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

The jeep bumped and sped along the sandy road. The scorching sun baked the earth, and waves of heat rose from the desert.

In this tense silence, drowsiness quietly crept in.

Sweetie had been tormented for most of the day and couldn't take it anymore. Her little head bobbed up and down, and her eyelids felt heavy.

Shen Ruowen silently adjusted her posture, placing her arm under Tian Tian's little head.

In this limited space, in this cruel, countdown-like moment, let her feel one last warm embrace.

Sweetie had once ventured alone into the military restricted area in front of the experimental field. There, cold barbed wire stretched out, towering watchtowers stood guard, and soldiers patrolled tirelessly 24 hours a day.

Gao Yanzhou was already familiar with the area, and the jeep quietly stopped several hundred meters away, before the sentry could detect it.

No one knew that he harbored a deep-seated hatred for these men in military uniforms. He had endured humiliation and hardship for decades, following Professor Zheng Hong, waiting for this opportunity for revenge.

Twenty-one years ago, his only sister married a company commander. At that time, the War of Resistance against Japan was raging. The newlywed company commander had no time to spend more than a few days with his sister before rushing to the front line.

Five months after he left, the Japanese attacked the village!

He rushed to deliver the message that very night. The company commander, who was also his brother-in-law, was engaged in a bloody battle with the Japanese to cover the people of another village and could not spare a single soldier to come back and provide reinforcements.

When the villagers were rescued, he and his brother-in-law rushed back covered in gunpowder and wounds, only to find the entire village had already been burned to the ground by the Japanese.

His pregnant sister, along with her unborn child, perished in the fire, forever remaining in those ruins.

From that day on, my brother-in-law went crazy. Every time he charged into battle, he would rush to the front like he didn't care about his life.

The scars piled up layer upon layer, and what burned in his eyes was a resolute determination to perish together with his enemies.

Finally, during a battle to protect the villagers, he grabbed a Japanese soldier and pulled the pin on a grenade.

In that battle, seven or eight Japanese soldiers fell beside my brother-in-law. He stood amidst the shattered corpses and pools of blood, his expression as cold and rigid as ice.

He never told anyone about this—he would never forgive his brother-in-law, never.

From the moment his sister perished in the fire, he had been waiting, waiting for the day when his brother-in-law would pay with his life for his "greater good".

Later, all alone, he was adopted by a kind fellow villager, and because of his intelligence and literacy, he was sent to the city to study. After several twists and turns in his life, he met Professor Zheng Hong, a geological expert.

Zheng Hong treated him almost like his own son, caring about his well-being and teaching him everything he knew, supporting his studies until he succeeded.

He often exclaimed, "Yanzhou, you are intelligent and have a calm mind; you are a good candidate for geological research. In the future, you should contribute to the country."

He respectfully agreed, but the hatred in his heart was like a piece of ice that had never melted for a thousand years, pressing heavily on his soul.

So you think you're the only ones who understand dedication? So you think you're the only ones who understand sacrifice? You can't even protect your closest loved ones, yet you have the nerve to elevate yourselves to such noble heights?

ridiculous!

hypocritical!!!

Now, as Gao Yanzhou gazes at the experimental field so close at hand, all his suppressed pain and the impending pleasure of revenge finally settle into a near-mad resolute determination.

This is why Shen Ruowen would fall silent as soon as his gaze swept over her—

That's not the look a normal person should have; it's more like the look of a madman who's out of control, a demon that's willing to perish together with its prey!

He stared at Yan Zhengjun, a crimson glint flashing deep in his eyes: "Deputy Station Chief, give the order."

Sister, do you see? These hypocrites who claim to be sacrificing their "small families" for the sake of "the greater good" will soon fall into hell and repent and atone for their sins to you.

Yan Zhengjun nodded, waved his hand, and uttered four extremely cold words—

"Prepare your weapons."

The jeep's trunk was opened, revealing several carbines loaded with bullets, three gleaming Type 54 submachine guns, several hand grenades, and a box of high explosives powerful enough to overturn steel structures.

Shen Ruowen's gaze fell on the box of explosives, and her heart sank to the bottom.

These guys are insane!

Their goal wasn't just to destroy the missile test stand—they wanted to take everyone here with them!

"Let's get started. Deputy Team Leader Shen will escort Tian Tian into the military area, Lin Hanyuan will drive, and Team Leader Gao, Du Feng, and I will provide fire support."

After giving his instructions, Yan Zhengjun bent down to grab a carbine, and the others followed suit.

Shen Ruowen, contrary to her previous timid attitude, squeezed into the crowd and reached out to grab a submachine gun.

Seeing this, Lin Hanyuan assumed she was going to take the lead, so he subconsciously took a half step back to make room for her.

At this critical moment!

In the blink of an eye, Shen Ruowen flipped her wrist, quickly reached into her inner pocket, pulled out a mini atomizing bottle the size of a palm, and pressed it sharply against the faces of the group!

In an instant, a faint, sweet ether scent filled the air. Gao Yanzhou and the others almost simultaneously noticed the unusual smell. Lin Hanyuan, who was closest to her, swayed, his eyes suddenly glazed over, and his legs went weak, causing him to fall to the side.

Before Du Feng could react, he instinctively reached out to help, but as soon as his arm was halfway up, his head slumped down, and he fell straight down next to the explosive box, motionless.

Yan Zhengjun's fingers had already touched the gun handle, but at that moment, his limbs suddenly felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn't move an inch. He abruptly turned his head to glare at Shen Ruowen, his eyes surging with shock and anger. His lips moved as if he wanted to roar something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The next second, everything went black before his eyes, and he collapsed heavily onto the sand.

Looking at the last one, Gao Yanzhou, he had already quietly curled up on the ground.

Within half a minute, all four men had collapsed to the ground.

Shen Ruowen's heart, which had been clenched tightly, finally relaxed. She didn't dare to delay and immediately opened the back door and took Tiantian out.

While she was in her arms, she had secretly applied a layer of paraffin oil to the tip of the little girl's nose to prevent the evaporating medicine from taking effect, so neither of them was affected.

Sweetie, still unaware of what had happened, wore a look of disgust on her face: "You mean auntie, what are you doing?!"

Shen Ruowen didn't have time to explain. She looked down to examine the explosives strapped to Tian Tian's body. Yan Zhengjun had used some kind of knotting method, and the knots were all dead knots that couldn't be untied in a short time.

Now is not the time to defuse the explosives; time is of the essence, and we must race against time.

"Sweetie, listen to me!" She took a deep breath, pressed down on the little girl's shoulders, and said in a serious and urgent tone, "The bad uncles have been temporarily drugged by Auntie. You need to run to the sentry post right now and ask the uncle there to help you disarm the explosives!"

She pointed to the distant watchtower, "Quick!"

Sweetie was stunned, her big eyes filled with confusion. "You...you're going to let me go?"

"Run! There's no time!"

Without a word, Shen Ruowen shoved the little girl forward forcefully. Only then did the little girl realize what was happening, and she immediately started running forward, stumbling and falling, with her short legs.

"Sweetie!"

Shen Ruowen's voice came from behind.

The little girl instinctively turned around and happened to see Shen Ruowen giving her an apologetic smile, saying softly, "I'm sorry, I wronged you before, don't blame Auntie..."