An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 256 Reconnaissance (Part 2)

Meng Youyou never expected to see another old acquaintance in this place—Chu Yao.

Huo Qingshan really didn't expect to see her again in less than half a day.

Inside the No. 3 garrison cave, the two men were staring at each other in a silent standoff. Chu Yao, the only person present who knew about their past relationship, stood by helplessly, glancing at Meng Youyou and then at Huo Qingshan.

On the way there, the scouts led her to the first aid station to pick up another person. When she saw that the person was Meng Youyou, she was really surprised.

Huo Qingshan was half-squatting on the ground checking the magazines when he caught a glimpse of someone coming in through the arched opening on the right side of the cave. The one leading the group was the scout he had sent out to pick up the person.

Further on, until that familiar slender figure bent over and entered his field of vision against the light, the man's movements suddenly stopped. He abruptly looked up and saw her supporting herself on the moss-covered rock wall, nimbly leaping over the drainage ditch as she walked towards him.

The man's knuckles tightened unconsciously around the gun, and the metal casing creaked under the strain.

Bald Dove glanced over and noticed that the veins on the back of their platoon leader's hand were bulging, the knuckles were unusually prominent, and even the muscles of the exposed half of his forearm were taut.

Huo Qingshan's gaze quickly swept over her right hand, which was wrapped in medical tape. His gaze lingered briefly before moving away.

He stood up, walked briskly past Meng Youyou, and coldly ordered the communications soldier hidden in a corner of the cave, "Send me a call to the regimental command."

The man moved too quickly, and his combat boots crushed a piece of dry branch.

Upon seeing this, Meng Youyou seemed to instantly understand his intention. She rushed to the man and, with her neck stiff, loudly questioned, "You are just a platoon leader. You have no right to veto the command's personnel plan."

Huo Qingshan lowered his eyes and glanced at her, a fierce look between his brows, his voice devoid of warmth: "I am responsible for the soldiers under my command and the entire operation plan. A translator with an injured hand, how do you plan to climb the cliff?"

"As the operation commander for this reconnaissance mission, I have the right to request a replacement if the personnel are not in good condition." After saying this, the man turned his head away from her and instead gave the order directly to the communications soldier: "Call the regimental command immediately."

The communications soldier nodded in acknowledgment, then steadily supported the telephone with one hand while turning the crank at a steady pace with the other. The field telephone emitted a "click-clack" mechanical sound, which was exceptionally clear in the deserted cave.

Everything happened so suddenly that most of the people in the cave were completely bewildered and didn't understand how things had suddenly turned out this way. Several scouts, some crouching and some standing, remained motionless in their positions from a minute ago, all listening intently to what was happening.

After shaking the receiver a few times, the communications soldier held it close to his ear. "Regimental Command, this is the No. 3 garrison bunker at the forward defensive position in Area A. Reconnaissance Platoon Leader Huo requests to speak with Regimental Commander Qiu." His voice was steady, without any extra emotion.

After a brief wait, the communications soldier looked at Huo Qingshan and said, "It's connected."

Huo Qingshan snatched the receiver and said crisply, "I have questions about the translators assigned to the regimental command for this Special Task Force No. 3 evidence collection mission!"

"Is there a problem?" Commander Qiu's deep voice came through the receiver. "I've seen her background information. She has a clean family history, with ancestors who were involved in the military and politics. She is also familiar with three dialects from northern Y country, which is very rare. Her personal abilities are outstanding."

"Regarding the wiretapping and evidence collection part of our reconnaissance mission this time, after comprehensive consideration of various factors, the infiltration route we chose is the cliff on the southwest side of the observation post's high ground. The translator assigned by the regimental command to assist in the operation has a fresh injury on his left hand." If you listen carefully, you can tell that the man's speaking speed is slightly hurried, which seems a bit incongruous compared to his usual calm and composed demeanor even in the face of a collapsing mountain.

"According to the regulations for reconnaissance operations, those with unhealed open wounds on their hands are not allowed to perform vertical climbing missions," Huo Qingshan stated, citing the rules.

Someone who usually dislikes following rules and whose behavior embodies the principle that "rules are rigid, but people are flexible," actually came to one day rigidly use rules and regulations to intimidate others.

"If I could find another qualified translator in a short time, would I send someone with an injury in their hand?" Commander Qiu's tone grew increasingly annoyed. "There are only about a hundred Y-language translators in the entire war zone, and less than twenty of them understand the Y-language dialect. Do you know that every few days, a translator here is replaced due to injury or death?"

The middle-aged man on the other end of the receiver spoke with a booming voice: "In Zone C, five translators were changed within three days at the beginning of last month."

Huo Qingshan! You're still nitpicking at me!

Huo Qingshan remained silent on the other end, silently expressing his continued protest, so stubborn it was infuriating.

After shouting for a while, Commander Qiu slowly calmed himself down. He realized that he had to use a conciliatory approach to deal with this kind of troublemaker: "Otherwise, why would I have specifically asked you to lead the team personally? The situation is a bit tricky, but you, Huo Qingshan, have encountered even more tricky situations before."

Furthermore, I've already had the military doctor assess her injury; it hasn't reached level II, so she's somewhat permitted to participate in the operation. The command also consulted the translator herself, and she agreed to participate.

Moreover, without a translator accompanying you, the audio evidence you risked your lives to collect would be nothing more than a useless rag.

Regimental Commander Qiu took a deep breath and, following Huo Qingshan's example, brought out the regulations to set the tone: "Article 17 of the General Staff Department's Third Department Regulations is written in black and white—recorded materials not signed by a MOS-3 level cipherman shall not be used as the basis for executing combat orders or as evidence in military courts, and shall be disposed of in accordance with the procedures for the destruction of waste magnetic media."

After much debate, the situation is clear: both sides have their reasons. It's simply a conflict between the unavoidable scarcity of resources and superior tactics on the battlefield, yet a choice must be made.

Finally, Commander Qiu made the final decision: "This is a special case, I've already signed and approved this transfer order, and I'll take responsibility for any problems that arise!" After the phone call ended, the cave was completely silent.

After listening to the entire call and confirming that the personnel arrangements were finalized and there was no possibility of any further changes, Meng Youyou turned her face away, took a few steps toward the cave entrance, and didn't want to spare him even a glance.

Just then, a chilling command came from behind: "Attention, everyone! Check your watches!"

Meng Youyou stopped in her tracks, looked up, and found that the soldiers inside the cave had all quickly and efficiently lined up in a row.

Seeing this, Meng Youyou quickly moved to the back of the line.

Huo Qingshan stood alone at the front of the group, his dark eyes slightly narrowed as he scanned the faces of everyone in front of him. The aura around him was chilling and murderous, like a large predator taking one last look at the fighting strength of its fangs before launching an attack.

This was a side of her that Meng Youyou had never seen before. She was shocked and felt a sudden tingling sensation on the back of her neck.

Even though she had participated in live-fire exercises with him, she had never seen him exude such a chilling aura.
It was nothing but danger; for the first time, Meng Youyou was afraid to meet his eyes.

Just before his gaze was about to fall on her face, Meng Youyou didn't have time to judge her own feelings and hurriedly lowered her eyes.

The man's gaze didn't linger for long. The next second, he pulled a faded timekeeping radio from the inside pocket of his training uniform. His rough right thumb turned the tuning knob, and the radio emitted a piercing electrical noise.

"Beijing Time," his voice boomed, like that of a destructive king in the arena, issuing a command: "XX:15:00—"

Upon receiving the order, the other three team leaders immediately repeated, "Beijing time XX:15:00, received," and raised their wrists to show their watch faces.

The man's gaze, like a searchlight, swept across the row in front of him once more. Everyone in the line had one hand raised, watch faces facing outwards. Meng Youyou followed suit.

Huo Qingshan put the radio back in his inner pocket, then pulled out a dagger from his waist, pointed it downwards, and strode towards the head of the line.

The man paced toward the back of the line, his dark eyes fixed intently on the watch face. He moved one person at a time, and with each person he passed, the tip of his dagger lightly tapped the watch face, producing a "ding" sound, indicating that he had passed.

Everything went smoothly up to that point; they were all well-trained scouts who checked the time at least three times a day.

The man stopped in front of Meng Youyou, and the expected tapping sound on the glass dial did not occur. He did not move again.

“Five seconds too slow.” His voice was very low, almost as if it were being squeezed out of his throat.

Meng Youyou didn't say anything, but subconsciously tensed her back.

The next second, the wrist of the outstretched hand was clamped down by his thumb and forefinger with considerable force. Meng Youyou could even feel the scar that had appeared on his hand at some point, which hadn't been there before they separated.

He pinched the crown with his fingertips, gently pulled it outwards, and then slowly rotated it, with precision, accuracy, and meticulousness.

The clicking sound of the mechanical watch gears meshing was clearly audible to Meng Youyou, whether transmitted through the vibration of her skin or through auditory conduction. It was a beat slower than her heartbeat.

He finished adjusting it, but didn't let go.

"Five seconds," the man repeated, his eyes fixed on hers at close range.

Suddenly, Huo Qingshan reached for the dagger at his waist with his right hand.

Suddenly, with a "whoosh," the knife tip grazed the watch case, leaving a thin white mark. Not only that, the knife tip slid further down the watch case, showing no sign of stopping, as if it had slipped and was about to sever her vein with its momentum.

Meng Youyou's pupils contracted for a moment in the darkness, and her breath caught in her throat for a second. Her wrist was still wrapped in his palm, completely under his control. The cold blade was pressed against her skin, but she did not struggle at all. She tried her best to suppress the strong instinct of her body to shrink away, and every part of her body remained motionless.

She probably had a good idea of ​​what was going on; he was assessing whether her battlefield stress response was adequate.

This is a random test of the psychological qualities of personnel who are carrying out high-risk front-line reconnaissance missions for the first time.

She had to hold on, otherwise he would find another excuse to criticize her and give others something to gossip about.

The man's gaze remained fixed on the subtle expressions on the girl's face, his eyes unfathomable, as if a storm was brewing beneath the surface. The tip of the knife in his hand stopped just above her vein, perhaps only a millimeter, perhaps less.