Song, and Li Yan. We didn't speak a word the whole way back. I tried to rest my eyes for a bit, but every time I closed them, all I could see was Old Wang carrying me on his back, gasping for breath during that ten-kilometer cross-country run.

By the time we returned to the base, higher-ups had already issued a gag order: all personnel involved in this operation were forbidden from discussing the mission privately. Any violations would be treated as breaches of national security.

The four of us were placed in single rooms within the military district's guesthouse, our movements temporarily restricted. Apart from our rooms, we weren't allowed to go anywhere. Not that we minded—we were used to following orders. Meals were delivered on time, and the food was actually better than what we got in the barracks: three dishes and a soup every meal, with plenty of fish and meat. When we were bored, we'd flip through the 50 or so channels on the cable TV.

But the fat guy wasn't taking it as well. Maybe he'd played the role of undercover too long—he had a rough, streetwise streak to him. We often heard him yelling at the staff bringing meals, claiming he was a police officer, not a soldier. He kept insisting that if they wanted a statement, they should at least take him somewhere more appropriate, not keep him under military house arrest. He even threatened to go on a hunger strike in protest.

Of course, come mealtime, you'd still hear him shouting: "Not enough! Bring me another portion!"

Five days later, the unit finally sent someone over.It was a staff officer surnamed Sun from the battalion office.

To my surprise, Officer Sun didn't ask for a detailed account of what happened inside the great hall.He merely gave a glowing commendation of our Falcon Squad's brave battle against the drug traffickers. Captain Wang Donghui and several other soldiers, despite sustaining serious injuries, continued to fight until the end, taking down the drug lord Mo Te in a heroic mutual demise. Captain Wang Donghui and the others who fell in battle were posthumously honored as martyrs. Shen La, Song Chunlei, and Li Yan were each awarded a second-class merit, along with a one-rank promotion in military grade. Comrade Sun Desheng (the fat guy) would be rewarded separately by the Narcotics Bureau.

Since the operation had been classified, all participants were forbidden from disclosing any details.That was the final verdict: the blame was pinned squarely on the dead guy, Mo Te.

It looked like the matter was settled.I had gone from Second Lieutenant Shen to First Lieutenant Shen—one rank higher than my Third Uncle was when he retired from the army. I'd been floating on air for barely a month when, one afternoon, I was called into the battalion office again. It was still Officer Sun who received me. He told me,"Comrade Shen La, the higher-ups have decided to approve your early discharge."

I was stunned on the spot.You've got to be kidding me—I'd barely been a First Lieutenant for a few days! I told all my relatives back home the day after my promotion. My grandfather even gathered every matchmaker in the county that same day and had already started planning my wedding. Now what was I supposed to tell the old man? If he didn't die of rage, he'd kill me first.

At first, I thought this was some kind of fallout from the whole Dead Man's Pool incident. But when I noticed that Li Yan and Song the Fool showed no signs of being discharged, I started to suspect something else.

The squad leader's explanation was that, aside from my marksmanship, my overall performance had been consistently hovering around the borderline of acceptable. After a battalion meeting, they decided to discharge me early.

I filed an appeal, but it was rejected.So I had no choice but to pack up and leave.Luckily, I was leaving the army with an officer's rank. Even if I got bumped down a level when transferring to civilian work, I could still land a solid mid-level post.

When I got to the Veterans Affairs Office, Director Zheng, who was in charge of career placement, greeted me with an almost suspicious level of enthusiasm.His overly warm attitude left me feeling a bit flattered—and a little uneasy.For a while, I even thought maybe I was reaping some karmic reward for good deeds in a past life.A few days later, I realized I was wrong.Sigh. Let's just say, I probably didn't do any good deeds in my last life.

"You're home here now. If you need anything, don't hold back—just ask," Director Zheng beamed at me.

I sighed and said,"Well, what can I ask for? I've already been discharged. Director Zheng, you know I left the army as a First Lieutenant, so ideally I'd like a civilian role that matches my rank. Oh, and I've got a few small requests: I don't really know how to do anything besides soldiering, so I'd prefer not to be dumped into a company where I might mess things up. A government agency would be ideal. I'm not picky about the exact department—police, prosecutors, courts, anything works. Industry and commerce, tax office—I can manage that too. But if it's city code enforcement, I'll pass."

"And one more thing. I know I'm not a capital local, but my heart belongs to the capital, you know? So if it's possible, I'd really like to be placed somewhere nearby.Really, Director Zheng, I don't ask for much. That's it."

To be honest, I learned all this from seasoned vets who'd gone through the same thing.Like they say: aim high, settle low. If you start off with a bigger ask, the other side can't haggle too hard.

What I didn't expect was for Director Zheng to burst out laughing as soon as I finished.At first, I thought he was laughing out of frustration, so I quickly added,"Director Zheng, honestly, I'd be fine with a state-owned enterprise, as long as the pay's decent. And if it's not in the capital, that's—"

Before I could finish, Director Zheng waved his hand, cutting me off with a smile."You misunderstood. I'm laughing because this is such a coincidence. I happen to have just the spot for you—matches your requests almost perfectly."He opened a drawer, pulled out a document, and handed it to me."Here—government agency in the capital. Position: Deputy Section Chief."

It was a transfer application form.The organization listed was the Bureau of Folklore Affairs and Research.I'd never heard of it before.What kind of department was that?

I scanned the paper for any kind of description, but there was nothing.Meanwhile, Director Zheng was still talking,"Brother, you came at just the right time. I only have this one spot left. Normally, people would kill for this assignment. If you'd come a bit later, who knows who would've snatched it up. Well? Not signing? Not satisfied?"

"Satisfied! Very satisfied! Director Zheng, how could I not be satisfied with something you arranged?"I didn't dare say more. I didn't even finish reading the whole form—I just signed my name at the bottom as fast as I could.

"No need to give it back to me. Just bring it with you when you report in—it has the address on it,"Director Zheng's face immediately turned serious after I signed.His tone became all business:"That's it then. You're free to go. Wishing you great success in your new post."

And just like that, I walked out of the Veterans Office.I couldn't say why, but I had a strange feeling the whole way.Something felt off. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Forget it. No point overthinking.It was a huge win anyway.

But what the hell was the Bureau of Folklore Affairs and Research?I still had no clue.

I asked around everyone I could think of—no one knew. Not a single person could tell me anything concrete.

When I returned to the unit one last time to complete my transfer paperwork, I ran into the squad leader.He looked almost guilty about my early discharge.His expression was awkward the moment he saw me.

I used that and went straight up to greet him, pulling out my assignment form and asking if he knew anything about the Bureau of Folklore Affairs and Research.

The moment he heard the name, his face changed.He looked at me like I was a total stranger and kept asking if I had personally requested to go there.I suddenly started to second-guess myself.What was with this reaction?

Unfortunately, no matter how much I asked, he wouldn't say another word.In the end, he made up an excuse and left.

Now I was really uneasy.From his reaction, he clearly knew something—but wouldn't say.

And this was the same guy who once got temporarily assigned as a palace guard at Zhongnanhai and didn't even flinch.But now he was spooked?

What kind of department was this?The people who didn't know couldn't say a thing.And the ones who did know wouldn't talk.

Something wasn't right.For a moment, I even considered backing out—but the thought vanished quickly.Come on—a government post in the capital, Deputy Section Chief?Back out? What am I, insane?