Chapter 24: The Magnifying Glass (Part 1)

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Han Chao suddenly returned—only to run into Xu Liang, who was escorting Ma Shangbei out.

He didn’t say a word but stopped in his tracks, fixing his gaze on Ma Shangbei.

Ma Shangbei had changed his clothes—jeans, a leather jacket, and the trendiest heavy-soled leather shoes of the time.

Yet, as soon as he noticed Han Chao, he immediately stood at attention, his posture straight and rigid.

Xu Liang pulled Han Chao aside and whispered, “Commander Luo just called me personally, urging me to release him. Captain Han, you can’t fight the higher-ups. Just let Ma Shangbei go.”

Han Chao turned around and headed straight for the camp office.

Xu Liang followed closely behind, continuing to persuade him. “We’ve already held him for a week, but you still haven’t found any evidence. And Ma Shangbei has been behaving himself. Commander Luo even asked me on the phone if you have a personal grudge against him. He questioned whether you’re aiming for a promotion to commander yourself. Captain Han, when the higher-ups start talking like that, what am I supposed to do?”

Han Chao ignored him and entered the office. One side of the room had his desk, neat and organized, while the other side was Xu Liang’s—cluttered and chaotic. A large map hung in the center. Han Chao scanned the room, his eyes lingering as if searching for the slightest clue.

Xu Liang was growing anxious. Just moments ago, Commander Luo had personally called to demand Ma Shangbei’s release. They had already searched Ma Shangbei’s dormitory, his bed, every single piece of his clothing—pinching and feeling for any hidden items. Yet, they found no lighter, no matches, not even a single spark.

They simply had no evidence.

In such a vast military district, with a hundred thousand soldiers, Han Chao—a mere captain—was challenging the commander himself.

If he kept pushing, both of them would be in serious trouble.

Suddenly, Han Chao stopped in front of the map, picked up a magnifying glass, and asked, “Deputy Xu, why does this magnifying glass look so new?”

Xu Liang replied, “Two weeks ago, when you went home on leave, Ma Shangbei broke the old one while cleaning the office. I got a new one from supplies.”

Han Chao held the magnifying glass up to the light, examining it. After a moment, he said, “This thing is the key evidence. Stop making excuses for Ma Shangbei. We need to find it within the camp—tonight.”

Xu Liang took the magnifying glass and stared at it, puzzled. How could this possibly be evidence of a crime?

But after holding it up to the light for a moment, realization dawned on him. This tool could indeed be used to commit a crime.

Without hesitation, he blew his whistle to assemble the troops. He ordered all the new recruits to step forward and stand in formation on the training ground. Then, he and a group of platoon leaders began a thorough search of the entire camp. They carefully inspected every item in the dormitories—blankets, clothing, everything had to be checked. Even the latrine pits had to be emptied. The camp’s garbage, which hadn’t been taken out for half a month, had to be sifted through by hand.

Since Ma Shangbei hadn’t left the camp since his enlistment, if the magnifying glass still existed, it had to be somewhere in the camp.

While Xu Liang led the search, Han Chao kept his eyes fixed on Ma Shangbei.

There’s a natural instinct among troublemakers.

Han Chao could see it clearly—Ma Shangbei wasn’t just mischievous; he was ruthless. He urinated in the communal water area, only warning others after they’d already drunk from it. He quietly broke wooden planks in the restroom, waiting for someone to fall in before offering a hand to pull them out.

He rigged Platoon Leader Song’s rifle to misfire—then immediately rushed in to “save” him.

He appeared kind-hearted and eager to help, frequently pulling off “miraculous rescues.”

But if he made it to the Hong Kong garrison, he would use the same tricks to sabotage his superiors. Because a dog can’t change its ways.

The moment a superior stood in his path, he’d find a way to get rid of them—clearing his own way forward. With a father who was a veteran revolutionary, a stepfather like Chen Fanshi, and an old family connection with Commander Luo, it wouldn’t take long for him to rise through the ranks. He might soon become the youngest captain, battalion commander, or even regimental commander.

He was cunning, and these “miraculous rescues” would only bolster his reputation. But his tactics couldn’t escape the sharp eyes of Han Chao—someone who had seen far darker things.

Han Chao couldn’t allow him to walk free. Because his success was built on the suffering of his comrades.

Some men rise to power at the cost of thousands of lives.

But for Ma Shangbei to succeed, he would have to betray and destroy an unknown number of fellow soldiers.

Morning came—it was already six o’clock. The phone in the commander’s office rang again, asking why Ma Shangbei hadn’t been released. Political instructor Wang Shuya, just back from the hospital, managed to stall for time with a few vague answers.

By noon, the officers were practically digging up the entire camp.

Still, nothing. What now? The recruits stayed in formation while the officers continued searching.

The sun was setting. Tomorrow was Monday—the day all new recruits for the Hong Kong garrison were scheduled to assemble and depart for Guangzhou. If they didn’t send Ma Shangbei off soon, Commander Luo might send guards with rifles to personally escort him out.

Exhausted from the day-long search, Xu Liang sighed. He motioned for Ma Shangbei to return to formation before turning to Han Chao.

“Captain Han, let it go. I have a son; you have two daughters. If we really piss off the leadership, we’ll both be discharged tomorrow. And then what? Neither of us have any special skills. Are we supposed to sell spice blends on the street? Or perform tricks under a bridge?”

Han Chao was frustrated too. Wang Shuya had already checked every inch of Ma Shangbei’s clothing, even pressing on his stomach in case he had swallowed the magnifying glass.

So where the hell had he hidden it?

Han Chao turned his attention to Ma Shangbei, who was jogging.

During regular training, everyone wore rubber shoes. But today, since he was about to leave, he had changed into casual attire and was wearing leather shoes.

As he ran, in the dimming light of the 6 PM sunset, Han Chao suddenly heard a muffled “thud” coming from inside Ma Shangbei’s shoe.

It was faint, just a dull sound.

But that single noise told Han Chao everything.

The old fox had outsmarted the young one.

Han Chao strode forward and kicked the back of Ma Shangbei’s knee, sending him stumbling. Then, with another swift kick, he sent his leather shoe flying across the ground.

“Search his shoes!” Han Chao shouted. “The magnifying glass is hidden in the heel!”

At that moment, Ma Shangbei finally dropped his facade.

He lashed out with a kick and roared, “Fuck you, Han Chao! You’re my damn brother-in-law! If I get into the Hong Kong garrison, I could get you promoted! Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you have a death wish? Why the hell are you blocking my path? You worthless, stray dog bastard!”

Han Chao was kneeling, dodging the blow from Ma Shangbei’s foot—which reeked after being trapped in his shoe all night. Pressing his knee down hard, he forced Ma Shangbei into submission.

The pressure was unbearable.

Ma Shangbei couldn’t hold it in any longer.

He pissed himself.

Han Chao remained silent, catching a whiff of an acrid stench. Without hesitation, he drove his knee forcefully into Ma Shangbei’s lower spine.

The pain was excruciating—enough to feel like his bones were being torn apart. Ma Shangbei thrashed and struggled, still cursing through gritted teeth:
“Fuck you, Han Chao! The military isn’t a place for scumbags like you. If you drag me down, don’t think you’ll ever rise either! My grandfather retired from a division-level post, my aunt works in logistics—if you really dare to mess with me, you’ll never have a good day again!”

Han Chao showed no mercy. Another brutal knee strike landed, sending a wave of dull pain through Ma Shangbei’s spine. It felt like his vertebrae had been dislocated. Overwhelmed by agony, he finally blacked out.

Only then did Han Chao stand up and bark, “Search him!”

The sun had just set, casting a dim glow over the camp. Every soldier in the unit had been awake for a full day and night, their exhaustion apparent.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, they finally found the magnifying glass—hidden in the heel of Ma Shangbei’s shoe.

…

Meanwhile, at Chen Yufeng’s side, the orderly introduced himself as Qin, so she simply called him “Xiao Qin.”

Xiao Qin said, “Commander Ma, Commander Luo, and Commander Xu were all stationed in Mengzi before. They love Yunnan cuisine. I’ve got the money for groceries—you can decide what to buy. How does that sound?”

Chen Yufeng had heard about Mengzi from Wang Guoguo—a place of breathtaking beauty.

During the revolution, there was a “57 Cadre School” in Mengzi, where many officials from the capital were sent down for re-education.

With that in mind, she packed small jars of homemade pickled mustard greens and chopped chili before heading to the market. Since she wasn’t paying out of pocket, there was no need to be frugal. She carefully selected the best pork belly and plum meat.

Hearing that Commander Xu’s family didn’t cook at home, she also bought rice—glutinous rice, regular rice, millet, and purple rice—a little of each. Then, she picked out vegetables: wood ear mushrooms, greens, potatoes, and radishes. That would be enough.

When she arrived at the senior officer’s residential complex, she took the elevator for the first time. The sensation was exhilarating.

Thinking she had prepared everything thoroughly, she entered the kitchen, only to find that Commander Xu’s household didn’t even have the most basic seasonings—no salt, no soy sauce. Even the pots were rusted. Well, that meant sending Xiao Qin out for another trip to buy supplies.

Chen Yufeng’s grandfather had been a chef. Though she had never met him, Zhou Yafang had shared stories of how he was once invited to cook for high-ranking officials. She had heard that when cooking in someone else’s home, there were strict rules—never wander, never eavesdrop, and never touch anything unrelated to cooking. A chef had to be disciplined, focusing only on the kitchen.

She started by pounding the plum meat to tenderize it for meatballs, which would later be stewed with radishes. The preserved ribs she had brought from home would be braised with cabbage. The pork belly was for “kou rou” (steamed pork belly), with the main dish being “steamed meat rice”—a mix of different grains, pork belly, and potatoes, seasoned with the special spices she had brought from home and steamed to perfection.

To prepare the pork belly, she first boiled it until tender, then patted it dry and pricked the skin with a fork to create tiny holes. A light layer of dark soy sauce was then applied before deep-frying it. Once fried, it was sliced and steamed. The pickled mustard greens placed underneath needed to be stir-fried first.

Just as she was frying the pickled greens, Xiao Qin walked in. The aroma hit him immediately. “Sister-in-law, this meat smells amazing!” he exclaimed.

But what smelled so good wasn’t the meat—it was the pickled greens. This wasn’t the usual kind but a crisp, fermented variety. Lightly stir-fried, it had an unmatched fragrance. When steamed with meat, the aroma would be even richer.

As she mixed the pickled greens into the rice, she handed a piece to Xiao Qin. “Try this.”

He hesitated. “This dark stuff—does it even taste good?” But the moment he put it in his mouth, his expression changed. “Weird… it’s actually delicious!”

The small piece of unassuming pickled mustard greens carried a deep umami flavor, slightly sweet with a lingering aftertaste. There was plenty left over, so Xiao Qin kept grabbing pieces, munching away, completely unaware that Commander Xu had entered the room.