The boss has no descendants, but he encounters four smaller versions of himself

Su Chaoji lowered his eyes silently.

Sofia was a doctor and saved her own life.

This is better than he expected.

Next, he began to think about how to gain the enemy's trust and then leave safely with Sofia.

Su Chaoji began to demonstrate some "usefulness" to a limited extent.

He remained silent, but his eyesight was sharp and his hands and feet were "quite nimble."

A soldier's binoculars adjustment gear got stuck, and he "happened" to be nearby, gesturing with his fingers the sequence of disassembly and lubrication.

The soldier tried to do it, and the binoculars returned to normal.

The radio operator complained about the unstable antenna signal. Su Chaoji "accidentally" kicked over an abandoned tin bucket in the corner, revealing a section of spare cable that was being pressed down underneath.

He would even hide behind the soldiers while they played simple card games, and then "accidentally" point out a key card that someone might have in their hand, causing the soldiers to shout and laugh, calling him a "little rascal".

These little incidents gradually changed the soldiers' attitude towards him.

It went from being a "wasteful burden" to "somewhat interesting gadget that can be used occasionally".

They would casually toss him some extra food, allow him to move around within the limited area of ​​the camp, and sometimes, when repairing things or tidying up, they would subconsciously call out, "Hey, little mute, come and lend a hand!"

Although he quickly integrated into the camp, Su Chaoji found Ivan as a breakthrough point in order to gain their trust.

Although Ivan was rescued by Sofia, he was still struggling to move due to the slow healing of his leg wound and was in a bad mood.

He tried to walk along the edge of the camp, leaning on a makeshift cane, and almost tripped over a stray piece of wire.

Su Chaoji rushed over at the right moment and nudged him with his shoulder to prevent him from falling.

Ivan looked at him in surprise.

Then you see the little guy bend down, pick up a few scattered sticks and ropes from the ground, and gesture to indicate that he can help reinforce his crutches.

Ivan sat down, panting, and looked at the dirty but calm-eyed child in front of him. Remembering that he used to be able to repair guns and other things, he nodded as if possessed.

Su Chaoji did not act immediately, but first carefully examined Ivan's simple cane, and then observed his leg injury and walking posture.

Then, he gestured for Ivan to wait a moment, and ran off quickly, returning a few moments later with several relatively flat planks of wood and sturdier strips of cloth.

For the next half hour, Ivan and several other soldiers who were watching witnessed what skillful hands looked like.

Without any tools, the little mute patiently shaved and polished the wooden board using a piece of iron he had found and a stone.

He widened the original flimsy support points and reinforced the key stress points by binding them with strips of cloth and hemp rope in a complex but seemingly sturdy manner.

He even used the remaining strips of cloth to wrap a soft grip at the top of the cane.

Throughout the process, his movements were methodical and orderly, unlike those of a child; he was more like a seasoned craftsman.

"Hey kid, who taught you all this?" one of the onlookers couldn't help but ask.

Su Chaoji raised his head, looked at him blankly, then pointed to his head, then to the messy ruins around him, and finally shrugged.

It means: After seeing too much, I came up with my own ideas.

Ivan tried out the newly reinforced crutches, and they were indeed much more stable and less strenuous, and the pain was also reduced when walking.

"Not bad...not bad at all." He muttered, his gaze towards Su Chaoji softening considerably, even showing a hint of gratitude. "Thanks, kid."

Su Chaoji simply shook his head, indicating that there was no need to thank him.

That afternoon, Ivan took the initiative to call Su Chaoji to his resting corner and shared a small piece of cheese with him.

There was hardly anyone around.

Ivan sipped his awful substitute coffee and asked casually, "You...you're not from around here, are you? Where's your home?"

Su Chaoji lowered his head, taking small bites of cheese. When he heard the question, his body stiffened for a moment, and then he slowly shook his head.

He raised his hand, made an explosion gesture, pointed into the distance, then hugged his knees, buried his face in them, and his shoulders shrugged slightly.

After this performance, the image of an orphan whose home was destroyed by war and who was displaced instantly came to life.

Ivan fell silent, his eyes filled with complex emotions—sympathy, and perhaps a touch of shared suffering.

Ivan gulped down a mouthful of coffee: "This damn war, we didn't really want to fight it either..."

Su Chaoji slowly raised her head, her face still bearing traces of tears, her eyes red, as if she wanted to ask Ivan why.

Ivan understood his confusion, smiled wryly, and said to himself, "Kid, in this world, sometimes it's not about whether you want to fight or not."

He lowered his voice and said, “The people above say that we have too little land and not enough resources to distribute. If we don’t fight and seize, our people will have no future and no bigger home. Only by fighting our way out and getting more land can we and our children live a good life.”

Typical expansionist rhetoric was crudely and simply instilled in the rank-and-file soldiers, becoming the spiritual anesthetic that kept them going.

Su Chaoji analyzed the situation calmly in her mind, but her face still showed confusion and sadness.

He then pointed to the rudimentary camp around him, the groans of the wounded, and the obvious exhaustion and numbness on the soldiers' faces.

Ivan followed his finger and fell silent.

The ideal larger home is out of reach, but the pain and exhaustion before our eyes are very real.

He sighed, his voice even lower: "Who knows...maybe the higher-ups have their reasons, we...we're just following orders."

Su Chaoji didn't ask any more questions, but simply lowered her head again and ate the piece of cheese in small bites.

Perhaps Ivan saw him as a "poor child," which is why he felt some sympathy and a desire to confide in him.

But the fact that Ivan was able to tell him these things meant that Ivan already trusted him a lot.

That night, Ivan even tacitly allowed Su Chaoji to curl up and spend the night near his resting place, a kind of invisible protection.

Lying on the cold ground, Su Chaoji closed his eyes, but his brain was racing.

In recent days, in addition to the soldiers who have been near this place, he has also memorized the enemy's deployment passwords, supply transport routes, and simple codes, thanks to his photographic memory.

He can even decipher passwords that others cannot.

In a short time, he has become very comfortable here.

The next morning, the scarred commander rushed back from outside, his face gloomy yet tinged with excitement.

He summoned all the junior officers who were still able to move, including Ivan, whose leg injury had not yet healed, and held a brief private meeting in the command tent.

Su Chaoji "happened" to be sorting through a pile of discarded communication parts nearby, and his ears caught snippets of conversation from them.

"Orders from above: We must capture the transportation hub east of Jingge... and cut off their supply lines..."

"Reinforcements and supplies must arrive within three days. This time, success is the only option..."

"Ivan, your company is responsible for attacking the flanks, don't let me down..."