After Being Reborn, I became a firefighter again?

Chapter 622: Chapter 450: A Major Move_2

Li Zhi looked back at the soldiers.

"Do you have the confidence that, within ten years, you can fill a hall with your honors?"

The three leaders were all experienced at ideological work. In a few words, with hope imbued in each, they stirred the hearts of the soldiers behind them. freewёbnoνel.com

"Yes!"

This year, the Second Squadron had undergone tremendous changes.

Everyone knew what it used to be like.

He Zhijun was borrowed by the First Squadron, Luo Ye was transferred to Chongqing, and talents were cultivated for others. But whenever there was a Martial Arts Competition, the newcomers couldn’t step up, and the veterans were pushed by the Squadron to rejuvenate themselves. They pondered how to maintain the honor of the Provincial Special Duty Team for the Squadron. Xiong Jie developed many problems from training and had to be hospitalized.

The leaders from the whole corps and the Detachment would occasionally visit. Compared to ordinary Squadrons, the frequency was not low, but compared to the First Squadron, there was a significant gap.

They also knew that the expectations from above weren’t high for them, it was only Cao Yi, the cadre who wouldn’t accept defeat, who was fighting for their glory.

But now, things had changed.

The entire brigade’s attention was focused here, and leaders appeared frequently, as if their presence had become less valuable. Opportunities for performance that had to be fought for in the past were now readily available.

The soldiers may not understand much about policy and reform, but they were very clear that it wasn’t because times had changed or the leaders loved to go to the grassroots level, but because the Second Squadron had become important.

Sometimes, the things that Fang Huai casually mentioned to everyone—new vehicles, new equipment, special training, special allowances for positions—were still longed-for conditions in other Squadrons, yearned for but never realized.

The First Squadron, which used to overshadow them as the leader’s favorite, probably never even dared to imagine such a scenario.

The change in people’s hearts happens in the minutiae, in the details seen every day. Gradually, each person’s state of mind included a bit of pride in their own Squadron.

With the conditions in place, Instructor Cao’s oft-repeated saying that "the Second Squadron doesn’t keep idle people" didn’t even need to be said anymore; everyone knew that if they wanted to stay in this land of honor, they would need to sweat more for it.

All the members of the Second Squadron returned to the previously inconspicuous little honor room with a sense of pilgrimage.

Suddenly, everyone felt a bit anxious.

"Our honor room is so small," they wondered, "will the leaders suddenly remember that the Second Squadron used to be unremarkable? Will they think that this year is only because of Fang Huai and that the others are not exceptional?"

It was only upon arriving that they remembered this was their home. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Contained within were all the treasures they could boast about to others.

Perhaps they never felt the room was too small or the honors too few, but at this moment, everyone hoped Fang Huai could inspire them as he always did, saying that this place was destined to become the most dazzling spot in the whole regiment.

But Fang Huai did not speak. He, too, was just a new recruit here.

Fortunately, when they flipped the switch at the entrance, the lighting inside was excellent, illuminating the honors, though not too numerous, very brightly.

Squad Leader Fang Hongliang, as one of the longest-serving members of the Squadron, was the first to step inside. He touched each item and began to explain:

"This is from the flood season of 2002, when our Squadron participated in the Xifeng Mountain landslide rescue. The local government awarded us these certificates of honor and left behind a group photo. That year... there were many landslides, and we had just formed our team. Most of us were called in from the county, and the Squadron had many comrades who were very familiar with the local conditions. We often went down to help."

"We received several certificates of honor from the government that year. The disasters were frequent, and we were brave enough to charge into them."

"Hao Yi," Squad Leader Fang continued, his eyes reddening slightly, "he was good, a new recruit’s squad leader. Several soldiers he led in their fifth year have been transferred. He Zhijun and his batch were about to leave, and it was decided he would take over. But before the new recruits even left, on New Year’s Eve, during a landslide rescue with a rescue vehicle, the supporting road couldn’t bear the weight and he, along with the vehicle, tumbled down, sacrificing himself."

At that moment, Cao Yi spoke up, "He was Captain Hao’s cousin, from the same grandfather."

The crowd suddenly turned their heads, only now learning for the first time that the Captain Hao who joined this year already had a history with the Second Squadron.

Hao Chengbin smiled, "My grandpa... my grandfather also passed away this year. Before he left, he still thought of him, instructed that since Little Hao had no children and no siblings, no one would offer incense to him in the future, and asked our families to take care of him a little more."

Zhang Zhongting crossed his arms behind his back and said, "I was thinking of transferring Little Hao to the First Squadron, but because of this incident, I let him come to the Second Squadron."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s gaze became strange.

Everyone knew that Fang Huai was brought over by Hao Chengbin.

But no one knew that Hao Chengbin came because of Hao Yi.

The Second Squadron’s current transformation was all thanks to Fang Huai, or so it seemed. The heroes in the honor room were shining their light.

A sudden sense of fate.

At this moment, Fang Huai smiled as he looked at a new photo hung up months ago, with a shining smile, and said:

"I wonder if Little Black has any brothers serving in the Firefighting corps."

A silence ensued.

Chen Zhenghai asked, "How are those two little girls now?"

Fang Huai nodded, "They’re doing well; they’ve been discharged from the hospital."

Hearing this, everyone felt that this place was truly rich—a single photo held such a grand story, encompassing so many lives.

Squad Leader Fang Hongliang continued to recount for a few minutes.

There was joy, and there was sorrow.

There was excitement, and there was regret.

When it came to the stories of some people present, Political Commissar Cheng named them, asking them to share their own stories and to talk about their growth and changes since joining the Second Squadron.

He Zhijun: "In 2006, during the summer Martial Arts Competition for the first time, Instructor Cao signed me up. I was a bit panicked at first and didn’t want to go. At that time, Sergeant Jiang from the Squadron encouraged me, telling me I must experience it and that this was the meaning of being a soldier. After achieving third place and standing on the podium, I felt very satisfied. It was then that I decided to pursue the path of Martial Arts Competition to the end."