Amidst the swirling smoke, Xu Le narrowed his eyes and sucked hard on the cigarette between his lips. He said vaguely but with an exceptionally firm tone, "Even if you beat me to death, I will not go on camera and perform like these guys. What the hell is this? And that guy on the 13th floor, is there something wrong with his head? He shouted in front of the entire Federation that he wants to be a marshal! "
In the dimly lit room, the TV screen was playing the end of the Federation's most popular reality documentary recently. The somewhat familiar figure in the twilight made Xu Le's cheeks heat up. He did not understand how the cameraman had managed to capture the feeling of desolation when he was in a daze. He was even more annoyed by the way the cameraman had pretended to be lonely and imitated despair.
Xiong Linquan chuckled and took a big gulp of the strong tea from the plastic pot in front of him. He pressed the remote control to change the channel and said, "I think it's pretty good."
Beside him, Magnolia Bai also smiled and said, "Actually, with such a camera crew in the team, sometimes it can really adjust the atmosphere. However, after shooting for so long, in the end, only one episode can be filmed. I heard that the head of the Ministry of Defense's propaganda department and the news channel … have a lot of opinions about you."
Xu Le licked his lips, lowered his head and flicked the ash from his cigarette. He chuckled and said, "This is an agreement that was reached beforehand. Don't worry too much about it."
"I think their main headache is that you have to wear sunglasses before you are willing to appear on camera, and that you are unwilling to accept a direct interview," Lan Xiaolong said with a shrug.
Xu Le shook his head, pushed open the door, and walked out. The fresh air of the military camp flowed in with the wind, making him feel refreshed.
In the barracks, the soldiers of Group 7 were gathered in groups. Like Xu Le and the other officers, they had just finished watching the documentary. For many of them, when they first appeared on TV, they attached great importance to their own documentary. At this moment, many of them were reminiscing about how they looked on the camera and regretting that they spoke foolishly. From time to time, there would be bursts of laughter in the crowd. Further away, in the barracks of the ground team, Da Vinci and Xiao Shisan were having an exaggerated argument, which then turned into a wrestling match. In the end, without any suspense, the son of the governor was pressed down heavily by the son of the farmer, tossing and turning in pain …
Looking at this scene, Xu Le couldn't help but scratch his head and laugh. The anger he felt when watching the TV disappeared without a trace.
The broadcast of the documentary series "Iron Seven" was another important move by the President's Office, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Federation News Channel, after the unprecedented live broadcast of the Iron Seven Division's military operations.
Unlike the previous live broadcast of the northern expedition on planet 5460, this series of documentaries focused on the lives of the frontline troops and some specific details. The complexity of the composition of Group 7, as well as the natural conflict between the fierce civilian veterans and the noble young recruits, naturally had some kind of inherent drama tension.
After the first episode of the documentary series "Iron Seven" was broadcast, it immediately received the attention of the people of the Federation. While easily winning high ratings, it also sparked a heated discussion among the people on the capital planet. For the people living on the peace planet, it was the first time they had a close understanding of the specific days in the military camp. They were curious about the negative effects of the social class differences in the troops.
Tonight was the second episode. At this time, more than two months had passed since Group 7 arrived on planet 163, and more than 20 days had passed since the Venus Documentary Film Studio finished filming. It was believed that after tonight, there would be a heated discussion in the entire Federation.
As the person involved, as the commanding officer of Group 7, and as the person who specifically manipulated the will of the Federation government, Xu Le understood better than anyone else the deep meaning of this series of documentaries. The President and the military needed to use Group 7's movie-like experience on the frontline to suppress the protests of some anti-war activists and to mend the huge gap between the rich and poor in the Federation.
Based on this understanding, Xu Le had never been enthusiastic about this matter. It was just a theatrical performance for the political needs of the Federation. No matter how he looked at it, there was always a sense of unhappiness. But today, seeing the excited reactions of the members in the military camp, his attitude changed a little.
He stood on the stairs and quietly watched the veterans and recruits mingling together. He felt a little satisfied. Dozens of days of life and death together on the battlefield could indeed change a lot. This kind of complete trust of entrusting one's back and life to one's companions could even change the attitude of many people for life.
…
…
Just like how Bai Yulan sighed with emotion after the end of the first mission. Although the members of Group 7 had special identities, the President and the Department of Defense could not really send countless iron soldiers to babysit these over one hundred people.
But perhaps there was something in the unseen world that was protecting this group that carried too many missions and meanings. Perhaps the Creator of the Constellation could not bear to see this nominally mercenary group become a tragic symbol under the eyes of hundreds of millions of people in the Federation.
Group 7 had been on Planet 163 for two and a half months, and had carried out 11 Bureau of Proclamation missions. But miraculously, no one died.
Only six recruits and one unlucky veteran who stepped on an anti-infantry mine buried by the Empire beside the Shy Tree were sent back to the main planet of the West Woods by the warship because their injuries were too serious. Among the seven wounded, four of them had to be amputated.
On the battlefield, someone could die at any time, but none of Group 7 was willing to die. These injuries and losses could not bring sadness to the team. On the contrary, because they felt the threat of death together, but no one really died, everyone in Group 7 was in an extremely harmonious atmosphere.
"Good morning, Supervisor!"
"Good morning, Supervisor!"
In the corner of the living area of the military camp, the soldiers who did not sit on the chairs but insisted on squatting by the training ground were laughing and talking about yesterday's television. Suddenly, they saw two people walking towards them. They immediately sprung up like springs, saluted, and greeted them loudly.
But their left hands were still holding lunch boxes, and some of them had their mouths full of food, making them look especially funny.
Xu Le, who was wearing sunglasses, shook his head helplessly. He glanced at the film crew not far away and thought, 'If this continues, these soldiers in Group 7 will become natural comedians.'
According to military discipline, the soldiers who saluted by the roadside should respectfully call him 'Sir'. But for some reason, when Xu Le heard the word 'Sir', he felt chills all over his body. His hair stood on end, and when he straightened his collar, he also felt a cold wind blowing at the back of his neck …
After queuing up and taking his meal, Xu Le sat at the table under the sunlight and ate the standard meal consisting of three green vegetables, five servings of nutritious paste, a spoonful of rice, and a small string of salted vegetables. There was not a trace of disgust in his straight eyebrows.
The soldiers in Group 7 subconsciously sat around him. No one dared to disturb him, but no one was willing to be too far away from him. He was like the center of a circle that did not know what to say. But because of a special trait that was difficult to describe with words, he attracted a lot of things around him. Probably only the soldiers in Group 7 could clearly describe what this special trait was. It was Xu Le's brave and steady performance in every battle. It was because he saved the lives of many people, and it was because of his silent nature.
At this time, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the living area. The team members who were eating turned their heads in shock and saw that under a wild tree, the delicate Gu Xifeng was arguing angrily with the curly-haired technical officer from the Bureau of Proclamation.
Gu Xifeng was the best electronic technician in Group 7. All of the command and control system maintenance work was done by him. Group 7 was carrying out the Bureau of Proclamation's task of reconstructing the network on Planet 163, so he naturally had to represent Group 7 and cooperate with the technical officer from the Bureau of Proclamation. But for some reason, the usually calm Gu Xifeng was actually so angry.
Xu Le looked in that direction and put down the plastic spoon in his hand. He asked in confusion, "What's going on?"
"In the previous missions, the Bureau of Proclamation would always arrive at the target area before giving us the technical specifications and parameters. For the team members, not only do they have to avoid the eyes of the Empire's people, but they also have to take over at the last minute. This is too difficult." Bai Yulan glanced at him and explained, "This matter was mentioned in the last meeting. You asked Gu Xifeng to contact the Bureau of Proclamation official and try to obtain the specifications and parameters in advance … I think the other party's reaction will be very intense."
Xu Le nodded and looked in that direction quietly. With his extraordinary hearing, he clearly heard the words of the Bureau of Proclamation official.
The Bureau of Proclamation official used confidentiality rules to coldly reject Group 7's request, but what really made Gu Xifeng angry was that the Bureau of Proclamation showed no regard for the lives of the team members.
In the social structure of the Federation, the mysterious Bureau of Proclamation was always at the top. Somewhere in the clouds, the officials who served the Bureau of Proclamation naturally had an unpleasant sense of superiority and indifference.
Xu Le's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything in the end. He just lowered his head and continued to eat. When Gu Xifeng walked into the cafeteria angrily, he gave her a comforting smile.
He knew very well in his heart that a detached but extremely mechanical and bureaucratic organization like the Bureau of Proclamation, for the dozens of teams like Group 7 on this planet, was truly an unparalleled weapon that would make friends happy. However, even though he was the youngest lieutenant colonel in the Federation, in front of the Bureau of Proclamation, he still didn't have much power to speak.
Under the gaze of the members of Group 7, he put down his plate and walked in front of the curly-haired Bureau of Proclamation official. After a moment of silence, he said in an extremely serious tone, "The Bureau of Proclamation has its rules, and the army has its traditions. Since you are not willing to temporarily give up on those ridiculous confidentiality rules for the sake of the survival of your soldiers, then … I must remind you that if my people pay the price of unnecessary casualties because of your stupidity and conservatism, I will seek justice from Director Si."
The official looked at Xu Le calmly. He didn't back down at all because of this threat, nor did he show any fear because he mentioned Director Si. He was just as cold and rigid as the Federal Central Computer.
…
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