Chapter 104: Zhao Gang
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Zhao Gang walked into the room.
The moment he saw the three men before him, his brows instinctively furrowed.
All three were men, each wearing a strange smile as they stared fixedly at him.
That smile...
Zhao Gang looked up. There were no hidden weapons or traps above him.
He lowered his gaze to the floor. Nothing there either.
Could there be something stuck to his face?
“You’re Zhao Gang, aren’t you?” Li Yunlong asked from the edge of the kang bed.
Zhao Gang nodded. “I am Zhao Gang. And you three are?”
“My old Zhao, I’ve finally been waiting for you!” Li Yunlong rose and, laughing loudly, swept Zhao Gang into a hug.
Zhao Gang struggled, but could not break free.
He was somewhat bewildered.
He had heard plenty of rumors about Li Yunlong.
A man who was good at fighting—and even better at making trouble. An out-and-out thorn in everyone’s side.
Even the brigade commander had warned him that the man was prone to throwing tantrums and had never gotten along well with any of the political commissars he had served with. He had told Zhao Gang to be careful.
But how could this fellow be so enthusiastic?
Were the rumors wrong?
“Political Commissar Zhao, I’m Zhang Dabiao. I just arrived and followed Commander Li to the Independent Regiment...” Zhang Dabiao stood and saluted.
“I’m Kong Jie, deputy commander of the Independent Regiment.” Kong Jie gave a military salute and extended his hand. “Old Li has mentioned Political Commissar Zhao several times. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”
Zhao Gang hurriedly returned their greetings.
He felt his mind reeling.
What sort of trick was Li Yunlong playing?
Surely he could not genuinely think this highly of him?
At the same time, Li Yunlong was sizing up the man before him.
He was not tall, with a slight build and fair features that carried an unmistakable scholarly air.
Because of what Wang Lang had said earlier, Li Yunlong had already formed a favorable impression of him.
The more he looked, the more he liked him.
As expected of a brilliant scholar from Yenching University.
Zhao Gang was even more confused.
Why was this fellow looking at him with such warmth?
Could he be a long-lost relative?
“Dabiao, what are you waiting for?” Li Yunlong turned around. “Get that soda for Political Commissar Zhao.”
“Oh.” Zhang Dabiao hurried over to rummage through a plastic bag nearby.
Only then did Zhao Gang notice the large pile of things on the floor.
Many of the bottles and jars were exquisitely made, and there were even several foods that looked unmistakably expensive.
What was going on?
Wasn’t the Independent Regiment supposed to be desperately poor?
Zhang Dabiao dug out a bottle of Ice Peak and presented it to Zhao Gang with both hands. “Political Commissar Zhao, here you are.”
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Zhao Gang accepted it hesitantly.
He examined the metal can carefully.
Ice Peak?
He looked at the writing on it.
The characters differed somewhat from those he knew, but he could recognize most of them.
“Production date: July 24, 2021.”
Zhao Gang murmured the words, his brows tightening.
Although the calendar currently in use was based on the Republic of China era, he knew exactly what year that corresponded to in the Western calendar.
Could this thing have come from nearly a century in the future?
What a ridiculous thought!
The idea struck him as absurd.
“Drink it,” Li Yunlong urged.
Zhao Gang looked up and saw all three men staring intently at him.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a beverage,” Li Yunlong said with a laugh. “I wanted to treat you to some liquor, but I figured you probably wouldn’t be used to it yet. You might even call me a useless drunkard. Try this instead.”
Kong Jie gave a light cough. “Pull up the tab on the side, and then you can drink it.”
Could this be some kind of test?
Zhao Gang pursed his lips and decided to play along.
He pulled open the tab.
With a soft hiss, a stream of gas escaped.
Zhao Gang did not so much as blink.
Disappointment appeared on the faces of Li Yunlong and the others.
The first time they had seen the “gas” inside, it had startled them badly.
Li Yunlong secretly nodded to himself. As expected of the brother he, Li Yunlong, had taken a liking to—his composure was on another level.
Zhao Gang had never drunk this particular beverage, but he had seen something similar in Beiping.
Cola.
Though the container was different, he was hardly going to be frightened by a cola called Ice Peak.
He was merely puzzled. How had these penniless fellows managed to get their hands on something so fine?
He raised the can and took a large gulp.
It was mildly sweet, with a distinct orange flavor.
Very refreshing.
He had been thirsty after the journey, so Zhao Gang downed the entire can in a few hearty gulps.
Setting it down, he extended his hand toward Li Yunlong. “Commander Li, I’ll be your partner from now on. I hope we can learn from each other.”
“What do you mean, learn from each other? We’ll support one another.” Li Yunlong smiled. “I’ve managed to acquire some treasures here. Would Political Commissar Zhao like to have a look?”
Seeing how amiable he was, Zhao Gang relaxed a little.
It seemed the rumors were not entirely reliable.
Perhaps Li Yunlong was simply reckless when it came to battle, while in ordinary circumstances he was actually quite genial.
Zhao Gang followed Li Yunlong to one side of the room.
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Li Yunlong pulled away the ragged cloth covering a large crate. With an air of triumph, he took out a sniper rifle and held it out to Zhao Gang.
“Political Commissar Zhao, take a look at this.”
Zhao Gang had already been astonished when he saw the crate.
When he saw the sniper rifle in Li Yunlong’s hands, he froze for a moment.
“What is this?” he asked, taking it.
“Back when you were studying at the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, didn’t one of your teachers mention snipers?” Li Yunlong chuckled. “This is what they use—a sniper rifle!”
Zhao Gang was examining the weapon when Li Yunlong’s words suddenly caught his attention. He looked up at him.
“How do you know?”
He had never mentioned that to anyone.
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Li Yunlong gave him a mysterious smile.
Could one of his classmates know Li Yunlong?
Zhao Gang felt he had grasped the key to the matter.
Perhaps that classmate often mentioned him in front of Li Yunlong, and might even have asked Li Yunlong to look after him.
“Commander Li, where did you get this?” Zhao Gang asked curiously.
“Take a look. There are plenty of other good things inside,” Li Yunlong said.
Zhao Gang walked over to the crate.
Inside were pistols, automatic rifles, portable rocket launchers, all kinds of grenades...
And in one corner sat a small military reconnaissance drone.
Zhao Gang was deeply shaken.
He had received military training and possessed a certain understanding of various firearms and artillery pieces.
The weapons in this crate were plainly far superior to anything he had ever encountered.
“What is this?” he asked, lifting out the drone.
Li Yunlong gave him a thumbs-up, then said to Kong Jie and Zhang Dabiao, “See? Our Political Commissar Zhao has a truly discerning eye. The only thing worthy of his attention is a genuine treasure like this!”
“You think a great scholar like him is some country bumpkin like you?” Kong Jie said.
Zhang Dabiao scratched his head and said nothing.
Li Yunlong took the box containing the drone from Zhao Gang, opened it, and demonstrated how it worked.
As the drone hovered low through the room and images appeared on the display screen, Zhao Gang’s face remained expressionless, but his hands trembled slightly.
He was astonished—and exhilarated.
Even during his years at Yenching University, he had never heard of anything like this.
Could the Japanese have developed some new weapon?
Zhao Gang clenched both fists and turned to Li Yunlong.
“Commander Li, where on earth did these things come from?”
“Don’t call me Commander Li. Just call me Old Li,” Li Yunlong said with a laugh. “Then I’ll call you Old Zhao.”
Zhao Gang nodded and met Li Yunlong’s gaze directly.
“Don’t be hasty. Eat something first, and I’ll tell you everything slowly.” Li Yunlong jerked his chin toward Zhang Dabiao.
Zhang Dabiao took out a cup of instant noodles, awkwardly tore off the lid, and poured boiling water inside.
Zhao Gang quietly surveyed the room. He felt as though he had wandered into some extraordinary place.
Stealing Fragrance
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