Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Gu Dayong turned to Zhou Rui and said, "Rui, this is really urgent. These city kids have been in the mountains for six days, and they've been separated from their guide for three days. Saving them is like putting out a fire."

Zhou Rui still didn't speak.

"Ruiwa, you might not know the terrain of Taiping Town. The mountains there aren't as large as ours, but the terrain is a bit more complicated. If we're quick, we can finish searching in two or three days without delaying your return."

Zhou Rui finally relaxed after hearing the last sentence. As long as it didn't interfere with Xiao Niangao's birthday celebration, it was fine.

"Alright then, I'll go back and pack up now." Zhou Rui turned around, preparing to pick up Xiao Niangao and go home.

Unexpectedly, Aunt Changchun avoided Zhou Rui's hand.

"Let An'an and Xiao Niangao stay at my house for the next couple of days. I'll take good care of them," Aunt Changchun insisted.

Since her daughter Liu Yue got married, the house has become much quieter. With two children to keep her company, she doesn't get so bored.

"Okay, then I'll have Pingwa bring over the things they need." Zhou Rui agreed readily; Aunt Changchun was one of the few people in the village who could be trusted.

Zhou Rui took Lin Guoqiang and Gu Dayong back to his home, where Zhou Ping and his brother Ping An lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) engrossed in reading comic books. Each of them had one in their hands.

When Zhou Ping saw Zhou Rui return, he quickly called out to him.

"Second brother, you're back. Do you want me to cook?"

"Brother Rui." "Hello, Brother Rui."

"Okay, you guys do your thing," Zhou Rui replied softly.

"Pingwa, I have urgent business to attend to and need to go out with Uncle Dayong for a few days. An'an and Xiaoniangao are staying at Aunt Changchun's house. Could you take their toys and formula, as well as Xiaoniangao's diapers, to them later? Also, take some meat with you."

Zhou Rui didn't waste any words; he was straightforward and simple. Zhou Ping was already used to his second brother's speaking style.

"Okay, Second Brother."

Zhou Rui took out a Mauser rifle from the cabinet, and then took out a box of bullets, preparing to put them into his backpack.

Upon seeing this, Lin Guoqiang came over and pulled out a pistol from his pocket, along with a red cardboard ID.

"Here you go, I've already gotten the permit for this gun. But be careful when you use it, and don't point it at the people indiscriminately."

Lin Guoqiang looked very serious when he handed the two items to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui took the gun, placed it on the table, and then looked at the identification documents.

The document contained Zhou Rui's name, workplace, age, and information such as the model and caliber of the pistol.

The name Lin Guoqiang was neatly written in the "fill out" column, and it was stamped with the official seal of the county's armed forces department. It seems that Lin Guoqiang acted as guarantor for Zhou Rui in his own name.

"I understand, Minister Lin. Don't you trust me? My gun is only ever pointed at the enemy." Zhou Rui smiled.

Zhou Rui skillfully took out another box of bullets from the cabinet, opened the pistol magazine, and filled the magazine with bullets one by one.

Liu Ping'an and Liu Shunli watched Zhou Rui fiddling with the long and short guns, their faces full of envy. Unfortunately, they were too young, and Zhou Rui rarely let them play with them.

"Zhou Rui, do you have any other requests?" Lin Guoqiang asked as he watched Zhou Rui silently pack his luggage.

Zhou Rui pondered for a moment and asked, "Could you provide a few 50 or 60 semi-automatic rifles for this trip up the mountain to search for someone? I'd like to leave my rifle at home for Pingwa to use for self-defense."

Zhou Rui held up the Mauser 98K, but Lin Guoqiang did not rush to answer.

So Zhou Rui added, "After all, my family has some savings now, and my uncle and his family came to my house a few days ago while I was away, but they were scared away by Mao Mao."

"Okay." Lin Guoqiang nodded. "In that case, Dayong, you and Chengwa don't need to bring guns. I'll prepare them for you."

"Sure. I'll try out the guns made in our country too."

Gu Dayong was quite generous. After all, he had fought in wars before, and on the battlefield, he used whatever he captured without being picky.

Zhou Rui packed up quickly. A few minutes later, he tucked his pistol behind his waist, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and went out the door.

Liu Pingan and Liu Shunli stared at the Mauser rifle left on the table, their eyes shining.

"Pingzi?" "Brother Ping?"

"What, want to touch it?" Zhou Ping was very proud. His second brother had said that this was left at home for him to use.

"Mmm." "I want to."

"Then let's touch it." Since there were no bullets in the gun, Zhou Ping didn't mind showing off a bit.

"Brother Ping, can you take us out to fire a few shots?" Liu Shunli was getting a little too demanding.

Zhou Ping glared at him: "That won't do. You're too young, you don't have the strength in your hands, and the recoil will be too great when you fire a gun, it will hurt you."

Zhou Ping refused and repeated what Zhou Rui had said before.

However, seeing the somewhat disappointed expressions on the Ping An brothers' faces, he could only comfort them, saying, "You two should train more regularly until you're like me, and that will be fine."

Zhou Ping patted his not-so-strong chest.

Half an hour later, a green Jeep screeched to a halt in front of Wang Shouye's house. The door opened, and Zhou Rui and three others got out. Lin Guoqiang was driving the car himself.

Zhou Rui pushed open the courtyard gate and walked into the yard. Zhou Rui felt right at home in Wang Shouye's place.

At this moment, Wang Shouye pushed open the door and came out. He had heard the car and came out to see what was going on.

"Ruiwa, Gu Dayong, what's going on here?"

Wang Shouye saw Zhou Rui and three others enter his yard, but he didn't recognize the last two.

"Uncle Wang."

"Wang Pao, this is Comrade Lin Guoqiang, the deputy minister of the county's armed forces department. He needs your help with something."

Gu Dayong first introduced Wang Shouye before making the request. This was a formal invitation; it wouldn't be proper for Zhou Rui to bring it up.

Wang Shouye did not immediately agree after hearing this, but instead glanced at Gu Jiacheng at the very back.

"Is this your son? He looks a lot like you." Wang Pao asked himself.

"My third son is staying home to accompany me on hunting trips," Gu Dayong said, patting Gu Jiacheng on the shoulder.

"Uncle Wang." Gu Jiacheng was as shy as ever in front of outsiders.

Wang Shouye nodded: "Come inside, let's talk inside."

Wang Shouye was very cautious. Although the person was brought by his young apprentice, he couldn't agree to anything without clarifying the details.

Inside the room, Wang Shouye held a cup of hot water and listened quietly as Lin Guoqiang recounted the events once more.

Afterwards, Wang Shouye frowned deeply and remained silent.

"What's wrong, Wang Pao?" Lin Guoqiang appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. He knew what it meant for a hunter renowned in the area to show such a troubled expression.

Instead of answering Lin Guoqiang directly, Wang Shouye asked Gu Dayong a question in return.

"Gu Pao, you haven't been to Taiping Town much, have you?"

"I haven't been there much. I don't like going to places that are too far away," Gu Dayong nodded.

"The mountains over there are different from ours. The peaks aren't very big, but they're all connected one after another, so there's hardly any flat land."

"The terrain is rugged, with winding valleys, so... this kind of terrain is perfect for getting lost. It's been six days already, and things look increasingly ominous!"