The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 298 - 291 Reciprocity Principle

Chapter 298: Chapter 291 Reciprocity Principle

Too many people had died, leaving too many soldiers’ barracks vacant at Kandahar Air Base, so Gao Yuan and his companions never lacked for houses to live in.

It was noisy outside all night, but the music and the wild shouting never stopped.

The mood of the end-of-the-world revelry was easy to understand, yet Gao Yuan had a very peaceful night because, no matter the commotion outside, no one disturbed them. It seemed no one was truly interested in finding out what the outside world was like; they just wanted an answer, and as long as it was the answer they desired, that was enough.

As for whether it was true or false, no one cared; even if it was false, they were willing to take it as truth.

Liu Deguang’s surgery was very successful. Only after finding an appropriate environment did Wang Ning perform the operation on Liu Deguang, stitching up his wound.

Gao Yuan was surprised to find that there was still electricity here, and that the power was even sufficient for various medical devices. Therefore, he did not understand why those soldiers still used flames for illumination.

It wasn’t until ten o’clock the next morning that these questions finally were answered.

Someone was knocking at the door. Xinghe opened his eyes, then shouted to Gao Yuan, "Go open the door."

After saying that, Xinghe turned over and covered his own ears with a pillow.

Xinghe was becoming more and more like an Earthling, more specifically, like a woman.

Gao Yuan got up and opened the door, where he found Li Yang standing outside.

"Andrew has invited us to have a meal. There are two meals a day here now and he is waiting for us at the officers’ mess. He invited all of us to attend. Right now, Song Qian and I are your guards and translators. You need to carry yourself like an officer should, no, not necessarily an officer, but you definitely need to have the presence of a leader."

It was somewhat difficult for Gao Yuan to play the image of a military man, as he did not have that inherent military bearing; however, portraying a leader was easier since a leader didn’t have to be a soldier.

"Are there any principles or considerations I should be aware of?"

Gao Yuan did not quite understand the taboos in this kind of foreign interaction, but Li Yang understood them all too well.

"Reciprocity. You will quickly notice the inherent sense of superiority in Americans, plainly speaking, their arrogance. So, he might not deliberately make things difficult for us, but that Andrew will certainly flaunt his sense of superiority. That’s his problem; we don’t need to take offense or cause him embarrassment over trivial matters, but if you feel it’s too much, then you must not give in."

"What’s trivial? I don’t like this attitude of yours, always ready to let things slide. ’Let it go,’ what should we let go? If he insults you, you insult him back; if he hits you, you fight him to death!"

Li Yang gave a wry smile and said, "That’s a nice thought, but in reality... never mind, that’s what ordinary people would think anyway."

Gao Yuan zipped up his jacket and said, "Yes, common folks don’t understand high-end concerns. I know that it’s not realistic to declare war and kill someone just because they insulted you. But being too soft in the face of insults is just too bland, right?"

Li Yang scratched his face and said, "Just maintain the principle of reciprocity, and I can handle the rest as your translator."

"Alright then, that means I’m being sidelined by you, huh? Sigh... Truly, if it were up to me, I’d punch him if he insulted me, kill him if he hit me. I wouldn’t indulge his faults."

Li Yang murmured in a low voice, "You think it’s that simple..."

"I know it’s not simple. After all, the Americans still have a dozen aircraft carriers, right? That alone makes them number one in the world. I understand if we’re not as strong, but right now, here, at the end of the world, when the air force and navy are both done for and only the army remains—don’t forget, when it comes to the army, we’re their superiors!"

Li Yang suddenly froze, utterly astonished, and Gao Yuan curiously asked, "What’s wrong with you? Why are you standing in the doorway? What’s on your mind?"

Li Yang suddenly slapped his hand and then fiercely grabbed Gao Yuan’s shoulders, saying, "I know too many things, far too many, things that you guys don’t know. But you’re right about one thing, before the apocalypse our navy and air force couldn’t compete with them, but now, now I’m the best in the world!"

Li Yang was very excited, while Gao Yuan responded with surprise, "You just figured that out?"

"Mental set, I didn’t think of it at the moment. But what’s important is cooperation, cooperation! Hmm, we still need to pay attention, to be neither servile nor overbearing, to be reasonable and measured."

Li Yang seemed very excited, he turned and said, "Alright, hurry up and wash up, we’re all waiting for you. Remember, principle of equality!"

Gao Yuan helplessly curled his lip.

Zhao Qiang and Li Yang, the most significant trait of these two was their stability; entrusting them with any task meant one could rest assured that everything would be handled perfectly.

But stability also meant being conservative. Li Yang would never do anything excessive, a result of his many years of experience. Their profession inherently made them protectors; it was impossible for him to have an offensive mindset.

However, Zhao Qiang was older and had been working for far too long; it was impossible to expect him to change his habits.

But Li Yang was younger and had less working experience, so Gao Yuan felt that perhaps Li Yang could still be capable of change.

When Gao Yuan and Xinghe were about to leave, they saw Panxin and the others had all put on neat and clean uniforms, forming a horizontal line.

Gao Yuan looked at his own clothes and then asked with some confusion, "Is all this necessary?"

Pansin answered seriously, "It is. Look at the state of them; the more chaotic it gets, the more we need to showcase the true style of Shenzhou’s soldiers."

Gao Yuan whispered, "What about me?"

"You just stand on the side and lead the team; you don’t need to march in step. You wouldn’t do it well anyway."

Gao Yuan was quite speechless. He muttered, "Let’s go then. Why do I feel like I’m holding you back?"

Pansin shouted, "Right turn, march in step!"

Gao Yuan and Xinghe walked casually on the side while Li Yang followed behind Gao Yuan and Xinghe. Meanwhile, the others walked in a vertical line, marching in uniform step.

The team was missing Wang Ning and Lizhizi. Gao Yuan whispered, "Where are the doctor and the Taoist priest?"

"Doctor Wang is taking care of the wounded, and the Taoist Priest can’t march in step, so we let him help Doctor Wang."

Gao Yuan curled his lip and said, "Those who can’t march in step really do get discriminated against."

Li Yang just laughed without a word, then their noticeably distinct group caught a lot of attention as they approached the canteen.

The bizarre outfits from last night were mostly gone today. Although the military bearing was still not up to standard, each person loose and slack, at least now the soldiers here were wearing their uniforms.

Gao Yuan nodded to himself, it seemed that their arrival had indeed brought hope to the people at this base, like a shot of adrenaline, and military bearing greatly represented combat effectiveness. The soldiers who were rediscovering their military bearing symbolized a significant boost in morale.