Chapter 59: Responsibility

Xu Chen settled his parents comfortably.

He had already confirmed that it was merely mycoplasma pneumonia, a mild localized infectious disease that was not difficult to cure. It could be successfully treated simply with tetracyclines, macrolides, and fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs.

The reason Xu’s mother coughed up blood was solely due to her individual physical constitution from coughing too violently.

Taking her condition into account, the senior fellow student prescribed levofloxacin. While this medication carries risks when used in children, it poses no significant problem for adults whose immune, digestive, and urinary systems are fully matured.

When explaining this to Xu Chen, the senior had even sighed, expressing deep concern over recently observing parents administering unprescribed antibacterial drugs to their own children.

He suggested that in such situations, it is always best to consult professional doctors promptly rather than trying to cure illnesses via the internet.

After instructing his father to look after his mother, Xu Chen handed the "military-exclusive" tea leaves to his father. Xu’s father was pleasantly surprised. He even opened the packaging to take a sniff, praising the aroma as exceptionally authentic.

Xu Chen explained that it was issued to him by his internship team in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

He wasn’t lying; the story was essentially more or less like that.

Perhaps having not seen his son for a long time, coupled with the recent stress over his mother's illness, his father chatted endlessly with Xu Chen after the crisis was resolved, boasting about how he had also tasted this kind of "exclusive" tea at this or that old friend's place, and how prestigious it was.

He decided to keep the tea in his collection for now and reserve it for entertaining distinguished guests later on.

Xu Chen didn't have the heart to tell him the truth—that the tea was actually bought in bulk by Political Commissar Wang. Looking at his bragging father and feeling the pricks of a guilty conscience, Xu Chen hastily excused himself.

Xu’s father, looking resigned, said he understood his heavy academic workload and that there was no need for him to worry about family matters.

As Xu Chen finally left home, he watched his father marveling at the unmarked tea packaging box before the door closed behind him.

Right now, he could only hope that any future guests wouldn't know much about tea and wouldn't be able to tell that it was bought wholesale.

Taking a taxi back to the front of the dormitory building, Xu Chen spotted a military jeep. Tall, rugged, and imposing, its frame looked sturdy enough to mount a heavy machine gun on top.

Glancing at the license plate, it featured the distinctive white background with red and black lettering.

Such a vehicle parked in front of the men's dormitory was quite a spectacle. Students returning from basketball games, coming back from meals, stepping out of the dorms, carrying books, or heading to the showers all paused to stare for a moment, making it quite a struggle for Xu Chen, who was lugging a document case, to squeeze his way into the dormitory.

Once inside the building, right outside his own dorm door, Xu Chen noticed a figure with an upright and commanding posture.

Though dressed in casual clothes, one could tell at a glance that he was a soldier—most likely the owner of the vehicle parked outside.

The soldier was holding a bag, and upon seeing Xu Chen, he flashed a wide grin, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth!

Xu Chen suddenly remembered—this was the commander of that troop transport truck!

"Hello, Comrade Xu Chen."

The vehicle commander shook hands with the bewildered Xu Chen using one hand.

"Ah, hello. I remember you. Are you the commander of that truck?"

"That's right. I'm the company commander of the Armored Infantry Company under the 122nd Regiment. You can just call me Wang Weihong."

"Uh..." Xu Chen glanced at the surrounding students looking over with curious gazes, then pushed open the door. "It's a bit noisy here. Step into my dorm and we can talk."

The dormitory remained empty. Song Tian had not returned, and his father's condition was likely less than optimistic.

After the company commander stepped inside, Xu Chen closed the door behind him and placed the document case on the desk.

Inside this case were the materials provided by the Leader. He had borrowed this usable document case from his father specifically to store these "top-secret" documents.

Although it looked a bit aged, it had proven convenient along the way, and the tactile feel was indeed quite comfortable.

"Then should I call you... Comrade Weihong?"

"I wouldn't dare! Chief, you can just call me Company Commander Wang!"

Startled, Xu Chen hurriedly made a shushing gesture. "Keep it down! Not so loud."

Then he blinked in surprise. "Huh? Chief? When did I become a chief?"

Company Commander Wang smiled again, pulled an officer's identification booklet from his pocket, and handed it to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen took it and opened it—it was unmistakably him! While the military position was left blank, the rank was clearly stated: Captain.

Only then did he understand the meaning behind the Leader's address of "comrade"; he had actually become a military officer.

Though he looked rather like a commander without any troops under him...

He looked again at the close-up photo on the ID, wondering when it had been taken. He looked serious, far more photogenic than the picture on his national ID card.

Company Commander Wang then pulled out a smaller booklet. This one bore the emblem of a sickle and a hammer, which he also solemnly handed over to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen flipped through it; it was his organizational credential, which he also stored away with great solemnity.

"The Leader instructed me to tell you that although your military rank is Captain, you enjoy the treatment level of a regimental commander. And this bag contains the uniform issued by the military."

Xu Chen finally took the bag that Company Commander Wang had been carrying all along. Peeking inside, he saw a handsome officer's uniform and nodded in satisfaction.

"Your current position is affiliated with the 122nd Regiment. Because of your special status, you will not hold a formal military office, nor will you generally be assigned combat missions, and you are not required to report for regular duty. However, any routine liaison matters must be coordinated in person at the 122nd Regiment military district.

"As for your true direct subordination, you are responsible solely to the temporary military committee established by the Leader."

Xu Chen nodded. At the very least, he understood that his superior was the Leader, and the 122nd Regiment... why did that name sound so familiar to him? He felt as though he had heard it somewhere before, but he quickly asked with a puzzled expression, "What are liaison matters?"

"Anything ranging from troop deployments and fire support for the 122nd Regiment on a large scale, down to holiday benefits and uniform replacements on a small scale."

Xu Chen instantly grasped the situation. He seemed to be a commander without troops, yet he held a tiny shred of authority, and his welfare and benefits appeared to be exceptionally high-tier.

He had never even heard of such a setup before.

Little did he know that during the meetings organized by the Leader, these high-ranking officials had racked their brains to properly coordinate his position, engaging in mutual concessions and swiftly hammering out a workable solution.

Never before had these leaders encountered a situation where a specific individual was absolutely indispensable—someone who had received no military education whatsoever, yet was tasked with an extraordinarily difficult mission—leaving them holding a hot potato that they could neither keep nor drop.

Managing to arrange things this way was already a testament to their flexibility in breaking away from rigid regulations.

They hadn't previously established any specialized secret organizations like a "Dragon Task Force" or "Supernatural Countermeasure Unit" to deal with paranormal forces, UFOs, or espers; compared to those, firepower saturation was far more effective.

Xu Chen subsequently saw Company Commander Wang off, then excitedly laid out the items he had received on his desk one by one.

He even took out the officer's uniform to examine it before hanging it up on a clothes hanger.

Realizing something was missing, he checked inside the bag again, felt around with his hand, and pulled out a pair of shoulder boards and collar insignia with a beaming smile.

Now, it was complete.

However, as he looked at the uniform now adorned with shoulder boards and collar insignia, a wave of immense pressure washed over him. The Leader and all those high-ranking figures placed high hopes on him indeed.

While the uniform carried great honor, the responsibility was equally heavy.

He gazed at the garment again and sighed. Wearing it right now felt a bit undeserved; though he had been granted such high honor, he hadn't yet accomplished any tangible deeds...

He folded the uniform back up, wrapped the identification documents inside it,

and resolved not to wear it until he had achieved some real results.

Xu Chen carefully stored the uniform away, straightened the document case on his desk, and slowly opened it...