Plague Doctor

Chapter 67: Special Mobile Force

“Special Mobile Force,” Zhou Jiaqiang stressed as he pressed on the remote to play the promo on the big screen. After many cliched and unimportant shots, the group finally saw a cut that had a much higher production value. Groups of people seemed to separate into different teams. Some leaned against a tank inside a garage, some trekked on abandoned mountainous routes, and some wandered seemingly aimlessly in the desert.

“Every member of this force is handpicked from the best member of each department. They are the elite of the elite! It will be these elites who form different units, focusing on different mission types, of various scales, and unique objectives. For example, there’s a fighting unit, an investigation unit, a medical unit, a composite unit, and so on.” Brother Qiang paused before continuing with reverence in his tone. “But the binding thread among all of them is that the Special Mobile Forces will always be conducting the most important and also the most dangerous missions on the front line. Every unit is independent, but they must be ready to provide support for each department at any time. In other words, wherever the Special Mobile Force is needed, that will be where you’ll find them.”

The group’s interest was piqued, especially among the boys, because this sounded so heroic. Gu Jun’s eyes focused, this was the break he was looking for, he had to fight his hardest to get into this unit. He was a student of medicine, so he could not join the Investigation Department, but if he managed to join the Special Mobile Force, he would have the opportunity to get close to the core secrets of Phecda.

“If any of you wish to join the Special Mobile Force, you’ll have to work much harder,” Zhou Jiaqiang added. “Currently, they are lacking manpower, so there are plenty of open doors, but…

“They have a permanent unit and a temporary unit, the latter being the kind that will be dissolved once the mission is over. There are also units that do not dissolve, but they will never be sent out on missions again, why?” He sighed. “Because all of the members have died.”

Silence fell over the room. The threat of danger filled the air. Who was the member who captured the Malformed Banyan Humanoid? Who was the member who transported the people who were infected by the disease here? The Action Department or a unit from the Special Mobile Force?

Regarding this inherent danger, Gu Jun felt it the most acutely because among the nine, he was the only one who had gotten the chance to see the Malformed Banyan Humanoid up close. At the time, he did not remember seeing any external wounds or gun wounds on the tree. Professor Qin had also said that it died from sterile experimentation, and the tree was captured alive. But if one came into contact with the black sap of the malformed tree, they would be infected.

“It is not that easy to get into the Special Mobile Force,” Brother Qiang said. “All of you know that Ah Jun is the one closest to its door, so why don’t the rest of you take him as your target for now?”

The rest of the group nodded. They did not feel undermined or underestimated. After all, after spending a month of training together, some things could be said without much explanation. Zhou Jiaqing was not worried about the pride getting to Gu Jun’s head either. If anything, he felt like the kid was too rational. Sometimes, some emotions were needed in their line of work; it would help with the stress.

“Brother Qiang, will I be given the chance to join in the near future?” Gu Jun could not help but ask. Even though this was not really an appropriate place to ask, he really wanted to know. For now, none of them had received any notice for official placement, but he was the only one who was given additional training in ‘fieldwork’. Now that the chips were falling into place, Gu Jun understood that this was probably Phecda training him as a reserve for the Special Mobile Force.

“I have no clue.” Zhou Jiaqiang shrugged. “And that is the truth. I am not a part of the decision-making process on how you guys are assigned. Ah Jun, if I were you, I won’t stress too much. You should take a break for the day.”

Even Brother Qiang could not help but give him some advice. “Those in our line of work need to mind the balance between rest and work.”

The rest of the group concurred. With an S value at seventy-five, shouldn’t he really take a break?

Gu Jun nodded along. In his mind, he also tried to persuade himself to see their point of view, telling himself that it was best for him to rest for the day.

…

After Zhou Jiaqiang gave the group their final lecture, he left to deal with other business. Then, the people from the Recreational Department came to lead them to the ice-breaking venue. This was the first time they had left the base for the Medical Department for a whole month. They rode the small van to return to the outside world, more specifically the urban city of East State.

The crowded street, the traffic jam, the shrill horns, the bustling crowd—these mundane and even annoying everyday things had a melancholic pull to them. Even the polluted air of the city felt more refreshing than the clean air of the countryside base at that moment.

The venue was not a secret location; it was a large ballroom in a five-star hotel in the Qing Yun district. It was noon when they arrived, and the lavish ballroom was bustling with activity. The chandeliers lit up the hall brilliantly, shining the spotlight on the young faces of the new members from each department. People walked about and interacted. The party was in a buffet style, so there was plenty of freedom. As they looked at the delicious food, the beauties from the other department, and most importantly, the lack of the smell of formalin and disinfectant… the boys soon realized the importance of recreation! Each of them could feel their S value slowly recovering.

Now, how should one approach ladies again?

The girls also noticed the handsome men from the other department, and none of them looked like they were balding… Well, two could play that game.

Gu Jun was still caught in the noise around him when he heard a joyful call of his name. “Gu Jun! My old buddy, hahaha.”

He turned around to see a figure rushing toward him. Then, a pair of arms moved in to envelope him. It was Lee Yuerui, whom he had not met since the incident. The man had cut off his ridiculous afro and now sported clean, short hair. He was in casual wear and looked refreshed. The plaster around his right forearm had been removed. From the way he waved it around, it appeared like the injury had healed quite perfectly.

“Lee Yuerui.” Gu Jun felt the smile coming to his lips. Even though he had guessed that they were fine, he still felt happy to be proved that in person.

“Wu Dong! Wu Dong!” Lee Yuerui yelled at the top of his lungs. “Xiaotang, Xiaotang! Gu Jun is over here, come!”

Wang Ruoxiang, Cai Zixuan, and the rest who came with Gu Jun were still confused by this reunion when they saw two more people walk over. Naturally, Gu Jun recognized both of them, the muscleman Wu Dong and the rebel princess Li Xiaotang. Their dress sense had changed; Lin Xiaotang appeared more mature and had lost the icy front that she put on. She regarded them with smiles.

“Doctor Gu!” Wu Dong gripped Gu Jun’s hands tightly and refused to let you. “I miss you so much. Finally, we meet again.”

Then, introductions were made. Lee Yuerui and his friends were all new members at the Recreation Department, and they were G- Grade Members. It meant that they were just slightly better than interns. Most members of the Recreation Department were at this state; only a small handful had the G Grade Membership. Even though the Recreation Department was the least technical department in Phecda, Gu Jun still thought that these three dragged down the overall standard of Phecda.

“Let me tell you, Gu Jun here is my life savior.” Lee Yuerui filled the rest in with his colorful description on the incident at the Longkan Submarine Volcanic Belt. “At that time, it was so chaotic. I was flung about like a volleyball, but Gu Jun managed to reach out and grab him! Then he helped me stop the bleeding and bandage my wound while we were still inside the submarine. He was truly a god.”

The group was not surprised that Gu Jun was capable of something like that. As Cai Zixuan listened to the story, he added with a sigh, “Silent as a hill in rest but quick as a hare in motion.”

“Indeed.” Wu Dong was still reeling from the close brush with death. “If not for Gu Jun, I would have died that day.”

Wang Ruoxiang asked Gu Jun. “Didn’t you say you have been working hard for a period of time, so in truth, you were on holiday?”

“Well, the hardwork started after I finished the holiday,” Gu Jun explained.

“Hmm.” Wang Ruoxiang was stumped then. In other words, he had surpassed the rest of them in less than half a month…

Gu Jun still had questions of his own, the type that would not involve the rest, so he told the others directly, “We still have some things to catch up on in private.”

The group nodded in understanding. They soon dispersed to find new company.

“What happened after we separated?” Gu Jun asked Lee Yuerui and his friend in a serious tone. “And was it really you guys who sent me the mobile phone?”