Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The jeep came to a stop with a clatter at the foot of a small hill.

"This is it. It's about half a day's journey from where Comrade He Wu and his men lost their way. This is the shortest way to get up the mountain."

Hu Dongmu sat in the car, pointing to a small road ahead.

"Let's get out of the car then, pack all our equipment, and get ready to go up the mountain," Wang Shouye said from the back seat.

He was the most experienced mountain driver in the car, and they had already agreed that he would be in charge of this operation.

Everyone filed out of the car, and the sedans behind followed, stopping behind the jeep. The car doors opened quickly, and several people jumped out, while two others vomited incessantly on the roadside.

Zhou Rui tilted his head and glanced at him. Was he carsick?

Zhou Rui turned around, took out his backpack, and first put a few boxes of bullets inside.

Then stuff the compressed biscuits and canned goods from the back of the truck into the bag as much as possible, until it's full and can't fit any more.

Zhou Rui waited by the roadside with his backpack, and then he saw Hu Dongmu staring at them expectantly. He didn't have a backpack that big; he only had a small cloth bag made of cotton fabric, covered with countless patches.

Zhou Rui walked over to Lin Guoqiang and whispered something in his ear.

Then Lin Guoqiang walked to the back of the jeep, rummaged around in the cargo area for a while, pulled out a brand new backpack, and threw it to Hu Dongmu.

Hu Dongmu's eyes lit up with delight. He had been eyeing Zhou Rui and the others for a long time, each carrying a military backpack.

When Xie Zhihua and the others saw Gu Dayong and Wang Shouye stuffing things into their bags, they quickly ran over, afraid that they would take everything.

Moreover, Xie Zhihua and his group specifically chose canned goods, thinking they were expensive. Zhou Rui watched quietly, thinking these people were too short-sighted.

In contrast, Hu Dongmu, being a young man who didn't know much, simply imitated Gu Dayong and Wang Shouye. He noticed that most of them only brought compressed biscuits, and only a few canned meat and fruit.

The group tightened the backpacks that weren't full, then tried them on their backs. The weight was just right and wouldn't hinder their movement.

"Wang Pao, Brother Zhou's bag is so full, are you alright? The roads in these mountains are not easy to travel." Hu Dongmu asked quietly.

Wang Shouye glanced at Zhou Rui: "Don't worry, that kid's a cow, he won't get tired."

Having trained Zhou Rui so many times, Wang Shouye knew his strength extremely well. Of the four apprentices, Zhou Rui was the strongest, even surpassing Zhang Shitou, who was the most hardworking.

At this moment, Qin Zhan walked up to Zhou Rui and said, "Brother Zhou, could I do you a favor?"

"Director Qin, please speak."

"Don't call me Director, call me Brother."

Zhou Rui glanced at Qin Zhan and, seeing that he wasn't just being polite, didn't stand on ceremony either.

"Brother Qin, please let me know what you need."

"It's still about the mountains. There are only two girls, we must find them. Wu Jiajia's family has considerable influence in the provincial capital, it will be very troublesome if they really die."

And then there's Qin Rui, my cousin. She's a favorite of my father. If she really disappears, our family will be turned upside down.

Qin Zhan was very worried, but he refused to utter the word.

"It was all those three brats' fault. If they really come back, I'll give them a good beating."

Especially He Wu, if you see him, give him a good beating first; he's the one who caused this mess.

"Is He Wu your brother Qin?" Zhou Rui asked. Although it was conceivable that these people were all second-generation rich kids, the fact that Qin Zhan deliberately mentioned them meant that they must be someone of extraordinary status.

"He's my brother-in-law. My wife spoils him rotten; he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. If he doesn't learn his lesson, I'm afraid he'll cause even bigger trouble in the future."

Sure enough, this person's identity is different. Don't be fooled by Qin Zhan's seemingly murderous demeanor; he's definitely very concerned about this person's safety.

"If you're willing, I might really hit you," Zhou Rui said with a teasing smile.

"Beat them! Give them a good beating!" Qin Zhan didn't take Zhou Rui's teasing seriously.

"Ruiwa, get ready to go." Wang Shouye and the others were all fully equipped and waved to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui replied, "I'm here."

Then he turned around and said, "Brother Qin, I'm leaving now."

"Alright, you can go now." Qin Zhan didn't say anything else to avoid putting pressure on Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui nodded, gave Qin Zhan a reassuring look, and turned to walk towards the entrance to the mountain.

He saw Qin Zhan's worry, but didn't give Qin Zhan the answer he wanted; he wasn't the kind of person who could make promises lightly.

Hu Dongmu carried his backpack and walked into the mountains. Xie Yongjiang, Luo Hao, Wang Xiaolong and other young men immediately followed behind him, squeezing Wang Shouye and the others behind him.

They were very dissatisfied with the group of outsiders led by Wang Shouye, believing that these people were just there to steal credit.

Wang Shouye glanced at Gu Dayong, who returned a meaningful smile. The two of them thought the people of Taiping Town were a bit petty; one could tell a master's character just by looking at his apprentice's behavior.

"Let's go too. Jiacheng, you and Ruiwa bring up the rear." Gu Dayong thought it was childish to argue over such a trivial matter, and he felt that this mission would not be peaceful.

Qin Zhan and Lin Guoqiang stood side by side, watching Zhou Rui walk at the back, his figure disappearing after turning a corner.

Qin Zhan frowned, his face full of worry; clearly, the calm he had shown in front of others was all an act.

"Don't worry, let's go back to Taiping Commune and wait there," Lin Guoqiang reassured him.

"It's all your fault for not letting me go up the mountain. How can I be at ease waiting for news at the commune?"

Qin Zhan replied irritably.

"Don't worry, they are all professional mountain hunters. Although you have served in the army, you really can't compare to these people in the mountains."

"If you go, given your status, who can command you? Don't let something you say casually become something they can't disobey, and then things will go wrong."

"Sigh... I know, I'm just venting." Qin Zhan sighed.

"Let's go back to the commune and wait for news. It's too cold here."

Neither car was turned off. After Qin Zhan and Lin Guoqiang got in, they quickly turned around and drove away.

The group wound their way along the mountain path, and due to the terrain, they quickly separated.

Zhou Rui leisurely lagged at the very back of the group, glancing left and right along the way. The terrain here was completely different from that of Hongqi Town, with only steep and winding mountain roads and no large areas of flat slopes.

Every few steps there's a corner, and the line of sight is incredibly narrow. This kind of terrain is quite dangerous; after all, no one knows where danger might be lurking.

Zhou Rui activated his senses and discovered that the distance had shortened considerably, with various mountain obstacles blocking his way and affecting his sixth sense's detection.

However, Zhou Rui still discovered many crevices and caves hidden under the snow. If Hu Dongmu hadn't led the way, they might have fallen into the caves without even realizing it if they had strayed even slightly off course.

Gu Jiacheng had been walking for a while when he turned back to look at Zhou Rui. He then slowed down and waited for a while until Zhou Rui came to his side.

"Ruiwa, how are you? Are you tired?"

Zhou Rui tossed his backpack, feeling quite relaxed.

"It's not tiring, and it's not very heavy."

"Did you see those people in Taiping Town? They're all arrogant and talk in a sarcastic tone. Just looking at them makes me angry."

"Don't follow their example. We rely on the mountains for our livelihood, and we'll always rely on our own skills."

boom……