The battle was divided into multiple groups for combat. In one such battlefield, he and his comrades faced off against the enemy sniper. While shifting positions, the spotter accidentally revealed himself and was fatally shot in the head, dying instantly.
After the spotter’s death, he relied on his exceptional physical reflexes and acute enemy observation to successfully complete the sniping mission.
It was his first time killing someone and also the first time he witnessed a comrade’s sacrifice. Although the mission was accomplished, it left him with profound psychological trauma.
They left in the spring of ’69 and didn’t return to the unit until winter.
This time, although he was awarded Second-class Merit and promoted from Private First Class to Junior Noncommissioned Officer, joining the NCO ranks after three years of service was considered outstanding.
Yet, deep down, he was still emotionally a woman. During training, he could endure snakes slithering over his body and spiders and centipedes nibbling on his nose, but he couldn’t shake off the mental darkness that lingered from the bullet passing through his comrade’s skull.
He criticized himself more than once, wondering why they hadn’t been more careful. If only they had paid a bit more attention, might they have avoided the loss?
Witnessing a comrade, who he had shared laughter with before going into battle, now lying bloodily in front of him was too much to bear. Along with self-blame and pain, there was an intense psychological aversion, a lack of courage to face reality.
After undergoing psychological counseling, he was granted a month’s home leave by the organization, an opportunity to visit his grandfather back home.
It was his first leave in three years of enlistment. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs noᴠelfire.net
Over the years, his Farming System’s progress couldn’t keep up with his previous rhythm due to continuous training; being able to access it once a day was already quite an achievement.
By December of ’69, he had only managed to level up to Level 9.
Level 9 allowed for the opening of new land; from Level 5 to Level 7, and then to Level 9, three plots of land were leveled up in total, meaning he now had nine plots.
At Level 8, he could plant chili, celeriac, and cucumber, while Level 9 introduced pumpkins and walnuts.
In this way, he now had the addition of cucumbers and walnuts for snacking.
In that era, there weren’t many clothing options, so a military coat was the best gift. Wearing his old coat and carrying the newly issued cotton clothing, he embarked on the train home.
Of course, when no one was around, he still transferred most of his luggage to his space warehouse. The journey was long, taking seven to eight days, sometimes even ten. Having a spot to stand was already a luxury, let alone space for luggage.
Thus, he only carried a backpack for appearances. The rest of the items for his grandfather, the military coat, the saved soap, and such were all kept in the space warehouse. This warehouse was available without upgrades and apart from luggage, contained nothing of value.
He was now a proud soldier, and many things were constrained by his identity, making business ventures like his previous life nearly impossible.
In this life, being a soldier for life was an accomplishment; even if he was discharged early, he could get a decent job, much better than following the production team farming or working as a temp in the old wood processing factory.
Winter in Hei Province was extraordinarily cold, with ice and snow everywhere. The train was overcrowded, and although he could afford a sleeper berth, his level was not high enough. In that era, sleeper berths were typically reserved for leaders, so he could only buy a standing-room-only ticket, without even a place to sit.