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

When we were still some distance from our destination, we could already see the gray-white column of smoke rising straight into the sky above the desert, like a conspicuous road sign.

The vehicle immediately turned and drove toward the column of smoke.

As they got closer, the scene gradually became clearer. Several military vehicles were parked in a fan shape beside the sand dunes, and fully armed soldiers stood guard with guns, sealing off the surrounding area.

At my feet, the burning cactus was still emitting wisps of smoke, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt grass and wood.

In the middle of the encirclement, a GAZ-69 jeep with civilian license plates was parked. The vehicle looked quite old, with its left front wheel deeply stuck in a sand pit. The door was wide open, and a person was lying motionless on the back seat.

On the sandy ground in front of the vehicle, several soldiers were surrounding a man whose hands were cuffed behind his back. He was disheveled, his shirt was open, and his chest was riddled with bloody holes from camel thorns. Doctor Sun was kneeling beside him, stopping the bleeding and bandaging his wounds.

It was Wan Hongxin.

Opposite him, Jiang Guoqiang sat cross-legged on the sand, his face ashen.

He was unharmed, but his hair was a mess, his clothes were covered in sand, and one of the glasses he was wearing was broken off, barely hanging on his nose. He looked disheveled, but he was holding back an unyielding anger.

Hearing the military vehicles approaching, Jiang Guoqiang raised his eyelids, glanced at Commander Liu who got out of the first military vehicle, and Liang Zhe and others who followed closely behind, and snorted heavily through his nose, showing no intention of getting up.

"What's going on?" Commander Liu's gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on Song Dazhuang's face.

"Reporting to the commander, when we arrived, Wan Hongxin was covered in blood and unconscious, and his vehicle was stuck in a sand pit. It was Professor Jiang Guoqiang who lit a cactus and used the smoke to give us directions."

Commander Liu nodded, then turned to Jiang Guoqiang, his tone softening slightly: "Comrade Jiang Guoqiang, thank you for your hard work. Tell me, what exactly is the situation?"

"Liu Zhenbang, I'll say it one last time—I'm not an enemy agent!" Upon hearing the word "comrade," Jiang Guoqiang's anger flared up. "You detained me without explanation; you're the ones who should be explaining!"

Commander Liu wasn't offended. He took out a cigarette case from his pocket and handed one over: "Don't get so worked up. Wan Hongxin is your assistant and your student. If he has problems, it's only proper procedure for the organization to investigate you."

"I wish I had never taught a student like this!" Jiang Guoqiang turned his face away and refused the cigarette.

"So how did you get out of the base?"

"I want to know too!" Jiang Guoqiang was still furious, his tone sharp. "Your people were watching so closely that I couldn't even leave the house. Then there was a sudden noise outside, and by the time I realized what was happening, the door was already open from the outside, and I didn't see a single person."

"Where are the guards? Who took them down?"

"How would I know?"

Jiang Guoqiang gave an impatient snort.

Seeing that Commander Liu was still staring at him, he hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "...but I smelled a bit of ether. This stuff isn't something just anyone can get their hands on."

"So you took the opportunity to come out?"

"The base was in chaos at the time, and I wanted to find Wan Hongxin to get some answers. As soon as I went out, I saw his car parked there."

"So, he was here to meet you up?"

"Perhaps." Jiang Guoqiang glanced coldly at Wan Hongxin. The other man kept his head down, not daring to meet his gaze.

But he knew in his heart that Wan Hongxin wanted to take him hostage, just like the innocent driver who had been knocked unconscious in the back seat. It was only because he had lost too much blood, was exhausted, and the car was stuck in a sand pit that he hadn't succeeded…

Jiang Guoqiang looked at the pistol that Song Dazhuang had confiscated and could almost picture Wan Hongxin pressing the gun against his back, forcing him to act as a human shield.

Commander Liu looked thoughtfully at the jeep: "Where did he get this car?"

Jiang Guoqiang pursed his lips and remained silent.

Song Dazhuang pointed to the back seat: "Commander, it must have been a hijacked car. The original owner was knocked unconscious by him."

Commander Liu stroked his chin, then turned his gaze to Wan Hongxin: "Technician Wan, don't you have anything to say?"

Since Wan Hongxin was injured while chasing Tian Tian, ​​he has not received effective treatment and has been struggling to escape. He is now completely exhausted.

His face was as pale as paper, and his lips were cracked and bleeding. When he heard Commander Liu's words, he slowly raised his head, a look of despair and resentment flashing in his eyes.

"I originally planned to take the teacher with me..." His voice was bitter, "I never expected... that Teacher Jiang would betray me..."

"I betrayed you?!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Guoqiang's pent-up anger exploded instantly. He jumped up from the ground, pointed at Wan Hongxin's nose, and began to curse:

"You heartless bastard! I'm a man of principle and loyalty to the Party! How could I have raised such a traitor, such a disgrace! Do you have any respect for the country? Do you have any respect for our parents who died under the Japanese devils' blades?"

"teacher……"

"Don't call me teacher! I don't have a student like you!"

Jiang Guoqiang was filled with rage. "When you were at your lowest point, the country paid for your education and sent you abroad for further studies! After you returned, we put you in such an important position! And what did you do? Not only did you not think of repaying the country, but you also secretly colluded with foreign enemies, exchanging state secrets for that little bit of dirty money!"

"Wasn't I doing that so I could have a few good days?"

Now that things had come to this, Wan Hongxin was desperate. "Look at this place! Eating coarse grains, drinking raw water, not seeing meat for months! And you want to develop missiles? With what? Your life? Following them will only get you killed!"

"I'll take the loss if I have to!"

Jiang Guoqiang was furious. He couldn't understand how the once spirited young man, who was determined to serve his country, had become such a coward.

"Yes, this place is hardship! It's poverty! We're being held hostage! But this is my country! I was born here, I grew up here, I have a deep affection for it! I'd rather tighten my belt and work myself to the bone than not stand tall and develop our own things! Why can't we have what other countries have? Are we, the people of Great Xia, less intelligent than them? In terms of civilization, we are their forefathers!"

"They only started a hundred years or so earlier than us? We refuse to accept that! We're determined to use our own brains and our own hands to catch up with them, surpass them, and stand before them with our heads held high! If you fall behind, you'll be bullied. Do you really want your descendants to continue being ridden on by others and serving as their slaves for life?!"

"Wan Hongxin, you're spineless! Don't think everyone is like you! Don't be stubborn, and don't think Great Xia has no backbone! You're greedy for that little bit of dirty money, let me tell you, this land will always have people who stand tall and unyielding! You think everyone is as greedy as you, trying to drag me down with you? Bah! You've miscalculated!!!"

After uttering the last word, Jiang Guoqiang spat fiercely on the ground, his eyes filled with contempt and heartache, as if looking at the other person would only dirty his eyes.