Chapter 53 Stirred
For three consecutive days, Xiaonian would do push-ups before bed.
On the fourth day, when the three men fell asleep, Xiaonian quietly left the dormitory.
The reason he went out on the fourth day was because he had familiarized himself with the environment and terrain during the previous three days. Also, he had given out the secret code.
Furthermore, he wanted to test if anyone was monitoring him.
He went out on the second day and wandered around a bit. He didn't see anyone monitoring him.
On the third day, he went to three spots and it was still safe.
At the second spot, he circled many times to confirm no one was tracking him.
So, Xiaonian felt relieved.
During lunch today, he drew a bird on the corner wall of the cafeteria. The bird was perched on what looked like a tree, but it was actually a person.
It's called "bird leaning on human."
After Xiaonian finished the wall painting, Zhou Lin passed by and saw it.
Many others saw it too, but no one paid much attention, thinking it was just a bored act.
Being confined in the military camp, unable to go out, some minor incidents were normal.
After seeing it, Zhou Lin reported back to Captain Zhou.
Captain Zhou said, "I'll give you a task! Keep an eye on Xiaonian, see who he contacts. Don't intervene, just take note of the people."
"Yes!"
Zhou Lin's dormitory was diagonally opposite to Xiaonian's. He and Zheng Sanfu took turns watching Xiaonian at night.
Finally, today Xiaonian came out.
Today was Zhou Lin's shift, so he didn't wake up Zheng Sanfu, but followed Xiaonian himself.
Zhou Lin's reconnaissance skills had reached an advanced level. He always hid his body in the environment, so as not to be noticed by others.
He followed for a few hundred meters and arrived at the cafeteria.
At this time, the cafeteria was empty, not a single person was there.
In the entire artillery division, if there was any safe place, it would definitely be the cafeteria.
Public areas were accessible to anyone. No one would suspect anyone's presence.
The cafeteria was also the place to get food. If you were hungry, the first place you would think of was the cafeteria.
Was Xiaonian here for food?
It seemed like it. Because after arriving, he went straight to the third window of the food counter.
Xiaonian sat at the third window, facing away from it, towards the cafeteria's entrance.
If anyone entered from the entrance, he would be able to see them first.
"What do you want to eat?"
At this moment, someone inside the window spoke.
Xiaonian didn't turn around, "I want fried loach. Heavy on the salt. Cooked to about seventy percent."
"We don't have yellow, only black. Salt is fine, but can't guarantee the cooking time," someone inside the window replied.
This was the code, they matched the code.
Xiaonian said, "These past three days have been tough and exhausting. Those three bastards in the dorm bully me every day."
"You didn't resist?"
"No! Afraid it would cause bigger trouble."
"In my opinion, in other places, one might fear causing trouble. But in the artillery division, it's absolutely fine. They're not afraid of you causing trouble, they're afraid of you not causing trouble. People who don't cause trouble are seen as timid. But those who cause trouble can get the attention and appreciation of superiors."
Xiaonian didn't expect this, "Really?"
"Would I lie to you? The guy who just arrived in the Second Battalion is called Zhou Shuangmu."
Xiaonian was surprised, I know him.
"That guy had his blanket thrown away, his bed taken over. Without a word, he punched the guy. With just one punch, he shattered the guy's knuckles. And he got away with it, during allocation, several battalion commanders were fighting to recruit him."
Xiaonian was shocked. So that guy is so fierce!
At this moment, Xiaonian realized his mistake.
"Thank you for reminding me, I know what to do now. Oh, Lao Gu asked me to tell you, he sent some money to your family."
"That's great! With this money, my mom can finally have her eye surgery."
At this moment, a hand reached out from the window, holding a piece of cooked beef.
Xiaonian smelled the beef and immediately grabbed it.
"Beef has a distinct smell, can only eat it here."
Xiaonian devoured it like a hungry ghost.
After finishing, Xiaonian said, "This is the best beef I've ever tasted."
"It's just ordinary beef. It's just because you haven't had meat for a few days, so it tastes especially good."
Xiaonian threw a hundred bucks inside, "Bring me food every time we meet in the future."
The person took the money, "No problem! By the way, be careful in the division. Newcomers will be watched by the Political Department for a while."
Xiaonian didn't care, "So it's the Political Department's people. I felt like someone was watching me. Let's talk business."
"Alright!"
"We need the layout and coordinates of the artillery division from above."
"That's difficult! I don't have access to that. I'm just a member of the logistics department."
Xiaonian asked, "Do you know any staff members or something like that?"
"There are plenty of those! I know several staff members from the three battalions. They love to eat and often bring wine. I provide the food, they provide the wine for an extra meal."
Xiaonian smiled, "That's not a problem then. You can get them drunk."
"I can't handle alcohol! After half a catty, I start to talk nonsense. So, I never drink much."
Xiaonian praised, "You're doing great. But, if I ask you to drink, there won't be a problem."
"The problem is with me."
"I have sobering pills. As long as you take one, you can drink a catty without getting drunk. Two pills, you can handle one and a half catty. More than two pills won't work."
"Is there such a good thing? Give me a few pills to try. I'll invite them over, and see who falls and who stays."
Xiaonian agreed, "I'll bring them during lunch. Also, if you invite them for a meal, make sure to call me."
"You also want to eat and drink."
Xiaonian explained, "I'm here to help you. When those people are drunk, they might not be able to ask anything. With me here, I can make them obediently spill their secrets."
"Alright, that's settled."
After Xiaonian finished speaking, he left the window with a cold bun in his hand.
Like a hungry soldier.
After Xiaonian left, the window closed. Footsteps faded away.
Zhou Lin watched Xiaonian leave first, then heard the footsteps fade away. Only then did he crawl out from under a table in the cafeteria.
Brushing off the dust, Zhou Lin shook his head, "Don't know who the other person is."
The fact that this person could produce a piece of cooked beef indicated that he was an insider in the cafeteria.
However
, Zhou Lin still felt happy.
At least there was some gain.
Xiaonian moved, finally confirming that he was suspicious.
And also, knowing that there was a spy within the artillery division. This spy knew Gu Shang. This indicated that Gu Shang and his team had been eyeing the artillery division for a long time. And they had managed to infiltrate.
Of course, the fact that the people they sent could infiltrate key departments was fortunate.
However, according to what Xiaonian said, if they got the staff drunk, then the information known to the staff would be known to them too.
(End of this chapter)