In the city train station waiting room, Ye Qing, clad in a green military uniform and holding his luggage, stood among the crowd yet his mood was somewhat sentimental.
After graduating from university, unlike his peers who sought out jobs, Ye Qing resolutely enlisted in the army, fulfilling his childhood dream. Two years into his service, he finally joined the special forces, the unit he had long aspired to be part of. He planned to make a mark there but, before even three years had passed, he had to leave.
However, Ye Qing didn't regret his early discharge. His family wasn't well-off; his mother had passed away early, and his stepmother wasn't very kind to him. In such a blended family, his younger brother Ye Jun was his only kin. He had thought about leaving the army when his brother disappeared two years ago. Now, having received news about his brother again, he was spurred into action!
Standing at the train station, Ye Qing reached into his waist pocket. Inside was his severance pay, forty-three thousand. It wasn't a lot, but it represented his savings from these past years.
It would have been easier to transfer the money back home, but transaction fees were not cheap. To save on expenses, Ye Qing carried the cash on his person.
"Captain!" Suddenly, a voice came from behind.
Ye Qing turned around to see six men in military uniforms marching in step toward him: it was Gecko, Toad, and four others.
There was also a black dog with them. It wasn't very large, but the cold light in its eyes was chilling to behold.
Upon seeing Ye Qing, the black dog immediately ran up to him, stood on its hind legs, and affectionately began to lick his hand.
Feeling sentimental, Ye Qing looked at the black dog. Named Da Hei, it was the dog he had gotten the year he joined the special forces. The dog had been with him for three years, and now that he was leaving the army, parting with Da Hei was truly difficult.
"How did you guys get here!" Ye Qing stroked Da Hei's head, looking at the six men, and said gravely, "Isn't there training today?"
Gecko replied, "We asked for leave from the commander, specifically to see you off."
Ye Qing's face went cold as he said angrily, "See me off, for what? Can't I leave on my own?"
The six men didn't feel embarrassed by Ye Qing's lack of appreciation; instead, their eyes began to moisten.
"Captain, we don't know when we'll see each other again after this separation," Toad approached Ye Qing, his voice choked with emotion, and continued, "I'll always remember the words you said to me, and I'll be sure to meet your expectations and be a competent soldier. But today, I can't do it. As long as you're still in Jinghong City and I can see you, there's no way I won't come!"
"Yeah, Captain. It's just this one time. After this, we'll continue training as usual, and we certainly won't slack off!" Gecko added.
Looking at the six men before him, Ye Qing's heart also ached. However, his facial expression remained unchanged and solemn.
"You're soldiers, no matter when, you must be strict with yourselves!" Ye Qing sighed softly and said, "This kind of thing should not happen again in the future!"
Ye Qing had relented, and the six men were immediately overjoyed, gathering around him.
"Captain, I heard that your brother was spotted in Shenchuan City?" Cheetah asked, "So are you heading to Shenchuan this time?"
Ye Qing nodded and replied, "But my dad has already looked several times there without any result. I don't know what the situation will be this time."
"Shenchuan is full of complicated characters, and with a high flow of people, finding someone there is like looking for a needle in a haystack," Eagle Eye commented.
"But at least we know where he is now; that's a bit of hope." Toad remarked.
Suddenly, Black Bear said, "Captain, wait for me half a year, and once I'm discharged, I'll go to Shenchuan to help you search!"
"Xiong Zi, you're thinking of leaving the army?" All eyes immediately turned to him.
With a simple honesty on his face, Black Bear glanced at the others and said, "What's so strange about that? If the captain is gone, what's the point of staying here?"
"Xiong Zi!" Ye Qing's face darkened, and he said sternly, "You have prospects in the army, how can you just leave like this?"
"Captain, without you here, who else in the army could beat me!" Black Bear waved dismissively and said, "I stand by what I said on my first day of enlistment, 'To be my leader, you must be able to defeat me.' I don't care who leads me in the future; if they can't beat me, they have no right to command me!"
"Xiong Zi, what are you saying!" Ye Qing protested angrily, "We are a disciplined force, we are soldiers, and our sworn duty is to obey orders. No matter who it is, if they're your leader, you must follow their commands!"
"So, you see, that's the contradiction," Black Bear explained. "If he can't beat me, I don't want to listen to him. But since he's my leader, I have to listen to him. It's such a contradiction; I think it's better if I just don't be a soldier anymore."
"Xiong Zi, how can you think like that!" Ye Qing felt helpless; he knew Black Bear was stubborn. Once he made up his mind, no one, including Ye Qing, could persuade him otherwise. Therefore, saying anything at this point was futile. Nonetheless, Black Bear's words warmed Ye Qing's heart.
Black Bear stiffened his neck and said, "That's just the kind of man I am, Captain. Besides you, I won't take orders from anyone else!"
The other five were also helpless, Toad said discontentedly, "Great, now we're down two people. Hey, it seems pointless to stay in this troop now!"
"You talk too much," Gecko slapped him, and everyone's mood was not very good.
No banquet in the world doesn't end, everyone was reluctant to part, but the time of departure had still arrived.
Ye Qing, carrying his luggage, passed the ticket checkpoint. The six outside watched him from a distance, with red rings around their eyes, biting their lips hard to keep from crying. As they watched Ye Qing pass by, the six stood at attention and saluted together!
Da Hei stood at the feet of the six men, barking at Ye Qing inside, his voice tremendously sorrowful.
Ye Qing turned around, wiped away the tears that welled up in his eyes, turned and gave a solemn military salute, then walked into the passage without looking back.
Moving with the crowd to the platform, Ye Qing was looking for his carriage when suddenly there was an uproar behind him, followed by a burst of dog barking.
Ye Qing turned around and saw Da Hei somehow running inside, barking as he charged toward him.
Ye Qing's heart trembled too, he bent down and held Da Hei in his arms. Da Hei kept licking Ye Qing's face, whimpering in a low voice, sounding very desolate. Although just a dog, it seemed to understand that they were parting.
Holding Da Hei, Ye Qing's own heart trembled as well. About to leave the troop, what he couldn't bear was not just the affection of comrades, but also the many unspoken touches of the heart.
The train attendant's urging forced Ye Qing to stand up. He gently patted Da Hei's head and said, "Da Hei, be good, don't follow me anymore. The six of them will take good care of you."
Da Hei looked at Ye Qing and scratched its neck with a paw. To Ye Qing's surprise, he looked down and saw that a note was hanging from Da Hei's collar.
Ye Qing took the note, and before he could open it, the train attendant's urging became more insistent.
Ye Qing couldn't delay. After one last look at Da Hei, he turned around and walked into the carriage with his luggage.
"Woof!" Da Hei let out a sharp bark, rushing to the door to bite Ye Qing's trouser hem, pulling at him not wanting to let him enter the carriage.
"Da Hei, behave!" Ye Qing scolded. It seemed as though Da Hei could sense Ye Qing's anger and whimpered twice, but eventually let go of Ye Qing's trousers and stepped back to the side.
Looking at Da Hei's lonely figure, Ye Qing felt his heart weep. He forced back the tears, waved at Da Hei as a final farewell.
The train started moving slowly, and Ye Qing sat in his seat, his mind still not able to settle.
"Woof woof woof!"
The piercing barks kept coming, making many people in the carriage look outside.
"Look at that dog, why is it chasing the train?"
"Don't know, probably its owner is on the train."
"That's so sad."
Ye Qing knew it was Da Hei chasing the train. But he didn't dare to look back, because he knew that if he did, he would truly cry!
He didn't know how long it had been, but finally, Da Hei's barking faded, and the train's speed increased. In the end, it couldn't catch up with the train and could only watch as the train disappeared from sight.
Sitting on the train for a while, Ye Qing's emotions gradually calmed down. He unfolded the note he had been holding, and there was a line written on it.
"If there's anything in Shenchuan City, call this number."
Below was a telephone number, the handwriting was messy, evidently indicative of who had written it.
"Green Wolf!" Ye Qing let out a wry smile, looked at the note silently for a long time, and then put it into his pocket.
He was no longer in the military. Leaving the troop, he had to seek help from the outside world. Or perhaps, this phone number will be of some use to him in the future!