Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

As his thoughts reached out from his palm, the crystal-clear spiritual spring water in his personal space began to surge.

Ya Ya knew that this water was too nourishing for ordinary people. She specially took out more than half of the ordinary well water from the spare large water tank in the corner of the space and mixed it with a small ladle of high-concentration spiritual spring water.

The water flowed silently down the inner wall of the tin bucket without splashing. In just seven or eight seconds, the two buckets, each about half a person's height, were completely full. The water level was almost up to the rim of the buckets, radiating a cool breeze and carrying a faint, indescribable sweetness.

Ya Ya clapped her hands in satisfaction, took out a White Rabbit milk candy from the pocket of her tactical vest, and popped it into her mouth.

"Boss, should we retreat or not? Those guys are trying to turn back!" Niu Dan squeezed through the crack in the door like an eel, urging in a low voice.

"Let's go." Ya Ya waved her hand and followed Niu Dan with her short legs, slipping down the dark corridor faster than a rabbit.

The two had barely turned into the aisle of the deluxe sleeper compartment when the train conductor and Platoon Leader Li returned to the boiler room, grumbling and cursing.

"What the hell? There's not a single mouse in the bathroom, so how did that metal bucket just fall to the ground by itself?" Xiao Li held a flashlight in his hand and waved it around wildly.

The train conductor was so worried he was practically pulling his hair out: "Forget about the rats, Platoon Leader Li, come quick and help. Skim off the water from the bottom. Those kids are delirious with fever. If we don't give them some water, they'll be dead by dawn."

He sighed and picked up a long-handled aluminum ladle in the dark, reaching into the bucket by feel to scrape the bottom.

The water ladle had barely gone down three inches.

With a "thump".

The water ladle was smashed directly into the water, splashing the train conductor's face with icy, bone-chilling water droplets.

The train conductor's hand trembled, and the entire water ladle fell in. He froze on the spot, his head buzzing.

"What's wrong, Lao Zhao? The bottom water has all leaked out?" Xiao Li quickly shone the flashlight around.

When the light shone on them, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Two large metal barrels, each about half a person's height, were filled to the brim with crystal-clear water! The surface of the water rippled with the swaying of the train.

"God... has a miracle happened? This boiler is laying eggs by itself?" The train conductor's legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the cold iron floor, trembling as he pointed at the water bucket.

Xiao Li was dumbfounded. In all his years in the army, this was the first time he had ever seen something so bizarre. He rolled up his sleeve, dipped his finger in water, and tasted it.

It tastes sweet and refreshing as it goes down your throat and into your stomach, relieving most of the fatigue from staying up all night.

"Good water! No matter where it comes from, Lao Zhao, quickly scoop some water to boil down the fever medicine and save the person!" Xiao Li made a quick decision, picked up the aluminum kettle on the ground and started filling it with water.

The hard-seat carriage soon became lively.

With plenty of water available, the train conductor quickly instructed several attendants to carry hot water jugs and distribute the water to each passenger.

The dozen or so children and elderly people whose lips were covered in large blisters from the fever were forced to drink two bowls of warm water, and their body temperatures, which were originally scalding hot, visibly dropped.

Even the coughing had decreased by more than half. From the crowd that had been waiting to die, a few suppressed sobs came out, all of them kowtowing and chanting Buddhist prayers to thank God.

Inside the deluxe sleeper compartment.

Ya Ya took off her tactical vest and, like a little dumpling, slipped into the quilt on the lower bunk. Lin Wanrou was fast asleep and didn't notice at all.

Gu Changfeng, who was in the lower bunk opposite, turned over. Having led troops for many years, he was more alert than anyone else when he slept, and he had noticed the two little ones opening the door and leaving.

Gu Changfeng opened his eyes and stared at Ya Ya's bulging little blanket. Half of a chubby little foot wearing a white cotton sock was peeking out from the edge of the blanket, and the unique sweet scent of fruitwood that had drifted in from outside was impossible to hide.

A short while later, whispers came from the corridor outside the private room from Xiao Li and the veterans, with the words "living Buddha" and "full bucket of water" vaguely mixed in.

Gu Changfeng turned over, tugged at his military overcoat, and a slight smile played on his lips. He never questioned how many tricks his girl had up her sleeve. To be able to save over a dozen lives out of nowhere in this desolate place—he, Gu Changfeng, was more than worthy of such good fortune.

The next day, the sun shone brightly.

The black storm outside the window had completely stopped, and several heavy bulldozers rumbled in from the opposite direction, pushing the yellow sand buried on the railway tracks to both sides.

At 10:30 a.m., the green train, which had been idle for a day and a night, let out a long, hoarse whistle and started moving again with a clanging sound.

The temperature inside the carriage slowly rose, and the passengers who had narrowly escaped death clung to the windows, looking out at the vast desert, their faces filled with a mixture of fear and relief.

The train traveled for another two hours.

"Chief of Staff, we're almost there! The final stop, Hongshanbaozi, is just ahead!" Platoon Leader Li knocked on the door outside the corridor to report.

Gu Changfeng stood up, took out the Type 54 pistol, checked the magazine, and then put it back on his waistband.

Lin Wanrou zipped up her handbag and took Ya Ya's little hand in hers.

Niu Dan had already pulled out the cast iron boning knife and placed it in the most convenient position, with the tattered strips of cloth tightly wrapped around the handle.

"After you get off the bus, keep your mouths shut and stay close to the group," Gu Changfeng instructed coldly.

The train slowed down, emitting a piercing screech of brakes, and came to a steady stop on a dirt platform without even a station sign.

As soon as the car door opened, a dry, scorching sandy wind, mixed with a strong smell of mutton, rushed out.

Ya Ya took Lin Wanrou's hand and jumped off the platform. When she looked up, her big eyes started to dart around.

This place hardly qualifies as a train station. All you see are rows of mud-brick houses, and the road is paved with a jumble of broken stones and rotten planks. Not far away is a dilapidated market, with tattered canvas sheds lining both sides.

The people here are dressed completely differently; there are no ordinary people wearing Zhongshan suits or blue cloth clothes. As far as the eye can see, there are men wrapped in sheepskin coats and with tattered cloths wrapped around their heads.

These men were all tall and burly, with menacing faces. Some had gleaming Damascus daggers tucked into their waistbands, while others had long-handled muskets and octopuses hanging directly from their backs.

When the people in the market saw thirty fully armed soldiers disembarking from the vehicle in formation with rifles, they didn't even try to avoid them.

Several men squatting by the earthen wall smoking pipes looked up, exhaled a puff of smoke, and sized up the group of regular soldiers.

Their eyes were like those of starving lone wolves, showing no fear, but rather a fierce eagerness to try.

This place is far from the reach of the emperor, a complete lawless zone. No matter if you're wearing a general's uniform or a red insignia, in the market on the edge of the desert, there's only one rule—whoever has the strongest fist and the most real weapons calls the shots.

Gu Changfeng shielded Ya Ya behind him, his right hand hanging naturally at his lower back.

Thirty elite soldiers immediately spread out in a fan shape, protecting Lin Wanrou and her two children in the center. Platoon Leader Li picked up his semi-automatic rifle and flicked the safety with his thumb.

At that moment, a burly man with a bare chest and a wolf's head tattoo on his chest stood up directly opposite. He casually tossed half a bloody lamb leg bone into the sand, drew a broad-backed machete from his side, wiped the blade with a rag, and strode towards Gu Changfeng.

The atmosphere on the sand suddenly became as tense as a string about to snap.

Niu Dan let out a low growl, his right hand gripping the scabbard tightly. Ya Ya, on the other hand, pulled a small sandalwood slingshot from her tactical vest pocket, caught a black steel ball between her fingertips, and grinned, revealing a set of small white teeth.