A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"dad."

These two words, uttered by a three- or four-year-old child, should have been the most beautiful notes in the world. But at this moment, to Su Nianci's ears, they were no less than a violent earthquake!

Her gaze was fixed on the childish graffiti on the floor.

A grand courtyard guarded by stone lions, of extremely high status... a fighter jet roaring through the sky...

Little Stone pointed at the fighter jet and called it "Daddy!"

One by one, seemingly unrelated clues were instantly linked together as if by a bolt of lightning, forming a complete and terrifying picture in her mind!

Su Nianci's heart was pounding wildly. She felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head in that instant!

She had always thought that the dragon-shaped jade pendant with the character "Lu" that Xiao Shitou always carried was already shocking enough. It meant that he might have some connection with Lu Zhenhua, the high-ranking teacher.

But she never imagined that the truth might be even more shocking than she had imagined!

A father who could live in that kind of large compound, and... and whose profession was piloting fighter jets! What did that mean in the 1970s?

This means that Xiao Shitou's family background is beyond what can be described by the word "illustrious"!

That was a truly top-tier, powerful family that stood above ordinary nobles and was involved in the core power of the state!

"Little Stone," Su Nianci suppressed the turmoil in her heart. She squatted down to be at Little Stone's eye level. Pointing to the drawing on the ground, she continued to ask in as gentle and guiding a tone as possible, "Then...where is Mommy? Where is Mommy?"

Upon hearing the word "Mom," Little Stone's previously proud face instantly fell. His eyes quickly welled up with tears, his little mouth trembled, and he looked like he was about to cry.

He didn't answer, but simply stretched out his little hand and haphazardly drew a shapeless little figure next to the courtyard, then used charcoal to blacken the figure.

That gesture was filled with a childlike, unspeakable sadness and anger.

Su Nianci's heart was stabbed hard.

She understood.

Mom... is gone. Or rather, she has left that "home".

"Then... what about the bad guys? Are there any bad guys?" Su Nianci asked tentatively, posing the most crucial question.

Upon hearing the word "bad guy," Little Stone reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his fur standing on end! He dropped the charcoal in his hand and suddenly threw himself into Su Nianci's arms, his small body trembling violently, uttering incomprehensible, fearful "woof woof" sounds.

"Sister... is afraid... of bad people... hitting..." he stammered, squeezing out a few words from his throat.

It's happening again!

Just like that time in the dilapidated temple, Little Stone would fall into a state of extreme fear and stress whenever "bad people" were mentioned!

Su Nianci hugged him tightly, gently patting his back to comfort him. But her mind was racing at an unprecedented speed.

Something's wrong! Everything's so wrong!

If Xiao Shitou had just been abducted by ordinary human traffickers, his reaction shouldn't have been like this!

Ordinary human traffickers target money. They may use various methods such as deception, trickery, robbery, and theft, but rarely do they inflict such profound and deep-seated psychological trauma on children! Xiao Shitou's reaction is more like... he witnessed some extremely bloody and brutal scene!

Moreover, what kind of audacity would an ordinary human trafficker have to go to a compound with stone lions at the entrance, a place suspected to be the residence of high-ranking military officers, to steal a child?!

This makes absolutely no sense!

A bold, almost insane guess gradually emerged in Su Nianci's mind.

What happened to Little Stone may not have been a simple case of "human trafficking" at all!

It was a premeditated kidnapping or even a murder targeting him and his family!

And those so-called "bad guys" are definitely not ordinary thugs or human traffickers! They are very likely to be ruthless, powerful... enemies! Or even... political adversaries!

This guess sent a chill down Su Nianci's spine!

She instantly understood why Little Stone had been beaten so badly and left to die in that desolate mountain temple!

Because, for those "bad guys," a small stone isn't a "goods" that can be exchanged for money, but a "trouble" that must be disposed of! A "witness" who has witnessed their crimes!

The reason they didn't kill Little Stone on the spot might be because the child was too young and they couldn't bear to do it; or perhaps they thought that a three or four-year-old child, seriously injured and abandoned in the wilderness, would have no chance of survival!

But despite all their calculations, they never anticipated that Su Nianci would appear.

Having figured this out, Su Nianci looked back at the dragon-shaped jade pendant on Xiao Shitou's body and felt that it was no longer a priceless treasure, but a... death warrant that could bring about a fatal disaster!

She finally understood why Lei Ming, the train police captain, was so interested in the jade pendant!

Given Lei Ming's status and vision, it was impossible for him not to recognize a jade pendant of this size! He probably guessed that Xiao Shitou's background was extraordinary the moment he saw the jade pendant!

The reason he didn't point it out, and even tested Su Nianci with words at the end, is very likely that he also had suspicions!

He suspected that Su Nianci's appearance and Xiao Shitou's "abduction" might be hiding some unspeakable secret! He might even suspect that Su Nianci was in cahoots with those "bad guys"!

This thought sent a chill down Su Nianci's spine!

She always thought of herself as a hunter, manipulating everyone at will.

Only now did she realize with horror that she and her brother might have stepped into a much larger and more dangerous game from the very beginning!

They were merely two helpless pawns, who could be crushed at any moment!

Go north! Go to Harbin! Find Lu Zhenhua!

At this moment, this goal has been given a new and more urgent meaning for Su Nian-Ci!

This is no longer just about revenge, or about making a living!

More importantly, it's for... survival!

Only by finding Lu Zhenhua and the powerful family behind Xiao Shitou, and returning this hot potato to its rightful owner, can they possibly escape from this huge vortex!

Otherwise, if those "bad guys" found out that Little Stone was still alive and in her hands...

Su Nianci dared not think any further!

She hugged the trembling little stone tightly in her arms, her eyes becoming more determined and fierce than ever before.

No matter if the road ahead is a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, she must get through it!

She not only wanted to live, but also to live with her younger brother, upright and honorable, under the sunlight!

Just then, the door to the private room was opened again.

Su Nianci turned around warily and found that it was the passenger from the upper bunk who had arrived.

He was a man who looked to be in his thirties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a crisp blue khaki Zhongshan suit. He carried a black briefcase and exuded a strong scholarly air, along with a kind of... the meticulous demeanor of a medical worker that Su Nianci was very familiar with.

The man was taken aback when he saw Su Nianci and the graffiti on the ground, then smiled gently.

"Little friend, that's a good drawing," he praised, then placed his briefcase on the upper bunk.

Su Nianci instinctively glanced at him again.

On his briefcase, several small words were printed in gold lettering.

——"Harbin, First Military Medical University".