Xia You took the package, casually felt its weight, and had barely begun to unwrap it when a silver-gray handgun fell out, the sound of metal hitting the ground stunning both mother and daughter of the Xia Family.
This handgun was almost identical to the "ghost pistol" that Xia You had in Military Road, only this one was loaded with real bullets. With just a slight lift, Xia You confirmed the gun’s authenticity.
"It’s a replica gun," Xia You said, pretending to be nonchalant to avoid worrying Xia Yun, "It’s probably Xixi who sent it for me to play with. The military hasn’t issued us weapons yet. We’re supposed to be on duty in a few days, I guess she wants us to stand up straight in front of the male soldiers."
Hearing this, Xia Yun was still not reassured, "Xiao You, you promised your mother that once Simon’s issue is settled, you’ll resign."
Xia You remembered her promise, but Lin Yi had also said that leaving Rand was not easy, especially since Xia You had come in contact with some confidential matters, "Mom, I’m currently in a civilian role in the military region, there isn’t much danger."
"Your father also had a research position as a civilian, and he still died. He was fine in the laboratory, but he and Brother Ding both died, were killed in an explosion, and their bodies were blown to pieces..." Memories of her ex-husband’s death brought Xia Yun to a choked sadness.
Nowadays, the Rand Military District is founded on the old military region. The administrative building has also been recently renovated. Where the old administrative building once stood, there was just a discrete military laboratory, small as a matchbox when viewed from a distance.
Xia Yun had only been to Rand Military District once, and only that one time. Rand is a heaven for soldiers, but to military spouses, it’s more like hell.
Xia Yun remembered, when she disembarked from the transport plane, the fire at the laboratory had been extinguished. What she saw were pieces of equipment scattered about and her husband’s mutilated corpse. The man who left that morning chatting and laughing with her was no more.
Wei Ruqin, who went to identify the body with her, fainted as soon as she got off the plane. Xia Yun chose not to escape the pain through unconsciousness; pushing away those who tried to discourage her, she stumbled among the ruins searching for her husband’s remains.
These past events were perpetual pain in Xia Yun’s heart, rarely spoken before others. Xia You listened and felt a wave of heartache. At the forefront of every nation’s development, there are always nameless heroes. The fire in the Rand laboratory drastically changed the trajectory of Xia Yun’s life.
She knew her mother Xia Yun was not a talkative person, and she hardly ever imposed many demands on Xia You, be it in finding a job or romance. Xia You hadn’t mentioned anything about Ren Minghang’s incident since she came back. Xia Yun didn’t ask, the only thing she had objected to over these years was Xia You joining the Rand Military District behind her back.
"Mom, don’t be sad, I’ll make sure I’m safe," seeing Xia Yun upset, Xia You could only promise that she would submit her resignation letter after a while. Xia Yun knew her daughter joined the military region to ease the family’s burden, which added guilt to her heart. Only after her daughter’s repeated assurances did she finally calm down.
"Then you have to promise mom not to take part in any dangerous operations, especially any core experiments at Rand, not a single one," Xia Yun said, prompting a wry smile from Xia You. That was exactly why she had entered the military district, to be part of Military Road’s "experiment" at Rand, but this was something she’d better not mention to Xia Yun.
Xia Yun’s concern seemed to be temporarily allayed, and Xia You took the handgun for a second check in her room. The gun wasn’t new, but it was well-maintained, loaded with small caliber bullets. The bullets’ surface has been specially treated, and with a longer projectile body, they were armor-piercing rounds that could penetrate steel plates.
After confirming with Mo Xixi, Xia You was sure the handgun wasn’t sent by her. Firearms are regulated items for transportation, indicating that it wasn’t delivered by an ordinary mail carrier. The parcel was packed in a very ordinary leather document bag, with only "Xia You" written in a simple style on it.
"No matter what, I’ll keep it for self-defense. How can I be considered as a Rand soldier without being issued a gun? Sooner or later, the military region will issue them to us anyway." Xia You knew that the general male soldiers all had the right to be issued guns, but female soldiers in the military region were generally not allowed to use guns, hence they were in effect deprived of their right to be issued firearms.
There was a rustling at the door, Xia You curved her lips into a smile, and quickly opened the door to catch Xiao Maiqi eavesdropping.