Glory of Special Forces Episode 4 Recap
> Glory of Special Forces Recap
Yan Poyue, assigned to the kitchen squad, felt restless and unfulfilled. While other recruits trained new drills, he was often assigned to mundane tasks like pushing carts or chopping onions. Initially, his onion-chopping was clumsy, leading to wasted food and a reprimand from Squad Leader Fan Jin, who emphasized that even chopping onions was a skill that required precision. However, within a few days, Yan Poyue's skills improved remarkably, much to the surprise of his comrades.
Guo Kui, seeing Yan Poyue, Xiao Yun Jie, and Lu Xiao Tian diligently training after their kitchen duties, observed they were like "iron men." He expressed concern to Fan Jin that their constant training might disrupt the unity of the kitchen squad and interfere with the other soldiers' rest. Fan Jin, however, dismissed these concerns, stating that the three recruits possessed ambition, and it was important for the kitchen squad to also have combat readiness.
He refused to order them to stop. One day, Fan Jin gathered Yan Poyue, Xiao Yun Jie, and Lu Xiao Tian, telling them they wouldn't be doing standard physical training. Instead, he instructed them to change into their gear and follow him to the wilderness. Fan Jin led the three to a small forest, declaring "Outdoor smokeless cooking" as their training for the day, with the setting being a battlefield.
Xiao Yun Jie questioned the relevance, preferring drills like a 5-kilometer run or combat training. Fan Jin explained that as kitchen soldiers, their fundamental duty was to serve the troops by being able to set up a stove and cook. Yan Poyue pressed for the purpose of digging a stove when portable cooking tools were available.
Fan Jin outlined a scenario: enemy forces had cut off their supply lines, destroyed their cooking equipment, and they had run out of rations, leaving only rice. Understanding the dire need for self-sufficiency, Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie began digging, but their efforts quickly produced thick smoke, choking them. Lu Xiao Tian, however, produced no smoke.
When questioned, he proudly boasted about his focus, only for Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie to discover he was cheating by using a self-heating hot pot. Fan Jin, observing their struggles, sarcastically commented that their smoky fires would "expose their position" and declared them "dead" in the simulated scenario. He then punished Lu Xiao Tian with an hour of standing at attention for cheating. Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie admitted their confusion and asked for instruction.
Fan Jin demonstrated how to build a proper smokeless stove by creating a flue and covering the vent with wet leaves to trap the smoke. He remarked that any other soldier in the kitchen squad could do this, "except for you three."
Impressed and humbled, Yan Poyue and Xiao Yun Jie volunteered for punishment, but Fan Jin declined, saying he merely wanted them to shed their arrogance and appreciate the diverse skills within the kitchen squad, emphasizing the importance of preserving army traditions despite modern advancements. As their "punishment," he made all three eat the plain rice cooked in the pot, which Lu Xiao Tian jokingly complained about.
Later, during a supply delivery to a training outpost, Fan Jin brought Yan Poyue, Xiao Yun Jie, and Lu Xiao Tian along, explaining that no one else could manage the three recruits. While on the road, Lu Xiao Tian began excitedly discussing his business plans, specifically to grow saffron on the hills as a "military quality" product, hoping to build a fortune.
Fan Jin angrily chastised them, reminding them that a soldier's life belongs entirely to the nation and people, with no "free time" for personal ventures. Just then, an emergency radio broadcast announced that a cross-border drug trafficker was still at large. Moments later, a motorcycle crashed into a nearby ravine. Investigating, they found the rider frothing at the mouth, clearly suffering from drug withdrawal. Fan Jin immediately identified him as a drug trafficker.
They quickly subdued him, finding a loaded gun and several packets of drugs in his bag. Lu Xiao Tian was ecstatic, believing they had earned a merit. Upon returning to the outpost, Fan Jin reported the capture and the discovery of about two kilograms of drugs to the regiment via phone.
He was informed that due to heavy rain, the regiment and police would only be able to transport the trafficker the following day, and that the individual was involved in a major case. As Yan Poyue guarded the trafficker in the warehouse, the man, speaking Chinese, tried to bribe him, offering "all the money you can spend for the rest of your life" if he was released. Yan Poyue ignored him.
When Lu Xiao Tian brought food, the trafficker, now recovered from his initial withdrawal, eerily warned them, "You're going to die tonight. . . Eat your last meal!" Yan Poyue sternly told him to "shut up" or he would make him. That night, a heavy rain began to fall.
Fan Jin, feeling a sense of unease, discussed with a comrade (presumably Gao) the heightened border tensions and the frequent drug trafficking attempts, deciding they would need to take turns patrolling due to the small squad size. Yan Poyue, observing the supposedly sleeping trafficker, deduced he was merely pretending, his body tense, his breathing shallow, in a state of "thinking, meditating." A haunting flute melody, identified as being from Myanmar, pierced the rainy night.
The trafficker suddenly let out a strange cry, which Yan Poyue recognized as a signal. Fan Jin immediately ordered him to gag the man. Almost simultaneously, a sentry outside was shot, triggering a defensive response. Fan Jin ordered smoke grenades to be thrown to confuse the enemy and directed men to rescue the wounded sentry. He quickly assessed the situation: the absence of gunshots indicated silencers, while the unseen attackers suggested long-range shooting and night-vision equipment.
He concluded the well-armed, unknown number of enemies were undoubtedly there for the captured drug trafficker. With the main power cut and phones inoperable, Fan Jin ordered Yan Poyue to retrieve the radio from the warehouse and contact the regiment for reinforcements, emphatically reminding everyone not to turn on any lights. Back in the dark warehouse, as Yan Poyue frantically searched for the radio, Xiao Yun Jie anxiously asked how to set it up.
During the chaos, Yan Poyue overheard a comrade address Fan Jin as "Old Dog Fan," and a sudden realization dawned on him: Fan Jin was "the Dog" from the legendary "Dragon, Tiger, and Dog." Fan Jin, still outside, ordered Yan Poyue to plug in the radio and contact the regiment for reinforcements. As gunshots continued to echo from outside, the drug trafficker, taking advantage of the distraction, tried to escape, but Yan Poyue quickly subdued him again.
Fan Jin, meanwhile, instructed his men to establish defensive positions and look for an opportunity to activate the backup power, which he eventually managed to turn on. Yan Poyue struggled with the radio's poor signal, compounded by heavy interference. After persistent attempts, he finally made contact, identifying himself as 'Private Yan Poyue, 247th Regiment Special Service Company,' and reporting that 'Tiger Three Five' was under attack, the enemy situation was unknown, two men were shot, and they urgently requested backup.
The voice on the other end, identifying himself as Staff Officer Li Guo Sheng, confirmed that reinforcements were being prepared, but stated a helicopter had been dispatched and was struggling to locate them due to the bad weather. He asked Yan Poyue why he wasn't participating in the crossfire. Yan Poyue explained that the squad leader had ordered him and Xiao Yun Jie to guard the captured drug trafficker.
Li Guo Sheng then asked for a detailed situation report and, after confirming they had weapons, stated the helicopter needed a landing guide. When Yan Poyue said they had no flares, Li Guo Sheng instructed them to "turn on the lights at the sentry post." This instruction immediately raised Yan Poyue's suspicion.
