Chapter 142: Ostrich’s Anxiety
“Brothers, do you think we can get a Military Merit Medal this time? I’m not asking for much, just a Third-class Merit.”
In the shower room, Ostrich vigorously scrubbed the dirt off his back, his voice muffled, echoing in the corridor.
“I personally suggest you should just go to sleep.”
The Medic next door lathered shampoo onto his head and rubbed his buzz cut, the “shasha” sound filling his ears.
However, this didn’t affect his hearing. Listening to Ostrich’s wishful thinking, the Medic endured and endured, but finally couldn’t help but open his mouth to mock Ostrich.
It couldn’t be blamed that he always targeted Ostrich alone. After all, Ostrich was already a Veteran Soldier, yet still so naive. Who else could he mock if not Ostrich?
Others wouldn’t ask such ignorant questions; even Chang Ning and Xiao Zhuang, New Recruits who had been serving for a year, hadn’t asked. Yet Ostrich asked. Could he be blamed for retorting to him?
“Medic, what do you mean? I feel like there’s something hidden in your words.”
Having been provoked by the Medic for so long, Ostrich now, whenever he wasn’t on a mission, would carefully analyze anything the Medic said that involved him, to avoid being teased by that scoundrel.
But this time, Ostrich analyzed the Medic’s words back and forth in his mind several times but found nothing wrong.
“Medic, don’t talk in circles, okay? We’re discussing Military Merit, what does sleeping have to do with it?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ostrich’s face showed annoyance, and he lightly slapped his own mouth.
‘How can I not control my mouth! I knew that Medic wasn’t up to any good! Am I not pathetic!’
After speaking, Ostrich realized why the Medic told him to sleep, but it was too late.
He had personally handed the knife to the person, and the knife was now aimed at himself.
Just as he expected, as soon as the words left his mouth, the Medic’s characteristic laugh could be heard from next door. Every time Ostrich heard this laugh, he knew he was about to embarrass himself in front of everyone again.
“Heh heh, it seems Ostrich’s brain capacity has increased. He’s started thinking. Why did I tell you to sleep? Because you can have anything in your dreams.”
“Hahaha~”
Hearing the Medic tease Ostrich, the others played along and burst into laughter. Only at this time did they truly relax and joke around with each other.
Since it was too late, Ostrich also let go and surrendered to the teasing, acting as if he couldn’t hear their laughter.
“Ostrich, I’m not saying this to be mean, but why do you always get teased by the Medic? You have to resist. Where there is oppression, there is resistance!”
Chang Ning, enjoying the show, egged him on from the side. Xiao Zhuang also chimed in, “Yeah, Ostrich, you need to step up. When will you ever turn things around?”
If he didn’t know the background of these guys, he would have actually believed their nonsense. They were all the type who enjoyed watching a good show and didn’t mind fanning the flames.
“I just don’t want to bother with the Medic, to avoid harming our unity.”
No matter how Chang Ning and Xiao Zhuang tried to incite him, Ostrich wouldn’t fall for it.
Although he was usually the target of the Medic’s complaints, he was very sharp when it mattered.
He didn’t resist the Medic’s teasing simply because he didn’t want to, Ostrich thought to himself.
“Jokes are jokes, but everyone should know their limits.”
Geng Jihui couldn’t stand it anymore. It was like working for a landlord who provided food and lodging, and these guys were picking on poor Ostrich too much.
“Hurry up and finish washing. If you’re not done by lights out, you’ll face consequences.”
The Captain had spoken. Dawdling any longer would be disrespecting Xiao Geng. Everyone quickly sped up their washing and dried themselves off.
“You guys still haven’t told me if we’ll get a Military Merit Medal for this operation.”
Ostrich, while dressing, ran towards Chang Ning and Geng Jihui, the sound of his slippers echoing in the corridor.
“How can anyone answer that? Whether to award Military Merit is something the Leader considers. It’s useless no matter how much you think about it.”
Looking back at Ostrich beside him, Chang Ning couldn’t understand why this Veteran Soldier was so fixated on Military Merit Medals today.
They had already joined Wolf Fang, the most elite 026 Logistics Warehouse. There would be no shortage of Military Merit in the future. Why was he in such a hurry?
“If you really want to know, I suggest you ask Xiao Geng. He’s bound to know something.”
Although Chang Ning had received a Second-class Merit, he wasn’t clear about the specific criteria.
For Military Merit, unless it was for winning awards in major competitions organized internationally or by the Military Region, other cases would definitely depend on the specific circumstances at the time.
Considering Geng Jihui was a talented graduate from a military academy, he would definitely know more than himself, so Chang Ning suggested Ostrich consult him.
In fact, this was a typical case of the well-fed not understanding the hungry. If one didn’t participate in competitions, the opportunity to earn Military Merit was scarce.
Moreover, participating in competitions also selected outstanding seed players. Ostrich might have been excellent in his original unit but wasn’t top-tier, hence he was rarely recommended for competitions.
As a result, in his almost three years of enlistment, he hadn’t even earned a Third-class Merit.
It was important to know that promotions to Officer required certain merits as a reference. Was Ostrich not anxious?
“Alright, don’t push him over to me. I don’t know much either.”
They returned to the dormitory. Seeing there was still some time, they usually sat together to study.
Today, Ostrich had initiated the topic, and Geng Jihui decided to explain the Military Merit evaluation standards of the military unit to everyone.
He spoke for about ten minutes, during which he refilled his hot water twice.
The others were fine, but Ostrich grew more disheartened as he listened. He only grasped two points: first, there needed to be outstanding performance, and second, it required discussion by senior leaders.
What could he do? Unlike Chang Ning, who already had a Second-class Merit and had broken multiple training records with his excellent performance, or Xiao Zhuang, who was in his first year and still had plenty of time.
As for the others, they either still had time or were confident they could stay for another year.
Only Ostrich was left. He had no confidence in having a one-hundred-percent chance of staying.
Seeing Ostrich’s unusual attitude towards Military Merit today, Chang Ning comforted him, “Ostrich, why are you in such a hurry? After we join the Special Forces, there will be plenty of opportunities to earn Military Merit.”
“This is my third year. If I don’t get any Military Merit or have any significant outstanding performance, I’ll be out after the new year. Can you blame me for being anxious?”
Ostrich’s face drooped. His usually upright posture sagged with his dejection, lacking the strength to support him.
Everyone suddenly understood. The truth was finally revealed.
This was followed by concern for Ostrich. They had trained and lived together, developing feelings for each other. No one could ignore Ostrich’s potential departure.
“If, in the end, there’s still no opportunity, we’ll ask Gao Zhong Dui to resolve it.”
He put in so much effort to select us. I believe he won’t hesitate to help you if he knows about this.”
Chang Ning didn’t believe Ostrich would leave the military. He had seen the Original Plot, and Ostrich later became a Major leading a battalion of soldiers.
