Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

Qin Zhan thanked the group and was about to call Zhou Rui over for a proper chat. Zhou Rui had saved his son and had played a significant role in the rescue operation, so his feelings for Zhou Rui were naturally different from those for others.

However, Lin Guoqiang spoke first: "Zhou Rui, come here for a moment."

Zhou Rui glanced at him and immediately knew what Lin Guoqiang wanted to talk about. But perhaps Uncle Dayong hadn't made something clear?

Zhou Rui nodded to Hu Dongmu and Gu Jiacheng, then walked towards Lin Guoqiang.

"Minister Lin, what is it?"

"I told you, call him Uncle Lin, why can't you remember?"

Lin Guoqiang greeted him with a smile, but Zhou Rui only nodded and did not try to take advantage of the situation.

It wasn't that he and Lin Guoqiang were at odds; the main issue was that Zhou Rui knew his other identity. Zhou Rui didn't want to get too close to people from intelligence agencies, so he kept his distance.

"Good lad, you and Dayong have done a great job again this time."

Lin Guoqiang slapped Zhou Rui hard on the shoulder. Fortunately, Zhou Rui was much stronger now and no longer as easily overwhelmed as before.

"I've found that you're really suited for this line of work, and you've been lucky too. Why don't you come work for me and start as my bodyguard? With your abilities, you'll be promoted very quickly."

Lin Guoqiang's voice was full of seduction, and he was very good at making empty promises.

However, Zhou Rui remained calm after hearing this and simply waved his hand.

"Forget it, I'm not going. It's too much trouble, and I'd have to be out all the time, leaving no one to take care of the kids at home."

"It's not like I'm asking you to go far away, and you get time off every month. Da Yong is at home; I've told him to visit you often. Don't you trust him?"

"Yes, don't worry, I'll take care of your family in the village." Gu Dayong also agreed with Lin Guoqiang's suggestion, thinking it was a great opportunity.

"No, my little rice cake is too young. I promised my older brother in my dream that I would raise her well."

"Why can't you understand? Serving in the army is so honorable, you can contribute more to the country. If you make new contributions in the future, you can become an officer and bring glory to your ancestors."

"No, I will raise my younger siblings well and let them bring honor to our ancestors."

"Moreover, I am now contributing to the motherland. Not only do I farm and reclaim wasteland to increase the country's food supply, but I also hunt game and deliver it to the forest farm, ensuring the smooth operation of the forest farm's tasks."

The three of them kept pulling at each other in the corner, but unfortunately they ran into Zhou Rui, who was stubborn and refused to make any progress.

"Okay, okay, we won't go then. But could you take us up the mountain one more time? This military base..."

"No, I'm not going," Zhou Rui quickly interrupted.

He counted on his fingers: "My niece is turning one year old the day after tomorrow, and I need to go back to make preparations. Uncle Dayong knows that place; you can have him take you there."

Zhou Rui is now very wary, fearing that Lin Guoqiang might set a trap for him. What if he goes there and Lin claims that Zhou Rui knows military secrets and won't let him go?

After Zhou Rui finished speaking, he quickly left. The vortex was too big, and his small body couldn't handle it.

However, Zhou Rui was stopped by Qin Zhan halfway there.

"Brother Zhou, I have to thank you again this time."

Qin Zhan smiled and was not as enthusiastic towards Zhou Rui as he had been towards Wang Shouye earlier, appearing somewhat casual.

"No need to thank me, it wasn't just my doing. Besides, I was paid."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he flashed the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle on his back. This was agreed upon beforehand; once they found the person, the rifle would be theirs.

Although Zhou Rui had money, finding a gun like that was difficult. Several of Zhou Rui's senior brothers had exchanged their guns at the forest farm, but those were all salvaged from military units. Unlike them, they had picked out a brand new gun from the armed forces department.

"Alright, then I won't say thank you. I heard from Brother Guoqiang that your niece is turning one year old, and I was thinking of asking for a drink. You don't mind, do you?"

"Alright, come on over. I've prepared fine wine and am ready to welcome you."

Zhou Rui knew that Qin Zhan's position was not low, perhaps even higher than Lin Guoqiang's. But he didn't have the same aversion to Qin Zhan as Lin Guoqiang, after all, it was a department that normal people could access.

Qin Zhan also particularly liked Zhou Rui's free-spirited nature. Although he was younger than his youngest sister, he did things that even adults might not be able to do.

After exchanging pleasantries, Qin Zhan was about to leave with his men, as Lü Zhixue and Qin Rui were still injured and needed to receive treatment as soon as possible.

As for the compensation for Wang Shouye, Xie Zhihua and his group, Director Xie and Lin Guoqiang will arrange it themselves.

Before leaving, Qin Rui, Lü Zhixue, and the others waved goodbye to Zhou Rui warmly. Only He Wu wore a sour face, still harboring resentment about Zhou Rui beating him up.

Watching Qin Zhan and the others drive away, Zhou Rui couldn't resist the urge to go home. But Lin Guoqiang couldn't take them home.

He's treating Taiping Commune like his command center right now, constantly making phone calls, and he'll probably be staying there for quite a while.

By the time Zhou Rui and Gu Jiacheng returned to Jiaolongxia Village, the moon was already high in the sky, and there was no smoke rising from the village chimneys.

It was past mealtime, and some families had even gone to bed early.

"Ruiwa, I'll come to your house to help you first thing tomorrow morning."

The banquet is the day after tomorrow, and Zhou Rui's family will start preparing tomorrow. Gu Jiacheng naturally won't miss this opportunity to get close to Zhou Rui.

"There's no need to go too early. You should go home and get some rest first."

Seeing Gu Jiacheng's exhausted appearance, Zhou Rui couldn't help but offer some words of comfort. Unlike himself, Gu Jiacheng didn't possess the abnormal stamina gained from his modifications; he was quite tired after being away for so long.

"It's okay, I'll be fine after I go back and get some sleep."

"Alright. But when you get back, you need to explain to your aunt that Uncle Dayong went to guide Minister Lin, so don't make her worry."

Zhou Rui reminded him, lest Gu Jiacheng not be confused. Only he and Gu Dayong knew about the Japanese military base.

Apart from reporting to Lin Guoqiang, they didn't mention it to Wang Shouye or Qin Zhan at all.

Everyone just assumed that Zhou Rui and Gu Dayong had wiped out Black Wolf's gang of vagrant criminals and were going to take Lin Guoqiang to their hideout to loot the spoils of war.

After they separated, Zhou Rui moved even faster; he could run back to the village without a flashlight.

When Zhou Ping woke up in the morning, he found that he was sleeping very uncomfortablely, a bit cramped. When he got up, he saw Zhou Rui lying next to him, and the kang table was full of things that Zhou Rui had brought back.

Zhou Ping didn't wake Zhou Rui. He could tell from his second brother's snoring that his brother must be tired.

Moreover, he was very interested in the things his second brother brought back: a brand-new rifle and a monocular scope that looked very much like a telescope.

There were also some military-grade canned goods, quite different from the canned goods usually bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. Lin Guoqiang even gave him some leftover medicine.

"Second Brother..."

A soft, sweet voice rang in Zhou Ping's ears, carrying a different kind of joy than when he was called Third Brother.