Ning Yu's death brought a lot of trouble to Zhou Rong.

From the Academy of Sciences to the Military Commission, even the upper echelons of the Central Government were shocked, and the international community was in disbelief.

Although the Military Commission trusted Zhou Rongyi, and everyone present could prove that Ning Yu had committed suicide, they were still subjected to round after round of isolation and investigation.

In addition, everyone who had anything to do with Ning Yu's trip to the Subei region was questioned, and Lieutenant General Zheng was severely reprimanded several times.

Why did he commit suicide?

What was his motive?

Was it impulsive?

Or did something happen that day that triggered him?

Was there any possibility of redeeming himself?

The political significance of this matter was very great. Although no one had been punished for the time being, the impact was obvious.

Lieutenant General Zheng had promised to help the 118 personnel reinstate, but the Pyro Company operation had exhausted all of the military's manpower, and there was no precedent for this, so progress was very slow.

As soon as Ning Yu committed suicide, Zhou Rong and the others were seriously investigated, and the 118 personnel reinstatement was simply suspended.

During that time, no one said anything, but they were very depressed, especially when they had to deal with endless repeated questioning and routine investigations. They couldn't help but feel complicated about Ning Yu's death.

Only Sinan said that he didn't think Ning Yu was that kind of person.

He said that Ning Yu's style was to start and finish things, and that he was used to doing things completely and wouldn't screw people up at the last moment.

Chun Cao asked him why he thought so. Clearly, their interaction with Ning Yu was very limited, and it was almost impossible to accurately guess the inner world of a scientist who stood at the peak of this era.

Sinan couldn't explain why.

But Sinan's feeling soon proved to be correct.

Ning Yu's professional information was declassified one after another, and the research institute found his last words in a notebook.

This letter quickly brought the investigation to an end, and everyone regained their freedom of speech.

What was even more unexpected was that before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the military issued an official notice of the decision to restore the 118 units. Zhou Rong was promoted to the rank of captain, a regimental rank, and had the authority to form another eight squadrons.

Zhou Rong himself was very surprised, until Lieutenant General Zheng told him why.

"In his last letter, Doctor Ning said that when he looked back on his life, he was very lucky to have met you guys at that time.

He knows that you all hope that Unit 118 can be rebuilt, and he also knows that the reconstruction application has been stalled for a long time. He hopes that the military can make an exception and restore Unit 118 on account of your contributions in saving him and bringing him to the South Sea. "

Lieutenant General Zheng sighed slightly and said, "He also said that if it was too difficult, the military should treat this as his last wish and deal with it."

"… He knew that everyone had to agree to his last wish," Zhou Rong said in a low voice.

"Yes."

"What else did he say?"

Lieutenant General Zheng shook his head. "I'm not sure. I only managed to find out this part. Everything else has been kept confidential … Perhaps decades or even centuries later, when our descendants can look back on this disaster with a more calm and comprehensive view, his last letter will slowly be deciphered."

Zhou Rong walked out of the building. Sinan stood with his back to him at the bottom of the stairs, squinting at the sky.

The weather was very good today. The sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly.

The wind swept across the land from the sea, through the budding wilderness and the scarred city, and brushed Sinan's collar and hair.

Zhou Rong walked to his side and saw the vast sky reflected in his amber eyes. The smoke in the distance gradually dissipated until it was invisible.

Sinan said softly, "Goodbye, Doctor Ning."

Zhou Rong reached out his hand. Sinan looked away and smiled at him. The two walked side by side into the distance.

At the beginning of 2021, Operation Tinder covered the entire country.

The zombies in the cities were basically cleared out, but the military was still attacking the heavily affected areas.

The survivors in the six large bases across the country were distributed antibodies and supplies, and began to rebuild their homes vigorously under the unified command.

Soon after, the genetic vaccine was released and quickly became popular around the world.

Even if people were bitten by zombies left in the dark, they no longer had to worry about being infected.

This disaster took the lives of three billion people around the world and almost caused the extinction of the entire race. It could be called the largest and most serious catastrophe in human history.

However, humans used their own hands to close the Magic Box of Pan Duola and sealed it in the long river of history, never to be opened again.

Zhou Rong, a general with only four soldiers under his command, finally managed to pick out a group of elite soldiers from the various military regions and brought them back to the headquarters for elimination and special training.

Sinan, who could have lived off the country for the rest of his life, took on the responsibility of a special training instructor. However, due to his teaching style, the trainees who were tortured like dogs didn't like him very much.

Sinan didn't care whether the weaklings liked him or not. What he cared about was that Lieutenant General Zheng finally signed an official letter of appointment for the military's Special Tactical Advisor.

From then on, he was no longer a civilian volunteer Sinan. He was the chief instructor of Special Forces 118 and was assigned an office with good lighting and ventilation and was also very close to the cafeteria.

Since Sinan had finally officially joined 118, Yan Hao sincerely asked to give up his position as the team flower, but Sinan politely and firmly refused.

Yan Hao was very disappointed.

Chun Cao was willing to be the team flower, but everyone expressed their opposition. Chun Cao was so angry that she ignored them for a week.

After the first batch of soldiers was added, Zhou Rong decided to organize them into four squadrons, led by Yan Hao, Chun Cao, Ding Shi, and Guo Weixiang.

The original Sixth Squadron of 118 had been reduced to nothing and became the skeleton of the new 118. The soul of this unit was reincarnated by the Special Forces soldiers who had sacrificed themselves. It would continue on endlessly in the baptism of the smoke and flames of war in the future.

Before the new organization was implemented, the original 118 Sixth Squadron carried out their last mission.

They sorted out the nameplates and belongings of their 17 comrades who had sacrificed themselves, including Zhang Yingjie's ashes. Then they embarked on a journey to find the survivors of these comrades.

It wasn't a long journey because the family members of 118 were relatively concentrated. They had been sent to the refuge base when the disaster first broke out, so it was easy to find them.

However, the process was very difficult. The tears and grief of every soldier's family member were like hot iron, repeatedly engraved in their souls and flesh.

Most of the families of the martyrs were gone. For Zhou Rong and the others, this was more empty and sorrowful than the pain caused by the hot iron.

Fortunately, after they arrived in the northeast, they successfully found Zhang Yingjie's wife and daughter.

They hid in the vegetable cellar with their family and spent the long and difficult winter. In the spring of the next year, they were picked up by the soldiers of the Heilongjiang base.

When Zhou Rong handed over Zhang Yingjie's ashes to her with both hands, he heard the most miserable and desperate cry of his life. He couldn't even stay in front of this painful woman for a moment. Every minute and every second was like countless thorny whips, bloody torture and whipping his soul.

The currency in circulation now was not money, but food stamps. After Zhou Rong received all the overdue wages, he exchanged them all for food stamps and supplies at a military discount. He didn't keep any for himself and gave all of it to the families of his fallen comrades.

It was quite a large sum of money. Even if it was spread out, each family member would get a lot of it. For the families who had lost their pillar of support, it was barely a small consolation.

However, after the money was distributed, Zhou Rong was completely poor. Sinan said he didn't mind. Now that he had a salary, he could support Zhou Rong, this burden.

Later, Zhou Rong came up with another idea.

He transferred all the families of the martyrs to the 118 military district and arranged for them to work in the cafeteria, warehouse, logistics, and other idle positions. This ensured that they could receive the state's pension and stable income, and that their children could go to school in the military district.

He especially fought for the rare 12 years of free key education for Zhang Yingjie's little girl. He also promised her that after she was admitted to university, he would pay for all her expenses and provide for her wherever she went.

What was certain was that Zhou Rong would never be rich in this lifetime.

"Where's my pigeon egg?" Sinan suddenly said with dissatisfaction.

Zhou Rong: "Don't worry, leave it to Brother Rong."

Time quickly passed and it was New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Eve, a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was prepared in the 118 camp's cafeteria early. Lieutenant General Zheng also came, and all the team members and their families gathered together.

Before dinner, they had to say a few words as usual. Zhou Rong and Lieutenant General Zheng pushed and shoved each other for a full ten minutes. Zhou Rong lost and had to stand up with a glass of wine.

The cafeteria was decorated with lanterns and colored banners. Red paper flowers were pasted on the glass windows filled with white fog. Fireworks were set off outside, illuminating the night sky.

Zhou Rong took a deep breath under the gaze of all the pairs of eyes. It was as if he had suddenly lost his advantage of being able to speak well. He suddenly didn't know what to say. After a long while, he smiled briefly.

"Brother Rong isn't very good with words."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Zhou Rong also laughed.

"Last New Year's Eve, when the virus was at its most rampant, Instructor Si and I, the person you're most afraid of, got separated from the main group and were trapped in the snow-covered mountains."

At the mention of Instructor Si, the special forces soldiers immediately stopped laughing. They sat upright and kept quiet out of fear.

Sinan focused on eating the roasted chestnuts in front of her.

Zhou Rong said slowly, "When midnight arrived, I made three wishes outside the window.

The first one is private. The second wish is that all the sacrificed comrades' souls return to their hometowns and bless us to successfully survive this disaster.

The third wish is that humans develop antibodies as soon as possible to defeat the virus, build a new home, and restore stability and peace. "

"These three wishes have all been fulfilled."

Zhou Rong paused for a moment and said, "So I think that making a wish on New Year's Eve might really have some kind of magic. I've decided to make three more wishes this year."

He poured himself a full cup of wine. Without looking at anyone, he raised his head and drained it. "The first cup is still my personal wish."

Someone laughed and said, "Brother Rong will definitely get what he wants!"

Zhou Rong smiled and shook his head without answering.

"The second glass."

He filled his glass and looked around at everyone. He stopped in the direction of the family table and bowed deeply.

"I wish the comrades who have left us all the best in heaven. Your names will always be remembered in our hearts, and your achievements will always be engraved in human history."

Just like last New Year's Eve, Zhou Rong once again announced seventeen names according to the order of sacrifice. The last one was Zhang Yingjie.

The cafeteria was silent. Some of the family members choked with sobs, while others were sad.

"Last year, I said that you should wait until the disaster is over before you reincarnate, lest you have to face this hellish world again.

This year, I can finally say that the disaster is over. Home is rising, and human society will gradually return to the right track. If the souls of my comrades in heaven can see you, you can already come back. "

Zhou Rong's eyes were slightly red. After a while, he said hoarsely, "Brother Rong … I miss you very much."

"Everyone misses you very much."

There were sobs and gasps around him. Zhou Rong raised his head and drank the second glass of wine.

"The third glass."

Zhou Rong turned to the front and faced the gazes of all the special forces soldiers. He looked up at the starry night sky and raised his glass.

"In the past catastrophe, the virus took away countless lives. The global population plummeted by more than half. Many small countries even disappeared from the map of mankind."

"If future generations write the history of the future, they will find that no words can describe the cruelty of the disaster, nor can any language or rhetoric describe the arduous efforts of mankind to survive."

"We walked through the long dark night with a flame in our hearts, stepped over the remains of our comrades, stepped over thorns and the abyss, and finally reignited the torch of the continuation of our race on the piles of bones.

Those of us who survived don't need history to record our achievements, and we don't need those empty and beautiful praises. We only need the mountains, rivers, and thousands of brave souls to bear witness to our endless trekking, and our never-give-up efforts. "

Zhou Rong raised his glass and poured the last glass of wine on the ground.

"To us ordinary humans."

Everyone raised their glasses in silence.

Outside the window, the fireworks rushed into the night sky and emitted a gorgeous light, illuminating everyone's moist eyes.

Under the warm lights, there was a hubbub of voices, and the aroma of food spread far and wide with the wind.

Zhou Rong had been forced to drink too much. It wasn't easy for him to escape from the crowd. He slipped out of the door with Sinan's hand and stood in the open space in the courtyard.

It had started snowing outside. The small snowflakes were illuminated orange-yellow by the light and fell romantically on their hair and shoulders.

Zhou Rong leaned forward and kissed Sinan's lips. He seemed a little embarrassed and took out a white paper box tied with a pink ribbon from behind him.

"It's … it's a cake." He stuttered a little at the end. "I made it myself. Try it."

Sinan: "?"

Sinan opened the paper box. Inside was a palm-sized strawberry jam cake. Bright red strawberries drizzled with syrup were dotted with snow-white cream. There was a circle of delicate flower decorations around the edges. There were two little sugar figurines holding hands and giggling like matchsticks.

Zhou Rong looked nervously at Sinan and took a bite. "Is it good?"

Sinan licked the cream from the corner of her mouth and nodded.

"I practiced in the cafeteria for a long time and ruined a few of them."

Zhou Rong rubbed his hands self-deprecatingly. "I don't know how many times I've shot with these hands. It's even harder to shoot with the flower decorations than with a real gun. Fortunately, I made this before tonight … Is it really good?"

Sinan took another big bite. Her mouth was full. She asked with a muffled voice, "Do you want to try it?"

"No, no, you eat it, you eat it."

Sinan: "…"

Zhou Rong: "…"

Zhou Rong stared straight at Sinan, who returned an innocent look.

"… You didn't taste anything?"

Sinan said, "No."

The two of them looked at each other. Zhou Rong's gaze slowly moved from Sinan's face to the almost bottomless cake. His voice was a little shaky.

"You really didn't taste anything?!"

Si Nan said, "I really didn't.

Ah, there was something hard just now. Was it a strawberry? "

Zhou Rong: "…"

Sinan: "I swallowed it."

Zhou Rong: "…"

Zhou Rong's expression was as if he had been struck by lightning. Instantly, he turned around and roared, "Call the medical team!

Quick!

Contact the hospital to do an endoscopy!

Instructor Si swallowed the foreign object … "

Sinan finally couldn't hold back her laughter. She grabbed Zhou Rong and spat out a shiny ring from the base of her tongue.

The diamond was so big that it reflected a dazzling light in the snowflakes.

"Tell me." Sinan pinched the diamond ring and joked, "Where did you get it from? Can you afford it?"

Zhou Rong immediately let out a long breath. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, she poked Sinan's forehead as a punishment. "Of course not. Do you know how expensive this brand of diamond is? I'll have to save up for my next life."

Sinan raised one of her eyebrows playfully.

"Last week, I followed Tang Hao and the others to the B Military Region mission. Before I left, I did some scouting. Tang Hao used a flashlight on the side while I dug with a shovel. After half the night, I finally dug out his shop's counter from the rubble after the military blasted it …"

Zhou Rong pointed at the diamond ring, her face a little red. "The rings were all scattered on the ground. I took one, Tang Hao took one, Yan Hao, Chun Cao, Xiangzi, and Ding Shi each took one.

Don't tell anyone that Old Zheng knows how to scold people. Tang Feiqiu is still planning to hide it for his wife in the future. "

Si Nan's shoulders couldn't help shaking violently. If he laughed out loud, he might be out of breath.

Zhou Ronggang's face was full of the smell of alcohol. "Come, come here. Brother Rong will put the pigeon egg on for you."

He pulled Sinan's hand, only to find that the ring was indeed too small. Although Sinan's fingers were long and slender, the knuckles of people who had been practicing martial arts for a long time were hard. His ring finger could not fit in.

Zhou Rong felt very helpless. He could only forcibly hold down Sinan, who was laughing uncontrollably. He took the brass pendant that had never left his neck for more than 20 years and strung the diamond ring on it.

In the old photo, the family of three from many years ago was smiling gently at Zhou Rong under the shining ring.

Zhou Rong held the pendant and asked seriously, "Comrade Si Xiaonan, do you want to know what Brother Rong's first New Year's Wish is?"

Sinan narrowed his eyes and looked at him slyly.

Zhou Rong took half a step back and knelt on one knee. He held up the diamond ring in the flying snow.

"Comrade Si Xiaonan, are you willing to accept Comrade Zhou Rong's proposal and officially become his revolutionary partner? Are you willing to work hand in hand, make progress together, have the courage to try all kinds of new positions, bite the back of his neck regularly, and be touched by his kisses and scratches every day. Are you willing to follow the objective laws of development every year and bear the heavy responsibility of human reproduction?"

Sinan Dingding looked at Zhou Rong, a snowflake on the tip of his hair. The corners of his lips curved gently on his handsome cheeks.

Not far away, a row of heads squeezed together behind the bright window, exclaiming one after another, "He proposed! He proposed!"

"Captain Zhou Rong, Instructor Si!"

"Oh my god!"

…

"Okay," Sinan smiled and said, "Comrade Zhou Rong."

Zhou Rong put the brass pendant back around his neck. Si Nan Fu bent down and kissed Zhou Rong affectionately in the snow.

The ring slipped out of his collar and hung in the air by a thin chain, swaying and refracting bright light.

At the table for New Year's Eve dinner, Yan Hao looked at the ring in the steamed bun and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, he still put it in his pocket when Lieutenant General Zheng wasn't paying attention.

Chun Cao rolled her eyes and pinched her own neck. Guo Weixiang patted her back desperately. "How could you swallow it?!

Quick!

Cough it out!

Someone, quickly go to the hospital and call an ambulance! "

Dingding squeezed his little golden flower into a corner and stammered for a long time until both of them blushed. Then, he sneakily stuffed a big diamond ring into her palm. "This … This is for you …"

In the open space outside the door, the silhouettes of the entwined necks finally separated. Sinan was still smiling. He turned around and looked directly at the window with his sharp eyes.

The Special Forces soldiers, who had been packed so tightly just a moment ago, instantly dispersed in fear. Within three seconds, they had all disappeared without a trace, not even a shadow could be seen.

Zhou Rong laughed loudly.

Countless fireworks lit up the night sky, blooming in unison.

The snowflakes were like thousands of little fairies spinning and dancing. They reflected the lights and gently covered the new land.

Midnight.

The New Year's bell rang at this moment, spreading through the cheering crowd. It passed through the dark sea and flew toward the bright stars in the distance.