Chapter 243 Mooching
“Xiaosu, is it really OK to do that?” Li Qingzheng asked flusteredly in a low voice.
Ren Xiaosu led the way as they walked off into the wilderness. They had already changed into the uniform of the Divine Arms Battalion while the nanosoldiers had already left the campsite for some time. Only five of the nanosoldiers stayed behind to supervise the private troops to ensure they reach the front line at Mt Fengyi on time.
All of the private troops had changed into the uniform of the Divine Arms Battalion. However, the five nanosoldiers put on the maintenance uniform of the private troops and blended into the group. These uniforms were originally made for mechanics and were also standard issue for every formation of the private troops of the organization.
The wages of the maintenance personnel had always been relatively higher, and since some soldiers within the troops were also slightly skilled in repairing vehicles, Liu Taiyu chose to direct the salary for this job into his own pockets. As the uniforms were issued by the organization, there was no need to pay for them. But if they were sold separately, Liu Taiyu would probably embezzle the soldiers’ allowance for it as well.
The private soldiers had already accumulated a lot of resentment for Liu Taiyu. After all, they could not even afford to eat enough to fill their stomachs. Back when the soldiers were still at the outposts, wasn’t it Liu Taiyu who ordered his subordinates to mix sand into the bags of rice?
As Ren Xiaosu led Li Qingzheng and the others to the forward operating base, he said, “What are you afraid of?”.
“We still have those Divine Arms soldiers back at the campsite. What if they find out that we left the place without permission?” Li Qingzheng said in a halting fashion.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Ren Xiaosu said totally unafraid. “How do you expect five people to watch over nearly a thousand people? It’s only possible if we’re in a dream. Since they still can’t recognize everyone at the moment, it’s a good opportunity for us to move around on our own. Once they understand the private troops’ situation better after some time, it won’t be that easy to move around on our own.”
Li Qingzheng realized that Ren Xiaosu was really ballsy. But Ren Xiaosu’s analysis was quite reasonable.
Ren Xiaosu continued, “And think about it, we’re just going for a meal. Since there’s no rations back at our campsite, why aren’t we allowed to find food for ourselves? We’re helping the officers relieve their burden!”
“That’s true.” Li Qingzheng echoed, “But what if the people at the FOB discover our identities?”
“We’ll be fine. Don’t say anything later and just let me handle them.” Ren Xiaosu said calmly.
All of his teammates next to him looked at Ren Xiaosu in silence and remembered that they had really never seen him afraid of any situation before…
The private troops’ campsite was only several kilometers away from the FOB. They had encountered the Divine Arms Battalion not long after they left the FOB. If it weren’t for the close distance, Ren Xiaosu would not have decided to take them there for a free meal.
When Ren Xiaosu’s group arrived at the FOB, the person at the sentry post immediately stopped them. Just as Li Qingzheng was about to step forward to negotiate peacefully, he watched Ren Xiaosu go up to him and kick him aside. “How dare you stop the Divine Arms Battalion? Getting ballsy, eh?”
Earlier in the afternoon, they had also thought of eating at the FOB. However, they ended up getting mocked by the FOB’s staff who said that refugees were not fit to eat here.
Now that Ren Xiaosu had the opportunity to return the favor, he would not pull any punches.
When the soldier at the sentry post saw the Divine Arms Battalion’s shoulder patch on Ren Xiaosu’s arm, he didn’t even dare to lodge a protest. Ren Xiaosu swaggered straight into the base.
Li Qingzheng and the others were still a little afraid at the beginning. But as they walked in, they also started swaggering like Ren Xiaosu.
When they entered the FOB’s chow hall, Ren Xiaosu’s group immediately smelled the aroma of food.
Many of the Li Consortium’s troops were heading to the front lines. But they weren’t the only ones, as there were also troops returning from the front lines. So meals at the FOB were served around the clock, and even the hot water supply in the barracks was available throughout the day.
While a group of cooks were busy cooking in the kitchen, Ren Xiaosu’s group casually went to collect their food with stainless steel meal trays.
The manager of the chow hall came over when he saw this. He said cautiously, “I’m sorry, but we haven’t received advance notice of your group’s arrival.”
Ren Xiaosu was stunned as he did not understand military regulations. As a result, he did not know that troops needed something like advance notice to enter the FOB. In that instant, Li Qingzheng and the others started sweating.
However, Ren Xiaosu said coldly, “Our Divine Arms Battalion is just here to eat. Why is there a need to give you all advance notice? Are you looking down on our Divine Arms Battalion?”
The group of soldiers around Ren Xiaosu looked at him in adoration. No one knew how Ren Xiaosu could say something like that so confidently.
The manager of the chow hall said humbly, “No, I wouldn’t dare. But can I have a look at your military ID?”
Sporadic groups of soldiers were already starting to gather around them amid the commotion. Ren Xiaosu sneered and took out his Office of Special Investigations military ID. He went up to the manager of the chow hall and said, “You’re the only one who can see this. Feel free to check the ID number, but watch out if you dare to leak it.”
When the manager of the chow hall read his military ID, he was stunned. Why was this person showing a military ID of the Office of Special Investigations while dressed in the uniform of the Divine Arms Battalion? This was getting too strange. He surreptitiously got his subordinate to do a quick check on the ID number. However, all the details displayed on the machine turned out to be genuine.
The manager of the chow hall was dumbfounded. He went to inform the commander of the FOB of this matter. However, his superior was also dumbfounded. They thought this might be a very special situation, so it was better to not provoke him. Since it was just a meal, wouldn’t it be better to let them finish and wash their hands of this matter?
Ren Xiaosu sighed as he ate. He felt that his dual identity as member of the Divine Arms Battalion and Office of Special Investigations was really quite useful.
The food in the chow hall was sumptuous and delicious. Just counting the meat dishes alone, there were more than ten varieties. After eating and before they left the place, they even stuffed more than ten buns into their arms. The sight of this left the chow staff in a daze. This was the fucking Divine Arms Battalion? Didn’t people say the Divine Arms Battalion was treated very well?
The manager of the chow hall comforted himself, ‘It’s only 30 of them. Surely they won’t take away much even if they can’t finish their food, right?’
As Ren Xiaosu led platoon back to the campsite, Li Qingzheng and the others were burping from the feast. “There should be another four or five FOBs ahead of us, so we definitely won’t have to go hungry anymore.”
“Platoon Commander is almighty. The buns that we took are enough for us to eat for several days.” With the soldiers in his platoon flattering him nonstop, Ren Xiaosu’s vanity shot through the roof.
When they got back to camp, they happened to bump into the other soldiers. When those soldiers from the other platoons saw Ren Xiaosu’s group looking all energetic and in high spirits with their arms stuffed full of buns, a platoon commander got so envious he almost cried. “Can you share some of your buns with us? We’ve not eaten all day.”
Suddenly, the palace assigned a quest: Help a comrade ease their hunger pangs.
Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a moment. He looked at the platoon commander before him and said kindly, “Let me recommend you a good place where I guarantee you can eat your fill…”