Chapter 17: The Resistance Camp

Chapter 17: The Countermeasure Battalion

Following them was inevitable. After watching for so long, the two of them were just waiting for the right opportunity.

They hadn’t found a chance to infiltrate the camp, so they had to find another way.

Although their guesses about where these people were headed were uncertain, the fact that scouts were escorting them meant this was no ordinary mission.

“Xu Qiao, there’s no need to rush this time,” Sergeant Wu said. It was clear not only was he adjusting his pace for Xu Qiao, but the scouts ahead were also matching the speed of the blue army soldiers carrying equipment.

Xu Qiao nodded slightly, relieved. Although they had just rested, the lack of food and water made rest meaningless.

If the people ahead continued at their previous pace, she wasn’t sure she could hold on.

Fortunately, Sergeant Wu’s words saved her.

As he spoke, like performing a magic trick, he pulled out some wild berries.

“Sergeant, are you some kind of Doraemon? Where did you find food so quickly?” Xu Qiao accepted the berries with a delighted expression, but biting into one, the sour and astringent taste twisted her face. “What is this? Are you trying to poison me?”

The obvious traces on the berries were so blatant in Sergeant Wu’s eyes that Xu Qiao was left dumbfounded. “That... looks obvious to you?”

“I told you, what else do you expect me to do—‘kill’ them for you?” Xu Qiao frowned as she ate the berries, snorting sharply. “Don’t let me run into them face to face, or else…”

Seeing all the equipment vehicles gathered here, Xu Qiao quietly asked, puzzled, “What are they after? If equipment vehicles can get through, why not just send a vehicle with these things? Why do they have to carry them on foot?”

Without any background or detailed explanation, Sergeant Wu immediately understood the situation. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Calmly eating a berry, he glanced at her and asked, “What’s wrong with your hand?”

Xu Qiao froze. She had barely spent a day in the communications unit—how could she have learned anything?

But since she was Xu Qiao now, she had to shoulder all the past burdens.

---

Xu Qiao staggered behind them. After so long, it was sheer willpower keeping her going.

Despite her unfamiliarity with the various vehicles camouflaged with nets, their importance was unmistakable.

“How new is this stuff?” Sergeant Wu looked at her with mild irritation. “This is the most advanced right now.”

“Because vehicles have to travel on main roads, it’s easy to get spotted,” Sergeant Wu explained. He didn’t rush forward but found a good vantage point to observe the hidden camp from afar.

Xu Qiao thought that if this camp was indeed important, they would do everything possible to minimize exposure.

“These people’s field survival skills are decent. They hide their tracks along the way, but… not well enough.”

“Do you think being a soldier means being simple-minded and just fighting?” Sergeant Wu almost snapped, but seeing her disheveled appearance or perhaps considering she was a female soldier, he held back.

For small units moving on foot, this forest offered perfect cover, but vehicles were much more conspicuous, so the method made sense.

After passing through dense woods, they suddenly came upon an open area where a concealed camp lay hidden.

But it wasn’t just combat skills lacking—there were many other weaknesses.

Sergeant Wu’s words made her realize how weak her past self truly had been.

Listening to him, Xu Qiao felt as if a door to another world had opened.

Following the traces left by the group ahead, they slowly caught up. The mountain paths were rugged and treacherous. No one knew what this group was doing here.

“They are a unit that combines communications, jamming, surveillance, and electronic countermeasures. At critical moments, they can render us blind and deaf.”

Thankfully, just as she was about to give out, the group ahead finally stopped.

She knew that radios alone were no longer prized, but seeing so many equipment vehicles together was unimaginable. “What kind of unit has this many equipment vehicles?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Sergeant Wu sighed deeply. “What did you even learn in the communications unit? You don’t even recognize an electronic jamming vehicle. Don’t tell anyone you’re a communications soldier.”

---

Hearing this, Xu Qiao suddenly remembered the enemy’s reconnaissance vehicles that could detect radios back then. “We have equipment like that now?”

Seeing her hesitate, Sergeant Wu smiled for the first time. “Let’s go. Talking tough won’t help. Winning a big battle during exercises—that’s real skill.”

But after saying that, thinking about what she could actually do now, not to mention her current physical condition, even her past self didn’t seem to stand a chance.

Xu Qiao immediately fell silent and hurried to catch up.

On the other side, looking at the equipment vehicles, Xu Qiao’s eyes sparkled.

Then Sergeant Wu continued, “A true soldier not only needs combat skills but also a sharp mind, keen observation, and broad knowledge. To be a good soldier, it’s not enough to just fight.”

Fortunately, Sergeant Wu didn’t continue mocking and instead explained, “This is an electronic countermeasure unit. Judging by the scale, it’s at least a battalion.”

“The patrol that passed here stepped on it,” Xu Qiao looked at the back of her hand, bruised and scraped. “They were heavy-footed, but luckily, they just barely avoided detection.”

Her training had always been about making her stronger. Failing a mission meant she wasn’t strong enough. If she encountered an unsolvable problem, then—she had to complete the mission even if it meant dying.

Xu Qiao didn’t have binoculars, but from this vantage point, she could clearly see various equipment vehicles hidden among the trees. It was truly eye-opening.

Sergeant Wu walked while pointing out obvious traces—footprints erased in mud, freshly broken branches.

“You’ve been in the communications unit. You should know our communication channels, right?” Sergeant Wu asked casually while looking ahead.

Not getting a response, he turned to see Xu Qiao’s embarrassed face and sighed deeply. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Actually… I do know some things.”

In this life, Xu Qiao was indeed smart with a good memory. Even with her haphazard learning, she had retained quite a bit. These previously absent memories now surfaced clearly in her mind.

(End of chapter)