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

The car continued onward, and two towering sand dunes appeared ahead. As the vehicle ventured deeper, more and more mounds of earth came into view.

These earthen mounds, weathered by wind for thousands of years, present unique shapes resembling crenellations and mushrooms. From a distance, they appear desolate yet magnificent, exuding a primitive beauty.

The car drove into the maze-like mounds without hesitation, weaving through the winding paths.

The wind whistled through the gaps, producing eerie and unpredictable sounds, as if an invisible ghost army was lurking in the shadows, sending chills down one's spine.

Shen Ruowen tightened her coat to hide the chill in her heart. She looked down and noticed that Tian Tian in her arms was trembling slightly.

In front of Wu Hao, she couldn't be too obvious, so she could only subtly lean her upper body forward slightly, trying her best to shield the little girl from the biting cold wind.

As this "devil city" was finally left behind, a section of dilapidated earthen wall remnants vaguely appeared ahead, like the forgotten footprints of an ancient dynasty, standing alone at the edge of the desert.

The driver slowed down and asked in a low voice, "Sir, I didn't see the cactus marker. Should we proceed as planned?"

Yan Shijun nodded: "No signal means it's safe. Go in."

The jeep slowly drove into the ruins and finally stopped in front of a seemingly ordinary low wall.

The wall was about a meter tall, its surface covered with cracks and covered with drought-resistant camel thorns. It blended in with the surrounding ruins and had nothing special about it.

Yan Shijun got out of the car, walked to the low wall, and bent down to part the clumps of camel thorns at the base of the wall.

Hidden beneath was an inconspicuous bluestone slab, its edges fitting perfectly into the gaps in the wall, and covered with a thin layer of sand, clearly a carefully disguised structure.

He glanced around to make sure no one was there before reaching out and forcefully lifting the bluestone slab, revealing a dark hole.

A wave of damp, cold air rushed out of the cave entrance, creating a stark contrast with the dry Gobi climate outside.

"Go in." He turned back to the people in the car and said, then bent down and crawled into the hole first.

Wu Hao followed closely behind, and before entering the cave, he cautiously scanned the Gobi Desert to make sure there was nothing unusual before bending down to enter.

Shen Ruowen, holding Tiantian, carefully moved her body out of the car.

She looked down at the little girl in her arms. The little one had frowned and was breathing slightly rapidly, probably because the cold air from the cave entrance was making her uncomfortable.

She gently patted Tian Tian's back to comfort her, then bent down and crawled into the hole.

Inside the cave entrance is a narrow passage, only wide enough for one person to pass through. The walls on both sides of the passage are rough and hard, clearly carved out by hand and then reinforced with sand and gravel.

After walking for about ten meters, the passage suddenly turned, and the light ahead gradually brightened. After turning the corner, the space opened up, revealing a small underground stone chamber.

Two men in plain clothes stood in the stone chamber. Upon seeing them enter, they immediately stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Did it go smoothly? Did you bring the target?"

Yan Shijun nodded and pointed to Tian Tian in Shen Ruowen's arms: "The person has been brought. There are no abnormalities found at the base for the time being. Team Leader Gao is still handling the aftermath."

Shen Ruowen, holding Tiantian, silently walked to a stone bench in the corner of the stone chamber and sat down.

She looked around and realized that the hiding place was much more concealed than she had imagined—

The entrance is disguised by natural ruins, the passage is narrow and winding, and the top of the stone chamber is covered with thick sand and weeds.

Even from above, it would just look like an ordinary Gobi Desert relic, and no one would imagine that there is a mystery hidden underground.

"Take this little brat inside and keep an eye on him, make sure nothing goes wrong."

Wu Hao pointed at Tian Tian and spoke to one of the tall men, his tone still impatient.

Shen Ruowen immediately looked up to stop her: "Wait, she's still unconscious. The inner room is dark and damp, she could easily catch a cold. Just leave her here, I'll watch over her."

She was worried that something might happen to Tian Tian if she was alone in an unfamiliar environment, and she was even more afraid that Wu Hao would secretly harm Tian Tian.

"You?" Wu Hao raised an eyebrow, about to retort, but Yan Shijun spoke first: "Do as Deputy Team Leader Shen says. This child is an important target, and there can be no mistakes. It's safer to have Deputy Team Leader Shen watching over him."

When Wu Hao saw that Yan Shijun had spoken, he frowned but did not insist any further.

The people in the stone chamber began to talk in hushed tones. The tall man said, "Deputy station chief, although we captured the key target, we did not cause significant damage to the base and even let them complete the test run. The station chief is very dissatisfied with this."

"Does the station manager have any new plans?"

"We have completed the laying of explosives. As long as the enemy chases after us and steps into the minefield, it will trigger an explosion and wipe them out."

"What if not many people come after us?"

"Don't worry, after this period of investigation, Team Leader Gao, with the assistance of Deputy Team Leader Shen, has unanimously concluded that this little thing is the base's precious treasure. As long as we capture her, everyone in the base will be mobilized."

"Alright, if they really can't find it, we'll throw out some bait, and we'll make sure they take the bait willingly." Yan Shijun sneered.

"The deputy stationmaster is wise."

"Next, we'll have to make use of this little girl's abilities. If she can draw a map of the weapon distribution at the testing site, we can sneak in and blow up all their equipment."

Wu Hao had been waiting for him to say that, and immediately replied, "I'll wake her up right away."

He turned and approached Shen Ruowen, a sinister smile creeping across his face. "Deputy Team Leader Shen, hand over the child."

Shen Ruowen's heart sank, and she hurriedly said, "Deputy Station Chief, Liang Tiantian is not an ordinary child. We should wait for instructions and hand the child over to our superiors."

Wu Hao sneered, "Deputy Team Leader Shen, I think you've lost your mind. Even if she's smart, we can't let her cause any trouble. Enough talk, give her to me!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Tian Tian by the back of her collar and pulled her over like she was a rag.

Although Shen Ruowen was unwilling, she knew that she couldn't avoid this step sooner or later.

A basin of cold water was splashed on the sweet little girl's face. She was so cold that she shivered and opened her eyes in a daze.

Several men with fierce-looking faces stood before me.

The little girl had an innate sense of danger; she realized almost instantly that these people all had ill intentions and were all bad guys!

When she turned her gaze and saw Shen Ruowen sitting to the side, she was first taken aback, then as if she had seen a straw to grasp at, she immediately rushed over with her short legs.

"Aunt Shen—"

Before he even got close, Wu Hao suddenly grabbed the little girl by the collar, lifted her small body up, and slammed her heavily to the ground.

"Wow……"

Sweetie was so shocked by the fall that she saw stars. The little girl had never been wronged like this before, and she immediately burst into tears.

Shen Ruowen instinctively wanted to stand up, but she forcibly restrained herself because she noticed that Yan Shijun's gaze was coldly sweeping towards her.