Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

The soldiers of the first platoon marched forward in skirmish lines, their bayonets tipped with snowflakes, gleaming brightly in the newly bright morning light.

Whether the person lying on the ground is genuinely injured or faking unconsciousness, first tie them up securely with rope.

All the confiscated guns were neatly stacked on the snow, and even the spent bullet casings were picked up one by one and put into cloth bags.

"Who's there? Hands up!" A young soldier suddenly raised his gun and aimed it at the valley entrance, his finger already on the trigger.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We're not with them, we're being forced into this."

The third brother and his family followed closely behind as they emerged from the woods, their guns raised above their heads.

The woman carried Shunzi, whose finger had been broken, at the front of the way, and the boy's cries were particularly jarring in the woods.

The third brother dragged his fifth brother, whose chest was bleeding, and cried for help as they walked: "Someone come quickly and save my fifth brother! He's been beaten to death by those bastards!"

However, the soldiers who came over didn't care about their injuries at all. After they disarmed themselves, they tied them up one by one without giving them any special treatment.

Lin Guoqiang walked over through the snow, sweeping over the mess on the ground. He immediately saw two animals lying on the snow at the entrance of the valley, their blood spreading across the snow. It was clear they couldn't be saved.

He turned and called out to Platoon Leader Sun, his voice so loud it made the pine branches nearby shed snow: "Platoon Leader Sun, which bastard killed the villager's livestock?"

Platoon Leader Sun responded quickly and immediately ran forward: "Reporting to the regimental commander, we have captured sixteen enemy soldiers, killed five, and seized thirteen rifles, six sleds, and four livestock."

"As for the matter of killing... accidentally injuring two livestock, I'll let machine gunner Yang Zhiyong answer that."

Platoon Leader Sun was good at shifting blame. Seeing that he couldn't escape punishment after returning to camp, he had no choice but to implicate his comrade.

"Yang Zhiyong, Yang Zhiyong?" Lin Guoqiang's voice was particularly loud, a habit he developed during military training.

"Here I am." Yang Zhiyong ran over carrying a Type 67 general-purpose machine gun in one hand, but the gunfire was so loud that he ran a little slower.

"What happened? Why did you kill the livestock?"

"Report, he got carried away and couldn't control the gun." Although Yang Zhiyong was being reprimanded, the excited blush on his face hadn't faded.

This wasn't a shooting range; this real combat experience really got this greenhorn hooked.

Lin Guoqiang slapped Yang Zhiyong on the head, almost knocking his hat off: "If you can't control the gun, go back and practice more. If you make a mistake again next time, I'll punish you by banning you from drinking for six months."

After reprimanding his men, he searched around again, but still couldn't find Zhou Rui. So he started shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Zhou Rui, Zhou Rui, where have you been, you brat?"

A few seconds later, a lazy voice came from behind an inconspicuous rock: "Coming, come out now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Rui walked out, carrying a rifle and brushing the snow off his rump. Big Yellow immediately wagged its tail and went to greet him, circling around him.

Ever since the soldiers from the armed forces department arrived, he's been hiding here, not daring to show his head, for fear that the armed forces department would mistake him for a criminal and arrest him.

"What's going on? Your task is to hide there and sleep?" Lin Guoqiang deliberately stared at him with a dark face.

Zhou Rui showed no discomfort at Lin Guoqiang's imposing manner, shrugging at him: "Your soldiers don't know me. What if I stand out and get beaten up?"

"You brat, you can argue back three times for every one thing I say." Lin Guoqiang shook his head helplessly.

Platoon Leader Sun and Yang Zhiyong were dumbfounded. Who in the entire regiment would dare to speak to Regiment Commander Lin like that? This kid was one of a kind.

"Uncle Lin, please stop lecturing me. If you keep talking, they'll run away."

"People? What other people are there?"

"Of course, there are still criminals who have stolen grain that haven't been caught yet."

Lin Guoqiang turned around: "Platoon Leader Sun, didn't you say they'd all been caught?"

"No, aren't they all here? Everyone's watching, no one's escaped." Platoon Leader Sun was also a little puzzled, after all, they had locked down the entire valley entrance.

"This valley isn't dead. It's just that the grain and livestock can't be transported out, but people can still leave if they want to." Zhou Rui didn't say that he discovered it through his sixth sense, but just gave a slight reminder.

"I'll go interrogate them right away." Platoon Leader Sun quickly came to his senses and immediately ran towards the group of prisoners.

Within minutes, Platoon Leader Sun quickly ran back.

"Boss, two people are missing. One is the crime boss, Brother Hao, and the other is Dajun, the best marksman in their gang."

"The driver gave the information, and it was then confirmed by the human traffickers."

"Two people?" Lin Guoqiang pondered for five seconds.

"Gu Dayong and Zhou Rui, you two will be the guides. Platoon Leader Sun, arrange for a squad of soldiers to set off immediately and bring the criminal back at all costs."

"Yes." "Received."

Platoon Leader Sun and Gu Dayong responded, while Zhou Rui seemed somewhat indifferent.

This wasn't some mission that absolutely required him; a squad of elite soldiers plus Gu Dayong, a veteran of countless battles, was more than enough to handle it.

"Um, Uncle Lin, I think I'll pass. You see, Chen Xiaoni has been emotionally unstable ever since she was kidnapped and can't leave me," Zhou Rui said, pointing to Chen Xiaoni.

Chen Xiaoni, wearing a military overcoat given to her by some soldier, stood not far away watching Zhou Rui, unwilling to leave.

"You know him?" Lin Guoqiang didn't press Zhou Rui hard, but instead asked another question.

"The girl from the village, I have a very good relationship with her stepfather." Zhou Rui spoke simply and directly, not wanting to beat around the bush.

To Zhou Rui's surprise, Lin Guoqiang walked towards Chen Xiaoni.

He then squatted down in front of her, smiled and said a few words, pointing his finger in Zhou Rui's direction.

Chen Xiaoni glanced in the direction the finger was pointing, then listened for a couple more minutes before nodding.

"Alright, she agreed." Lin Guoqiang walked back with his hands behind his back, a smug smile on his face.

Since Zhou Rui was making excuses, he simply eliminated those excuses.

"What did you say?" Zhou Rui reluctantly agreed, but still asked out of curiosity.

"I told her that two important bad guys had escaped and that I needed a very capable older brother to bring them back, and she agreed."

Lin Guoqiang looked at Zhou Rui with a smile playing on his lips.

Zhou Rui was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and slung the rifle over his shoulder: "Well, Uncle Lin, so you were waiting for me here all along."

In less than half an incense stick's time, Zhou Rui and his group of twelve left the valley entrance.

In the valley, Big Yellow and Sniffing the Wind ran in the lead; the two dogs showed no obvious signs of fatigue after a night of chasing.

"Comrade Gu, which way should we go next?" A dark-skinned young man approached Gu Dayong.

They hadn't seen a soul since entering the valley, only some old traces of camping trips.

"Go north. I remember there's a path there that leads out of the valley."