Somehow, all of a sudden, he had become a hot commodity.
Gao Fei shrank back into his own shellproof dugout. He decided he was going to stay in there.
By all rights, the platoon leader wouldn’t come again, would he? Gao Fei had already refused him outright. If the man kept pestering him, that would be a bit much.
“Company commander.”
Gao Fei didn’t see who had come, but he heard Grasky’s slightly too-loud shout.
Sholokhov woke with a start. He swiftly got up and rushed out of his own shellproof dugout, looking nothing like someone who had just been asleep, and charged straight to the company commander.
“Good day, company commander!”
The company commander had brought seven or eight men with him. They were carrying quite a lot of supplies, but the platoon leader wasn’t among them.
After sweeping a glance around and realizing the platoon leader wasn’t there, Sholokhov relaxed slightly. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he said, “Company commander, put the things down and leave quickly. It’s dangerous here. Watch out for drones.”
Sholokhov spoke in Russian, but the company commander did not answer him in Russian. Instead, he said in English, “No need to worry. The enemy knows we’re about to attack. Even if they make a move, they’ll target the penal battalion that has already assembled, not this place.”
They were all thousand-year-old turtles—no, thousand-year-old spirits. Everyone understood everything perfectly well, so there was no need to put on an act.
Sholokhov felt bitter inside. With a solemn expression, he said, “Rex is just a new recruit. He doesn’t want to join the assault team.”
The company commander’s face hardened. “Did I say I came because of one new recruit?”
Sholokhov lowered his head and said nothing.
“I came because you performed very well last night. There’s going to be a major operation soon, and our line will definitely have to move forward as well. So I need to inspect the terrain and study where to set up the command post after our position advances.”
After explaining, the company commander waved a hand and said, “The bonus for this time has been issued. Your team gets a total of two thousand four hundred euros. The other units haven’t received theirs yet. I made a special effort to get yours paid first.”
Sholokhov froze for a moment and said blankly, “No one else has been paid, but we’re getting paid first?”
“That’s right. Special performance naturally deserves special treatment. Attacked in the middle of the night, a four-man team wiped out an eight-man enemy assault squad. That’s still quite a decent result. The regimental commander was very happy when he found out.”
Sholokhov’s mouth fell open. In astonishment, he said, “Even the regimental commander knows? It was just one small fight, and even the regimental commander knows?”
“Coincidence. It was all coincidence. Last night, the regimental commander was studying the attack route with the penal battalion. They were using drones to observe the enemy trenches’ defenses and enemy troop deployments. And then, by chance, they saw your fight. You were lucky. The regimental commander was very pleased, and everyone was very pleased.”
The company commander beamed. After hesitating for a moment, he still nodded and said, “This morning, the regimental commander praised me especially. In that case, I naturally have to show my appreciation.”
As long as he wasn’t here to snatch the man away, that was fine. Sholokhov immediately said, “Both of our new recruits are pretty good. This really was our luck.”
The company commander nodded, then pulled a stack of cash from his pocket. “It’s all cash. Euros, not rubles.”
Sholokhov took the money and said solemnly, “Thank you, company commander.”
The company commander swept his gaze around. “What, you’re not planning to let me meet your sharpshooter?”
“Uh, he’s asleep.”
Gao Fei wasn’t asleep, but after hearing Sholokhov’s words, he immediately leaned back and closed his eyes, putting on the appearance of someone deep in sleep.
“I’ve already spoken to your platoon leader. There’s no need to transfer Rex to the assault team. Even the regimental commander has a deep impression of him. Mm, you understand.”
Sholokhov was overjoyed. He immediately said, “Rex, what’s wrong with you! Are you awake or not? If you’re awake, get over here!”
Gao Fei climbed up, left the shellproof dugout, and quickly ran behind Sholokhov. “Good day, company commander.”
This was the second time Gao Fei had seen the company commander, but the company commander looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. After sizing Gao Fei up from head to toe, he suddenly said, “You shot well last night. Very well. I didn’t directly watch your performance, but I heard others describe it. What unit did you retire from?”
“I’m sorry, company commander. That needs to remain confidential.”
Gao Fei once again brought out the talisman of confidentiality.
But the company commander’s face hardened. “Do you think I’ve never dealt with Chinese people before? I know very well what should be kept confidential and what doesn’t need to be. If you really came from a highly classified unit, you wouldn’t have been able to come to Russia. If you weren’t from a highly classified unit, then you don’t need to hide it. Or are you a spy?”
“No! I’m not a spy!”
“Then at the very least, you can disclose what branch, what unit, and what rank you were. You don’t need to hide it, and you shouldn’t hide it.”
The company commander sized Gao Fei up again and said very seriously, “If you don’t explain clearly, I can’t judge your reason for joining Wagner. Are you a spy?”
A company commander was a company commander. He really was formidable, more formidable than a squad leader or a platoon leader. In just a few sentences, he had forced Gao Fei into a dead end.
If he didn’t say something, he wouldn’t get through this.
Gao Fei was very troubled. At this point, he was even less able to admit that he had been lying all along.
After struggling for a moment, Gao Fei said in a low voice, “I was a disciplinary inspector. In other words, your equivalent of military police.”
The company commander froze. Sholokhov froze as well.
Even the look Sholokhov gave Gao Fei changed. Then, before the company commander could speak, he asked nervously, “What kind?”
“The kind specifically responsible for military discipline.”
“Hiss…”
Sholokhov sucked in a breath of cold air. Then he looked at the company commander.
The company commander looked suddenly enlightened. “So that’s how it is. Have you ever been beaten up?”
Gao Fei lowered his head with the guilty look of a thief.
“You were beaten up?”
Gao Fei remained silent. After thinking for a long time, he said in a low voice, “That… is confidential.”
“Hahaha…”
The company commander suddenly burst out laughing. Then, with great satisfaction, he said, “Then you were definitely beaten up. I was just wondering, how could a good seedling for a sniper like you end up becoming military police?”
“I didn’t have a choice either…”
Sholokhov also looked as if he had suddenly understood. He sighed and said, “That makes sense. That explains it. I was wondering why you didn’t look like a veteran, yet at the same time seemed like one. So you were actually military police. Your military police don’t do much military training, do they?”
“Yes. Relatively less. And I did indeed prefer an easier life.”
Sholokhov looked at the company commander. “He’s just military police. He’s not a sniper, and he’s not special forces.”
The company commander waved a hand. “Enough. Don’t worry that I’ll transfer him to the assault team. Shut up and move aside.”
Sholokhov could only step aside helplessly, while the company commander looked at Gao Fei with a smile and said, “Our company is the only company in the Fourth Assault Detachment that accepts foreign mercenaries. In particular, anyone who only speaks English will definitely be assigned to our company. As long as you were assigned to the Fourth Assault Detachment, you were certain to come to my company. Did you know that?”
Gao Fei didn’t know what the company commander was trying to do, so he cast a pleading glance toward Sholokhov.
Sholokhov also looked completely blank. He didn’t know what the company commander meant by these words either.
After hesitating for a moment, Gao Fei shook his head. “I didn’t know.”
“But someone did.”
The company commander smiled and said, “From the moment you signed the contract to join Wagner, he knew which unit you would be assigned to. Then he gave me a call and told me to keep an eye on you.”
Sholokhov’s eyes widened, while Gao Fei only thought for a brief moment before a name slipped out.
“Was it Mr. Osokayev?”
Osokayev—the recruitment officer who had brought Gao Fei into Wagner.
Gao Fei truly hadn’t expected that Osokayev had actually called their company commander, and had even asked him to look after him a little.
“That’s right. It was him.”
Seeing Gao Fei’s shocked expression, the company commander laughed again. “He said you were a ruthless man, but I didn’t expect you to be ruthless in this way.”
Pointing at the several corpses on the ground, the company commander smiled and said, “Not bad. You really did perform quite well. I’m very satisfied, and also very surprised.”
Gao Fei stammered, “If there’s a chance, please be sure to help me thank Mr. Osokayev again. He saved my life. I’m deeply grateful to him.”
The company commander nodded, looking satisfied. “I’ll tell Osokayev. I’ll tell him you performed well.”
Before Gao Fei had even entered the company, the company commander had already known he was coming. After all, he was the only Chinese man, and someone Osokayev had specifically called to mention. The company commander could definitely recognize him.
Recognizing him, however, didn’t necessarily mean acknowledging him. If Gao Fei’s performance had been ordinary, the company commander simply wouldn’t have bothered with him.
But now that Gao Fei had performed well, the company commander naturally wanted to draw a little closer to him.
There was no special reason. This was the most conventional, most basic operation in the adult world.
With a solemn and excited expression, Gao Fei said, “Thank you, company commander!”
“Work hard. You’ve performed well. I’m optimistic about your future.”
Reaching out to pat Gao Fei on the shoulder, the company commander then said, “I specifically rewarded you with some good things. Just enjoy them quietly yourselves. Don’t show off in front of others. All right, I’m leaving.”
The company commander turned to leave. After hesitating for a moment, Sholokhov said in a low voice, “Company commander, in that case, the platoon leader won’t…”
“That depends on his own wishes.”
The company commander did not turn back and kept walking.
Sholokhov raised his voice slightly. “Company commander, what about these bodies?”
“We don’t have manpower to collect corpses. Toss them outside the trench. We’ll be gone before they start to stink. Let the unit that takes over after us have the headache.”
The company commander left as suddenly as he had come, and he left very decisively too.
After the company commander had gone, Sholokhov immediately looked at Gao Fei with curiosity written all over his face. “Fine, so you were military police. But how do you have a connection with the company commander too? And who is Mr. Osokayev?”
Grasky also said excitedly, “Is he some big shot?”
Gao Fei was just as bewildered. Quite helplessly, he said, “Mr. Osokayev is the recruitment officer. He was the one who recruited me into Wagner. As for whether he’s a big shot or not, I don’t know either.”
Samir said from the side, “He definitely is. He said you were a ruthless man. What did you do?”
Gao Fei thought about it. He felt that they were all comrades-in-arms who had been through life and death together, so this much could be said.
If he didn’t say it, there would be a barrier between him and his brothers.
So Gao Fei sighed and said, “That’s a long story. Here’s what happened…”