This novel is adapted from the author's own true experiences. A book for those who served in the military and were born in the 1990s, bringing back memories we can share. Let's rediscover who we were when we first put on our military uniforms.
Liu Xun was the kind of person who had it all on campus: a key member of the university TV station, an award-winning photographer, a seat on the student union, and no shortage of girls around him. But after a night out at a bar, he got into trouble with local thugs and was forced to borrow money, work part-time, and live on steamed buns to pay off his debt. With nowhere left to turn, he secretly enlisted, hiding it from his father, who had served in the military for over a decade.
His father said, "You don't want to be a soldier. You're just out of places to run."
His mother cried as she saw him onto the train. His father never came down from the balcony.
In recruit training, the troublemakers were beaten nearly to death by their squad leaders. In the red-versus-blue exercises, the bookish boys and rich kids were forged into blades. In special forces selection, some made it through, while others returned to their companies and became their backbone.
Two years later, he left the military and returned to campus. Only when he picked up his camera again did he understand:
The day he enlisted, he hadn't wanted to be a hero. He just wanted to survive. By the time he walked out of the camp gates again, he could never return to who he had been.
