Although the old man had retired, he was never kept in the dark about truly core matters. Sometimes, when uncertain, he would even seek counsel from several of the elders.
"Hmm," the old man nodded, his expression a bit solemn.
"In fact, the level of danger for this mission far exceeds what any of us had imagined," Meng Xingzhi said with a stern look, continuing, "After a comprehensive assessment by our command center and administrative department, we can’t guarantee the success of this mission. But of the one hundred thirty-nine people sent, at least a third won’t be coming back."
"Why send so many people?" The old man was very unhappy. "The last two times, it was squads of ten or twenty people. Why so many this time?"
"We had no choice, to ensure the success rate. The higher-ups issued orders that the mission must succeed no matter what, otherwise, we won’t be able to send people again if we still fail this time."
"You’re right!" the old man nodded. Let alone sacrificing a third, even if all one hundred thirty-nine had to be sacrificed, the mission had to be executed.
This is the weight of command, to obey orders as one’s sacred duty. If everyone feared death, then what kind of comrades would they be? So many had died at the Southern Border Rescue Field, but the mission continued unabated. What they feared least was sacrifice, for if one’s sacrifice was just, they could advance and retreat fearlessly.
"Tell me! How can I help you?" The old man agreed quite decisively.
"This time the mission has been assigned to the Research Institute. We organized a comfort activity as a send-off for our comrades. So, we’d like to invite you and a few old friends to give them a lesson."
"Sure, I agree!" The old man turned and asked, "Who are all the people participating in this mission? Is my son-in-law going too?"
Meng Xingzhi shook his head, "I would have liked Xu Qigang to participate, but who could bear it?" They had only with great difficulty snatched him back from the Southern to the Northern side. The most promising individual. Whoever would send him to S country now had ill intent. They were going against the Northern side on purpose, intending to harm us.
Xu Qigang’s life was far more valuable than he himself realized.
"He himself had submitted many requests, all of which were reprimanded by Shen Feihu. His submissions reached the higher-ups too, but I returned them."
"That’s good!" The old man sighed in relief, then realized his thoughts were improper, problematic. Fearing that it might upset his son-in-law, he hurriedly explained, "Xingzhi, don’t overthink it, I’m just because Ningning is about to get married, so I don’t want Xu Qigang to go. As for how you assign him afterward, I have no opinion, and besides, I trust his abilities."
"Dad, you’re overthinking it, I share your views." Meng Fan’s corpse had been carried back by Xu Qigang through a hail of bullets and fire. The Meng Family’s ties with Xu Qigang were far better than outsiders could imagine.
"Then I’ll be heading back first. You get some rest, and I’ll arrange for a car to pick you up when it’s time."
"Alright! I’ll drag Old Hai along too."
"No need for thanks, you’re just too polite, you scamp," the old man chuckled. After Meng Xingzhi left, the old man’s expression changed immediately, looking at Su Hai he asked, "Xiao Hai, how did I do just now? With that kind of talk, Meng Xing shouldn’t want a divorce from Su Yun anymore, right?"
"Obsequious! Dad, you were just too obsequious, it made me cringe!" Su Hai expressed disdain.
"You brat, asking for a beating!"
So, the act of a father playfully striking his son was performed once again.