Chapter 448: The Night's Surprise
Chapter 448: The Night's Surprise
An hour later, everyone returned to the open space within the outpost and reported the situation to Chen Chuan. However, everything seemed normal, and they didn't find anything significant.
At this moment, Chen Chuan had a hunch, but he couldn't be sure. Still, he knew the necessary preparations had to be made. However, as it was already late, he decided to focus on getting through the first night and address other matters the next day when they had more time.
To prevent any risks from personnel dispersal, this time, they didn't let the soldiers stay in the soldier dormitories. Instead, they gathered everyone in the briefing hall within the fortress.
As the sky began to darken, Chen Chuan released ten combat creatures outside. These were locally produced combat insects from Da Shun, and although they might not match the products of the Fuyan Company in various aspects, they were sufficient for sentry duty.
Moreover, when there were field creatures present, they could establish field connections and determine their conditions.
After everyone entered the briefing hall, Chen Chuan took one last look outside and closed the main gate.
As the sky outside darkened, the hall's lights stood out in the surrounding darkness. To avoid any unexpected situations, they had moved a small generator from the underground power plant and rerouted the circuits to it, sealing off the power plant.
Despite the cold wind outside, the briefing hall felt warm with so many people gathered and the generator running.
Thanks to the outpost's well-stocked supplies, including the preserved food in the officer's mess hall, Chen Chuan decided to distribute these items and provide everyone with a hot meal.
Furthermore, he allowed the distribution of sugar sticks, a privilege usually reserved for officers and fighters, instead of letting them chew on nutrient paste.
After this warm meal and the sugar sticks, morale visibly rose. Every soldier held a hot beverage, wrapped in thick blankets, and their faces lit up with smiles.
The last time, this small team didn't accompany Chen Chuan, but they still received commendations and bonuses. They knew their leader was reliable, so even though they knew this mission was challenging, they remained motivated without any complaints.
After everyone relaxed, a soldier spoke up, "Captain, can you tell us about yourself?"
"Yes, Captain, can you tell us about yourself?"
Most soldiers were curious about this young captain. They wanted to know more about him, so they could have something to talk about when encountering other teams.
A team captain immediately reprimanded, "What nonsense are you talking about? The captain is a fighter, and his background and identity are confidential. Do you want to spread rumors and leak secrets?"
"But it's boring to keep quiet. Can't we talk about something?"
A playful soldier joked, "If I say so, this place, telling ghost stories seems like a good idea." He looked at a tall soldier with a mischievous smile, "Just be careful not to scare Dakuai into wetting his pants. If he does, he'll have to go next door alone, no one will accompany him."
"Who, who would wet their pants?"
The tall soldier's face turned red with embarrassment. He looked at Chen Chuan and said, "Captain, don't listen to their nonsense. It's all made-up!"
"Fine, then let's hear it."
A soldier joined in, "I think it's a good idea."
Other soldiers chimed in with agreement.
Yuan Qiuyuan found the atmosphere amusing. Indeed, the ambiance and location were perfect for ghost stories.
He looked at Chen Chuan, who nodded in response.
Seeing Chen Chuan's approval, Yuan Qiuyuan cleared his throat, "Since everyone is in high spirits, I'll warm up the atmosphere and tell a story."
"Yes, yes, yes!" The soldiers clapped and whistled.
Yuan Qiuyuan straightened his chest, "Let me tell you about something a friend of mine personally witnessed..."
"Yuan Executor, is this friend you're talking about yourself?"
"Hey, are you even listening? Does it matter?" Yuan Qiuyuan said impatiently.
"Yes, we want to listen."
The surrounding soldiers gathered closer, some bringing snacks, and they sat on the carpet surrounding Yuan Qiuyuan.
At this moment, the sky outside had completely darkened, and only darkness could be seen through the windows, except for the illuminated area where the soldiers sat.
Yuan Qiuyuan began, "It's like this... When I was young, I had a friend who loved playing at a nearby temple. The deity statue there was unique, a goddess, and the sculpture was beautiful. Its color was especially captivating, and it drew my friend's attention.
One day, my friend played hide-and-seek with others and hid under the offering table. However, no one came to find him, and he fell asleep..."
The soldiers listened intently, and no one spoke.
"When my friend woke up, he found the temple's candlelight still burning. He discovered that..."
Just at this moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew by, and he noticed that the clothes on the statue seemed to flutter. Only then did he realize that the clothes weren't part of the clay sculpture but were actually worn on it. Curious, he walked over, and just as he was about to touch it...”
“Bang, bang, bang...”
At that very moment, a series of knocks sounded from outside.
Everyone was taken aback and looked outside the hall with dissatisfaction. Who was out there and hadn't come in? Wasn't this disrupting the atmosphere?
But then they realized something was amiss; no one had gone out earlier.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat as they instinctively turned to look at Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan glanced outside and said to Yuan Qiuyuan, "Yuan Executor, please continue."
Yuan Qiuyuan's eyes flickered, and he sighed, spreading his hands in complaint, "Captain, I was just setting the mood, and now it's ruined. I'll continue another time, another time..."
His words instantly made many people feel dissatisfied. Was he going to leave them hanging like that? Didn't he care about keeping them on edge?
But to everyone's surprise, the tense atmosphere did indeed dissipate a bit, and the crowd wasn't as tense as before.
At this moment, the little captain stepped forward and said, "If Yuan Executor doesn't want to continue, I'll tell a story instead."
He proceeded to tell a story about a hometown water ghost, a bit cliche and old-fashioned, but it got the ball rolling.
The knocking outside had stopped at some point, but after a while, another sound emerged—the steady footsteps of patrolling soldiers and their roll call.
As each soldier's name was called, they would respond, and these were the soldiers originally stationed at the fort. But after over a hundred names were called, the roll call didn't stop; it continued.
"Yin Dakuai!"
"Present!"
The big man named "Dakuai" suddenly realized what was happening, and his face turned pale. "I... I..."
Not only him, but every team member's name was called out. Though they didn't respond, their hearts were racing, and they became restless.
Chen Chuan calmly said, "There's no need to overthink it. Just say what you want to say." He then turned to Qin Qingque, "Qin Executor, go sit by the door."
"Yes, Captain!"
Qin Qingque stood up without hesitation and walked to the spot closest to the door. From there, she could hear the outside sounds most clearly, but her face showed no sign of panic. Instead, she calmly took out some documents and began reading them.
Seeing Chen Chuan and Qin Qingque's composed behavior, the other team members were also influenced. Their emotions gradually settled, and one by one, they started telling stories, each speaking loudly, regardless of the quality of the story. This inevitably led to a round of enthusiastic applause and cheers.
The clapping and cheers were so loud that they drowned out any outside sounds, and at some point, those noises completely disappeared.
By the time it was late into the night, every team member had taken their turn. They then went back to their sleeping bags one by one.
Chen Chuan remained seated, flipping through documents in the light.
The night passed like this.
When the team members woke up, they found that the sky outside had already brightened.
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
The team members emerged from their sleeping bags, saluted him with their chests out.
Chen Chuan stood up from his seat, returned the salute, and walked towards the main door under everyone's gaze.
He reached out, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. A bright ray of sunlight streamed in, accompanied by a gust of cold wind that quickly filled the hall.
The snow outside had stopped, and a thick layer had accumulated on the ground.
Chen Chuan's gaze fell upon a row of footprints below the door, belonging to some unknown creature, each about half a meter in diameter.
These footprints should have been deeply embedded in the snow, but it seemed the creature had left some time ago, as the prints led all the way to the main gate.
Yuan Qiuyuan walked over, crouched down to examine the footprints, and then looked up, saying, "Captain, this is..."
Chen Chuan didn't respond but instead looked outside and said, "Have everyone clear the snow outside. We have a lot to do today."
"Yes, sir!"
As the team members went outside, the combat creatures on guard duty also returned, the same number as the previous day, with no losses. It seemed there hadn't been any incidents the night before, but the footprints by the door suggested otherwise.
Chen Chuan spoke to Yuan and Qin, then returned to the commander's office alone. From the window there, he could see the door of the briefing hall below.
He placed the documents in his hand on the desk and said, looking down, "This angle allows us to observe the situation below, doesn't it, Captain Fei?"
After he finished speaking, a voice came from behind him after a while, "How do you know that?"
(End of Chapter)
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