Chapter 126: Hong Kong Garrison

The car came to a halt before the main gate of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison headquarters. The sentry boxes on either side stood solemn and majestic, with guards standing at rigid, upright attention, their expressions stern. Chen Erpao could not help but reminisce about his past; he, too, had once been a soldier, standing guard and keeping watch, shouldering the sacred responsibility of protecting his home and country.

A guard approached and spoke with great courtesy: "Greetings. This is the headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison. May I ask the nature of your business?"

Without haste, Chen Erpao reached into his pocket and produced a small, extraordinary booklet emblazoned with the four characters "China Dragon Group." "Please report the details of this identification upward. I need to see your commander directly."

The guard stared at the four characters on the booklet for a long moment, his eyes filled with a complex mixture of curiosity and astonishment.

"Please wait a moment."

The guard hurried into the sentry box. He first called his squad leader, but while the squad leader was surprised, he also had no idea what this small booklet represented. He then quickly called his platoon leader, but the result was the same. The report continued upward—to the company commander, the battalion commander, and so on—until it finally reached the Chief of Staff of the Hong Kong Garrison.

Liu Yuan, the Chief of Staff, hung up the phone in shock. As a Major General, he was vaguely aware of the existence of the China Dragon Group—an incredibly mysterious organization in China that stood above many agencies and departments, where every member possessed terrifying strength and authority.

About ten minutes later, Liu Yuan arrived at the gate accompanied by several officers wearing two bars with three or four stars on their shoulders. A soldier’s military bearing is paramount, and regardless of the situation, they stood as firm as mountains. Liu Yuan, appearing to be in his forties or fifties, had a resolute face and sharp, piercing eyes, exuding an imposing aura and dignity.

Chen Erpao stepped out of the car and quickly walked forward. Facing Liu Yuan, the two exchanged a military salute simultaneously before shaking hands firmly.

"Greetings. I am the Chief of Staff, Liu Yuan. The commander is currently out, but I have verified your credentials. Please, come with me to my office."

The officers with two bars and three or four stars looked at Chen Erpao with curiosity and surprise. Given their ranks, they would have been commanders or chiefs of staff at a municipal military division. They had seen plenty of important figures in their time, yet they were baffled here: what kind of background could this young man have that would make their Chief of Staff, a general himself, come out to greet him personally? Even if the Governor of Hong Kong had arrived, he would not have received such a reception.

Liu Yuan’s office was nearly twenty square meters, neat and Spartan. The walls were covered with photos, mostly old pictures from his time in the barracks—as a squad leader, then company commander, then battalion commander. He was a veteran soldier and general who had risen step by step from the grassroots.

With only the two of them left in the office, Liu Yuan spoke with a serious expression: "Comrade Chen Erpao, do you have something you need our help with? According to the typical style of Dragon Group members, every time you visit the troops, it’s to borrow personnel, haha."

Chen Erpao smiled faintly. "There is indeed something I need to trouble the Hong Kong Garrison with. In three days, I will require the strength of one platoon."

"A platoon? That is quite a force. In this day and age, with heavy firepower, a platoon could take a county seat if they launched a surprise attack," Liu Yuan said, slightly startled.

"That is correct. I am shouldering a major mission here in Hong Kong. As for the specific details, I cannot disclose them, but there may be many more times I will need to call upon the Hong Kong Garrison in the future."

Liu Yuan nodded. "Rest assured, we are all here to serve the country and the people. If you need anything in the future, just ask."

Afterward, following their discussion, Chen Erpao was invited to dine at the military canteen. To be honest, after all this time, he still missed his days in the service, so he did not refuse; he also wanted to reacquaint himself with the atmosphere of the barracks.

The canteen was large and divided into several sections: one for soldiers, one for junior officers, and one for senior officers. This was not due to class distinction, but rather a necessity to manage the sheer number of personnel. The food was the same for everyone, whether general or private.

Chen Erpao had once dined with the commander of his former unit—a Lieutenant General, a figure of great weight in the Chinese military. (Hehe, I’m showing off Erpao’s glorious history, but please don’t tell him! He always insists on being low-key, so he’d be too embarrassed to say it himself.)

The meal consisted of three dishes and a soup, quite rich and tasty. After eating, Chen Erpao walked toward the restroom ten meters away. Suddenly, a figure in a military uniform rushed toward him from behind—it appeared to be a woman, and she had a fine figure.

The figure seemed to be in a great hurry and, with her head slightly down, did not notice him, colliding directly into his back.

"I’m sorry." The figure looked up. She had a beautiful, oval face with a pair of heroic eyebrows; even without makeup, her stunning appearance could not be hidden.

She spoke quickly and did not even look Chen Erpao in the eye, which bruised his usual confidence.

Watching her rush into the women's restroom, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Not bad at all. If only we had such beautiful female soldiers in our unit back then, I wouldn't have been so lonely. Seeing how rushed she was, she must be on her period, haha."

After staying in the restroom for a while, Chen Erpao walked out and ran into the woman again at the door, though it seemed as if she had been waiting specifically for him.

"What did you just say?" the woman asked, her tone accusatory, her gaze hostile.

Chen Erpao immediately remembered his casual remark from moments ago and found it amusing. "It’s just her period, what of it?"

"Hmph! If you have the guts, say it again! Do you know the military regulations? Disrespecting an officer, or even insulting one, is punishable!"

Only then did Chen Erpao notice the one bar and two stars on her shoulder. He couldn't believe that someone so young, and a woman at that, was already a First Lieutenant.

"You really are narrow-minded, aren't you? I'm not going to argue with you." Chen Erpao gave a flat reply and turned to leave, but the female lieutenant suddenly swung a kick at him, fast and powerful, whistling through the air.

"Hmph." Chen Erpao let out a cold snort. He shifted in a flash, instantly reaching out to grab the leg. It felt surprisingly soft and elastic in his grip, and he swept his right foot out in response.

The movement happened in the blink of an eye. Before the lieutenant could react, she was sent tumbling onto the floor.

"Ah!" The tiled floor was hard, and her shapely backside made intimate contact with it. It seemed she was genuinely hurt, as she let out a soft cry of pain.

"You..." The female lieutenant jumped up quickly, her face flushed with anger. She raised her fists, ready to charge again, when suddenly a shout like a clap of thunder rang out:

"Stop!"