Chapter 10: The Pursuers Are Soldiers Too

"Genius?"

"Genius is just the threshold to meet you."

Zhang Mingrui shook his head in disbelief.

To repair a '59 vehicle barehanded—

That could no longer be described as mere genius.

Within the military, especially in the equipment department,

There were many mechanical prodigies.

Even Liu Yuan standing beside him,

A rare first-class sergeant major in the military district, enjoying special state allowances,

Remained silent and clueless when faced with such a challenge.

"Young comrade, let me be frank with you."

"Your repair skills alone are enough to cause a security breach."

"I'm here today precisely because of this matter."

Wei Xiu hurriedly waved his hand, "I only livestream to earn some pocket money, never thought about any security leaks."

"Hmm, I believe you."

Zhang Mingrui nodded.

If there had been any hint of security breaches,

By now, Wei Xiu would have found a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.

"Our security department investigated and confirmed you’re clean."

"Of course," Wei Xiu replied earnestly. "I’m of pure and loyal lineage."

"Hmm? How so? Are you military kin?"

There was a hint of delight in Zhang Mingrui's eyes.

Wei Xiu nodded, "Sort of; my grandfather participated in the Long March."

"An old soldier’s descendant?"

Zhang Mingrui’s pupils contracted sharply, thinking, this is truly pure and loyal lineage.

In fact,

If one were an old soldier’s descendant,

Wei Xiu’s modest background would seem quite humble.

But the problem was,

The security colleagues hadn’t even mentioned this during their check.

If he truly belonged to a Red Third Generation family, the files would confirm it without fail.

"Young comrade, to be honest, we investigated but found no such records as you described."

"Which army was your grandfather in?"

"If we missed anything, I’ll make sure to add it immediately."

Wei Xiu wouldn’t lie: "He was in the Fifth Army."

Hearing him speak so clearly, Zhang Mingrui felt a bit guilty.

"What’s your grandfather’s name?"

"Who was his commander?"

"I’ll have the armament department arrange special benefits for you immediately!"

Wei Xiu blurted out, "My grandfather’s name was Wei Xiao, and his commander was Xue Yue."

"???"

Zhang Mingrui was stunned.

His eyes widened like eggs.

Wait, so your grandfather was among the pursuing forces?

The next moment,

Liu Yuan also caught on and burst out laughing.

---

"No, young man, you call that pure and loyal lineage?"

Wei Xiu: "Pursuing soldiers are soldiers too."

"If your grandfather was a soldier, then our talk wasn’t in vain."

"You must be a soldier yourself."

Zhang Mingrui formally extended his right hand.

"My name is Zhang Mingrui, head of the Armament Department for the Qilin War Zone."

Wei Xiu was momentarily stunned but silently reached out his hand.

Honestly,

He could guess these two were officers.

But never did he expect them to be star-bearing generals.

"You should have said so earlier; I wouldn’t have joked around."

"No harm in joking," Zhang Mingrui beamed. "What I’m about to say is as the head of the Military District Armament Department."

"Young Comrade Wei, your professional skills are outstanding, and the military district urgently needs talents like you."

"On behalf of the Armament Department, I invite you to enlist."

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiu’s face changed instantly, pointing at himself, "Me?"

Just me?

A mere amateur?

I only make a living online thanks to Brother Tongzi.

Never expected the military to notice me.

Noticing Wei Xiu’s self-deprecating tone, Zhang Mingrui emphasized again.

"In all my years in the military, I’ve never seen someone as skilled as you."

"If you’re willing, I can arrange a special recruitment for you."

"With the rank of major."

Hearing this, Liu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Goodness!

Minister Zhang was really laying it on thick.

Special recruitment is not uncommon.

Anyone with certain professional skills can be specially recruited.

But usually, special recruits start as junior officers.

And only those with exceptionally outstanding skills and qualities.

Being enlisted directly as a major is usually reserved for doctoral students with remarkable academic achievements.

In other words—

Minister Zhang regarded Wei Xiu’s level as equivalent to a top doctoral graduate.

Chilling to think about,

Even at a rough glance.

A young man in his early twenties enlisting as a major.

This is a height many soldiers never reach in a lifetime.

Majors earn nearly seventeen to eighteen thousand yuan monthly, including allowances.

The military hospital provides comprehensive healthcare free of charge.

Most importantly,

Field officers have broad promotion prospects.

If he works hard,

For a young guy like Wei Xiu, rapid promotion would be a matter of minutes, with limitless future.

No exaggeration.

If Wei Xiu is willing, his life would be like having a cheat code activated.

Liu Yuan himself was almost drooling.

"Sorry."

But at that moment, Wei Xiu looked up.

His gaze met Zhang Mingrui’s, unshakably firm.

"I still want to stay here and repair household appliances."

???

???

???

"Repair household appliances?"

Zhang Mingrui was momentarily stunned but quickly composed himself.

"Young man, maybe you didn’t understand."

"As long as you come with me, your benefits will far exceed what you have now."

"I won’t even mention the salary."

"As long as you work hard, after discharge you’ll at least be a county-level cadre."

Wei Xiu shook his head, "Thank you for your kind offer, but I want to stay rooted at the grassroots."

"If I leave, there’ll be no one to fix the elders’ kettles."

"The military is different."

"One more or less doesn’t matter; it will function just fine without me."

Zhang Mingrui immediately fell silent.

The silence was deafening.

Before, he only admired Wei Xiu’s talent.

Now,

He felt profound respect.

At just over twenty years old, to hold such a lofty perspective.

While peers boast with empty talk, talking big but achieving little,

Wei Xiu gave up generous treatment to open a repair shop in town.

Because he couldn’t earn much, he even livestreamed for subsidies.

Despite such hardships, he never gave up.

Zhang Mingrui suddenly felt insignificant.

Using high-ranking official’s generous offers to tempt Wei Xiu was truly futile.

Thinking this, Zhang Mingrui gave a thumbs-up.

"You not only have excellent professional skills, but your character is impeccable as well."

Wei Xiu nodded, "Ah, stop praising me, or I won’t be able to keep it together."

No joke.

He really wouldn’t be able to keep it together.

Putting the benefits aside, Wei Xiu dreamed of wearing the uniform.

But it’s not that he doesn’t want to.

He just recently took on a system mission.

He has to gain one million followers within a month, after which he’ll be rewarded with an industrial-grade machine.

Once he joins the military, it means automatically giving up that industrial machine.

He can calculate this clearly.

Even if he wanted to enlist, he must finish this mission first.

So he solemnly looked up.

"Commander, rejecting enlistment doesn’t mean refusing to serve the country."

"Since you value me,"

"If you need repairs in the future, just come find me."

"Militia members are soldiers too."