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

Chapter 309 "Whom Do You Look Down On?"

A meeting room next to the rear command center was converted into a temporary classroom.

The room wasn't large, but it was filled with more than ten intelligence personnel who had been transferred back from various war zones, and everyone's eyes were focused on the front.

Meng Youyou stood in front of a blackboard, on which several complex code conversion flowcharts were drawn in chalk. Unlike the soldiers around her, she exuded a calm focus.

“Instructor Meng.” A representative from another war zone raised his hand, and his question went straight to the point: “We can often intercept new codes from enemy radio stations, but they change codes too frequently. Every time we just figure out a pattern, the entire code system becomes useless.”

How did you manage to continuously lock onto and effectively decipher the code in such a short time?

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou nodded in agreement, her finger pointing heavily to a node on the flowchart: "This issue is crucial. We can't just focus on the substitution patterns of the passwords themselves; that's passively chasing after them. The key is how to identify those unchangeable path dependencies in the coders' mindsets."

She turned around and wrote the words "fixed mindset" on the blackboard.

"Take the enemy's commonly used double substitution cipher as an example...and the core difficulty in our deciphering lies in this second layer."

Her gaze swept across the room. "However, people have habits. Over the past five months, through reverse analysis of a large number of deciphered telegrams, I've discovered..."

Meng Youyou put down the chalk and summarized: "So, our new strategy is to bypass the code of appearances and directly target the coder's mental inertia. Learn to be like a hunter and identify the unique mental footprints of your prey."

A brief silence fell over the audience, followed by a low, enthusiastic discussion. This methodology, relying on meticulous analysis of massive amounts of case studies and intuitive training, was truly remarkable.

After the seminar, Meng Youyou tidied up the materials on the podium. As soon as she stepped out of the classroom, a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Xiao Meng!"

Meng Youyou turned around at the sound and saw Xiao Bai quickly catching up. Her face showed sincere admiration: "I overheard a bit of it from behind just now, and it really is true that 'a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation'!"

The man followed without stopping, continuing to walk along the corridor. His praise didn't stop: "Actually, when we first arrived here and were assigned to the same observation post, I felt you had a particularly keen eye for decryption, but I never imagined you'd be able to come up with such an effective method."

Meng Youyou walked to the side and smiled, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear: "Brother Xiao, don't flatter me. I was just forced into this and came up with some makeshift methods."

“This is no old-fashioned method,” Xiao Bai said seriously. “By the time the war is over, I think you could write a textbook on it.”

After saying that, the man quickly added, "The truth!"

Meng Youyou smiled gently and immediately complimented her, "The theory you talked about in class this morning really impressed me!"

She imitated her: "It's absolutely not a lie!"

The two walked down the stairs side by side. Suddenly, the man changed the subject, his tone filled with emotion, "Speaking of which, I've heard bits and pieces about your experiences before. I've been meaning to visit you at the nursing home, but I haven't had the time."

Xiao Bai glanced sideways at the girl's profile, his eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions. He carefully chose his words before speaking: "I thought you wouldn't go back..."

Meng Youyou turned her head to meet the man's gaze, raising one eyebrow. "I really can't stand you arrogant guys! What? You're allowed to stick to your post despite your disability, but I can't break free from my cocoon and be reborn from the ashes?" Her words contained a hint of sharpness, yet were carefully wrapped in a joke.

"Xiao Bai, who do you look down on?" she asked with a grin, addressing him by his full name for the first time, which was enough to show her attitude.

Xiao Bai, sitting opposite him, was stunned for several seconds. Once he came to his senses, what was there left to misunderstand? He deeply realized that his worries were unnecessary, so he waved his hand and said, "Never mind, I was overthinking it. Let's not talk about this." He then promptly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, you were appointed to this critical mission!" Xiao Bai continued, "You've been on the front lines for almost half a year and even managed to develop this methodology. If your achievements weren't so outstanding, the higher-ups wouldn't have urgently transferred you back to participate in this special training."

"You must have done a lot of research, right?" the man asked, his tone revealing his understanding.

Looking down at the steps beneath her feet, Meng Youyou smiled with a hint of satisfaction and softly hummed in agreement. For the past few months, she had spent day and night at the monitoring station, constantly comparing and summarizing radio waves, taking many detours before finally capturing the ever-changing thought patterns of the enemy coder.

“Oh, right,” Xiao Bai interrupted her thoughts, “We’ve been chatting for so long, I almost forgot the important thing. Your return arrangements have been finalized. We’ve been notified that a logistics convoy will be passing by here in twenty minutes, and they will take you back with them.”

As he spoke, Xiao Bai raised his right hand, holding a rolled-up document in his palm, and tapped Meng Youyou's head from a distance, saying goodbye: "You still need to bring these skills back to the front line as soon as possible!"

...

The logistics convoy consisted of five military trucks, escorted by a mixed reinforced platoon. In addition to the driver, each truck had four or five armed soldiers in the cargo bed, responsible for guarding the route.

The convoy slowly came to a stop in the open space in front of the command building. The roar of the engines gradually subsided, and the dust they kicked up slowly settled. Meng Youyou was already waiting under the sycamore tree, carrying her simple luggage.

Just then, the passenger door of the middle truck slammed open. A young corporal jumped out, jogged over to her, and gave a crisp salute: "Comrade! This journey is long and very bumpy. Please sit in the front; it'll be more spacious."

Meng Youyou subconsciously declined, saying, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll just sit in the carriage."

The corporal's tone was sincere and hard to refuse: "This is our captain's order. He said you have important work to do after you get off the vehicle and you need to rest well on the way. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Seeing the other party's firm attitude, Meng Youyou stopped refusing, whispered "thank you," and walked towards the front of the car. She opened the car door, bent down and sat in the passenger seat, a smell mixed with gasoline, sweat, and dust hit her.

The moment my hand touched the seatbelt, a deep male voice came from beside me: "Translator Meng, it's been a long time."

Meng Youyou was startled by the voice and abruptly turned her head. In the driver's seat, a logistics soldier in his early twenties, with a dark complexion and a sharp build, was grinning at her. That face... was indeed incredibly familiar, except that his skin was several shades darker. Meng Youyou couldn't help but stammer, "Zhong Jun?"

"It's kind of you to remember me." Zhong Jun chuckled, skillfully shifting gears. "Hold on tight, we're about to set off."

How could Meng Youyou not remember?
She would never forget his name—Zhong Jun, a name that reflected his ambition. However, on her very first day here, her ignorance and recklessness led his otherwise glorious and promising military career astray.

On the way, the vehicle traveled along the rugged mountain road. Meng Youyou, sitting in the passenger seat, tentatively asked, "Zhong Jun, are your hands ready to drive now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jun raised his right hand slightly and made two quick, nimble grasping motions in the air, casually stating, "It's nothing, it wasn't a big deal to begin with."

"And after I injured this hand, I started practicing with my left hand. Now both hands are the same, they work just as well!" He said nonchalantly, and then quoted a literary phrase: "What's that called again? The old man... the old man lost his horse, but who knows if it's a blessing in disguise!"

Zhong Jun tilted his head slightly, meeting Meng Youyou's suspicious gaze. His light expression froze for a moment before he slowly revealed the truth: "Uh... my right hand is still a bit clumsy, and its range of motion is somewhat limited, but it's really not a big problem. Otherwise, the team wouldn't have agreed to let me drive the car, right? You agree, don't you?"

Meng Youyou nodded, paused for a few seconds, and then asked, "So... based on how well your hand is recovering, is there any chance you'll be able to return to a frontline position in the future?"

Zhong Jun glanced at Meng Youyou through the rearview mirror, a very serious expression on his face: "Translator Meng, let me tell you the truth from the bottom of my heart. At first, I was really frustrated when I found out that I could only do logistics because of my hand injury. I still wanted to carry a gun. But after working in logistics for a while, I didn't think that way anymore."

Meng Youyou saw a genuine, simple smile appear on the dark face of the person next to her: "I've figured it out now. Whether it's the infantrymen who charge with guns, the artillerymen who aim cannons, the airplane soldiers who fly in the sky, the marines who swim in the water, the cooks who cook over fires, or us logistics soldiers who manage supplies, in the end, it's just a difference in division of labor. There's no such thing as superiority or inferiority."

"The month before last, there were three days of torrential rain in the mountains. The mountain road we were supposed to take was right next to a cliff. It was narrow and the road surface had turned into muddy puddles. It was very easy for the wheels to slip on it. If you weren't careful, you would fall off the road with the car."

The leaders were at a loss. Considering the road conditions and the risks, they could only postpone the trip, saying they would set off after the rain stopped, otherwise it would be too dangerous. But the soldiers at the front were waiting for their food. I was the first to step forward and say that I dared to open that road and guarantee the safe delivery of the supplies.

"Translator Meng, do you know what? Even though it was just a truckload of rice and potatoes, when I delivered it to the front lines and saw them rushing over to unload the supplies, I felt incredibly proud!" The man's eyes gleamed with barely suppressed pride as he said this.

As Meng Youyou listened, she could almost picture the scene: a few young soldiers, their eyes shining, carrying bags of rice in their left hands and bags of potatoes in their right, happily carrying them back to the cave.

He raised his voice, his tone full of energy: "So, they're all equally important; you can't do without any one of them!" As he spoke, Zhong Jun patted his chest: "I think any job that allows me to contribute is a good job! I'm happy to do any of them! And I have to do them well!"

...

As the convoy traveled further along the mountain road, it left the winding path and plunged into the entrance of a deep tunnel. The tunnel seemed like a gaping, dark maw from the mountainside, instantly swallowing up all light and sound.

The interior of the vehicle suddenly darkened, with only the headlights cutting through the limited darkness ahead, casting swirling dust motes in the beams of light. The tunnel walls bore rough, excavated marks, covered with dark water stains and slippery moss.

The wheels rolled on the uneven, gravelly road, producing a dull rolling sound that was amplified in the confined space. Accompanied by the low growl of the engine, the sound collided back and forth between the tunnel walls, creating an unsettling reverberation.

This was Meng Youyou's first time walking this path. As far as the eye could see, there was only endless darkness, much like the scenes she often saw in her dreams—everything around her was black, and no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't escape a black abyss. This prolonged feeling of suffocation made her slightly uncomfortable, but it was still within a tolerable range. Nevertheless, Meng Youyou asked, "How much longer until we get out?"

"Oh, almost there, the tunnel entrance at the other end is just ahead." Zhong Jun quickly noticed the strangeness in the person next to him and immediately asked with concern, "This tunnel is a bit long. It's a newly excavated route from the beginning of this month. To avoid leaving traces and causing trouble, it hasn't been well maintained. Some people might feel nervous if they walk this tunnel for the first time, but you'll be out of the tunnel soon."

Meng Youyou took a deep breath to calm herself down and replied softly, "It's okay, I'm fine."

Shortly after they finished speaking, a piercing screech of brakes suddenly came from ahead. The screeching sound of tires rubbing against the ground echoed and amplified repeatedly in the tunnel, making everyone's eardrums tingle. The entire convoy was forced to stop abruptly.

"What's going on?!" Zhong Jun's brows furrowed instantly. He slammed on the handbrake and quickly leaned halfway out of the window to look ahead. Deep in the tunnel, the brake lights of the lead vehicle shone a bright red, glaringly bright in the darkness. Then, the passenger door opened, and a soldier jumped out, flashlighting his flashlight. The beam swept rapidly through the darkness, finally settling on something ahead—a pile of collapsed rubble that blocked the entire passage.

The soldier, hunched over, cautiously approached the jagged pile of rocks, carefully examining the collapsed area with his flashlight. A few minutes later, he suddenly turned and ran quickly towards the middle of the convoy, his footsteps sounding particularly hurried in the tunnel.

He ran straight to Zhong Jun's car window, slightly out of breath, and reported with a serious expression, "Captain, something's wrong! There's a landslide ahead caused by deliberate blasting; the fallen rocks and broken beams have completely blocked the road!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jun immediately pushed open the car door and jumped out. He darted through the pile of stones blocking his way, his flashlight beam sweeping over the deadly obstacle and then up the low, oppressive ceiling of the tunnel.

The man's face was grim in the dim light. In this godforsaken place, not only was there no room for the convoy to turn around, but the narrow, winding tunnel made reversing out impossible.

He hurried back to the car, and by the light of his flashlight, scanned the convoy of cars trapped in the tunnel. The whirring of the engines was amplified several times in the tunnel, its rhythm chaotic and pounding on everyone's nerves.

Zhong Jun's mind raced. The tunnel was a dead end; every minute he stayed there increased the risk of being trapped by the enemy.

The urgent telegram I received before departure once again clearly flashed into my mind—the voice of the military doctor at the emergency station was hoarse and tired: "...a large-scale outbreak of drug-resistant malignant malaria has occurred at the front line and is out of control. Traditional drugs are almost ineffective. Non-combat casualties have exceeded 30%, and critically ill patients are continuing to die. The situation is extremely urgent."

Historically, battlefields have been hotspots for infectious diseases like malaria and dysentery—mud, blood, and mosquitoes breed, and coupled with polluted water and a lack of medical care, germs spread extremely easily. Any epidemic that is not contained in time will fundamentally undermine an army's fighting capacity more than a frontal assault.

Among the supplies they were transporting was half a truckload of experimental antimalarial drugs. Because these were new drugs still in the experimental stage, their production was extremely limited, and if something went wrong, it would be difficult to find a replacement and replenish them in time.

Undoubtedly, this batch of antimalarial experimental drugs is the hope for the front lines, directly related to the survival of the army's morale and combat effectiveness. It cannot be allowed to be trapped and die here. After much deliberation, Zhong Jun took a deep breath of the damp, cold air, as if trying to inhale that determination into his lungs as well.

"Signalman!" Zhong Jun whirled around, his voice unusually deep and powerful as it reflected off the tunnel walls. "Immediately report to the forward command post that our unit has been ambushed and stalled in the tunnel, and... our upcoming troop split plan!"

The man's sharp gaze immediately fixed on the soldiers gathered around him, and his order was as firm as nails: "The main force will all stay behind, build a defensive line using the vehicles and piles of stones, and do everything in our power to clear the road! Second squad leader, you take four men and unload those aluminum boxes of experimental drugs from the vehicle."

Zhong Jun paused, looked into the cabin through the windshield, and added, "Take the supplies and the translator with you, and set off immediately for the middle and rear section of the tunnel. There is an abandoned maintenance tunnel on the side wall; you can infiltrate from there."

There is only one mission: deliver the medicine intact to the target location at all costs!