Heal These Battle Scars | MxM

Chapter Two - The Smell Of Death

The Nationalist military personnel required all enlisted soldiers to be accurately trained for fourteen days before sending them off into the world of war. And although the fourteen days weren't enough time for basic combat training, it would have to do, considering soldiers from the Nationalist collision were dropping like flies on the battlefield, despite their jarring winning streak.

The military promised training would be brutal, considering the small amount of time, with rest being a luxury of the past. Soldiers would be trained in hardships. Learn how to shoot, fight, and defend themselves using a weapon. The soldiers would also be trained to use combat knives for self-defense and to hunt for food while learning how to withstand harsh weather conditions.

Xiao Fang knew of all this and expected worse. And although the young doctor thought he had prepared himself for what was to come, when the military van arrived at one of the Nationalist army training camps, his eyes grew a size double as he swallowed down the suffocating lump in his throat.

When the van came to a stop, and the men began jumping off one at a time, Xiao Fang heaved a breath, willing himself to calm down, but the stench of rotten meat and cigarettes made the young doctor's eyes water.

The campsite itself was lacking proper hygienic necessities. The barbed fences were crooked, the water pipes in the far end were rusted, and Xiao Fang felt confident he had seen at least two rats run around from one end to another by simply scanning the wretched place.

When it was Xiao Fang's turn to dismount, his feet planted themself on the end of the van, unwilling to move. And unfortunately, the slight delay made the patience run thin for the young teen boy behind him. And when the young lad shouted, "Get off, old man!" Xiao Fang felt a firm slap on the back, his feet losing balance, and he descended to the ground, covered in mud; thick and slushy from the earlier rainfall.

"Ugh," he groaned. The spectacles he often wore slipped off, and he felt a sense of loss as his fingers skimmed the floor for them.

It was quite unfortunate, but the young doctor could not see well without his spectacles and always made sure to carry a spare wherever he went. He blamed the countless nights he spent reading medical books under the old oil lamp his mother bought for him when he arrived home one night, beaten, and bruised by street drunkards after staying out late to study in the school's library where there was light.

"Stupid kid," he mumbled under his breath when he could not find them. "Where the hell —"

"I believe you dropped something." A soldier spoke, his voice coming in gentle waves as he hovered above Xiao Fang. "Here, I cleaned it up for you."

As Xiao Fang looked up, the blurred image of the slender soldier dangling the pair of glasses in the air appeared. And while he raked his mind for words to thank his helper, the man was kind enough to further lend a helping hand, placing Xiao Fang's spectacles back on before hoisting the doctor off the ground by his arm as though he weighed nothing.

"Ah-ha, thank you," Xiao Fang said awkwardly, wiping the dirt off his hands before stretching a hand out for a shake. "I'm Xiao Fang."

"Jie Yu." The soldier, Jie Yu greeted, accepting Xiao Fang's handshake with a firm grip. Despite being several inches shorter than Xiao Fang, Jie Yu had toned muscles and tanned skin that made him look much tougher and more agile when standing beside the pale-complexioned doctor. "Don't let those youngsters get to you. I figured they were all like that at first. Damn brats, you should see the ruckus some of them caused earlier. Humph, a bunch of spoiled brats if you ask me. The war is bound to humble them."

Jie Yu's face scrunched with glee when he smiled, and Xiao Fang figured that they might be of the same age, but he refrained from asking, as it wasn't of importance.