He sat up and habitually felt around the sides of his pants. No cigarettes. Of course—he'd forgotten he was still in the middle of a mission and couldn't carry such things.
"Captain Jiang." A young soldier in uniform came over carrying a boxed meal. The area was impoverished, and the soldiers' food consisted of rice with a few small dishes and several pieces of energy-boosting meat.
"Everyone ate earlier. Only you haven't. Please eat something. This is the dinner Major Lu specifically set aside for you."
"Mm." Jiang Jinghuai reached out and took the meal. His voice, initially mild, suddenly sank, settling into something impenetrable: "Leave the food. You can go now."
