Chapter 253: We Must Guard the Bottom Line, Guard the Red Line!

Chief of Staff, hello!

Hmm.

The division headquarters' conference room door swung open.

As Chief of Staff Xiong Yao entered, leading the Zhencha Daitui's Yang Yong, the division's regiment commanders rose and saluted.

Xiong Yao, expressionless, walked to the front conference table, gave a perfunctory salute, and said a single word.

"Sit."

Wang Zhongxi sat down, and across from him another regiment commander gave him a look.

Having worked together so long, everyone knew something about Chief of Staff Xiong's temperament.

Whenever someone enters the conference room expressionlessly and gives a perfunctory salute, they're usually not in a good mood.

That means the upcoming meeting will likely be oppressive, and someone might suffer because of it.

After sitting down, Xiong Yao said in a cold tone, "Yesterday morning I went to the Group Army and stood at the senior commander's office door for a full two hours."

"Inside, the senior commander said nothing, just tossed me an envelope and told me to open it back at the base."

"Today I printed several extra copies of the photos, hoping to share them with you all."

Xiong Yao turned his neck, and the Zhencha Daitui commander Yang Yong immediately stood up.

He took out the pre‑prepared envelopes one by one and handed them out.

When they first received the envelopes, everyone looked at each other, puzzled.

Wang Zhongxi was the same, but he noticed the pale‑faced Regiment Commander Qiu of the 441st Regiment beside him, a cold sweat on his temple.

Even though the conference room had the air‑conditioning on, it wasn't hot enough to make anyone sweat; this made him instantly realize the envelope's contents were probably closely linked to that recent incident involving the 441st Regiment.

"Shall we all open them and take a look?"

Wang Zhongxi opened the envelope and took out the two photos inside.

The first photo showed a training plan from an Army unit.

However, the plan abruptly listed swimming, wading, underwater breath‑holding, and boat handling—a series of water‑based exercises.

The second photo was clearly taken covertly from the trees on the riverbank.

Although a bit blurry, it still showed several soldiers in Army camouflage swimming vigorously in the river.

On the bank stood a few drenched soldiers, gasping for breath and resting.

The two photos seemed to contain little information, yet both pointed toward the division and even the Group Army's next overall direction.

Wang Zhongxi furrowed his brow and glanced again at Regiment Commander Qiu of the 441st Regiment.

Seeing his face turn even paler and his hand tremble slightly while holding the photos, he became more convinced of his suspicion.

"Everyone, you see clearly now, right?"

Xiong Yao's gaze swept over the regiment commanders present and finally settled on Regiment Commander Qiu of the 441st Regiment.

"This photo was captured by a comrade from the cybersecurity department from a foreign military news website."

"In other words, what should have been top‑secret is now being spread everywhere, all over the place."

"Heh, secrecy, secrecy—kept until the end, only to become a joke?"

Xiong Yao let out a cold laugh, and the room fell silent as if chilled cicadas, the temperature dropping a few degrees.

Many eyes turned to the pale‑faced Regiment Commander Qiu, and they silently worried for him.

A certain company of the 441st Regiment was selected by superiors as a pilot, becoming the Army's vanguard supporting Navy forces.

Because the prior secrecy work was done well, even Wang Zhongxi and the other regiment commanders were unaware.

But they never imagined it would be exposed on a foreign military news site, causing the senior commander to lose face and forcing a reshuffle of the plan.

"Qiu Dahong."

"Present!"

Regiment Commander Qiu stood up and replied with a trembling, "Here."

Xiong Yao interlaced his ten fingers, stared coldly at him, and asked, "Do you have anything to say?"

Regiment Commander Qiu cleared his throat: "In this matter I bear inescapable responsibility. It was my failure to maintain secrecy that let the training plan leak, and my failure to secure it that gave the spy a chance!"

"I don't want a summary; I want to know what you propose to do next."

"Our regiment has already begun a strict disciplinary overhaul, cracking down hard on all violations; ideologically, fundamentally, we will eradicate such detrimental situations!"

"Anything else?"

"From now on, before any field training, we will clear the surroundings in advance, regardless of the training type; we will increase patrol personnel, patrol vehicles, even deploy drones, ensuring spies have no opening!"

Regiment Commander Qiu pledged with all his might, even staking his military honor and this uniform.

But Xiong Yao still gave him no favorable look.

"This incident has a terribly harmful impact, with extremely serious consequences. Although the soldier who leaked the information has been discharged and thrown into prison, the lingering negative effects remain."

"At its core, this stems from huge hidden problems in the rank‑and‑file soldiers' mindset, political education, and military training."

"In our troops there are a few male comrades who, when they see a woman, become speechless; crudely put, they act like a pig‑headed fool."

"Those female spies, with a bit of sweet talk or minor tricks, even feign a little affection."

"All principles and regulations have been tossed aside!"

"But on this point, I must especially commend the Special Third Regiment!"

All eyes focused on Wang Zhongxi, making him straighten his back involuntarily.

Xiong Yao said with satisfaction, "Before this, the Special Third Regiment had proactively conducted self‑inspections of frontline soldiers' mobile communications and chat apps, snuffing out any potential risks at the bud."

"We live in an era where the internet constantly rises, countless electronic devices emerge, information channels multiply, and temptations abound."

"Seeking love and romance isn't wrong, but as soldiers we must hold the bottom line and know where the red line lies!"

Regiment Commander Qiu looked at Wang Zhongxi with great surprise; if he could plan so prudently, he wouldn't have been publicly singled out for criticism.

Wang Zhongxi was also delighted in his heart, never expecting that merely putting the Sixth Company Commander's suggestion raised at the Tuan Bu meeting into written form and submitting it in the Work Log would attract such great attention.

It is said that the matter originated with Kang Changyi, who had previously been demoted by him to an ordinary soldier.

And the idea of self-criticism and self-examination was first proposed by Lu Yang.

This also allowed him to regain face nicely before his peers in the Division.

There were criticisms and praises; next came the meeting's concluding remarks.

Xiong Yao tapped his fingers on the table and said sternly: "Here, I reiterate once more! Strongly supporting navy construction is our Division's current and next-phase focus!"

"These two photos are not just a simple leak; they are also a provocation and a slap in the face to our national defense security!"

"If we can't even guard such a small matter, how can we expect the army to defend the nation, protect our homeland, and safeguard the people?"

"From now on, if such a situation occurs again, besides punishing those responsible, the Regiment Commander and Political Commissar should not come to apologize; the Division Chief means it's best to directly resign out of responsibility, take off the uniform and leave!"

"Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

"Moreover, for the next three to four months, all outings and family-visit leaves are cancelled; all units will strictly enforce training and fully prepare for the post-year exercises!"

"Yes!!"

"Really comfortable, it's truly comfortable to have eaten one's fill~"

Kang Changyi held a toothpick in his mouth, patting his round, full belly with a satisfied expression.

Lu Yang and Zhou Kaidong were also full to bursting, unable to walk.

"This old Sichuan place, the taste is truly not bad!"

"We three old guys ordered a whole table of dishes in a hurry, and it only cost 160!"

"The hot and sour potato shreds are eight yuan a plate, the fish-fragrant pork shreds only eighteen, and there's also that tomato egg soup—goodness, a big bowl for just eight yuan!"

"This old Sichuan place has improved its flavor; when you have time off and get a chance to come to the Sichuan-Chongqing area, I'll take you to eat the most authentic Sichuan cuisine—that's where the real flavor is!"

Just moments ago, Lu Yang and Kang Changyi had been laughing and chatting, but suddenly they fell silent, turning their heads to look at Zhou Kaidong without saying a word.

Earlier, we were so busy eating and carrying on that we almost forgot Zhou Kaidong's impending discharge.

Now that we suddenly remembered, our cheerful mood instantly turned gloomy.

Zhou Kaidong, however, took it in stride and actively comforted the two.

"Alright, it's not such a big deal—I'm just discharged, not dead."

"Longguo soldiers come from the people and return to the people—isn't that great?"

"You don't need to worry about me; the spirit forged by the unit gives me the courage to walk on alone."

"I have a distant maternal uncle who runs a factory in Hibiscus City; he'll let me work there after I'm discharged. Then I can go on a blind date, get married early, and live a happy life."

Lu Yang nodded; the Squad Leader thinking that way is naturally the best.

Kang Changyi felt uneasy inside; after finally going through all this, the misunderstandings, conflicts, and estrangements have been cleared away.

Before we could even fight side by side again, he's about to be discharged—a great regret for him.

After all, in the previous exercise it was he who caused Zhou Kaidong's death; to be fair, Zhou Kaidong should also cause his death for a while.

Zhou Kaidong put his arms around their shoulders, grinning broadly: "Come on, while it's still light, let's go get a foot massage to relax. I know there's a foot therapy shop in town; their special services are great."

Kang Changyi's eyes lit up, drool dripping.

Because his family is strict, he's never been to a foot therapy shop in his life.

He's always heard that place is especially mysterious, a rite of passage for men growing up.

Especially the third floor, which is an untouchable taboo, like the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden.

Lu Yang raised his eyebrows slightly: "Squad Leader, have you been to a foot therapy shop?"

"Who asks that? Which veteran hasn't been?"

"That impressive?"

"Let me tell you this: back when I was a new recruit, I went with a few slick old-timers. They all went up to the third floor, while I just sat downstairs."

"Why?"

"Afraid of dirt, being a neat freak, plus we're upstanding people!"

"Couldn't it just be because we're poor, have no money?"

Lu Yang's one sentence stabbed straight into Zhou Kaidong's lungs.

Kang Changyi added: "Or maybe it's just stinginess, or the hair hasn't grown in yet—hahaha!"

Zhou Kaidong, furious, lifted a leg to kick Lu Yang's butt, but it was dodged.

He lifted another leg to kick Kang Changyi, but that was also dodged.

But the chestnut he swung still hit Kang Changyi on the head.

In pain, he covered his head and kept stamping his feet, tears streaming out with a snorting sound.