Chapter 552: You Think the Directing Department Is Just for Show?

The sky was clear and the air fresh, the wind gentle and the sun bright.

The 3rd Regiment's staff officer Zhang, following orders, delivered the Blue Army exercise plan to the brigade headquarters.

Listening to the car radio, he steered with one hand while the document bag sat on the passenger seat.

In his mind he imagined a bright future—becoming Chief of Staff, marrying the female army belle, and reaching the pinnacle of life.

Just as he was indulging in this fantasy, a military vehicle suddenly appeared parked on the road ahead.

Two female soldiers were squatting by the roadside, apparently using tools to change a tire, and Staff Officer Zhang immediately pulled over to help.

"Comrade, what's wrong? Do you need any help?"

A first-term female soldier rose, turned her head, and brushed her shoulder-length short hair, releasing a faint rose-scented breeze.

Adding the sweat on her forehead and the dirt smudged on her face, Staff Officer Zhang, who had been single for twenty-five years, felt his heart skip a beat.

"The tire blew out; we're trying to change it, but the lug nuts won't budge."

Staff Officer Zhang hurried out to help: "Let me handle this; this kind of heavy work isn't for you girls."

"What, you look down on us female soldiers?"

The first-term female soldier stood with hands on her hips, looking somewhat unconvinced.

Staff Officer Zhang realized his slip of the tongue and immediately apologized: "I didn't mean that; I just thought, with my strength I could loosen the nuts faster than you—you probably haven't learned car repair and don't know how to change a spare tire."

The two female soldiers were quite honest, admitting they really didn't know how to change a spare tire.

Staff Officer Zhang wore an eager smile, saying this small task would be a breeze for him.

He then knelt on the ground and voluntarily helped them change the tire, presenting the honest, simple demeanor of a straightforward person.

"There's water in the car; if you're thirsty, just take a drink."

"Isn't that a bit embarrassing?"

"No problem; anyway, it's a whole case."

From behind came the sound of a car door opening and then closing.

Staff Officer Zhang's mind suddenly clicked, as if a plug had been inserted, and he remembered he still had urgent business to attend to.

He instinctively turned his head to look at the passenger seat, but his view was blocked by a graceful figure, and then an opened bottle of mineral water was pushed toward him.

"Do you want a drink?"

"......"

Staff Officer Zhang gulped hard, his shy ears turning red.

This bottle of mineral water had been opened, and the water inside was visibly lower—clearly someone had already drunk from it.

Now she was handing it back to me; the hint was too obvious—could she be interested in me?

"Th-thank you."

After that, Staff Officer Zhang hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to put his mouth to the bottle.

Wouldn't that be an indirect kiss? He was a principled, traditional, conservative young man.

He tilted his head back, holding the bottle above him so he could drink without contact; the first-term female soldier took the chance to glance back at him.

"All done."

Soon after, Staff Officer Zhang helped mount the spare tire and tossed the damaged one into the trunk.

The two female soldiers gave sweet smiles, poured water for him to wash his hands, and sincerely expressed their thanks.

"Thank you, but I don't even know your name yet."

"By the way, are you seeing someone? Our Squad Leader is still single."

"Why don't you two exchange contact info? This weekend we could treat you to a meal if the chance arises."

"Sure!"

Staff Officer Zhang forcibly restrained his excitement, wrote his phone number on a slip of paper, and handed it to the first-term female soldier.

"Thanks, Staff Officer Zhang—let's hang out together on weekend leave~"

"Mm, okay, I'll wait for your message—we'll stay in touch by phone!"

"Goodbye~"

"Goodbye again, drive slowly and stay safe on the road!"

Staff Officer Zhang stood by the roadside waving vigorously, watching the car disappear down the road before reluctantly returning to his own vehicle.

He first glanced at the rearview mirror, thinking he still looked quite handsome and charming, then couldn't help giving himself a vigorous round of applause.

No wonder my right eye has been twitching these past two days—I thought it was a bad omen, but it turns out my peach‑blossom luck has arrived!

If I told those single dogs in the staff department, they'd surely die of envy!

"No way, I can't tell them!"

"Success comes from secrecy; what if more rivals show up?"

"Mm, we need to stay low‑key, steady, and secret—before we confirm the relationship, we absolutely must not let them know!"

Staff Officer Zhang took a deep breath, suppressing his inner joy and trying to calm his restless emotions.

His gaze flicked to the document bag on the passenger seat—everything was still there.

After confirming nothing was wrong, he restarted the car.

Just as the car was about to pull away, a horn sounded from behind.

Immediately afterward, that vehicle pulled over to the side; Staff Officer Zhang saw the person sitting in the passenger seat and hastily raised his hand in a salute.

"Chief of Staff Xiong, greetings!"

"You're going to the brigade headquarters to deliver documents?"

"Yes!"

"Just hand it to me; I'll pick it up on my way back later."

Xiao Zhang, the staff officer, immediately handed over the document bag from the passenger seat.

After Xiong Yao took the document bag, he let Lu Yang start the vehicle and continue driving forward.

"When we get there, first look at the documents."

"What is this?"

"This is your regiment's exercise operation plan; earlier you weren't here, the Regiment held a meeting and discussed, basically deciding the operation plan; your regiment is the Blue Force, while the regiment where Night Tiger is located is the Red Force."

Lu Yang glanced at it, the oil stain on the document bag's opening, and continued to focus on driving.

Half an hour later, we finally arrived at the designated exercise area.

Ahead, there were many Blue Force soldiers, digging trenches.

Exercises at regiment level and above require advance preparation time.

Especially trenches, barbed wire, and anti-tank obstacles—these cannot appear out of thin air.

Although the exercise hasn't officially started yet, both sides have actually already begun the intense preparation phase.

Moreover, the previous psychological maneuvering, strictly speaking, is also part of war preparation, a genuine psychological tactic.

"First look at the exercise plan; later I'll take you to familiarize yourself with the Blue Force's main positions."

"Ma Qing'an, Gao Feng and they have already drafted several plans; I've also looked over them, they are fairly standard."

"After conducting an on-site survey of the battlefield, later you can combine their drafted operation plan and make fine adjustments."

Lu Yang flipped through the Blue Force exercise plan: "Our battalion's operation plan also needs to be submitted together for filing with the director department, right?"

Xiong Yao: "The director department just needs a rough framework; no need for overly detailed details. Once fighting starts, it will surely deviate from the plan—battlefield conditions change instantly, and plans not keeping up with changes is perfectly normal."

Lu Yang quickly went through the operation plan once, saw no problems; it belongs to the steady, solid type.

As the Blue Force in the exercise, the defending side holding the coastal positions, Commander Wang Zhongxi, who came from the old Lu lineage, is simply a perfect fit.

So, the higher-ups actually treat a newly formed unit relatively favorably; assigned to the defensive side, the main battlefield is on land, and the combat environment is relatively good for them.

Lu Yang followed behind Xiong Yao and ran through our side's several main positions.

Looking at a soldier hard at work digging a trench, he casually asked a question.

"Are they also making preparations over there?"

"Well, their preparations will be even more thorough; amphibious warfare is our first time, while they don't know how many battles they've fought, and they're more familiar with the terrain and environment—that's their advantage."

Lu Yang asked: "Do they have positions on the coast or on nearby islands?"

Xiong Yao said: "Yes, there is a Red Force position along the coast; the exercise background states that the Red Force has a vanguard unit that has already landed on the beach and established an offensive sector; the exact location is currently unclear."

Lu Yang coughed, lowered his voice: "Chief of Staff, I'm saying hypothetically; if we find that position's location, could we first..."

He stuck out his tongue, made a gesture, a subtle throat-slashing motion.

Xiong Yao glanced at him: "You think the director department is just for show?"

Lu Yang gave an embarrassed laugh: "So I'm just saying hypothetically."

Xiong Yao coldly said: "According to the rules, it's absolutely not allowed; if someone catches wind of this and reports it to the director department, it'll be troublesome—unless you can do it without anyone knowing."

Lu Yang gave a thoughtful oh, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought...