Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2382 - 2358: The Proud General

It’s okay to compete with Li Jinfang in digging, and other competitions aren’t impossible, but fighting? Liang Dong isn’t stupid.

So Liang Dong seriously said, "Let’s not fight, let’s have a cooking contest instead!"

That pretty much killed the conversation.

Having a good relationship is one thing, but losing still annoyed Li Jinfang a lot, so he said irritably, "Just wait, I’ll find some time to practice and get in the groove, and next time you’ll be the one losing!"

Liang Dong laughed heartily three times and then said, "Okay, I’m waiting for you."

Gao Yang clapped his hands and said, "Alright, alright, Mouse wins completely. Next, let’s settle Rebrov’s big thing."

Everyone turned their eyes to Rebrov, who looked at himself up and down, puzzled, and said, "What big thing?"

"You need a proper nickname; we called you over to give you one. Do you have a favorite animal?"

Rebrov pondered for a while, then said cluelessly, "I honestly don’t have any favorite animal."

Creating a nickname for someone is not easy; nicknames usually come from certain characteristics or events. For instance, Ram is a play on the name Gao Yang, Skunk because Rafael got sprayed by a skunk, and Big Dog Groliaof evolved from Loyal Dog to Big Dog.

Everyone has a nickname with a story, and it’s fitting. But as for Rebrov, he has no particular characteristics and no events worth making a nickname out of, so they decided to randomly assign him an animal name.

But just as everyone was brainstorming a nickname for Rebrov, he suddenly said, "What do you think about Wild Duck?"

Gao Yang immediately nodded and said, "Wild Duck works! Why Wild Duck?"

Rebrov smiled slightly and said in a deep voice, "My father loved hunting and took me hunting when I was very young. He used to hunt at the Dnieper River upstream, but after the Chernobyl explosion, he couldn’t go to the Dnieper River anymore. Then he switched to hunting wild ducks in the Jesna River area once."

With a genuine smile on his face, Rebrov said dreamily, "The first time my father took me hunting was on the left bank of the Jesna River, where there were many swamps and lots of wild ducks. It was my father and his comrade; we drove to the Jesna River and put on high boots to enter the swamps. You know those high boots, right? Or water waders."

Rebrov spoke with unnecessary detail, but no one familiar with him interrupted.

Gao Yang nodded and said, "I know water waders."

Rebrov laughed and said, "I was twelve, and my father gave me a 16-gauge shotgun, which was lightweight and had little recoil. We entered the swamp together and started looking for wild ducks. Later, I saw a wild duck, very big, with a green head, very beautiful! I was in the front, my father hadn’t seen it yet, but I did, and then I immediately shot and hit the duck!"

Rebrov gestured with his hands, shouting, "That wild duck was this big! Really this big! After I shot that duck, I was so excited that I ran towards it, my father shouted for me to stop, but I ran to the duck and picked it up."

Rebrov suddenly burst into laughter and, panting, said, "I was too short at that time, and the place we were at was a swamp, which you remember, right? All mud and water; I was wearing waders but got stuck in the mud and water. The water rose up to my neck; the waders filled with water, and I was stuck but still holding the duck in one hand and the shotgun in the other, happily shouting."

After taking a few deep breaths, Rebrov stopped laughing, wiped the laughing tears from his eyes, and continued smiling, "My father and his comrade had to get into the mud to pull me out. My father fell, then his comrade fell. By the time they dug me out, we were all covered in mud, the shotgun got wet, and hunting was cut short. So the three of us, all muddy, got back in the car and drove home. Back then, we lived in my father’s quarters, and many people saw our soaked state, but my father, every time he saw someone, would say..."

Rebrov raised his hand, as if holding something, and shouted, "Look, this is the duck my son shot, hit it with one shot. So fat! Ducks this size are rare!"

Rebrov lowered his hand, spread his hands and smiled, "The three of us were covered in mud, but my father looked like a proud General until we got home and my mom scolded us."

After laughing a few more times, Rebrov let out a long sigh, caught his breath, and said, "If possible, I’d like to be called Wild Duck. Now I realize I quite like this animal."

Rebrov’s father was with Grand Ivan; he chose loyalty to Grand Ivan and was killed in the war against Djo Malthael. Then Gao Yang found Rebrov and planned a way out for his mother and son and avenged Rebrov’s father. After discovering Rebrov was a skilled artillery officer, Gao Yang, who was looking for artillery, recruited Rebrov.

Rebrov’s story is simple; his father can’t be called a good person, given his connection with arms dealers. By normal standards, officers like him can’t be considered good.

But none of this stops Rebrov from loving his father, nor does it prevent Rebrov from missing him.

Since Rebrov himself suggested this nickname, no one opposed it. Eileen smiled and said, "That’s a good nickname, indeed."

Gao Yang also smiled and said, "Great, from now on, your nickname is Wild Duck."

No need for sympathy or expressing regrets, just accepting the nickname Rebrov gave himself is enough.

At this point, Cui Bo curiously said, "I just don’t get it. Weren’t you guys hunting by the river? How come you didn’t wash off the mud before going home?"

Rebrov laughed heartily and said, "You must have never hunted in a swamp; it’s all mud. Even clear puddles turn to murky water when you step in, and finding a suitable spot is harder than going straight home."

Gao Yang said, exasperated, "Rabbit, you sure have a unique perspective."

Cui Bo, puzzled, said, "What? I was just curious! They went home covered in mud without washing it off; don’t you find it odd?"