Going Home

Many people miss military life as they get older because it was simple yet filled with joy.

There wasn't much scheming and intrigue; everything was so simple and honest, including happiness, though this doesn't include a few isolated cases.

The simple and straightforward environment made the Sergeant in front of Lin Qi's ready to say "Report" as his first word, but he suddenly stopped, because this was no longer the military base, and he was no longer a soldier.

He had almost forgotten how ordinary people should communicate, and how an ordinary person should communicate with his new boss.

Ferral's Wife's Father quickly understood the trouble the Sergeant was in; it was not an isolated case, and many soldiers had encountered similar situations.

He gave a brief introduction and, in his capacity as Chief, asked the Sergeant to introduce himself.

In an instant, everyone, including the Sergeant himself, could feel that spirit returning. He loudly introduced himself, seemingly as a soldier but actually answering questions, to identify himself.

After waiting quietly for him to finish his self-introduction, Lin Qi extended his hand and shook hands with the Sergeant named Charles. He smiled and said, "Actually, you don't have to force yourselves to change the habits you've become accustomed to. If you want, you can still live and work in the military way. It's just that things will be relatively more relaxed here."

This greatly alleviated the anxiety of Charles and the Young Men were not good at socializing, and some of them even smiled.

This was a good start, Ferral's Wife's Father was very pleased with it, which also relieved Ferral.

The veteran immediately picked up the conversation, "I'll have someone deliver the Gun License in three days, but I must make one thing clear first..." His expression gradually became more serious, "If you want them to maintain their habits of living in the military, you'd better make a record of it, understand what I mean?"

"This will not affect your or their work or life, but is just to make sure that some situations are under our control. I believe you understand what I mean."

If it were just about hiring a group of veterans with Gun License, there wouldn't be a problem. But Lin Qi said they could maintain their military lifestyle, and it even sounded somewhat encouraging. This means that these veterans will be living and working in an unofficial militarized environment, which touches on National Security and must be reported to the Federal Security Committee, the Federal Military Related Management Office, and the Department of Defense.

Otherwise, Lin Qi might be considered to have broken the law, and that's no joke.

After Lin Qi nodded, he left an address for Lakeside Villa District.

The lakeside villas he acquired from Hart have already undergone a power transfer, with many now belonging to Lin Qi.

It was a good place to put people away from the city center, but this was only temporary. He planned to move these Young Men to the new land he had acquired later. As for these young men, their value was not just in protecting Lin Qi's safety.

Once foreign trade is permitted, what will follow will not be harmonious international trade, but rather bloody international plunder.

This is perfectly normal. As long as there is trade, there will be trade surpluses and deficits. Even among close allies, there is trade plunder.

Some forms of plunder are disguised in a more appealing guise, making them less offensive, while others are blatantly blatant, such as dumping goods at low cost and low profit into relatively underdeveloped countries by exploiting technological disadvantages.

This is not just about making money; it can also damage a country's light industry or even its overall industry, and make these countries dependent on goods from the Bayer Federation.

The logic is actually very simple: why spend countless funds and manpower to research how to manufacture something yourself, instead of spending less money to buy it directly?

This doesn't require anyone to persuade or create momentum. When a country integrates into the International Community, such thoughts and behaviors will naturally arise. The desire to grow stronger is the deepest genetic manifestation of selfish human beings; it doesn't need to be learned, it's innate.

At that time, there will always be some people who will resist. The Bayer Federation is a civilized country, but that doesn't mean the whole world is the same. There are still some corrupt and backward regions. When "trading" with these regions, having an armed force in hand is obviously more in line with Lin Qi's expectations.

He also plans to visit more countries to see the local Natives, and help the indigenous people get rid of their primitive and backward lifestyles and habits, so as to help them quickly integrate into the International Community.

This is also the core of what he discussed with the mayor: to shoulder more International Community responsibility and achieve common development, which is the most beautiful thing.

After leaving Lin Qi asked Ferral to take him to buy a bottle of red wine. Interestingly, many shops on the street had temporarily closed to observe the situation because of what happened last night, but some wine and cigarette shops kept their doors wide open without hesitation.

What's even more amazing is that they aren't worried about being robbed at all; it seems they know that everyone who passes by will become polite.

After buying the liquor, Ferral took Lin Qi to a somewhat secluded neighborhood. He knew it was Lin Qi's parents' home, and the mayor had investigated Lin Qi. As a close advisor to the mayor, Ferral naturally knew this information as well.

"Do you need me to pick you up?" Ferral asked after Lin Qi got out of the car. "It doesn't look very safe here."

During the time they parked, two or three people slowly approached from a distance. They seemed to be wandering around aimlessly, but Lin Qi and Ferral knew that they had a purpose.

Lin Qi shook his head. "I don't know when it will be ready. Maybe I'll have to spend the night here."

Ferral nodded. "Alright then. Call me anytime if anything comes up." With that, he rolled up the car window, started the engine, and quickly disappeared into the distance.

Lin Qi glanced at the guys who were watching him, then stepped directly into the apartment building by the roadside. This made the guys stop in their tracks, somewhat disappointed, and continue staring at the people on the street.

Following a somewhat hazy yet instinctive response, he found the door he could never forget.

There are some words carved with a knife, some patterns he scribbled on when he was a child that haven't faded yet, and a small crack, which was caused by his father punching the door when he refused to obey his father's arrangements.

After knocking on the door, about half a minute later, a wary voice came from inside asking, "Who is it? Where are you?"

"It's me, Sera."

Sera is Lin Qi's mother's name. In most ordinary families, children only use the more affectionate terms "Dad" or "Mom" to refer to their parents when they are young.

As they get older and move out to live alone, addressing each other by name becomes a common practice.

This excludes wealthy upper- Upper Class families. Perhaps due to their living conditions, upper- Upper Class families do not need to distance themselves from each other because of money or anything else, or perhaps they have a greater need to maintain their relationships than ordinary people. But overall, the most normal scene is that people use names and nicknames interchangeably at will.

The door opened quickly, and a woman looked at Lin Qi with surprise and delight. She subconsciously wiped her hands on her apron. "My God, I didn't know it was you. You know now..." she said, stepping aside. "Look at me, come in quickly!"

Sera is only thirty-nine years old this year. She gave birth to Lin Qi when she was nineteen, and Lin Qi's father was twenty-one at the time.

According to Federal Law, you can get married at sixteen, but you are considered an adult at twenty. However, getting pregnant and giving birth after the age of eighteen will not attract any investigation... Well, that's the amazing Federal Law.

Sera looked rather old now, around forty-two or forty-three years old. When she looked at Lin Qi, her eyes, which had been somewhat dim, suddenly lit up, so much so that she overlooked the small gift Lin Qi was carrying.

She didn't notice until Lin Qi placed the wine on the table.

"You shouldn't have bought these things, they don't look cheap!" The woman still adhered to common sense in dealing with this matter, seemingly having forgotten that Lin Qi was doing well now.

She picked up the wine and walked towards the kitchen. "You rest for a while. Your father will be back in about half an hour."

The room wasn't big, just like I remembered; apartments are generally not very large.

Sitting in the Living Room, he could already smell the aroma wafting from the kitchen. He stood at the kitchen doorway and glanced inside. On the yellowed stove was a tall pot, simmering something inside, making a bubbling, sticky sound.

The kitchen is a bit cramped, only suitable for one person to work in; if there were more than one person, it might be too cramped.

After wandering around the other two rooms, he came to the innermost room, where a nameplate with the name "Lin Qi" was still hanging on the door. For some reason, he felt a little uneasy.

He turned the doorknob, pushed the door open, and turned on the light bulb switch with the precision he remembered, as if he had practiced it a million times.

The dim lighting suddenly illuminated the room, and the faded posters of actresses on the wall seemed to be greeting him. Everything here was exactly the same as when he last left.

He walked to the bedside and touched the sheets, which were spotless, as were the ones on the table. It was clear that even though he didn't live there, the couple cleaned the room regularly.

He sat on the bed for a while, but the sound of the Living Room door opening pulled him back from his deep memories. He blinked, stood up, and walked to the Living Room to see the person who had once wanted to control his destiny.