Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

The door to the outpost was pushed open, and a blast of cold air, mixed with the smell of ghee and snow, rushed out.

A woman sat by the fireplace, her back to the door, whittling something with a Tibetan knife. She wore a dirty windbreaker, her trousers were covered in mud, and she had her hair tied in a neat, dirty braid.

She didn't turn her head when she heard the noise.

Liaison officer Wang Tiezhu peeked halfway out of the door, a smile plastered on his face, and lowered his voice by eight octaves: "Sister Zhuoma, the person you've been waiting for has arrived."

The woman's hands didn't stop moving.

Wang Tiezhu was rebuffed. He gave Li Changfeng and Su Ming an awkward smile, then slipped away, afraid that if he stayed even a second longer, he would be slashed by that Tibetan knife.

Li Changfeng straightened his collar, forcibly suppressing his rapid breathing caused by lack of oxygen. A cold wind rushed into his collar, but he didn't shrink back. He strode to Zhuoma and extended his hand.

"Li Changfeng, Security Department, Jiangnan University"

Zhuoma finally stopped wielding the knife. She stood up and dusted off her trousers.

She chewed on a piece of dry cheese, her eyes scanning the two of them like a hawk.

His gaze lingered on Li Changfeng's oxygen cylinder for two seconds, filled with disdain.

He lingered for another three seconds on Su Ming's large bag of snacks, his disdain growing even stronger.

She didn't reach out.

She looked Li Changfeng up and down. Her gaze swept over the calluses on his hands, the wear and tear on his tactical vest, and his eyes, which remained calm even on the plateau.

"You served in the army?" Zhuoma asked, her voice a little hoarse, as if it had been worn down by wind and sand.

"Twenty years," Li Changfeng replied in a deep voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

Zhuoma nodded, her expression softening somewhat: "That's presentable."

After saying that, she walked up to Li Changfeng and patted the Type 95 rifle on his tactical vest.

"The insurance wasn't turned off."

Li Changfeng was startled and subconsciously looked down.

It's closed.

Zhuoma scoffed, "With such slow reflexes, you're still playing with guns? With your altitude sickness, you'd probably be sent flying back by the recoil the moment the gun goes off."

Li Changfeng's face instantly turned bright red.

He wanted to argue, but his lungs felt like they were being strained by a broken bellows; he couldn't catch his breath and could only glare. Back in the day, he'd run 50 kilometers fully equipped...

Forget it, a hero doesn't dwell on past glories.

Zhuoma ignored him and turned her gaze to Su Ming behind him. She frowned, pointed at Su Ming, and asked Li Changfeng, "Is this your son? Did you bring him out on vacation?"

The question was too direct, and Li Changfeng was speechless again.

"He is... a technical consultant," Li Changfeng squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

"Technical consultant?" Zhuoma repeated, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. She walked up to Su Ming, half a head shorter than him, but with her chin held high, exuding an imposing aura.

"Young master from the city, tell me, in this place where there are only rocks and snow, what can you ask for advice? Can you ask which lollipop tastes better?"

She pointed to the "Education Supermarket" bag in Su Ming's hand.

Li Changfeng's blood pressure started to spike again.

Su Ming remained calm. He took a strawberry-flavored lollipop from the bag, tore open the wrapper, and put it in his mouth.

Then, he looked at Droma and calmly explained, "It replenishes sugar and stabilizes emotions. It's faster than your cheese."

Zhuoma slowed down her chewing of cheese, and the mockery on her face froze.

Li Changfeng was stunned, thinking to himself that this kid's ability to spout nonsense was truly amazing.

Zhuoma's sharp gaze locked onto Su Ming, scrutinizing him without any attempt to conceal her feelings.

She had seen all sorts of employers, but she had never seen a city dweller who could so calmly eat candy on her turf in the face of her provocations.

This guy is either a hidden master or a complete idiot whose brain has been frozen.

Judging from his fair and delicate skin, Zhuoma felt that the latter was more likely.

Zhuoma waved her hand impatiently: "Alright, let me state my rules first. Once we're in the no-man's-land, everyone follows my orders. Anyone who dares to grumble and slow us down will be tied to the roof of the car as luggage." She pointed at Su Ming with her chin and warned, "Especially you, keep an eye on your snacks and don't attract wolves."

After saying that, she grabbed a bunch of car keys from the table, turned around and left.

"Keep up, we can't go up the mountain after dark, or we'll just be waiting to be fed to the bears."

Li Changfeng watched Zhuoma's retreating figure, then glanced at Su Ming, who was still enjoying a lollipop beside him, and felt his temples throbbing.

He has begun to seriously consider whether his nitroglycerin pills will last until the mission is over.