"Hey, buddy, did you only bring cigarettes?" Seeing Zhou Yuan take out so many cigarettes, the group of squad leaders were speechless.
"I smoke a lot, so I always carry a full box of cigarettes wherever I go. The fortress will take care of my daily necessities anyway."
"Try this. It's a cigar made from ancient Chinese medicine. It has the effect of restoring energy and vitality, sent to me from my hometown."
Zhou Yuan laughed heartily and gave each of the nine squad leaders a restorative cigar.
"I know what Chinese medicine is. Let me try!"
"Sounds interesting. The East indeed has many mysterious things."
The squad leaders took the cigars one after another, lit them with lighters, and started smoking.
Cigars that can restore energy and vitality were like stimulants. They didn't fully believe it, but no one would question it in front of Zhou Yuan. They expressed their gratitude and quietly smoked.
"Buddy!"
At this moment, Zhou Yuan walked over to Moore's bed and looked at the black man who had spat at him earlier.
"What do you want, kid?" Moore thought Zhou Yuan wanted to settle the score and became nervous.
Not only Moore but everyone in the dormitory looked over, worried that another fight might break out.
"Buddy, I think I owe you an apology." Zhou Yuan handed the last restorative cigar to Moore, thumped his chest with his fist, and said,
"I wasn't intentional just now. It's just that your prank was a bit inappropriate, and in the eyes of Easterners, it represents insult."
"We are comrades fighting side by side now, and I want to end this matter in a manly way."
"Now I want to know, can I trust you with my back?"
Moore was stunned. He didn't expect Zhou Yuan to come and apologize.
Actually, he was the one responsible for the previous incident. He had provoked Zhou Yuan, which ultimately led to trouble for many veterans.
"Of course!" After a moment of silence, Moore took the cigar from Zhou Yuan, stood up from the bed, and fist-bumped Zhou Yuan, saying,
"Unless I die in battle, your back will be safe with me."
"By the way...I was wrong earlier. My prank went too far, but I can assure you that it was really just a prank."
There's no point in not accepting an olive branch!
He was worried before, afraid that there would be more conflicts and that he would get beaten up by Zhou Yuan again.
But now, everything was settled, and he felt much relieved.
Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile, "I trust you now because you're a man. You're not a wishy-washy wimp."
Zhou Yuan said this loudly.
He deliberately did so to let other veterans who had been beaten hear it.
Did you all hear that?
If you don't want to be seen as wishy-washy wimps in front of everyone, then take my cigarette honestly and turn the page on this matter.
Otherwise...I advise you to suck it up!
... ...
"Indeed, once Zhou Yuan and Moore spoke, things went much smoother. When distributing cigarettes, the old soldiers accepted them gladly and greeted Zhou Yuan warmly, no longer dwelling on past conflicts. Some of the old soldiers might still hold grudges in their hearts, but seeing everyone else reconciling with Zhou Yuan, they didn't want to be seen as troublemakers. After all the cigarettes were distributed, the atmosphere in the dormitory immediately warmed up.
The new recruits who weren't selected by Zhou Yuan were the happiest. With Zhou Yuan resolving his conflicts with the old soldiers, they no longer feared being targeted by them. With the fight settled, Zhou Yuan sat back on his bed and opened the tablet he received from the headquarters. He knew that the Third Squad was a defense unit whose main task was to guard the defense wall. However, he needed to understand the specific details of how to guard the wall, which areas and positions to patrol, so that he could perform his duties as a squad leader effectively.
"It seems pretty straightforward." Five minutes later, Zhou Yuan set down the tablet and lay back on his bed. The Western Army's codename was "W," and the five squads were designated as W1 to W5. The Third Squad was W3, and within the Third Squad, there were three operational groups designated as W31 to W33. If there were smaller teams within each group, the team number would be added as well. For example, the first team of the Third Squad was W318, the second team was W328, and the third team was W338. It was quite easy to understand.
As for the assigned areas, it was even simpler. The Western Army's assigned area was the western wall of the fortress, responsible for the watchtower wall and patrol wall. The map and markings on the tablet clearly indicated which team would go to which position. They just needed to follow the map to find their assigned area when the time came. It's worth mentioning that the assigned areas for teams within the same squad group were repeated. This was because the defense unit operated on a 24-hour shift system divided into three shifts. The first group was responsible from 23:00 to 7:10, the second group from 7:00 to 15:10, and the third group from 15:00 to 23:10, with each operational group working for eight hours. The additional ten minutes were for shift changes, which could be done earlier but not later. The reason why many of the old soldiers were sleeping earlier was because they had just finished an overnight shift on the defense wall.
... ...
From then on, Zhou Yuan stayed in the dormitory. It wasn't until lunchtime that he led his team to the cafeteria. They were accompanied by the new recruits who had woken up earlier, and the ten team leaders who were going to the headquarters to input the information of their team members. Eating was just a side task. As for the old soldiers, most of them were already asleep at this time since they had to go back to the defense wall for the night shift.
Compared to the nutritious meals in the training camp, the food at the Tarcesis Fortress was much better. There were all sorts of dishes, fruits, and beverages. Zhou Yuan even spotted dumplings and garlic sauce. Moreover, when leaving the cafeteria after the meal, they could go to the self-service machine near the entrance and get some free cigarettes and chewing gum. It really lived up to the saying: "The more dangerous the job, the more you get!"
After finishing their meal, the new recruits returned to their dormitory together, while the ten team leaders went to the headquarters. On the way, Team One's leader, Gavin, asked Zhou Yuan, "Zhou, I've noticed that your cigars really have a refreshing effect. If I could buy them in your hometown, I'd like you to help me purchase a batch. Price is not an issue." Upon hearing Gavin's words, the other team leaders also became interested and looked at Zhou Yuan one after another. They had wanted to ask about this earlier, but with so many people in the dormitory, they refrained from doing so to avoid appearing too presumptuous.
"This thing is not a commercial product; it was sent to me by relatives. Since the ancient herbs used in restoring the cigars are extremely rare, it's impossible to produce them in large quantities. I only receive them occasionally. But when my relatives send me some again, I will share them with you all." Zhou Yuan chuckled and reiterated the old explanation. Restoring cigars were renewable resources, but the regeneration process was too slow. Only one cigar could be produced per day, making it impossible for mass production. Therefore, he emphasized the rarity of the restored cigars and occasionally distributed a few.
"I knew it! If these top-quality cigars could be mass-produced, they would become the best cigars in the world!" sighed Gene, the leader of Team Two, feeling a bit disappointed. If possible, he really wanted to buy a batch from Zhou Yuan since they were needed during the night shift.