The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

Sweetie was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt her mouth being covered. Startled, she immediately woke up, her eyes filled with confusion and fear as she stared wide-eyed at Xiaoyu.

"...!"

Xiaoyu quickly raised a finger to her lips, making a shushing gesture.

Those eyes, which had never shown any emotion before, now gleamed with a calmness beyond their years.

She gestured to Tian Tian with her eyes to keep absolutely quiet, and then pulled Tian Tian behind her with her hands, shielding her with her body.

Sweetie was so frightened that she didn't dare to breathe and obediently shrank behind her, as if the blood in her body dared not flow.

Their gazes passed over the gaps between the rocks and branches, locking onto a dark, shadowy spot not far away.

Under the cover of darkness and the gnarled branches, they saw—

A dark figure, like a ghost, silently emerged from the shadows of the bushes.

The man was wearing an extremely oversized black coat and a wide-brimmed black hat with the brim pulled low, obscuring most of his face.

Even with moonlight, it was impossible to see his facial features through the shadow of the hat brim.

He moved with extreme caution, testing each step with his foot first to ensure there was no sound of breaking branches before slowly moving his body. His steps were light and agile, like a silent cheetah, appearing and disappearing in the forest.

He stopped beside the charred rocks where the two were hiding and cautiously looked around.

Fortunately, there was a circle of small trees behind the rock, which surrounded the grassy area where Tian Tian and Xiao Yu were, creating a blind spot for him.

But he still seemed uneasy, so he walked back and forth along the boulder several more times, constantly looking around to make sure there was no one nearby.

The two children's hearts leaped into their throats. Xiaoyu clung tightly to Tiantian's shoulders, her small body pressed against the cold stone wall, so frightened she held her breath.

The man waited quietly for a moment, and when he found that there were no other sounds, he bent down and reached under the boulder to feel around.

Soon, he pulled out a black, square iron box from below, brushed off the dirt and leaves, opened the lid, and began to skillfully manipulate it.

A moment later, he connected a device with a thin antenna. The man then took out something resembling a hat and put it on his head. He then looked up again, his sharp eyes scanning his surroundings warily, as if he were on guard against an enemy lurking in the shadows.

The two children behind the stone huddled together, trembling, cowering in fear, not daring to breathe.

Then, something strange happened to them.

The dark figure reached out and, with an extremely quick gesture they couldn't understand, pressed the protruding handle on the box.

Tap, tap tap, tap tap tap—

The monotonous and jarring sound rang out clearly in the night, accompanying his movements.

Sweetie didn't know what the sound was, but it sent chills down her spine as it entered her ears. Xiaoyu shuddered and tightened her grip on her hand.

Time ticked by, and the dark figure lowered his head further and further, completely absorbed in what he was doing. He seemed completely unaware that less than ten meters away, two pairs of children's eyes were watching him in terror.

The eerie sound lasted for about five minutes.

Finally, the shadowy figure let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had completed some important task. He waited quietly for a while, and when there were indeed no problems, he quickly packed up the things and stuffed them back under the stone.

He stood up, took one last look at his surroundings, and then, just as he had come, bent over and quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

The forest fell silent once more.

The two children huddled together, too afraid to move, even forgetting to breathe. A very long time passed, so long that Tian Tian felt her legs go numb, before Xiao Yu slowly released her grip.

Sweetie plopped down on the ground, panting heavily, her little face pale with fright.

Although Xiaoyu didn't say anything, her forehead and vest were covered in cold sweat, clearly she was also quite frightened.

"Sister Xiaoyu..." the little girl trembled as she tugged at her sleeve, "Was that person...was he a bad person? What was he doing?"

Xiaoyu shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the direction where the person had disappeared, a kind of inexplicable fear in her eyes.

After regaining her senses, Tian Tian suddenly remembered something and grabbed Xiao Yu's sleeve, ready to leave: "Let's go back quickly! Tell Dad and Grandpa Xu to catch that bad guy."

Xiaoyu didn't respond.

She turned around, looked at Tian Tian, ​​and slowly shook her head.

"What's wrong, sister?" Sweetie asked anxiously. "That person is a bad guy! He was definitely doing something naughty in secret!"

Xiaoyu shook her head again.

She thought for a moment, as if she had made up her mind, then took Tian Tian's hand and walked towards the big rock.

Sweetie was taken aback at first, but seeing Xiaoyu's resolute attitude, she had no choice but to obediently follow behind.

The two children came behind the rock. Xiaoyu squatted down and, imitating the shadowy figure's movements, reached under the rock and began to feel around.

Sweetie stood guard by, her little heart pounding nervously.

A moment later, Xiaoyu's fingertips touched a cold, hard object. With a little force, she pulled the box out from under the stone.

The two children opened their eyes wide and, by the moonlight, could see a pitch-black iron box. From the surface, it looked nothing special.

But they all knew that once the lid was opened and a series of operations were performed, the box would make a special sound.

Xiaoyu bit her lower lip, glanced at Tiantian, and decisively hugged the box to her chest.

The box was quite heavy, and Xiaoyu's thin arms were clearly struggling to support it.

But she still gestured to Tian Tian with her eyes: Hurry up and go down the mountain.

Sweetie understood that her older sister was going to give what she had found to her father. She immediately nodded, stretched out her little hand to support the bottom of the box, and the two of them worked together, one in front and one behind, to carry the box down the mountain.

The bright moon hung overhead, casting long shadows of the two women. Having just experienced a terrifying moment, all they wanted was to leave this horrible place as quickly as possible and return safely to their camp.

However, just as they turned around to leave the boulder, Sweetie glanced back unintentionally.

Or rather, it was her innate, exceptionally keen intuition for danger that drove her to subconsciously glance back at the last moment before leaving.

That one glance was enough to chill her blood to the bone instantly.

Deep within that dense forest, which seemed to devour all light, lay a pair of eyes.

Those eyes were staring at them coldly, emotionlessly, even mockingly.

A voice, as if from a nightmare, rang out coldly when they were least prepared.

"Gotcha! You've got yourselves!"