After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Stone's breathing became shallow.

"Don't move!"

The man's smile vanished.

He abruptly let go of the food cart and turned to lunge towards the back door.

The stone was faster than him.

For over two years, he followed Gu Zheng through thick and thin, doing five-kilometer weightlifting runs, hand-to-hand combat, and nighttime infiltration—he didn't miss a thing. The wild child who used to squat next to the swill bucket scavenging leftovers had long since shed his skin and become a skeleton.

He took a step forward, grabbed the man's neck with his right hand, and precisely thrust his left knee into the back of his knee.

The man's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground.

The muffled "bang" caught the attention of the table at the nearest table.

Several soldiers instinctively stood up.

When Xiao Wang arrived, Shi Tou had already pinned the man to the floor, twisting his arm behind his back with one hand and taking out the thing hanging from his waist with the other—a remote-controlled transmitter the size of a cigarette box.

"Commander!" Xiao Wang turned his head and shouted forward.

Gu Zheng had already stood up.

"No one, stay away from the food carts!" His voice echoed throughout the banquet hall.

The clattering of cups and plates on the table stopped.

Gu Zheng strode through the banquet hall and reached the back door in three seconds.

He saw the food cart on the ground, the person trapped under the stone, and the remote control in Xiao Wang's hand.

Then he crouched down and lifted the tablecloth at the bottom of the food cart.

A layer of oilcloth was placed under the two stainless steel lids.

Underneath the tarpaulin were three grayish-brown strips connected together by wires, with insulating tape wrapped around the joints.

Remote-controlled bomb.

The workmanship is rough, but the amount of medicine is considerable.

Gu Zheng's jawline tightened.

He didn't touch those things, but took three steps back and made a gesture to Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang understood, immediately pushed the cart around and ran outside—calling the bomb disposal team.

The atmosphere in the banquet hall had changed.

Dean Zhou Hai walked over to Gu Zheng and lowered his voice: "What happened?"

"There was a bomb hidden under the food cart."

Zhou Hai's face paled for a moment, but the veteran military doctor, who had been on the battlefield, quickly regained his composure.

"I have a question for you." Gu Zheng squatted down in front of the person on the ground, his voice low and unusually calm.

The person on the ground was pinned down by the stones, unable to move, their face pressed against the floor, breathing heavily.

Gu Zheng reached out and took off the chef's hat from his face.

What was revealed was a face that appeared to be in the forties.

He has a square face, rough skin, and gray hair at the temples. He looks very ordinary—the kind of person you would never recognize if thrown into a crowd.

"A sandpiper?"

Gu Zheng uttered those two words in a very soft tone.

The person on the ground suddenly raised their head.

He looked at Gu Zheng, and a smile actually appeared on his lips.

"You have a good memory."

He has a strong southern accent.

It was exactly the same as what Ma Chenggui and Wei Peng described.

Gu Zheng placed his hands on his knees.

"I've been looking for you for over a year."

"You won't find me." The sparrow's face was pressed to the floor, his smile twisted. "Because I never make the same mistake twice. This is the first time I've done it myself—and the last."

"Your men almost killed the experts at the Northwest Base, and you tried to kill my wife with a gun through Wei Peng." Gu Zheng listed the incidents one by one. "Why?"

The sand sparrow did not answer the question.

His breathing became rapid, and a gurgling sound came from his throat.

Stone immediately sensed something was wrong—the body he was pressing down on was convulsing.

"There's something in his mouth!" Stone roared, reaching out to pry open his jaw.

late.

When the sand sparrow clenches its jaws, a trickle of dark brown liquid seeps from the corner of its mouth.

Cyanide capsules.

Hidden in the back molars.

His body convulsed violently for a few seconds before his limbs stiffened rapidly.

Stone's hand was still on the back of his neck, and he could feel the temperature under that skin rapidly fading.

The sparrow said one last thing.

Her breathing was so weak that it was almost inaudible, but Gu Zheng was close enough that every word reached her ears.

"...Unfortunately, it didn't work out."

Then there is no more.

---

When the bomb disposal team arrived, the bomb had been safely defused.

Three TNT pills, weighing a total of 1,200 grams, were enough to raze half of the banquet hall to the ground.

Ye Zhen stood not far away, holding Gu Nian in her arms and holding Gu Lin's hand.

Startled by the cold wind, Gu Nian buried her face in Ye Zhen's neck and refused to look up.

Gu Lin sneezed, wiped his nose with his sleeve, but didn't cry or make a fuss.

Gu Zheng walked out from inside.

He walked up to her, said nothing, and pulled the mother and her two children into his arms.

"Is the person dead?" Ye Zhen asked.

"He's dead." Gu Zheng rested his chin on her head. "He chewed up the pills in his mouth."

Ye Zhen remained silent for a few seconds.

"Can their identities be verified?"

"He was Sand Sparrow." Gu Zheng tightened his arms. "But now—he's really dead."

Gu Zheng had never mentioned the code name "Sand Sparrow" to her.

But Ye Zhen knew that over the past year, he had added sentries at the entrance of the alley, installed hidden stakeouts downstairs at the hospital, and ground his teeth when he couldn't sleep at night—all because of those two words.

Now, this score is settled.

Gu Lin snuggled under his father's arm and patted Gu Zheng's face with his little hand.

"dad."

"Um?"

"eat."

Gu Zheng looked down at his son, who was still muttering about the sweet and sour fish that had been interrupted.

"Okay." Gu Zheng vigorously rubbed his son's round head. "Come on, Dad will put another piece on your plate."

---

Stone stood at the door, his hands covered in dust, and his cotton-padded jacket had a tear in the sleeve.

Ye Zhen walked over and stopped in front of him.

Stone smiled and said, "Sister."

Ye Zhen took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

"Wipe your hands."

The stone was taken, but it wasn't wiped; it was held tightly in the palm of the hand.

"Sis, I didn't let him in."

Ye Zhen nodded: "I know."

She looked at the young man in front of her.

He was 1.8 meters tall with broad shoulders, and stood ramrod straight by the door frame.

He was completely different from the wild child who used to squat at the entrance of the noodle shop, shoveling beef noodles into his mouth.

"Stone, how can I thank you?" Ye Zhen's tone softened, with a hint of a smile. "You're not a kid anymore. Take a look at the girls who came today. See if there's anyone you like. Tell me later, and I'll put in a good word for you."

Stone blushed, gave an embarrassed laugh, and was about to wave his hand to say no need.

A girl with two braids jogged over, clutching a napkin and a pen in her hand.

The girl had a round face and wore a clean blue cotton coat.

Zhou Wanqing, the granddaughter of Dean Zhou Hai.

She ran to the rock, her two braids still swaying over her shoulders, and stopped abruptly.

His face turned bright red, whether from running or something else, I don't know.

"You were amazing!"

The girl looked up at the stone, her admiration undisguised.

"You pinned that bastard down in one go! I saw it all clearly from the side; your movement—it was just a 'whoosh'!"

As she spoke, she gestured wildly, mimicking a very poorly executed grappling move, almost tripping herself.

"My grandfather said you were a soldier trained by Commander Gu, no wonder you're such a good fighter."

She handed the napkin and pen to the stone with an air of self-righteousness.

"Can I get your autograph?"

Stone froze on the spot.

"Sign...sign your name?"

"Just sign your name!" Zhou Wanqing shoved the paper into his hand. "I'll take it back to show my classmates!"

Shi Tou was still clutching Ye Zhen's handkerchief in his hand, so he couldn't free his hand.

He opened his mouth, his ears turning bright red, and looked at Ye Zhen for help.

Ye Zhen didn't help him.

She leaned against the doorframe, a slight smile playing on her lips, and turned to walk back.

Gu Zheng stood not far away, holding Gu Lin, and witnessed the whole scene.

"young married woman."

"Um?"

"Is this Old Zhou's granddaughter?"

"Um."

"I feel like..." Gu Zheng clicked his tongue, "that girl's attitude towards Shi Tou is kind of interesting?"

Ye Zhen glanced at him.

"Don't worry about it."

From behind came Zhou Wanqing's even louder urging—"Just sign it already!"

Shi Tou finally managed to utter a complete sentence: "I... my handwriting is bad."

"It's fine! Even if it's crooked, it's okay! I don't mind!"

The banquet hall was brightened up again.

The head chef was tossing the wok in the back kitchen, and the fumes rose up to the roof.

The tables and chairs were put back in their original positions, and the waiters carried out plates of freshly cooked dishes.

The two newlywed couples were still standing there, their joy faded considerably after what had just happened.

Lin Yi had his arm around Li Hong, while Sun Jianjun stood in front of Gu Yue. The four of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

Ye Zhen walked past them.

"The food's getting cold." Without turning her head, she tossed out those two words, "Eat."

Lin Yi was the first to react, and he pulled Li Hong along as they strode inside.

"Yes! Master is right! Let's eat! Don't let the bomb delay our business!"

Laughter rose from scattered points, gradually merging into a continuous stream.

Gu Zheng carried Gu Lin as they walked beside Ye Zhen.

He turned his head and glanced at Ye Zhen.

She stood very straight, and her steps were neither hurried nor slow.

"young married woman."

"Um?"

"After I go back, I want to apply to the organization to officially transfer Shi Tou's file into my direct guard unit so that he can become a company commander."

Ye Zhen glanced at him.

Why are you telling me this?

"Because he's the one you picked up," Gu Zheng chuckled. "You have to report it to the landlady."

Ye Zhen gave him a sideways look but didn't reply.

Gu Zheng didn't care and strode towards the main table with his son in his arms.

Behind them, the stone was still standing at the doorway.

Zhou Wanqing had already received the crumpled napkin, on which the word "stone" was written crookedly, with a small blot of ink.

The girl folded the paper twice like a precious treasure, carefully stuffed it into her coat pocket, and gave Shi Tou a bright smile.

"Thank you, Stone Bro!"

After saying that, she turned and ran, her braid swinging back and forth on her shoulder.

Stone stood still, watched the retreating figure, and smiled.

The auditorium was brightly lit.

---

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