Chapter Nineteen: Never to Return Again

With his heart finally at ease and his stomach full, and with the pain in his wounded leg seemingly dulled, Chen Cao drifted into a deep, oblivious sleep. He had no idea how much time had passed when a slick wetness on his face roused him. He opened his eyes, but the sunlight streaming through the window was so harsh he could barely keep them open. It seemed he hadn’t slept long at all. As his vision adjusted, he realized a pair of dark eyes was staring at him. Startled, he let out a cry and scrambled to the far edge of the bed. On closer inspection, he laughed in relief—wasn’t this the very dog called Black Titan, as the black-clad man had named it?

“You’re awake. I’ve been waiting here for a whole day and night,” Duan Tianya turned around as he spoke.

Chen Cao noticed that the spot where Duan Tianya was standing was littered with cigarette butts.

Patting the dog’s head, Chen Cao addressed Duan Tianya, “So I really slept that long? I was exhausted. By the way, your name’s Duan Tianya, isn’t it?”

“Don’t you think it’s rude to address your superior by name like that?”

With those words, Duan Tianya acknowledged the fact.

“I hear you’re quite the legend around here?” Chen Cao asked bluntly, grinning.

Duan Tianya looked at Chen Cao, walked slowly to the edge of the bed, and, instead of getting angry, smiled faintly. “Oh? In what way am I a legend?”

For a moment, Chen Cao was at a loss for words, surprised that someone who looked so intimidating could be so affable.

“Alright, Chen Cao, honestly, I didn’t expect your heart would be so unburdened after just a day. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, nor is it entirely good.”

“You know everything about me?” Chen Cao asked in astonishment. Judging by the reactions of Bao Li and Zhou Hongye, this man must truly be something special.

“I suppose you could say I know every detail.” Duan Tianya lit another cigarette but after just one drag began to cough violently. As he coughed, the door burst open and a tall officer wearing a captain’s insignia rushed in. “Sir, what’s wrong?”

“Get out! Didn’t I say not to come in without my orders?” Duan Tianya snapped, clearly in no mood for interruptions. The captain slunk out, chastised. Chen Cao, witnessing the harshness, felt a chill run through him.

Once Chen Cao fell silent, Duan Tianya’s expression softened again. “What’s wrong? Have you come to terms with things?”

“Yes,” Chen Cao replied with a nod, feeling somehow all his temper had faded before Duan Tianya, nodding like a child.

“Ready to go back to training, then? Or would you rather raise pigs?”

Chen Cao shook his head like a rattle drum. “Having an elite of Unit 0611 raise pigs? That’s absurd!”

“You know I’m the one who can get you back in, don’t you? Is that why you’re being so eager?” Duan Tianya reached out and patted Chen Cao on the head.

“Heh, of course!” Chen Cao could only force a grin at moments like this.

“But you’re no longer qualified for training,” Duan Tianya’s face abruptly darkened. His words struck Chen Cao like a thunderbolt, leaving him hollow and despondent once more.

“From the moment you stepped into this cabin, you were permanently expelled from Unit 0611,” Duan Tianya said, his voice quiet but each word as sharp as a blade.

“No, didn’t you say I’d be raising pigs here? Or that I’d stay here for life? I’m willing, as long as you don’t make me leave!” Chen Cao struggled to his feet, his voice raw with desperation.

“Do you really think 0611 needs someone to raise pigs? Do you even know what 0611 is? Do you know what it means to be a true soldier?” Duan Tianya’s gaze suddenly turned stern as he patted the uniform on Chen Cao’s body. “You think wearing this makes you a soldier? You’re wrong. You don’t even have what it takes to become one.”

“Go back, kid. In another unit, you can still make something of yourself.” After the severity, Duan Tianya’s voice turned gentle again, almost angelic, as he patted Chen Cao on the shoulder—a light touch, but enough to make Chen Cao sink back onto the bed.

Chen Cao sat in a daze.

Duan Tianya had already walked to the door. He turned, looking back at the now utterly lost Chen Cao. “Chen Cao, you know, I’m very disappointed in you. You were the only promising candidate I’ve selected in ten years. But now, because of your rebellion, because of your pride, you’ve given up on yourself. I’m very disappointed. You failed your evaluation.” With a sigh, Duan Tianya left the cabin.

Just as he had finally prepared himself to embrace a new life, now it seemed everything was gone. His eyes fell on a file beside him—something he hadn’t noticed before. In recent days, after hitting rock bottom, he had regained some hope thanks to his brothers, but with just a few words from this legendary figure, he was plunged back into despair.

He picked up the file. In bold letters on the cover: “Decision Regarding the Expulsion of Cadet Chen Cao.” At the sight of the heading, the world seemed to go black, but still, he couldn’t help but keep reading. At least, he thought, seeing a file from this unit would be an everlasting memory. Thanks to Bao Li’s support, he no longer felt the urge to end it all. Returning home was what he’d always longed for, wasn’t it?

The text inside was brief: “Comrade Chen Cao, due to fatigue during training, passive resistance to instructors, and a negative attitude affecting the overall quality of the unit, the Military Political Department has decided that Comrade Chen Cao will be retained for observation, his military status temporarily preserved, but he is to be removed from Unit 0611…” The document went on, but Chen Cao couldn’t read any further. He was being removed from the unit and could return to his life of privilege—but why couldn’t he feel happy about it?

Suddenly, clutching the file, he rushed outside and came face to face with Duan Tianya, who was about to get into his military vehicle. Limping, Chen Cao hurried after him, but stopped short when the guards by Duan Tianya’s side raised their sidearms at him.

Bang! Having moved too quickly, Chen Cao lost his balance and fell hard to the ground, holding out the file and shouting, “This doesn’t say I’m expelled! It doesn’t say I have to leave! As long as I can stay, I’ll do anything—anything at all!”

Duan Tianya waved his hand, signaling the guards to lower their weapons. He glanced at Chen Cao, a strange gleam in his eye that vanished as quickly as it appeared. “You’d really do anything?”

“Anything!” Chen Cao nodded firmly, clutching the file tightly.

“Very well. Since you’re so sincere, you may stay at the academy for three years. But you must follow the spirit of the document. Even if you’re only attached to 0611 from the Seventh Army Group, you’ll serve as an orderly. After your three years of compulsory service, you’ll be discharged and sent home!” Without another word, Duan Tianya climbed into the vehicle.

In the car, as they drove away, Cao Yefu, sitting in the back seat, shot a glance at Duan Tianya in the front passenger seat and chuckled, “You’ve really put my nephew through the wringer. If my father finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it!”

Lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, Duan Tianya replied, “He has to stand out. Life’s been too easy for him these ten years. If he doesn’t spend a few years enduring hardship, he’ll amount to nothing more than an ordinary elite cadet. How could he ever be ready for further training?”

…

“What? Orderly? That’s cleaning toilets and fetching water! Duan Tianya’s too harsh!” In the cabin, Zhou Hongye shook his fist indignantly.

“I don’t think it’s right either. If Chen Cao’s an orderly, who knows how Chen Diwen will boss him around. And, Chen Cao, you…” Bao Li looked at Chen Cao, worry clouding his eyes.

Chen Cao, who had been silent, placed a hand on their shoulders and smiled, “Come on now, no matter what I do, as long as we’re together, that’s enough. Three years will pass quickly, right?”

“I… I guess so,” Zhou Hongye replied uncertainly, glancing at Chen Cao and then at Bao Li.

…

“What’s going on with you all? Moving so slow—did you skip breakfast? The year-end assessment is coming up. Do you want to be eliminated?” On the taekwondo field, Instructor Li Jiali was directing the cadets’ martial arts training, shouting to the side, “Orderly! Chen Cao! Clean up the water on the floor!”

“Yes, sir!” Chen Cao immediately grabbed a rag and hurried over to wipe the floor spotless, then quickly stepped aside to observe.

A year had passed in the blink of an eye. Every day, Chen Cao wore the same dark green recruit’s uniform he’d arrived in—a stark contrast to his classmates, who now wore the latest combat fatigues. His clothes were patched and worn, mended countless times by his own hands. As an orderly, he lived alone in the small cabin ten kilometers away, returning each night after finishing his chores. Only the aging dog kept him company through the lonely nights. Bao Li and Zhou Hongye were too busy with their own training to spend time with him.

On the training grounds, in the gym, on the obstacle courses—wherever there was training, he was responsible for support: carrying water, handing out towels, cleaning the facilities. Nearly all the work outside of direct training fell to him.

The others had grown used to his presence as the orderly, ordering him about as if he were a servant—sometimes even a dog. Only Bao Li and Zhou Hongye occasionally gave him a concerned glance; no one else cared about the orderly who would, in three years, be sent home with a mark on his record.

Chen Cao never uttered a word of complaint, quietly doing his work. He knew that a single mistake would mean expulsion from 0611—something he had insisted upon himself. He couldn’t let anyone look down on him.

Suddenly, a commotion. Chen Cao lay sprawled on the ground, having just filled a bucket of water to clean the dormitory when someone stuck out a foot and tripped him, sending him crashing down amid a burst of mocking laughter.

Chen Diwen, in a vest that showed off his muscular physique—honed by a year of grueling training and soon to be promoted to third-year status—stood with arms crossed, leaning against a bed. His promotion meant he would soon join field missions, further cementing his leadership among the cadets.

Now, he looked down at Chen Cao, sprawled on the floor, lips curled in a sneer.

Flame King 19 – Complete free reading of Flame King, Chapter Nineteen: Never Going Back!

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