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

Shen Ruowen didn't know how she escaped back.

She ran desperately, moving her legs mechanically, as if if she slowed down even a step, the dark tide behind her would sweep over her and drag her into the abyss.

The despair in her fallen colleague's eyes still lingered in her mind. He was in so much pain, so desperate. Just five minutes ago he was talking to her, but now he could only collapse to the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching wail.

Why is this happening?

If she hadn't been used as bait, and if the person who orchestrated all of this hadn't insisted on leading Liang Zhe and the others into a minefield, that man named Fu Daqiang should have been alive.

She didn't know how long she had been running when she heard the muffled sound of a helicopter's rotors overhead. The rotors churned the air, making her eardrums ache.

But she didn't care about anything else, whether there were gun barrels pointed at her from behind, or whether her frantic run would expose everyone's hiding place.

"Halt!" The sentry, seeing her running back alone in a frenzy, suddenly raised his gun and cocked it with a "click."

But when he saw Shen Ruowen's deathly pale face, he suddenly stopped moving—

It was a deathly pallor, one he had never seen on a living person's face.

"Deputy Team Leader Shen, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Ruowen had already shoved him away forcefully.

"roll!"

She staggered into the basement.

The glow of a few kerosene lamps flickered in the room, and in the dim light, everything was almost exactly the same as when she left.

Shen Ruowen's steps involuntarily froze.

She had imagined countless scenarios: perhaps everyone was silently mourning Fu Daqiang's death;

Perhaps they are vehemently condemning the sudden swarm of ants;

Some might even pull out a pistol, angrily accusing her of deserting the battlefield and abandoning her comrades, and ordering her to be court-martialed.

But reality struck her like a cold slap across the face.

Yan Shijun, Gao Yanzhou, and Wu Hao—these familiar yet unfamiliar faces—were sitting around the table, enjoying their simple lunch as if no one else was around.

In the center of the table was a bowl of steamed sweet potatoes, browned to a golden brown, and several hard, coarse grain buns.

"Deputy Team Leader Shen, you've come at the right time. Let's eat together." Yan Shijun looked up when she came in, his face bearing his usual gentle smile, as if the life-or-death chase just now was nothing more than an insignificant game.

"Deputy stationmaster... team leader..." Shen Ruowen's blank gaze swept over everyone, her throat dry, unable to utter a single word.

"We know about Fu Daqiang's matter," Yan Shijun said, as if he could read her mind, but his tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Deputy Team Leader Shen, there's no need to blame yourself. This was an unexpected situation. We will report to our superiors to commend him and do our best to provide compensation to his family."

"This place has already been exposed," Gao Yanzhou interjected, his voice icy. "The helicopter locked onto you the moment you returned. Didn't you even have that much awareness?"

"I have failed in my duty and am willing to accept punishment!" Shen Ruowen said solemnly, his heart clenching.

"Alas, it's just a natural disaster, not a fault of the war effort." Yan Shijun waved his hand, appearing magnanimous.

"We can't stay here any longer. Let's fill our stomachs while they can't catch up, and then we'll move on immediately." He even gestured to Shen Ruowen, "Sit down, you must be hungry too."

Only after he mentioned it did Shen Ruowen realize that her stomach was completely empty. She had been exhausted after a whole day of activity. But when her gaze inadvertently swept over the table—

Sweetie's tiny body curled up next to Yan Shijun, only half of her face, covered in tears and dust, was visible as she timidly looked in their direction.

Yan Shijun noticed her gaze and explained calmly, "Deputy Team Leader Shen, there's no need to worry. This child is stubborn and won't eat anything. He'll behave if he's hungry for a while."

Compared to Gao Yanzhou's icy demeanor, which never showed his emotions, Yan Shijun's gentle and refined manner at this moment did indeed seem much more "normal."

But Shen Ruowen had witnessed his ruthless killing without batting an eye, and knew all too well the wolfish nature hidden beneath that facade.

"Hmph," Wu Hao sneered from the side, "This little girl has been pampered by those people. She eats the best of everything—white flour buns, malted milk powder, imported milk powder—every meal is the best! How could she possibly be used to our food?"

"Are there really white flour steamed buns?" Yan Shijun asked curiously.

"Yes," Gao Yanzhou said calmly, "I don't know where he got the wheat, but he ground it into flour."

"Wheat can grow in the desert?" Yan Shijun found it even more unbelievable.

"Deputy Station Chief, are you unaware?" Wu Hao's gaze locked onto Tian Tian, ​​and he sneered, "Ever since this little girl came to the base, she's had everything—water, fish, fruit—who knows where she gets them from! If you say it has nothing to do with her, I'll be the first to disbelieve you!"

He suddenly reached out and roughly grabbed Tian Tian's chin, forcing her to raise her head.

The little girl had been locked in a dark room for half a day, cold and scared. Now, restrained, she burst into a heart-wrenching cry: "Let me go! Bad people! Bad people!"

"Speak! Are those water and fish related to you?" Wu Hao tightened his grip, his eyes fierce. "I've wanted to ask you this for a long time!"

"Sweetie doesn't know, doesn't know!" Sweetie struggled desperately, waving her little hands and hitting him, but she couldn't break free from the adult man's strength.

Shen Ruowen's face darkened, but she didn't dare to say a word.

Gao Yanzhou remained completely unmoved throughout, simply swallowing the coarse grain bun in his hand, as if the farce before him had nothing to do with him.

"Alright, let's eat first." Yan Shijun finally spoke up to stop Tian Tian when he saw her face turn red from being pinched.

Wu Hao reluctantly let go, glared at Tian Tian, ​​and picked up the sweet potato on the table to start eating again.

"Sweetie," Yan Shijun softened his tone, reaching out to pat her head, "If you promise Uncle you'll draw a map of the armed forces' distribution, Uncle will give you a sweet potato, okay?"

"No..." Sweetie sobbed, gasping for breath, her small body trembling with fear and hunger. But the blood of a soldier flowed in her veins, and even in dire straits, she refused to bow to these bad people. "I won't... I won't draw..."

Yan Shijun looked into her tearful eyes and shook his head helplessly. He reached into Tian Tian's pocket and pulled out something soft.

Shen Ruowen's temples throbbed; it was the "little mouse" she had folded for Tian Tian with a handkerchief.

Sweetie loved it so much that she kept it close to her body.

When she saw Yan Shijun take the little mouse, she cried out anxiously, "Give it back to me!"

Yan Shijun slightly raised her wrist, and the child could no longer reach it, so he cried again in distress.

"Alright, alright, why are you crying again?" Yan Shijun coaxed, holding the "little mouse" in his palm and examining it. He didn't understand the toys that girls liked, nor did he understand the significance of this little thing to Tian Tian.

It was quickly unraveled and restored to its original handkerchief-like shape.

When Sweetie saw that the little mouse had disappeared, she cried even harder.

"Waaaah, you bad guy, you bad guy! I want my little mouse back! Give me back my little mouse!"

"What 'mouse and cat' nonsense," Yan Shijun said, picking up a handkerchief to wipe Tian Tian's tears. "If you're good, Uncle will give you a better toy, okay?"

"No, no! I want the little mouse!"

Yan Shijun tried to coax him again, but Gao Yanzhou's voice suddenly rang out: "Deputy Station Chief, let's eat. Proceed according to plan afterward."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura, as if the surrounding air had instantly cooled down. Sweetie trembled at his imposing presence, her crying abruptly ceasing. She pouted, looking wronged, and dared not utter another sound.

Seeing this, Wu Hao turned and bared his teeth at Tian Tian, ​​his eyes fierce. The little girl shrank back in fright and dared not speak again.

Shen Ruowen hurriedly lowered her head, avoiding the handkerchief in Yan Shijun's hand, and grabbed a coarse grain bun and stuffed it into her mouth.

The dry, hard grains scraped against her parched palate, stinging her painfully. This taste was nothing like the steamed buns she ate at the base that morning, making her miss the fish soup there even more.

That bowl of fish soup was personally brought over by Xing Yuxiu.

The meal was unappetizing, everyone preoccupied with their own thoughts. After the meal, the group began packing up evacuation supplies in the basement and loading them onto the trucks.

Yan Shijun took Tian Tian's little hand and looked at the little girl's sobbing and aggrieved appearance, revealing a kind smile.

"Three years old," he said softly, "what a pity."

After saying those words, he opened the wooden box next to him. In an instant, Shen Ruowen's eyelids twitched violently, and she stared at him in disbelief.

Inside the box was a row of detonators bundled together with explosives, and in the middle was a black square box, which was the detonation device.