Are You Addicted? Volume 2: Chapter 2 - Using All My Strength to Prove You

Early in the morning, Gu Wei Ting was sitting at his desk. He was reviewing various units' reports on exercise plans and staffing. Then he saw the exercise plan for XX troop, with Bai Luo Yin's name in his field of vision from the list of participating staffs.

Eight years ago, he sent Bai Luo Yin to the Gansu special brigade. (Gansu is a province in north-central China, famous for the striking Overhanging Great Wall and imposing Jiayuguan Pass fortress complex, both part of the Great Wall of China. This province includes a portion of the Gobi Dessert.) He wanted him to learn to fend for himself. But Bai Luo Yin is a natural-born stubborn child. Not only did he let himself be beaten down the ground, but by virtue of his stubbornness, he quickly became the leader of the new batch of recruits. He is proficient in grappling, shooting, combat and everything. He participated in several anti-terrorism and international peacekeeping missions and is the first recruit to become the first class, military commander of the newly implementation anti-terrorism and anti-spy mission.

He was sent to the military school when Gu Wei Ting picked him outside the camp. These years, Gu Wei Ting used various channels to monitor Bai Luo Yin's situation avoiding direct confrontation with him. He did not think that this boy is has a strong passionate will. He is also aware that Bai Luo Yin will be difficult to control the moment he stepped out of the gates of the camp. He believes the he might need Bai Luo Yin's help perhaps one day.

In the afternoon at the main staff meeting room, Gu Wei Ting once again saw Bai Luo Yin after so many years. Bai Luo Yin was wearing straight new uniforms, shiny shoes and his cold face. Gu Wei Ting could not help but admire Bai Luo Yin. This boy, is a grown up man now. Gu Wei Ting shook hands with the soldiers one by one. By the time he extended hands to Bai Luo Yin's, Gu Wei Ting but did not dare to look directly at his eyes. Bai Luo Yin did not care to take Gu Wei Ting’s hands. Old Gu was stunned for a moment and then patted Bai Luo Yin's shoulder. All the staff inside the meeting room did not think that Bai Luo Yin would not take the hands of the now Vice Minister. Gu Wei Ting's furious disposition is famous in the army. At the end of the meeting, Gu Wei Ting asked Bai Luo Yin to remain in the meeting room. A few of his comrades waited outside the conference room curiously eavesdropping every movement and sound inside.

"It's been a long time not seeing you for so many years, Bai Luo Yin. You've changed a lot, ah!" Gu Wei Ting stood in front of him impressed.

Bai Luo Yin coldly smiled, "How, vice minister Gu? Am I now not everything that what you want? Gu Hai did not want to be a soldier, he would never want to be your pawn. I know that you were really bent on separating us together that you planned the car accident to achieve your purpose. You did not expect that it was Gu Hai that will accept the injury. If not for me, Gu Hai would have long left you." Bai Luo Yin said with some aggression.

Gu Wei Ting pulled over the chair and sat opposite Bai Luo Yin, "Luo Yin, you should grow up, I can say you can become stronger."

"I grew up already. When you threw me into the army, I grew up. And I really want to become strong. Only if I am strong, I can protect my Family, I can protect Gu Hai! Only if I am strong, I will not be your pawn. I can be on my own, I will do the things I want. I have my own life."

Gu Wei Ting was shocked to learn that Bai Luo Yin's eight years of perseverance is actually for Gu Hai.

"The day the company group was listed, did you go to Gu Hai to send the basket of flowers?"

"Yes!" Bai Luo Yin's very agile answer.

"There’s a girl that’s always on Gu Hai's side. She is a girl from Gu Hai 's college and I have always appreciated her. I hope she can become our family's future daughter-in-law."

"Then, I should congratulate you! I have nothing to do with it." Bai Luo Yin stood up and prepared to go back.

"Bai Luo Yin, this is an army camp!  I hope that you adapt a good sense of decision."

"Vice Minister Gu, where is the good sense of decision in that car accident that almost killed your son eight years ago? Where is the good sense of decision on making a new high school graduate lost to the northwest of the Gobi dessert attempting to fend for himself? You call yourself a father, but are you really a father?" With these words, Bai Luo Yin said it with a heavy heart. In fact, he is still quite grateful of Gu Wei Ting, but he is very annoyed of how he had treated Gu Hai before.

Gu Wei Ting for the first time in many years had his full head-on conflict with Bai Luo Yin. This time, he really felt his strong powerful aura.

"If Gu Hai really wants to get married, then I will really bless him, even in so many years and so on." Bai Luo Yin looked back, give Gu Wei Ting a glance, and finally said, "I am already free from any threat right now, Bai Luo Yin has died eight years ago." He left then shunned the door, leaving Gu Wei Ting sitting alone in the conference room.

When Bai Luo Yin left the conference room, he saw several of his comrades in waiting for him. "Hey! Did you provoke old Gu's temper? How are you able actually come out well?"

"I'm not making mistakes. Why are you afraid of him?" Bai Luo Yin responded. 

"Fuck!  You're a special breed of cattle!"

"Enough! Leave our Bai alone, and for tonight it's my treat." one person said out of the crowd.

Gu Wei Ting did not mind that his remarks did not give much impact to Bai Luo Yin. He somehow liked the kid a little.

***

Since the day that the incident about the mysterious card happened, Gu Hai tried to investigate and find out more about the existence of Bai Luo Yin. But still, he found nothing. Not giving up, he went to find Yang Meng, to check on Bai Luo Yin's case on public security records.

In the afternoon, Gu Hai came to Chaoyang District police station to find the Yang Meng. He tried get more information through the national household registration systems. Little did he know that Bai Luo Yin's account information has been already deleted. Yang Meng still could not believe that Bai Luo Yin is alive. Their clue was broken, but Gu Hai would not give up. Unfortunately, a sudden business trip disrupted Gu Hai's investigation.

***

At that time, Bai Luo Yin was already dressed up and all equipped for a sudden military exercise. In fact, this warfare exercises are not surprising for Bai Luo Yin. His crew consists of eleven people. At this exercise, they will be testing the new batch of domestic armed helicopters. Bai Luo Yin will be in command of the Red group during the exercises. The goal of the exercise is to teach them combat and rescue on hills, in the city, the mountains and any other scenarios to deal with the "enemy" threat. They should also learn to survey the actual situation of war damage after the installation of security weapons. Their opponent, Blue Team's defenses have been established from a solid line to a multi-point expansion, making the defensive front wider. However, more direction of expansion means more difficulty in control.

The Red’s command center, the Northwest of the Gobi grassland was almost Bai Luo Yin's second home. This place is where he played and gained his skills and experiences. For him the dry land has become a real nice place.

Bai Luo Yin's helicopter landed first for refueling at night. He went out of the cabin and looked at the night sky. He touched the embroidery (I am not sure if this is a tattoo) on his waist - two English letters "GH".

Gu Hai is his source of perseverance and faith for eight years. Bai Luo Yin pulled out a photo of Gu Hai from his arms. Looking at the stars, he shouted "Gu Hai!!!".

***

Gu Hai was awakened from his sleep. He had a dream that Bai Luo Yin was standing at a place not far from him and was calling his name over and over again. He could not sleep and keep twisting and turning in bed. He flicked the bed lamp and saw Bai Luo Yin's photo at the bed side.

***

Bai Luo Yin placed back the photo his arm pocket. The helicopters were now slowly arriving. Soldiers started to set camps, tents and performed their usual routine. Liu Chong arranged a bed with Bai Luo Yin. He took out a white pillow from a white long bag.

Liu Chong, a soldier from Shandong, joined Bai Luo Yin's battalion group when he finished his training. Because Bai Luo Yin felt that Liu Chong is clever, they could understand each other very well and thus became closest in the battalion. Liu Chong was with Bai Luo Yin for almost two years and was one of the luckiest new recruits. As there are many excellent people in Bai Luo Yin's team, this group liked to craft their own regulations, allowing Liu Chong to be impulsive sometimes. Oftentimes, Bai Luo Yin would let him go to the military headquarters to take documents, to convey a spirited speech and occasionally let Liu Chong wash his socks and brush his shoes. But Liu Chong is grateful that Bai Luo Yin allows him to be with him on the aircraft. He could continue his daily flight training this way.

Bai Luo Yin, sitting at the desk, turned on the computer. He started to browse the exercise plan when Liu Chong saw an evil smile at Bai Luo Yin's mouth.

"Commander, what do you think of chances of losing with that plan?"

Bai Luo Yin having experienced several exercises with Liu Chong, saw Chong's mocking smiles. He stood up and gave him a kick.

"You now talk a lot, ah? What loss are you talking about?" Bai Luo Yin gave Liu Chong a few more playful kicks before letting him call the squadron for a meeting. Liu Chong smiled and ran out to the brigade.

At the combat tents, Bai Luo Yin, in front of the brigade, introduced his own ideas which his comrades complained as too aggressive. The brigadier looked at his presentation.

Bai Luo Yin clearly know this road will be very long and challenging. Commander Bai is a very excellent visionary commander.

The brigadier listened to the explanation of Bai Lou Yin, he made a simple statement, and agreed to the Bai Luo Yin's plan. They decided to re-develop a new operational plan outline without reporting this new plan to the headquarters.

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One, all the war personnel will set their radios into the silent state;

Second, after the helicopter launch, find a effective target to open the radio;

Three, use ultra-low-altitude cruise to destroy the enemy's airlift missile forces;

Fourth, find the Blue Team's command without reporting directly to combat.

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With this new operational outline, the troops would have more opportunities for independent operations thus making them achieve their goal more likely.

Lu Hang, the group’s ever-victorious veteran general, was Bai Luo Yin's old enemy. From the day Bai Luo Yin came across Lu Hang, the would always battle in fierce competition. However, after Lu Hang’s numerous defeat in the hands of Bai Luo Yin during their military exercises, he began to honor the new recruit and their friendship developed. Now, these two people would talk to each other in a very happy rhetoric.

At the start of the exercises, as Gu Wei Ting browsed the Red Team's exercise plan, he knew that this is a masterpiece of Bai Luo Yin. Steady, accurate and ruthless. This is his same evaluation of Bai Luo Yin's principle. Being complacent from the start is like a "death strangle".

Lu Hang's nocturnal and daytime implementation of reconnaissance and radio silence caused a lot of trouble to the blue army. Gu Wei Ting, sitting in the command center looking at the big screen and listening to staff's, vaguely felt that the Red Team's current exercise plan and the one reported on the outline is completely different.

Gu Wei Ting expected the Red Team to follow the original exercise in the outline. He just shook his head, because he knew that Bai Luo Yin oversaw the original plan and halfway he may have changed it. Gu Wei Ting would like to see how would it turn out. As much as he wanted to take control of Bai Luo Yin, he just felt him to be more elusive.

During depth of the exercise, the frontline reported that the Red Team's record has been at a low point, Gu Wei Ting smiled at this report. The Blue Team's commander is his favorite students. Now he just has to evaluate Bai Luo Yin’s defeat.

The calf is not afraid of the tiger.

With Bai Luo Yin's previous success in the exercises, he faintly thought that the boy was just lucky.

***

However, on the last two days of the exercises, the front fighters’ position was suddenly reversed. Blue's rear radar positions were repeatedly bombed and all armored forces were exposed to the Red's helicopter anti-tank missiles. After another series of war, Gu Wei Ting was shocked and thrilled at the results at the same time. He completely did not understand the Bai Luo Yin's intention. Just as the Blue were analyzing Bai Luo Yin's plans, Red Team's hacker launched an electronic interference at their command center rendering all their monitoring screen useless. No one thought the Red Team would attack the command center that way. Now the command center outside of the exercise was only left with phone and voice communications.

As Gu Wei Ting sleep that night, he was deeply frustrated on himself. He underestimated Bai Luo Yin. He looked down on him. Gu Wei Ting was awakened by sudden ring of the telephone. He hurried to the command center to learn from the frontline that Blue's command system was destroyed and the exercise ended early on Red side's victory.

Gu Wei Ting sat down thinking deeply, he was already old. Bai Luo Yin is the new victor, a grand victory. He looked as the big screens of the command centers recover and saw the cheering Red fighters as they took the lead for the first time. Gu Wei Ting has lost; Bai Luo Yin has won. He had lost to the changes in Bai Luo Yin but he is pleased of all these changes in him. With mixed emotions, he welcomed the rise of the new generation of army leaders.

After the exercises, Gu Wei Ting appeared in the group's victory celebration. He looked at the young military officers and soldiers under the stage, his heart is excited. Bai Luo Yin was sitting in the front row, on his chest are medals. At the end of the meeting, he looked for Bai Luo Yin and once again stretched out his arms to him to congratulate him. But Bai Luo Yin did not pick up his hand.

"I said, I will win. To Gu Hai, and for my family, I will win!" with this words said he went back to the dormitory.

Sitting on the bed, he took the picture of Gu Hai and put it on his pillow. He leaned on the pillow and fell asleep.