As soon as Cui Tianlai left, Han Feng, standing next to Shawn Young, immediately said enviously, "Wow, Comrade Shawn, now that you've got those National Security Bureau credentials, your rank is suddenly higher than mine! Sigh—life really isn't fair!"
Lieutenant General Chen Tieshan, standing nearby, glared at him and said, "Han Feng, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you think you won't get promoted this time? Stop messing around! Your Dragonforce Special Operations Battalion is treated like a treasure by Old Tang in the Southern Military District. When you get back, you’ll be asking Old Tang for all sorts of things! Am I wrong?"
Han Feng shrank back, scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then grinned at Shawn Young and said, "Comrade Shawn, whenever you have time, come hang out with us at the Dragonforce Special Ops Battalion! We can practice the martial arts Grandmaster Yuan taught us together! And—maybe you could show me some of those amazing Daoist techniques! Hehe, even the basics would be great. Our Dragonforce Battalion might not be as awesome as the National Paranormal Task Force or the National Security Bureau, but when it comes to special forces training, we’re top-notch in the country. Still, we’re always overshadowed by the Divine Sword unit in Yanjing, and it’s frustrating! After this mission, I realized there’s a lot we need to improve. We have to find a way to raise the overall standard of our Dragonforce Battalion!"
Shawn Young had a great relationship with Han Feng, and after the Afghanistan mission, he realized he had many shortcomings himself. At least, in terms of military skills, he wasn’t even as good as the average Dragonforce Battalion member. So he quickly nodded and said with a smile, "Sure, I’ll definitely visit Colonel Han when I have time. We can help each other improve."
Han Feng deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Hey, Comrade Shawn, calling me Colonel Han is way too formal. We’ve been through life and death together, and I’m older than you. If you don’t mind, don’t be so stiff—just call me Brother Han! Haha."
Shawn Young didn’t argue. He happily replied, "Alright! Brother Han!"
Han Feng was obviously delighted. He patted his brand-new uniform, then pulled out a metal dog tag from his jacket pocket. Engraved on it was a mighty, soaring dragon entwined with a lightning bolt—full of swagger. Han Feng said, "Brother, here’s a little gift for you. With this, you’re officially one of us in the Dragonforce Battalion! You’ll be a special auxiliary member—no need to follow military regulations. Super convenient! Hehe!"
Shawn Young gladly accepted the metal dog tag. At that moment, Lieutenant General Chen Tieshan said, "Hmm, looks like Shawn’s pretty popular! Heh, even the picky Han Feng wants to be brothers with you. As for me, Old Chen, I don’t seem to have much of a connection with you, but I’m good friends and comrades with Old Tang—and Qianqian seems to get along with you too. So, why don’t you call me Uncle Chen, just like Qianqian does!"
Shawn Young sneaked a glance at Tang Qianqian and saw her blushing, head lowered, clutching her clothes shyly, but she didn’t object at all. So Shawn said to Lieutenant General Chen Tieshan, "Hello, Uncle Chen!"
"Hahaha, good, good! Shawn, when I visit Old Tang at the Southern Military District, I’ll drop by to see you too! I hope you don’t mind? Anyway, Qianqian seems eager to talk to you, so us military folks won’t disturb you two. Also, Professor Lu from Inner Mongolia is itching to get his hands on the 'Mjolnir Exosuit'—he’s practically bouncing around! We should take care of him. The helicopter over there will take you both to the airport, and there’s a military jet waiting to fly you back to the Southern Military District. Until next time!" As Chen Tieshan spoke, he glanced at the shy Tang Qianqian and smiled at Shawn.
Just then, Han Feng squeezed over and cluelessly asked, "Wait, aren’t we going back with them?"
Chen Tieshan turned and glared at him, "I told you, Han Feng, what’s the rush? You and your Dragonforce Battalion guys will stay here for now and exchange combat experience with my Snow Leopard Special Forces. I’ll let Old Tang know later! Now, go introduce Professor Lu and me to the features of that 'Mjolnir Exosuit.'" With that, he waved at the military helicopter on the field, which immediately started its engines.
Han Feng finally got it. He straightened up and said, "Oh, got it! I’ll follow the commander’s orders!"
Then Han Feng winked at Shawn with a teasing look, and said to Tang Qianqian, "Brother Shawn, Team Leader Tang, we’ll stay here for a bit. Hehe—wish you two a safe trip!"
Shawn quickly waved goodbye to everyone. As soon as he finished, Tang Qianqian grabbed his arm and boarded the helicopter. As soon as they took off, Tang Qianqian fixed her limpid eyes on Shawn, making him nervous. Suddenly, she asked, "Brother Shawn, what exactly did you feed me in Peshawar? How did you cure the 'Xuan Yin Powder' poison I was suffering from?! Don’t try to fool me with that Dragon Spirit Herb story—I know for a fact that no herb alone can cure 'Xuan Yin Powder.' You must’ve used some other method, didn’t you?!"
Shawn’s heart skipped a beat. He thought, "Oh crap, Tang Qianqian’s too clever—she figured out I was dodging her question that night. But how am I supposed to explain? What happened that night was seriously messed up! If she finds out the truth… What will she think? Will she be mad at me?!"
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading!
Right then, Shawn’s face turned beet red. He scratched his head, stammering for ages, unable to get a word out. Tang Qianqian glanced at him with her limpid eyes, her mind racing through all the possible scenarios she’d imagined. Her cheeks quickly flushed, and before Shawn could say anything, she blurted, "If it’s not convenient to talk about it now, we’ll discuss it next time! Let’s change the subject, okay?"
"Sure! Sure!—Let’s change the subject! Haha—" Shawn was extremely relieved and immediately agreed to Tang Qianqian’s proposal.
Tang Qianqian looked seriously at Shawn and said, "Brother Shawn, join our National Paranormal Task Force!"
Shawn was stunned. He immediately understood—what’s meant to happen will happen. But he still hesitated and said, "That… that’s not so easy. You know I’m still in school… and I prefer a laid-back, free lifestyle, not being tied down by rules."
Tang Qianqian smiled sweetly, "Oh! I mean the same thing as Uncle Cui Tianlai—we’ll get you a special status. You’ll be free, not bound by our regulations, basically an auxiliary member of the National Paranormal Task Force, enjoying all the perks, maybe even more! We’ll only ask for your help in major cases that affect national security. How’s that? That’s my idea, and both Master Hu and Dragon King agree too."
Shawn immediately understood—turns out the two big bosses of the National Paranormal Task Force, Master Hu and Dragon King, were already paying close attention to him, and they were using Tang Qianqian, who was closest to him, to recruit him. But with the terms Tang Qianqian offered, joining as a special auxiliary member didn’t sound bad at all!