Chapter 134: Phantom Plan (14)

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Lu Jia’er asked Liao Min. “Teacher Liao, could you please get me a cup of water?”

Liao Min replied with a smile, “Sure. Just a moment, please!”

After Liao Min stepped out, Lu Jia’er turned to Xu Lei and asked in a friendly tone, “Deputy Xu, have you had supper yet?”

“Yes, I have. Professor Lu, how about you?” Xu Lei kept his gaze on Lu Jia’er as well.

“Not yet!” Lu Jia’er answered, smiling.

Upon hearing her reply, Xu Lei said at once, “Since that’s the case, then let us go and grab a bite first. My treat.”

Lu Jia’er chuckled. “Deputy Xu, I am only joking. I have had supper!”

“Have you, really? You are not trying to fool me, are you?” Xu Lei looked at Lu Jia’er.

“Yes, I have indeed. I was joking to help ease your nerves!” Lu Jia’er answered with a hint of a smile.

Xu Lei was a bit embarrassed. He adjusted his sitting posture for a bit and smiled. “I am not nervous.”

Lu Jia’er smiled. “That would be nice! Just think of this as friends chatting.”

Xu Lei nodded. “Sure.”

Right at that moment, Liao Min came back in with a cup of water and put it on the end table in front of Xu Lei. Then, she stepped out quietly.

Xu Lei drank some water before he said to Lu Jia’er, “Professor Lu, we can begin now.”

With a pen and a folder in her hands, Lu Jia’er said with a smile. “Tell me anything you want to. Just regard this as chatting with your friend.”

“Can I have some chewing gum first? “Xu Lei glanced at Lu Jia’er as he asked.

“Yes, please help yourself.” Lu Jia’er nodded.

Xu Lei took out a pack of chewing gum from his pocket and put two pieces into his mouth. He chewed them for a while before he said, “Professor Lu, please forgive me. I recently quit smoking. Whenever I feel the craving for tobacco, I will turn to some chewing gum to get over that desire.”

Lu Jia’er nodded. “Chewing gums can be beneficial for your teeth.”

“That is true. A lot of my comrade-in-arms like chewing gum. Brother He, in particular, urged me to quit smoking many times. Brother He even told me to switch to different types of gum, claiming that it would be good for my teeth.” Xu Lei responded.

Lu Jia’er was still wearing that gentle smile. “Brother He? Is he your comrade-in-arms in the Special Force?”

“Yes, my friend in the Special Force. We participated in international peacekeeping operations together. We are brothers that have gone through fire and water together!” A hint of unusual glow of vigor flickered in Xu Lei’s eyes when he spoke of this Brother He.

“Once, someone told me that you can trust your life with friends you make in the service. Is that right?” Lu Jia’er asked.

Xu Lei agreed with this view. “Yes, one can only know the meaning of a true friend after one has joined the forces and carried a gun! We can take bullets for one another and I can trust them with my life!”

As Xu Lei was saying this, subconsciously, he touched his leg.

Lu Jia’er was aware of the gunshot wound on his leg. She could not help but ask about this in a soft voice, “Deputy Xu, that Brother He you mentioned, is he still in the Special Force?”

When Xu Lei heard this question, that glow of vigor dimmed down in an instant. It took him quite a while before he could answer, “He is no longer in the service.”

Judging by Xu Lei’s expression, Lu Jia’er arrived at two conclusions. Brother He had either retired from the army or… lost his life.

“Where is he now?” Lu Jia’er posed the question in a gentle voice.

Xu Lei appeared to be heavy in mind. He said slowly, “He… has lost his life…”

Lu Jia’er blinked and quickly said words of apology. “I am sorry!”

Xu Lei waved his hands. “Professor Lu, that is quite alright!”

Lu Jia’er asked another question. “I know this may be bold of me, but can you tell me more about Brother He? I can tell that Brother He was important to you.”

At the mention of Brother He, Xu Lei’s gaze became profound and serene. Lu Jia’er just looked at him quietly.

“Brother He, his name was He Rongguang and he was from Hunan Province. He and I joined the force in the same year. Even though we were not in the same company, we knew each other very well. In shooting contests, he was the best in his company and I in mine. Our battalion commanders and regimental commanders would gather us to have a match, but it would always end up in a tie. For this reason, our regimental commanders gave us a name as a pair, the Guang-Lei Pair. We had been having outstanding performance in the army. Later on, we were recommended to go through the test to join the Special Force. He and I went through cruel intensive training for five days and nights. Along the way, we helped each other and encouraged each other. Eventually, we were both admitted into the Special Force.” While Xu Lei appeared to be in deep thoughts when he spoke of his life in the service, he sounded peaceful. He was looking back at the happiness that once belonged to him.

“What happened, then?” Lu Jia’er asked, gently.

“Even in the Special Force, we did not bring disgrace to the companies we were in. All along, we were the best buddies and we were a good team. Later, my squadron commander deliberately paired Brother He and me with other teammates. We trained and cooperated with others respectively. Soon, we had adjusted to the new life. We excelled in the training in our own teams. We climbed up the military ranks and we went to military academy together to further our studies. We also joined in different peacekeeping operations.” Xu Lei told his story slowly.

“Deputy Xu, did you do peacekeeping missions with Brother He together or did you go to different ones?” Lu Jia’er asked.

“The first time, we were on different missions. We were together for the second peacekeeping mission!” Xu Lei explained.

Lu Jia’er nodded. “Did he lose his life during the peacekeeping mission?”

Xu Lei shook his head. “No.”

Lu Jia’er looked at Xu Lei as she asked, “How did it happen?”

As this subject was brought up, Xu Lei took out a piece of tissue to wrap the chewing gum he spit out up. Lu Jia’er moved the trash bin over and Xu Lei threw the tissue with the chewing gum wrapped inside into the trash bin.

Xu Lei came back to his seat. Once again, subconsciously, Xu Lei touched his leg.

“Since this is confidential information of the army, I can only let you know a part of it!” Xu Lei said.

Lu Jia’er nodded. “Sure.”

“It was a mission to crack-on drug trafficking. We were fighting the drug dealers on the border. The drug dealers were well-equipped in arms and the fight was fierce. We were in a standoff for nearly 18 hours. When I was covering for my teammates, I was shot by the drug dealers. Brother He tried to save me. He told other teammates to engage with the drug dealers to cover for me. He rushed over to drag me away, but his head was shot. Eventually, we caught all the drug dealers. However, after that fight, Brother He was hospitalized.” At this point, Xu Lei’s mind was weighted down.

Lu Jia’er gazed at Xu Lei quietly. She remembered something she read online: there has never been peaceful times. It’s just someone is carrying the burden for us.

The men and women in services are protectors of the national stability and people’s lives. They defend us against the darkness so that we can live under the sunlight. But how many people can understand the difficulties they have to face?

“You were shot in the leg during that operation, right?” Lu Jia’er asked.

Xu Lei nodded, his face clouded. “Yes. The drug dealers shot my leg!”

“This gunshot wound has grown into a hidden scar in your heart, isn’t it?” Lu Jia’er said.

“I guess so. The bullet pierced through my bones which were fractured!” Xu Lei replied.

As a matter of fact, Lu Jia’er had known about this from the file on Xu Lei. Still, she would like Xu Lei to retell the story by himself. Due to this gunshot wound, it was difficult for Xu Lei to move about. He might have the will of steel and recovered the ability to walk around in a short time that no normal man could achieve, but he could never participate in intensive training again. For this reason, he was in pain for a long time. Eventually, he asked to be transferred to the criminal police team.

Truth be told, given his physical situation back then, the criminal police team was not a good fit for him. However, once again, Xu Lei had proved himself. Even though he might not be able to stay in the Special Force, his performance was still outstanding in the physical fitness test of the criminal police team.

Therefore, when he was transferred back from the Special Force, he was still a strong person, whether mentally or physically. While not having such knowledge, Zhu Yu, the profiler, did not find out that there was a gunshot wound on Xu Lei’s leg.

When Lu Jia’er was browsing through the files, she was astonished by Xu Lei’s will. No normal person could achieve this. No matter how strong his will was, Xu Lei was still just a human being.

“Even after you were transferred to the police, you still miss the time when you were in the military, right?” Lu Jia’er stared at Xu Lei and asked.

Xu Lei looked back at Lu Jia’er. “I will be lying if I say no. I spent 14 years in the army, almost half of my life on earth now. That experience is embedded in my bones! Taking off the military uniform is like peeling off my skin.”

Lu Jia’er might not be able to feel this. Nevertheless, she could tell from Xu Lei’s eyes that he loved the army, loved the military uniform and regarded it as his skin.

“I can understand that the military uniform is important to you. But as you have started a career with the criminal police, you are wearing another type of military uniform!” Lu Jia’er said.

“Yes, maybe. But I cannot let the hidden scar heal.” Xu Lei sighed.

“Are you still haunted by that mission to crack down on drug-trafficking?”

“We from the Special Force will never be haunted by any mission. But that time, I saw how Brother He wanted to take the bullet for me. His brains spilled onto my face. He lay on the hospital bed for three years and his family had to deal with all this pain. I feel deeply guilty.” Xu Lei replied.

“I can see why you are feeling guilty. That being said, you should know that you didn’t mean any of that. You also mentioned that friends in the army can trust each other with your lives.” Lu Jia’er said.

“The fact that I understand this is of no use. When I was transferred here, I feel like everything has changed. The entire world is different. No matter how hard I am working on it, I cannot drag myself back out from the darkness.” Xu Lei said.