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

Ten minutes later, the sound of hurried running came from the sentry post.

Sweetie peeked out from behind the guard and saw a tall figure in military uniform stride quickly out of the watchtower, followed by the guard who had gone to report earlier. The man walked very fast, the hem of his military overcoat billowing in the wind. Although he was wearing a military cap, Sweetie recognized him at a glance—

"dad!"

With a shout, Tian Tian threw away the branch, opened her arms, and ran towards Liang Zhe like a little bird.

Liang Zhe rushed over from the experimental field.

He received a call yesterday about Tian Tian's disappearance, but in order not to disrupt the upcoming test drive, he had to suppress his anxiety and temporarily keep the news quiet.

He knew that everyone in the base was going crazy and had scattered to search, but the test site was a military stronghold and no one was allowed to approach without orders, so the search could only be carried out in the surrounding area.

Even though Liang Zhe was extremely anxious, he couldn't leave his post to search for the child due to the iron discipline of the army. He could only silently pray that the test drive would end smoothly, and that Tian Tian would be found, or... that she had already safely returned to the base.

So when he received the sentry's urgent call and learned that his daughter was right at the entrance of the restricted area, he didn't care about anything else. He sprinted over at top speed and hugged that small body tightly in his arms!

"Who told you to run around like that!"

Liang Zhe, who had always doted on her and never lost his temper, now spoke with barely suppressed anger and lingering fear. The base and the experimental field were five kilometers apart, with complex road conditions in between, filled with quicksand and treacherous shoals. A little girl walking alone could easily get stuck in quicksand and suffocate, and if she encountered a sandstorm, she would be swallowed up by the yellow sand in an instant.

The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Liang Zhe raised his hand high and finally placed it on his daughter's bottom, but he did so so lightly that he hardly used any force.

"Do you know how worried Aunt Li and the others were? Do you want to be a bad child?!"

Sweetie had expected her father to get angry, but seeing his tense brows and bloodshot eyes, she felt a pang of guilt. However, she had brought her father a "big gift."

"Daddy, don't be angry with me, Sweetie brought you something nice."

As she spoke, she held up the sea buckthorn branch as if presenting a treasure.

Liang Zhe's gaze sharpened, and he froze instantly. Just now, his mind and eyes were completely focused on his daughter, and he hadn't even noticed the branch laden with red fruit trailing behind her.

Is this... a sea buckthorn berry?

The "King of Vitamin C" in the desert.

Many people at the base are suffering from bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, and other ailments due to a long-term lack of vitamin intake. Although a batch of fruit was purchased from town a couple of days ago, there was a shortage due to high demand, and it was difficult to maintain a continuous supply. But what did Tian Tian receive? It was a branch laden with fruit, which meant that there were one or even several sea buckthorn trees in this desert.

No, if possible, this would be a sea buckthorn grove!

Wouldn't that solve everyone's vitamin supplementation problem?

"You...you found a sea buckthorn berry tree?"

"Yes, it's not just one tree, it's lots and lots of little trees!" Sweetie nodded vigorously, her little face full of pride.

It really is a sea buckthorn forest...

Liang Zhe's hands trembled slightly as he looked at the bright red fruit. He reached out and picked two, wiped them, and was about to put them in his mouth.

"Liang Tuan!" the guard hurriedly stopped her. "Even if these are sea buckthorn berries, there's no guarantee that Tian Tian won't pick up any bacteria from dragging them across the desert. Besides, what if the enemy poisons them..."

Liang Zhe smiled and said firmly, "It's alright, I trust my daughter." With that, he put two fruits into his mouth. The sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth, refreshing yet mellow, instantly invigorating him.

"Tell Dad, where are these fruit trees?" Liang Zhe's eyes reddened slightly as he gazed at his daughter with excitement.

Sweetie pointed in one direction, tilting her little head high: "It's right there!" She knew that her dad would love this gift.

"Okay, that's great!" Liang Zhe hugged his daughter tightly again, filled with remorse. He had just spanked her little bottom, but this child had traveled all the way here, risking so much danger to find him, and brought such a precious gift. "Sweetie, does it hurt? Daddy was wrong, I shouldn't have hit you."

Only then did he see clearly that his daughter's little hands and face were covered in dirty sand, and her little feet were red and even scraped from being rubbed in the sand.

Liang Zhe felt heartbroken and wanted to slap himself. "Dad apologizes to you."

Sweetie hugged Liang Zhe's neck, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and said in a soft voice, "It's okay, it's okay, Sweetie forgives Daddy."

He turned around and ordered the guards, "Take the branches back, pick all the sea buckthorn berries, wash them clean, and distribute them to everyone to eat immediately after the testing department confirms they are free of toxins."

"Commander Liang, what about your daughter discovering the sea buckthorn tree...?"

"Commander Liang, what about your daughter discovering the sea buckthorn forest...?"

"Don't rush to report," Liang Zhe picked up Tian Tian, ​​"We'll talk about everything after the test drive."

Now, everything has to give way to engine testing. Besides, the sea buckthorn forest is there; it won't run away.

He picked up his daughter and quickly instructed the company commander of the experimental field guard company who rushed over: "Notify the base that the child has been found and is with me. I'll arrange for a vehicle to take her back immediately. Also, immediately strengthen the perimeter security, search the surrounding area, and take immediate control of any suspicious persons!"

"yes!"

"No, no!" Sweetie cried out anxiously when she heard she was being sent back to the base. She knew that if she told her father there was danger there, he might not believe her. In her panic, she blurted out, "There are bad uncles at the base!"

"What did you say?"

Liang Zhe's movements suddenly stopped.

As a seasoned senior military officer, his intuition told him that his daughter was not lying.

"Which bad uncle? Sweetie, what proof do you have?"

"Daddy, the bad uncle's surname is Wan. He wanted to burn the saplings and kidnap Tian Tian, ​​but a big monster saved me."

As she spoke, Tian Tian recounted her experiences before arriving, albeit in fragments. The little girl's speech was incoherent and her logic was unclear, but she described the key elements—the chase, the arson, and the giant lizard's rescue—with perfect clarity.

The more Liang Zhe listened, the more serious his expression became, and his pupils slowly narrowed. "Xiao Gao!"

"Present!" The company commander of the guard company stood at attention and saluted.

"Immediately contact base: Technician Wan Hongxin attempted to harm my daughter and is highly likely to have enemy intelligence connections. Request immediate arrest of this individual and a thorough search of his dormitory and work area!"

"Yes, sir!" Company Commander Gao turned and strode away.

Liang Zhe looked at his daughter in his arms again. This three-year-old child had not only found herself after traversing the treacherous desert alone, but had also inadvertently uncovered a lurking danger. "Sweetie, you did a great job, but children can't stay in the experimental field. You still have to go back to the base. Daddy will arrange for an uncle to protect you, so don't worry about Uncle Wan."

"Sweetie, you did a great job, but children aren't allowed in the experimental area, so you still have to go back to base. Dad will arrange for some uncles to protect you, so don't worry about Uncle Wan."

"No, no!" Seeing her father still so stubborn, Tian Tian waved her little hands frantically, pointing to the tall, silver-gray building deep inside the experimental field.

"Dad, there's danger there! There's danger there!"

Liang Zhe looked in the direction she pointed, and his heart sank—it was the engine test stand!

But how could Tian Tian, ​​who had never been to the experimental site, point to the core area so accurately?

"Sweetie..." Liang Zhe's voice was hoarse. A strong sense of unease rose in his heart, and he vaguely felt that some unpredictable crisis was quietly approaching from the inside of that steel behemoth.

"What exactly did you discover?"

If the engine does indeed have a fatal flaw, the entire "Longsword" project will be forced to a halt.

The consequences are truly terrifying.

But Liang Zhe also knew that he couldn't afford to gamble. If Tian Tian told the truth and he didn't report it, the resulting losses would be immeasurable.

He hesitated for two seconds, then decisively picked up Tian Tian and strode towards the experimental field.

"Liang Troupe!"

The guards grew anxious and stood in front of her, guns drawn: "Your daughter hasn't undergone security checks and identity verification yet; she can't go in!"

"What test?!" Liang Zhe turned his head sharply. Time was of the essence; he couldn't afford to waste a single second. He had to report to Commander Liu immediately. "She's my daughter. If anything happens to her, I'll take responsibility!"

Without further hesitation, he picked up Tian Tian and ran off at full speed.