Chapter 2675 - 2737: Bidding Farewell to a Comrade

On the bus, Na Yi was nestled asleep at Li Yifei’s side. The little girl, having just tasted the flavor between man and woman, had gradually let go over these past few days, indulging themselves for a while. But the two of them had to go back. This trip had already delayed a lot of things. After Big Brother’s emergency redeployment, the Flying Hawk Squad had already begun the process of being rebuilt, with Zheng Mingrui and the others taking part, and a number of elite veterans had also been recalled.

But everyone had still agreed to send Skinny Monkey on his last journey together. Informing Skinny Monkey’s family wasn’t done by Li Yifei, it was Zheng Mingrui who went. Li Yifei actually felt guilty in his heart, and so did everyone else. They had all set out happily to attend a wedding, helped someone out halfway, and in the end the person was gone...

Li Yifei felt he owed Skinny Monkey’s family, owed this brother of his. Even though Skinny Monkey’s death was the fault of Violent Wolf and the others, the fault of Snow Falcon, the fault of those disappointing current members of the Flying Hawk Squad.

Skinny Monkey’s death would be a lifetime’s pain for the brothers, and even more so for his family. They had all known that Skinny Monkey was about to get married, the wedding planned for next year. When they were drinking, Skinny Monkey had even talked about wanting a pair of twins in the future, best if they were a boy and a girl; if not at the same time, then one after the other was fine. Two kids could be company for each other, one child would be too lonely. He’d also tried to persuade Zhang Tianxing to have two children.

But the person was gone. Sitting in the vehicle, Li Yifei’s mood was anything but light. On the contrary, the closer they got to Skinny Monkey’s home, the heavier he felt. He was afraid that for a long time to come, every time memories of Skinny Monkey surfaced, he would feel like this.

Zheng Mingrui and the others had all come together as well, escorting Skinny Monkey’s remains. Even though Skinny Monkey had already retired, Li Yifei had fought to win an honor for him. Maybe doing this couldn’t change anything, but... besides this, Li Yifei couldn’t think of anything else. At the very least, give Skinny Monkey a dignified honor, to prove that he hadn’t died feeling stifled. His death had directly provoked Li Yifei into using thunderous means to wipe out Snow Falcon, Violent Wolf and the others in one go.

Skinny Monkey’s home was in East Hill Province, which since ancient times had been the homeland of Confucius and Mencius, a place of rites and propriety. Li Yifei, however, hadn’t really been here much, and the few times he had were all just passing through. Skinny Monkey’s hometown wasn’t far from Mount Tai, two to three hours’ drive. Well, that wasn’t exactly close either, but Mount Tai covered a large area, so it was still convenient enough.

With what Skinny Monkey had saved over the years in the army, plus his severance pay after demobilization, and his exceptional technical skills, even after retiring he was doing very well. In this, he was different from Zheng Mingrui and Zhang Tianxing. In the local area Skinny Monkey was even somewhat famous, now worth several million, and if things had gone on a few more years, he might very well have become a multimillionaire.

This was the advantage of a technical specialty. The things learned in the army could also be put to use in real life. Whether it was computer skills or his understanding of high-tech industries, he was top-notch. Of course, in Li Yifei’s view, Skinny Monkey had still held back a lot; otherwise, with his level, he would definitely have earned more than that. But from his own perspective, giving Skinny Monkey an honor—maybe Skinny Monkey himself would never know, but his family could at least feel some comfort in their hearts.

Skinny Monkey’s family already knew about this. They had found out yesterday. They hadn’t been informed earlier, because the Flying Hawk Squad’s base could not be exposed.

Skinny Monkey’s real name was Yang Yang, a very ordinary name, and it sounded a bit youthful. He didn’t look tall or sturdy, not matching the characters of his name at all, but he was born with talent in computers. After joining the army and receiving specialized training, he quickly became the mainstay in the Flying Hawk Squad’s logistics and support. No, in fact, in matters of information battles and cyber offense and defense, Skinny Monkey was the real core. Only after he took control of key aspects could the ground units begin to act.

After retiring, Skinny Monkey turned down the army’s recall and said he wanted to return to his hometown to take care of his parents. After all, he had been away for years, and his parents were getting old and needed someone to look after them.

Skinny Monkey’s parents had come to pick up their son. The old couple were both in their sixties. Skinny Monkey had an elder sister, but her health was poor, so the family hadn’t told her yet.

, the old couple threw themselves onto their son’s coffin and wept bitterly. This kind of pain of losing a son in old age is something ordinary people cannot imagine.

Li Yifei felt awful inside, and the brothers were all clenching their teeth. Even though over the past few days they had already passed through the worst of their grief, seeing Skinny Monkey’s parents cry like this made them feel an overwhelming sorrow.

Partings of life and death have always been impossible to put into words. Supporting Skinny Monkey’s parents, who were on the verge of fainting, they all went back together to Skinny Monkey’s home. His parents still lived in the countryside— not exactly remote, but certainly not wealthy. According to what they said, at the beginning of the year Skinny Monkey had already bought an apartment and was planning to move the whole family into the city after it was renovated. It was one floor with two units: his parents would live in one, and once he married his girlfriend, they would live in the other. That way they’d have their own private space but could still conveniently look after his parents, drop by anytime, and it would be easier for everyday things like meals.

Skinny Monkey’s parents were honest, down-to-earth farmers, but not stubborn or old-fashioned. They usually got along well with Skinny Monkey’s girlfriend, so everyone believed they would live together in harmony in the future. No one had expected today’s calamity.

Even if they were unwilling, they had to accept Skinny Monkey’s death. He truly was dead—died for the country, died on a mission. That left Skinny Monkey’s parents with nothing to complain about. Facing these comrades who had come to see Skinny Monkey off, his parents just kept saying thank you.

Because they had only just found out not long ago, Skinny Monkey’s parents hadn’t yet picked out a burial plot. According to rural custom, it should have been an earth burial, but in recent years the state’s control over this had grown stricter. Ordinary Han Chinese were basically not allowed earth burials anymore, or they’d face heavy fines. So when Li Yifei asked, Skinny Monkey’s parents decided to have their son cremated, and after the cremation, bring the urn back.

"Uncle, Auntie, this is up to you. Since Skinny Monkey sacrificed himself for the country, there are options on these matters. If you don’t want cremation, just tell me. I’ll handle it, and I can absolutely let Skinny Monkey rest in the earth in peace," Li Yifei said.

"Cremation, earth burial, it’s all the same. Since he died for the country, then in death he shouldn’t bring trouble to the country. Cremation, then. Tomorrow we’ll contact the crematorium. The sooner he’s laid to rest, the sooner he can rest in peace," Skinny Monkey’s father said. His words sounded very calm, but beneath that calm, who could fathom the pain of the two of them?

Li Yifei gritted his teeth and nodded. "Let us take care of this, Uncle, Auntie. Please don’t be too grief-stricken. Take care of your health."

"Everyone dies sooner or later. We just didn’t expect it to come so early. He should at least have gone after us." After Skinny Monkey’s father finished, he turned away, as if he could no longer bear the grief.

Li Yifei felt even worse, his fists clenching as he nodded. Skinny Monkey was lying in a specially made coffin, the temperature inside very low, able to preserve the body but not for too long. After they arrived home, the surrounding neighbors finally learned what had happened. They were just as shocked and found it hard to believe this had really occurred. But it had, so some villagers hurried over to help, while others did not come.

Even while ill, Skinny Monkey’s sister still learned of the news. Her health was very poor. Years ago she had fallen gravely ill during childbirth; she’d been treated in a small clinic and never fully recovered, leaving behind chronic problems. She rode an electric scooter home, and as soon as she saw her brother’s remains, she threw herself onto him and wailed. The two siblings had always been close. Back then, to ensure Skinny Monkey could continue his studies, she had dropped out of school early. Over the years this had always been a pain in Skinny Monkey’s heart, so after he started making money, he’d always thought of repaying his sister. But her health really wasn’t good, the old complications lingering on, and even after visiting several places for treatment, nothing had worked.

"Brother! Brother! How could you just leave? Mom and Dad still need you to look after them, Little Shuang still needs you to look after!" Skinny Monkey’s sister cried in utter anguish, her grief infecting everyone around. Zheng Mingrui and the others silently wiped their tears. Li Yifei turned away, unable to watch.

Her crying set Skinny Monkey’s parents off again, and they too wept with streaming old tears.

She cried for a long time before the sobs slowly died down. Supported by her mother, Skinny Monkey’s sister walked over to Li Yifei and the others, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, thank you for bringing my brother home, for letting him come back. Thank you."

"Sis, the ones who should apologize are us. We’re the ones who failed to protect Yang Yang."

"This is fate, what was written in his life. Since he could give his life for the country, we have nothing more to say. He wanted to be a soldier since he was little. After high school, university tuition was too expensive, so he went into the army instead. He said being a soldier was the same, also defending the country and just as honorable, and it could save money. After a few years he’d even receive a payout. We didn’t expect he’d really make something of himself, get into such a good unit, and come back with real skills. My parents and I were all proud of him. He was supposed to get married this year or next, the wedding apartment was almost ready. As soon as the renovation was done, they could have moved in!" As she spoke, Skinny Monkey’s sister began to cry again.

Who wouldn’t shed tears? It had been a beautiful life, with everything getting better, and now it had turned into white-haired parents sending off their black-haired child, forced into a living Separation of Yin and Yang, parted by life and death.

If there had been a way to bring Skinny Monkey back, Li Yifei would have been willing to go through fire and water for his brother. But he didn’t have that kind of power. At least with his current cultivation, he could not comprehend life and death, could not bar the boundary between them. He couldn’t save Skinny Monkey, could only let his brother die.

Skinny Monkey’s sister wasn’t blaming Li Yifei and the others; she was just truly grief-stricken, unable to control herself. She cried until she was on the verge of fainting. Li Yifei hurriedly supported her and sent a surge of True Qi into her body to steady her. Only then did he discover that Skinny Monkey’s sister’s health was extremely poor, as if she might die at any time. But this was not the moment for treatment. Li Yifei made a note in his heart that once Skinny Monkey’s affairs were settled, he must treat her for his brother’s sake.