101: Chapter 100 The Backbone of the Nation Must Not Break 101: Chapter 100 The Backbone of the Nation Must Not Break “Please step aside now and don’t interfere with my official duties,” Song Yun, with one hand covering his wound and the other pointing a gun at Wang Nian, said, “Since you have shot at me before, you should be prepared for the consequences of shooting.

Now is the time for you to pay the price.

Don’t expect your parents to beg for mercy, because that won’t work.”

“Are you really going to kill him?” Li Shishi whispered into Song Yun’s ear.

“Yes, he shot me, so why can’t I fight back?

I am an officer of the National Security Bureau.

Who have I ever been afraid of since I was a child?

I am representing the nation here.

If someone attacks me, they are attacking the whole country.

I am here to eliminate harm for the people,” Song Yun said righteously in a low voice.

However, his voice was loud enough that everyone present could hear it clearly.

Wang Nian, for his part, stood there stunned.

He had not anticipated his fate turning out so miserable, as none of the events he predicted today turned out as he had hoped.

“This…

Nephew Song, no, Mr.

Song, Xiao Nian made an unintentional mistake.

I believe he certainly holds no complaints against the country.

We will make compensation for this incident; could you possibly…” Wang Dong stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.

If this brat had such a life and still complained about the country, Song Yun would have shot him dead by now.

He couldn’t comprehend what these young masters were thinking, living at the top of the social pyramid, enjoying life’s luxuries, yet constantly complaining and blaming the world.

Song Yun didn’t understand how these people, who lived so freely, indulging in food, drink, and racing cars every day, could harbor so much resentment.

Perhaps the cost of one meal for them could be a month’s salary for an ordinary person, or a single seemingly modest car could equal a family’s annual earnings.

But while enjoying their power and privilege, they never thought about contributing to society or the country.

In Song Yun’s eyes, they were nothing but leeches.

When he was a mercenary abroad, Song Yun would occasionally donate money to help poor children in mountainous areas go to school.

He believed that even though education might not necessarily provide a way out, knowledge is something you earn yourself, imprinted on your mind and can’t be taken away.

Improving a country’s overall quality was synonymous with strengthening the nation’s overall power.

Did Song Yun love his country?

Not particularly, but he deeply loved the land that raised him and those people who, despite their poverty, still contributed to society.

Education can prosper a state, and this statement is by no means incorrect.

A person with higher education is certainly much better than a loafer who idles away his days wandering the streets.

During those years abroad, as soon as Song Yun received his rightful bounty, his first action was to make donations.

Some went to students, some to war veterans, and others to those performing menial work but with kindness in their hearts.

Song Yun remembered once returning to his country and visiting the war veteran he sponsored.

He wept.

A man who did not shed tears abroad even when his head bore a scar as large as a bowl cried like a neonate as he saw what had become of a veteran who had bravely fought for the liberation of China.

A hero who had been through so much was ridiculed and assaulted by a few ruffians for the small pension he received each month from an unknown benefactor.

To Song Yun, this was the ugliest atrocity in the world.

That night, the dozens involved all perished, whether by knife or by drowning, but all of them died in fear.

Song Yun felt hatred, indignation, and his eyes turned red.

The very ground he stood on was consecrated by the souls of heroes who had sacrificed their blood, tears, and unyielding spirits.

Every step we take is upon the bodies of these heroes.

Why doesn’t everyone hold such heroes in reverence?

Why is it?

Is it because the old man receives a monthly pension?

Because he is old and feeble and no longer of use?

On the contrary, their well-lived lives are the best gifts they could give to society and to the nation.

In the end, Song Yun still visited the old soldier.

When the veteran learned that Song Yun was his benefactor, he did not show gratitude but complained that he, being half-buried in the soil, should not keep the money.

He would rather see children from the mountains well-fed and warm than enjoy delicacies himself.

That was what the old man said.

Song Yun held the veteran’s hand with a simple smile, but his heart bled inside.

He consoled the old man, saying he had plenty of money and supported many children from poor mountain areas.

The old man thanked Song Yun profusely upon learning this.

The night Song Yun stayed with the veteran was the most enjoyable of his life.

They talked about many things, from the old man’s youth to the present.

The veteran, recalling his old comrades’ battles, was moved to tears.

The old soldier had no children, so he lived in poverty in his twilight years, with just a simple bed and a wardrobe in his home.

His mood brightened as he took out an old military uniform from the wardrobe.

Although it had patches, it was clean and bore a few small medals.

He struggled into it and saluted Song Yun with solemnity and respect.

Song Yun, accustomed to grand spectacle, was taken aback and did not know whether to return the salute or not.

The next day when Song Yun left, he said only one thing to the old man, “When you pass away, I will carry your coffin.” The old man sighed at the plain statement, “It seems we old folks are still remembered.

We are not afraid to sacrifice, to go to the front lines, but we are only afraid that people will forget us, forget the heroes buried deep under the ground.”

Two years later, the old man died peacefully, as his neighbors said.

Song Yun kept his vow and personally carried the coffin to a heroes’ monument in the city.

According to the veteran’s wishes, his ashes were buried there, and Song Yun used all his connections to have the old man’s name engraved on the monument.

After all was done, Song Yun felt a sense of emptiness and wonder.

Therefore, what Song Yun resented most were those self-important fools, with immense resources at their disposal, who cared only about their own pleasures.

As the old saying goes, a country can have flaws and even bloodsuckers, but it absolutely cannot lack backbone; for when a person is injured, they first mend their muscles and bones, and if a nation loses its backbone, it is a tragedy for the entire people.