DDT - Chapter 113
Chapter 113: Tycoon's Daughter (21)
On the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Huaping City was as brightly lit as it had been on New Year's Eve. Children playing with fireworks and firecrackers bounced around the open streets and squares. It had been years since Huaping City was this lively. In the days before and after the new year, adults and children alike were filled with laughter and joy.
On such a beautiful night, however, Yi Shuhan's brow was furrowed with worry. She had been swinging on the swing in the Yi family's back garden all afternoon, completely at a loss as to how to tell her father about leaving the city. She knew he would never agree. She was a little angry—angry at her own powerlessness, angry that Ah Yan didn't take care of her body, and angry that she didn't have a cleverer mind. She felt like she was about to burst.
Yi Shuhan swung a few more times. Earlier that day, standing at the door, she couldn't clearly hear the details of the mission Ah Yan and the others were undertaking. Inquiring about mission details was forbidden in the organization, so she had no idea how dangerous this one was. She didn't think one more person would be a burden. She had a talent for shooting, drove well, and had courage. She wouldn't be easily frightened into making a sound. The Yi family never lacked for talent and confidence!
Yi Shuhan thought for a moment. Ah Yan had said the mission was on the morning of the third. She could start preparing now. She was an adult; she didn't need to report her every move to her father. At worst, she could just make up an excuse when she got back.
Yi Shuhan hopped off the swing and headed back to her room.
The night grew deeper.
The children setting off fireworks outside were all herded home by their parents. Although public order had been decent lately, it was always better to be cautious.
The fireworks above Huaping City gradually dwindled, then vanished completely. Everything returned to tranquility.
Chi Junluo returned to her own little nest. It had been a long time since she had been to the original owner's home. The last time she stayed here was over a month ago. Since then, in order to collect as much Power of the Heavenly Dao as possible, she had found every excuse to get into the heroine's bed.
After washing up, Chi Junluo lay down on the bed. It felt like it had been a very, very long time since she had lain alone in the dark to quietly think about her own affairs.
With this rare moment to reminisce about the past, about her life in her original world, she felt a sense of unreality, as if those difficult days were nothing but a fleeting dream. She had wanted to die, but after the attempt, she discovered she had failed. What a failure of a person she was, to be driven to a dead end by a failed life and a disgusting beast, only to fail even at taking her own life.
She had already traversed five worlds with that thing that called itself the Heavenly Dao. Although her time in each world wasn't very long, it felt as if lifetimes had passed.
In every world, her entire life revolved around the girl named Yi Shuhan. Regardless of whether these bizarre worlds were real or fake, the girl who had been dragged into this because of her suicide attempt was becoming more and more vivid in her eyes.
It started as just completing a mission, achieving the goal of saving the heroine who had died innocently because of her. But later, she slowly began to care for this person. Yi Shuhan wasn't a mission objective in a game, and the people around her in each world weren't NPCs. Every world she arrived in was real; everyone was a living, breathing person of flesh and blood. New memories gradually covered up the dark past. In these worlds, she was actually very happy.
Even though this life was one she had "stolen."
But, at least she felt that such days were not bad.
She didn't know how many more worlds she had to go through to collect all the Power of the Heavenly Dao and the soul fragments, but she would cherish this kind of life.
As she thought, her mind turned to the mission on the third day of the new year. The content of the mission was actually quite simple: to blow up the only railway line controlled by the Japanese Army for transporting supplies and military provisions.
Of course, the mission was quite difficult. This railway was the first one built by the Dragon Kingdom over a decade ago. It ran through the country from north to south, from the northernmost Heihe City to the southernmost Dongzhou City. The people of the Dragon Kingdom themselves were reluctant to destroy it, because with their current resources and financial strength, building another one like it was almost impossible. The Japanese Army, taking advantage of the Dragon Kingdom's sentimentality, had seized the northern section of the railway and used it with confidence to transport supplies and troops. Sometimes, they even used the northern section to transport Westerners on sightseeing trips and important envoys from countries like J and Y who came to establish diplomatic relations with Japan.
They didn't even need to deploy many troops to guard the railway, because they were certain the people of the Dragon Kingdom were unwilling to start a war by destroying it. The Japanese had indeed played the people of the Dragon Kingdom perfectly before. To be precise, they had played the people of the Dragon Kingdom's New Government perfectly.
The people of the New Government were willing to sign unequal treaties ceding and leasing cities, but they were unwilling to destroy the railway. The Japanese had even made their calculations. Once Huaping City was captured, or after the New Government signed more "interesting" agreements, they would open the northern section of the railway they controlled to the people or merchants of the Dragon Kingdom, using the Dragon Kingdom's own railway to earn the Dragon Kingdom's own money.
In the eyes of the Japanese Army, the people of the Dragon Kingdom were utterly foolish. They had long forgotten that the Dragon Kingdom had more than just the New Government. The Secret Party had been operating in the shadows for many years, and their power was beyond what the Japanese Army could imagine.
The difficulty of this mission mainly lay in the troops the Japanese Army had stationed at several key points. After months of surveillance by the leaders of the Secret Party and reliable information from informants, they decided to set the location for this mission on a large river-crossing bridge in the middle of the northern railway section.
This bridge spanned a large river that flowed from northwest to southeast. The terrain here was perilous, with steep cliffs on both banks. The river took a sharp turn downwards in this gorge, a place where even the most experienced local fishermen dared not venture. The bridge, which only had two parallel railway tracks, was built back then for the sole purpose of the railway. Its construction had stumped many professional bridge engineers at the time.
To the west of the railway bridge, there were two iron cables used by locals to cross the gorge. However, while these cables could handle a few people, they were completely unsuitable for transporting supplies. At least, the Japanese Army couldn't do it.
The railway bridge was a structure that both the Dragon Kingdom and Japan cared deeply about. Although the Japanese Army was certain the Dragon Kingdom would not destroy it, General Kuro of the Japanese Army insisted on reinforcing the troops at the bridge, and his subordinates dared not object.
The bridge, originally guarded by only two squads, had been reinforced with four more squads before the new year, bringing the total to about seventy men.
The Secret Party's informants had already figured out the patrol patterns of the railway bridge before the new year. Chi Junluo's mission team just needed to infiltrate carefully at night, place the explosive charges, set the timers, and retreat immediately. They would then wait at a safe high point to confirm the bridge's destruction. This had to succeed on the first try. If they failed, the Japanese Army would become aware of their intentions, making a second infiltration nearly impossible. Even their informants within the Japanese Army would be implicated.
With the bug-like Power of the Heavenly Dao on her side, as long as it wasn't too obvious, Chi Junluo could complete this mission alone. The only thing she had to consider now was whether to bring the heroine, Yi Shuhan, along to directly complete the contract, or wait for the next opportunity.
The biggest problem was, without the Heavenly Dao present, what would happen to her soul if the body she inhabited died?
But soon, she stopped considering this problem. She even felt that the plan to blow up the bridge and form the contract was now feasible.
Because the Heavenly Dao, which had been inexplicably missing for several months, had returned at this critical moment!
The Heavenly Dao had spent quite some time in the Upper Realm. It first went to the site of the first Battle of the Gods, the Main God's domain, and then visited the territories of several Upper Gods. Despite being extremely cautious, it was careless for a moment and its tracks were discovered by a subordinate of one of the gods.
The God Realm was currently in a tense state. Every Upper God was on high alert, as if facing a great enemy. There wasn't a single unnecessary stir in the entire realm. The slightest disturbance could cause two Upper Gods to immediately start a fight.
The Heavenly Dao E Feng, after fleeing frantically for three days, finally found a hiding place in a dense forest.
Under the cover of divine power and a thick web of vines, it finally got a clear look at the one who had been pursuing it for days. It was one of its own kind, an elder Heavenly Dao, the one who had always been the most inconspicuous: Zhan Meng.
E Feng had no idea what had happened to these mysteriously vanished elder Heavenly Daos, but the fact that the most aloof and indifferent Zhan Meng was now working for an Upper God was something it found hard to accept.
It hadn't paid much attention to the later, numbered Heavenly Daos, but the first batch of twenty-two were all personally selected by the Main God. Each was bestowed with a trace of the Main God's power. This was why the elder Heavenly Daos possessed their own divine power; otherwise, uninformed outsiders wouldn't call them demigods. Without that trace of power from the Main God, how could they possibly have divine power? At best, they would be like any other ascended being, just another face in the crowd of the Upper Realm. It didn't care about the others, but at least the twenty-two of them were personally nurtured by the Main God and possessed divine power granted by the Main God. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the Main God's closest disciples.
And now, they had betrayed the Main God, using the power granted by the Main God to serve other deities!
As the Heavenly Dao E Feng thought of this, a fire of rage ignited in its heart.
But fortunately, it was an old soul. Having lived for so long, it wasn't one to be easily blinded by emotion.
The first batch of Heavenly Daos had received the Main God's blessings and followed the Main God for so many years. Although they weren't always amicable on the surface, people from that era should have been crystal clear about what they should and shouldn't do.
E Feng clenched its fist, feeling that it shouldn't have been so impulsive as to condemn its brothers and sisters.
It recalled the ambiguous divine message it received during the turmoil in the Upper Realm. Normally, only the Main God would use such a message to contact them, so like the other Heavenly Daos, it had rushed to the Upper Realm at once.
Perhaps the other Heavenly Daos were forced?
Many people in the lower realms believed that the gods of the Upper Realm were born from heaven and earth, devoid of desires. That's why many cultivators in the lower realms pursued a path of pure-heartedness or emotionlessness. Little did they know that these Upper Gods, having existed for so long, having lived for so many years, had developed emotions, learned curiosity, and produced desires in those countless eons. They had greed, obsessions, and things they sought. Aside from their greater power and longer lives, perhaps they were no different from the most ordinary people in the lower realms.
Therefore, it wasn't impossible that the gods, in their fight for benefits, had coerced the pitiful Heavenly Daos.
The Heavenly Dao E Feng stood quietly behind the vines, observing Zhan Meng's movements.
Seeing that he had lost his target, the Heavenly Dao Zhan Meng stopped searching. Instead, he sat down on the ground, leaning against a nearby ancient tree.
It seemed his relentless pursuit earlier was entirely out of necessity.
He leaned against the ancient tree, looking up at the gray, purple-tinged miasma that shrouded the forest canopy.
It was impossible to see the sky from here. The sky in the God Realm was also blue, a pure, unadulterated blue, unlike some worlds with clouds of various colors.
Zhan Meng idly swung a vine that climbed the ancient tree and let out a long sigh.
This lazy Zhan Meng, with a hint of sorrow in his eyes, was someone E Feng had never seen before. Perhaps no other Heavenly Dao had ever seen him like this.
Just how crappy must this dogshit life be to force a pure, aloof, expressionless Heavenly Dao who remained unmoved by anything into such a decadent state?
E Feng suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.
If they were ranked by name, E Feng would be the eldest brother among these Heavenly Daos. If the Heavenly Daos under the Main God were considered fellow disciples, it would have to call Zhan Meng and the others junior brother and sister.
As the senior disciple under the Main God, wasn't it only natural to take care of and feel sorry for one's junior brothers and sisters?
E Feng was lost in self-admiration. And so, considering itself the senior disciple, it stepped out from its hiding place, appeared beside Zhan Meng in a flash, and patted him on the head, murmuring compassionately, "Ah Meng, don't be afraid. Big brother has your back!"
Because everything happened so quickly and E Feng had no ill intentions, the Heavenly Dao Zhan Meng didn't notice it at all. It wasn't until E Feng's hand landed on his head and he heard E Feng's ghostly, whispering voice that he belatedly realized someone else was there.
Before E Feng could finish its sentence, the Heavenly Dao beneath its hand tensed up, flashed away, and reappeared more than ten meters away.
Zhan Meng's eyes were wide with fury as he glared at the guy who had just ruffled his hair.
E Feng was also startled. It was a rare display of affection, an attempt to show some brotherly love.
But seeing so many expressions on the formerly stoic face was satisfying enough.
In the end, thanks to E Feng's efforts, the tense chase became less so.
Once Zhan Meng saw clearly that the person before him was E Feng, he let down his guard. He shot E Feng a dissatisfied glare and found another ancient tree to sit under.
E Feng shamelessly followed, plopping down right next to Zhan Meng.
In this ancient forest, hidden from the prying senses of the Upper Gods, the perpetually tense Zhan Meng finally had a chance to be his true self.
After Zhan Meng expressed his need for some quiet time, the two Heavenly Daos sat shoulder to shoulder in the ancient forest for an entire day.
Then, once he was rested, Zhan Meng began to tell E Feng about his experiences during this period.
According to Zhan Meng, ever since he received the divine message and rushed from his world to the Upper Realm, he had found the Main God Hall completely destroyed by a powerful force.
The Main God Hall was built by the Main God himself, containing countless divine powers. It couldn't be easily damaged, let alone so thoroughly destroyed.
"You know, there's a subtle connection between the Main God and us twenty-two Heavenly Daos. The Main God can sense us, and we can also faintly sense the Main God, sometimes even a hint of the Main God's mood."
Zhan Meng trailed off, finding it hard to continue. "But when we arrived at the Main God Hall, we discovered that our subtle connection with the Main God had completely vanished!"
E Feng was naturally aware of this, but it had been unwilling to admit it.
The two Heavenly Daos leaned against each other, silent for a long time. Finally, Zhan Meng voiced the fact that all the Heavenly Daos were reluctant to face. "The Main God... for some unknown reason, has fallen."
Although there were only the two of them in the ancient forest, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.
Zhan Meng then skipped over the topic. After their initial shock and grief, they had remained by the Main God Hall, planning to discuss their next steps.
The fall of the Main God was a major event. The sudden disappearance of the immense divine power that had suppressed the entire God Realm would initially cause a sense of inexplicable panic among the gods.
Imagine a day when the dragons have no leader. After the initial chaos, it would inevitably lead to each declaring themselves king.
The shrewd Upper Gods quickly began to gather their own forces. Some of the bolder ones even snuck to the plains of the Site of the Battle of the Gods, where the Main God Hall was located, wanting to see what great power had slain the Main God, or with whom the Main God had perished.
Perhaps they could find some good treasures on the battlefield? That was a being akin to the peak of a divine mountain; anything that slipped through its fingers would be enough to drive the gods into a frenzy.
And so, the pitiful twenty-two Heavenly Daos were surrounded like dumplings by a pack of wolf-like Upper Gods.
The first few Upper Gods to arrive each grabbed two of the so-called demigod Heavenly Daos and fled. The remaining few didn't even have time to run before they were snatched up by the other gods who followed.
As Zhan Meng spoke of this, a vein throbbed on his forehead. He was clearly furious. After all, they were demigods who had lived for so long, each a Heavenly Dao of a world, yet they were captured so helplessly. This would likely become a stain on their entire existence.
Zhan Meng lowered his head and clutched it, saying sorrowfully, "I am no longer that pure Heavenly Dao! I was forcibly taken by a trash god! I am no longer clean!"
E Feng paused for a moment, wondering when the Upper Realm had gotten a god in charge of trash.
Then it understood. Zhan Meng clearly wanted to cry, but for the last shred of dignity as an elder Heavenly Dao, he forced the tears back. He bit his lower lip and said angrily, "Though I submit to tyranny today, if one day I find my chance! I will surely make a comeback! I will avenge the Main God! And I will trample these trashy bleep-bleep Upper Gods under my feet!"
E Feng listened, stunned. It thought to itself that it had underestimated the excellent upbringing ingrained in the bones of this former iceberg. Even his curses were automatically bleeped out. How considerate of his only audience! Truly, civility and reason start with oneself!
Zhan Meng was tired from speaking. At the end, he didn't forget to add hatefully, "Do not scorn the young for their poverty!"
E Feng blinked and started clapping. As expected of the most learned among the twenty-two elder Heavenly Daos! He must have read a lot of OP protagonist novels over the years!
From the information Zhan Meng provided, E Feng gleaned several very important points.
One, besides itself, the other twenty-one Heavenly Daos had been captured by different Upper Gods and had become the main fighting force under them.
Two, although these Upper Gods had used the Soul Cleansing Technique on the Heavenly Daos, seeing Zhan Meng's performance today, it was clear that this technique was useless against Heavenly Daos who possessed the Main God's divine power. This was good news.
Three, the Main God had fallen. This was sorrowful news.
Four, before a new Main God emerged in the Upper Realm, a second Battle of the Gods might break out, because the Upper Gods speculated that if one god could rule the God Realm, they would become the new Main God.
Finally, the two Heavenly Daos bid a reluctant farewell in the ancient forest. Zhan Meng really didn't want to leave, because once he left this dense forest, he would have to return to the persona of a sycophant to the Upper Gods, his memory supposedly wiped by the Soul Cleansing Technique.
After saying goodbye to E Feng, the moment Zhan Meng stepped out of the ancient forest, his expression returned to being blank. At this moment, he was Zhan · Niohuru · Meng! He silently vowed in his heart, Do not scorn the young for their poverty!
The Heavenly Dao E Feng, on the other hand, suppressed its excitement. Burdened with the mission of saving its junior brothers and sisters, it found a sparsely populated ascension channel and left the Upper Realm. Then, it rushed back to the world where Chi Junluo and its little world's heroine were, circled quickly in the air, found Chi Junluo's little nest, and flew over like a shooting star, returning to Chi Junluo's sea of consciousness.
It had been several months, and it had missed this place dearly.
Returning to Chi Junluo's sea of consciousness, a place it had inhabited for so long, the Heavenly Dao felt an extraordinary warmth. It happily rolled around a few times on the edge of the sea of consciousness, then said hi to Chi Junluo.
Chi Junluo was in the middle of her dilemma when a pale golden light flashed before her eyes, and the Heavenly Dao's annoying voice appeared in her sea of consciousness.
Chi Junluo expressed her resentment. Uncharacteristically, the Heavenly Dao didn't defend itself or try to change the subject with its disgusting "ying ying ying" like before. She even sensed a hint of fondness in its tone?
Chi Junluo: ???
Although she didn't know what madness had possessed the Heavenly Dao during its absence, it was clear Chi Junluo didn't plan to delve into it. She had a more pressing question for the Heavenly Dao right now.
However, the Heavenly Dao also had a pressing question for Chi Junluo, so it spoke first before she could. "Chi Chi, Chi Chi, feel the power in your body right now. Try to channel it to the palm of your left hand. Not the Power of the Heavenly Dao, your own power."
Chi Junluo was a little annoyed at being interrupted, but she still listened to the Heavenly Dao's words, intending to see what it was up to.
Feeling that it was strange to lie down and raise her left hand, Chi Junluo simply sat up. Following the Heavenly Dao's instructions, she raised her left hand and, just as she had done with the Power of the Heavenly Dao before, thought about gathering her own power into her left hand.
To her amazement, a gentle energy overflowed from her heart. As if flowing with the blood in her body, it quickly reached the palm of her left hand. Then, a pure, gentle golden light slowly appeared in her palm, transforming into different shapes according to her thoughts.
This was completely different from the pale golden Power of the Heavenly Dao. The Power of the Heavenly Dao only produced a warm sensation at the point of contact when collected from the heroine. The rest of the time, it was without temperature inside her body. It wasn't like this energy in her left hand now—gentle, transforming at will. This truly felt like her own power!
The Heavenly Dao E Feng paid no attention to what messy shapes Chi Junluo was transforming the power in her hand into. Its attention was completely captivated by the beautiful golden pattern on Chi Junluo's left wrist!
Seeing the Heavenly Dao's lack of reaction, Chi Junluo followed its gaze to her own left wrist.
The pattern on her wrist glowed with a golden light. The layers of gauze wrapped around it and her long sleeves couldn't conceal this dazzling radiance.
Chi Junluo felt that the world was becoming more and more fantastical.
First, she failed to commit suicide by jumping off a building and ended up killing an innocent Child of Destiny. Then, she followed this self-proclaimed Heavenly Dao through one world after another, experiencing all sorts of bizarre and fantastical things. Now, this Heavenly Dao, which had been missing for months, returned and told her to operate some kind of power of her own, and she actually fucking did it! And this so-called power of her own even drew some patterns on her wrist?
As Chi Junluo's mind wandered, the power lost its control and retracted back into her palm. The golden glow on her left wrist also dimmed.
When all the golden light vanished, the room, which had been brightly lit just a moment ago, returned to darkness.
Chi Junluo was dumbfounded, while the Heavenly Dao was ecstatic.
"As I thought..." The Heavenly Dao didn't bother hiding anymore. It floated out of Chi Junluo's sea of consciousness and zipped around the room crazily in the form of a pale golden ball of light. "Hahahahaha! There's hope! There's hope!"
The room was filled with the Heavenly Dao's cackling laughter.
Chi Junluo raised her right hand and, just like before, channeled that power. A golden energy formed a lightbulb-like shape in her right hand, illuminating her left.
She saw that where the pattern was on her wrist, the gauze and the sleeve seemed to have been branded through, leaving holes that perfectly matched the pattern.
Over there, the Heavenly Dao, after its fit of madness, finally calmed down.
It floated in front of Chi Junluo again, lazily pressing against the lightbulb-shaped golden energy. Chi Junluo saw two small hands extend from the pale golden ball of the Heavenly Dao, hugging the energy released from her right hand.
The scene was surprisingly heartwarming???
Chi Junluo was startled by the thought that flashed through her mind.
Then, as she was startled by her own thoughts, the energy in her right hand wavered for a moment before disappearing back into her palm.
The Heavenly Dao moved forward nostalgically, then stopped. It had just remembered the dignity it had thrown to the winds as a Heavenly Dao.
Seeing the Heavenly Dao suddenly put on airs and stop its strange behavior, Chi Junluo warily hid her hands under the covers and engaged in a "staring contest" with it.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward.
Seeing that the Heavenly Dao had no intention of explaining anything, and since she wasn't the type to get to the bottom of things, Chi Junluo didn't press the matter. She felt that when the time was right, she would know everything she needed to know.
So she remembered the very important matter that the Heavenly Dao had almost made her forget.
"Heavenly Dao, quickly check for me, how is the collection of the Power of the Heavenly Dao in this world going?"
This question was very important. When asked, the Heavenly Dao came back to its senses. It glanced at the pitiful Power of the Heavenly Dao that had been pushed into a corner by Chi Junluo's own power. The corner of its eye twitched, though it was fortunate that in its light-ball form, it was hard to tell where its eyes were.
A random bit of her energy was stronger than the entire world's Power of the Heavenly Dao by who knows how much. Now, its Power of the Heavenly Dao was probably useless.
The Heavenly Dao sighed sadly. It swayed its body at Chi Junluo, telling her to wait a moment, and then floated out the window.
A moment later, the Heavenly Dao floated back. It had taken a trip to Yi Shuhan's side. It originally thought that since it couldn't find where the Power of the Heavenly Dao was stored on the heroine in this world and had been gone for so long, the power on Yi Shuhan probably hadn't been touched much.
To its surprise, after circling Yi Shuhan up and down several times, it couldn't find a trace of the Power of the Heavenly Dao. It seemed Chi Chi had made good progress. In the days it was gone, she had been working hard to complete the mission.
Upon learning that the Power of the Heavenly Dao had been fully collected, Chi Junluo became excited. It seemed it was time to take the heroine to the mission on the third day for a little stimulation.
Although she was a bit reluctant to part, it was clear that completing the mission sooner and repairing the heroine's soul was the proper thing to do!
Chi Junluo would absolutely not admit that she was starting to love the feeling of bungee jumping.
Absolutely not!
Time passed quickly, and the second day of the new year seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye.
Yi Shuhan secretly brought the pistol Chi Junluo had given her, along with a good number of bullets she had received from the Secret Party.
She didn't plan to tell her family that she was preparing to leave the city. But just in case—just in case she really didn't come back—her family would at least know where she had gone.
So, on the night of the second, she opened her most expensive fountain pen, took out two sheets of exquisite letter paper, and began to write.
When the two characters "Shuhan" were written at the end, Yi Shuhan let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if she had completed some important ritual.
She placed the letter in a kraft paper envelope, sealed it with the Yi family's wax seal, and put it in the pocket of her overcoat.
Of course, she wouldn't leave the letter in her room or anywhere in the house. If her family found it after she had been missing for a few days, it would cause chaos.
Yi Shuhan knew well that no news was the best news. She decided that when morning came, she would go to the Secret Party's training ground and give the letter to someone in the intelligence section. If she was confirmed to have failed the mission and died on the battlefield, the Secret Party members who received the news would find a way to deliver the letter to the Yi family.
Of course, if she could return triumphantly, this letter would never need to be sent. That would be the best outcome!
With a click, she turned off the light and lay down on the bed. Although she was excited, she had to get a good rest. She couldn't let it affect the next day's mission.
Besides, for the next period of time, she would be sleeping out in the open. She had to get a good night's sleep in this warm bed.
A peaceful night passed quickly. At 4:30 AM, the alarm Yi Shuhan had set went off on time. She reached out to turn it off, got up briskly, washed up, dressed, and then, putting on her dark gray trench coat, she left the Yi residence where everyone was still sound asleep.
Gently closing the main gate, she retrieved the bicycle she had ridden from the shop from around the corner. With a smooth push and pedal, she was on her way, riding swiftly towards the Secret Party's training ground.
Less than twenty minutes later, Yi Shuhan pushed her bike into the Secret Party's courtyard.
At just before 5 AM, because the Secret Party had been running many missions recently, the assembly area next to the training ground was already bustling with people.
Yi Shuhan quickly found the railway mission team gathered in a circle. In the center was Chi Junluo, distributing equipment.
Seeing Yi Shuhan arrive, Chi Junluo was not surprised at all. After spending several months together, she had long figured out Yi Shuhan's personality. So, on the day the Heavenly Dao returned and urged her to inform Yi Shuhan, Chi Junluo had been very calm, certain that Yi Shuhan would come for the mission.
In truth, what the Heavenly Dao didn't know was that a small part of Chi Junluo hoped Yi Shuhan would have too many concerns and miss this mission. She actually wanted to spend more time with this clever and mischievous heroine. After all, when she left, she would be gone for good.
Yi Shuhan was still a little nervous, worried that Ah Yan wouldn't let her join the mission. But to her surprise, when Ah Yan was distributing the equipment, she handed some to her as well. After her arms were full, Yi Shuhan belatedly asked, "Ah Yan, is this for me?"
Chi Junluo looked at her with amusement. "Of course, Comrade Sun. Hurry up and organize your gear. We're about to set off."
Yi Shuhan nodded vigorously, carried the equipment to a room on the side of the field, and began to change.
After Yi Shuhan left, Chi Junluo patted the shoulder of a young man next to her and said very seriously, "Ah Lang, I'm really troubling you. You just finished a mission not long ago. You didn't have to participate in this operation."
Comrade Wolf had a solemn expression. "Section Chief North Goose, don't say that. We are all doing this for the Dragon Kingdom and its people. Even if I have to sacrifice myself now, it would be the honor of my life!"
Chi Junluo felt the young man had a great sense of duty. So, with a straight face, she very seriously told him the mission details. "Ah Lang, our mission this time is to deal with the railway and blow up the bridge. Your only task is to protect Comrade Sun in our squad!"
"Yes, sir!" Ah Lang replied earnestly and gave a military salute, a gesture he made every time he accepted a mission.
He didn't ask why his mission was to protect another comrade. Whatever his mission was, he would carry it out diligently.
So when Yi Shuhan, fully equipped, returned to the squad, she saw the blockheaded young man, Ah Lang, whom she often met at the training ground.
Only this time, Comrade Ah Lang's gaze towards her was unusually fervent.
It wasn't the fervent look of youthful infatuation. Yi Shuhan felt that this Ah Lang was looking at her as if she were a precious antique.
One he was afraid of dropping.
In the end, the group split into two and boarded two vehicles.
Chi Junluo was the team leader and sat in the first vehicle. Yi Shuhan followed her into the first vehicle. Chi Junluo took the front passenger seat, so Yi Shuhan had to get into the back row, which could seat three people and was very spacious.
Yi Shuhan consciously moved to the innermost seat. Another female comrade was about to get in, but Ah Lang beat her to it. Yi Shuhan's eyes widened as she watched the blockhead, who regarded her as an antique, show no sense of chivalry whatsoever. He climbed into the car, sat down primly beside her, and even politely kept a distance of two fists away.
Yi Shuhan: ...
The female comrade who had been cut off: ...
Clearly, a blockhead was a blockhead. He saw nothing wrong with a big man like him sitting between two women.
Once the driver got in and all the doors were closed, the engine started, and the driver began to warm up the vehicle.
Then, from the back of the car, Comrade Ah Lang's clear and resonant voice reported, "Report, Captain! First vehicle of the railway mission team has assembled. Awaiting your orders!"
Chi Junluo was used to it. She looked at her right-side mirror and saw the passenger in the rear vehicle stick out a hand and give a thumbs-up. She nodded and then ordered, "Move out!"
The two vehicles, along with the team members and some military supplies in the trailers, officially set off!
The railway bridge was about a two-day drive from Huaping City. The vehicles were fully fueled, and all the team members were ready and raring to go, their faces flushed with excitement!
They knew that if this mission succeeded, all the armies of the Dragon Kingdom would have a greater chance of victory!
The hope of success was in the hands of their small team! Life or death, they had to succeed! Even if it cost them their lives, this mission had to fucking succeed!
Chi Junluo's old butler had woken up early. Before he had a chance to open the tavern doors, he pushed out the butcher's bicycle from next door and pedaled towards the city gate.
The tavern was still some distance from the north gate. In the early morning, the old butler, wearing a dog-skin hat against the frosty, snow-laced air, raced through the quiet streets of Huaping City towards the north gate under the moonlight.
The night before, that child, Chi Junluo, had come to the tavern to talk with him all night. They talked about this and that, mostly about the wonderful times the Chi family had many years ago. From Chi Junluo's nostalgic tone, the old butler sensed something unusual.
Over the years, Chi Junluo had been on many missions, but never before had she come back to talk with him for so long the day before a mission. It was as if she were performing a farewell ritual.
The old butler pedaled furiously in the cold wind, navigating one familiar street corner after another. He had traveled this road to the north gate many times. He could reach it even with his eyes closed.
As the sky gradually brightened, the city gates opened.
Chi Junluo's mission team's vehicles turned the corner and drove straight out of the main gate. The old butler waited by the side of the gate, watching the child, now grown up, pass by in the car window.
Watching the vehicles drive into the distance, the old butler finally stepped out from the shadows by the gate, gazing afar.
The children of this era always had their own goals they wanted to achieve, for which they would sacrifice everything without hesitation. He was old and couldn't contribute much anymore. He could only watch as the children, growing stronger, rushed towards the horizon.
Just like six or seven years ago, when his own son, in his twenties, and the young master of the Chi residence, rushed into the flames to save them...
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