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

A secret hangar in the Jiangnan Military Region.

A Y-20 transport aircraft, its entire body painted with gray-black stealth paint, lies dormant like a steel behemoth poised to pounce.

The hangar was brightly lit, but the atmosphere was somber, filled with the cold, metallic scent of aviation fuel.

Li Changfeng stood under the fuselage of the plane, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, constantly checking his watch.

There is one hour left until the scheduled departure time.

However, Su Ming, the absolute protagonist of this mission, made a request that Su Ming could not understand.

"Brother Li, I need to go out and buy some things."

"Procurement? What do you need? Individual rations? Special military knife? Or the latest graphene bulletproof plate?"

Li Changfeng patted his chest and assured him, "The warehouse has everything! Whatever equipment you need, as long as you can name it, I can get it for you!"

Su Ming shook his head and handed over a slip of paper.

Li Changfeng took it and looked at it. His mind went blank.

"Angelica sinensis, angelica dahurica, realgar, mugwort... half a pound each. Hmm? Also, a pack of needles, and two rolls of the thickest hemp rope?"

Li Changfeng rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had seen wrong.

What are all these things?

Angelica sinensis for nourishing blood, Angelica dahurica for beautifying the skin, Realgar for repelling snakes, Artemisia argyi... those are things to hang on the door during the Dragon Boat Festival!

Is this an SSS-level secret mission, or are they planning to open a health resort in the rainforest?

"Su Ming, are you sure... these are the ones?" Li Changfeng's voice was weak.

"Confirmed." Su Ming nodded. "It must be wild-grown, preferably quite old. The hemp rope must be strong and made using traditional methods."

"..." Li Changfeng fell silent.

He recalled the old general's order in the Xishan command center: "Give him whatever he wants! Even if he asks for lunar soil, find a way to shovel it back for him!"

Thinking of this, Li Changfeng gritted his teeth and called out to a guard standing ramrod straight beside him, "Xiao Wang!"

A young soldier, about 1.85 meters tall, with dark skin and clear but slightly nervous eyes, immediately stepped forward: "Present!"

"Get in my car and go shopping with Mr. Su! Buy whatever he wants, no matter the cost, the consequences, or the reasons! Even if he wants to tear down someone's shop, you have to hand him the hammer!" Li Changfeng practically roared as he gave the order.

"Yes!" Xiao Wang replied loudly, but he was secretly wondering about it.

Who exactly is this "Mr. Su" who looks a few years younger than himself? He's so influential that even a high-ranking leader like Director Li is practically becoming his "yes-man."

Twenty minutes later, a military off-road vehicle with a special license plate stopped in front of "Baicaotang," the most famous time-honored Chinese medicine shop in Jiangnan City.

Su Ming got out of the car and went straight to the counter.

Xiao Wang followed behind, maintaining a standard alert posture, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, glaring back several elderly women who wanted to come in to get medicine.

"Boss, give me half a pound of each of the medicines on the list." Su Ming handed over the slip of paper.

The elderly pharmacist, his head full of white hair, adjusted his reading glasses, glanced at the prescription, then at Su Ming, a hint of approval in his eyes: "Young man, you know your stuff. These herbs, when combined, form an ancient recipe for 'Herbal Insect-Repelling Sachets,' a recipe that few people know about now."

Su Ming smiled but didn't say anything.

After getting the medicine, he went to a nearby hardware store.

"Boss, give me two rolls of the thickest hemp rope."

Looking at the bag of herbs that Su Ming was carrying, which smelled strongly of medicine, and the two rolls of hemp rope that were thicker than his arms on his shoulder, Xiao Wang's worldview was once again shaken.

So... are the equipment for our country's SSS-level missions now so basic?

Back in the hangar, Li Changfeng looked at Su Ming's "spoils of war" and his mouth twitched wildly.

Su Ming, however, didn't seem to care. He found a corner, mixed the herbs in some peculiar proportion, and packed them into several cloth bags. Then, he began to examine the two rolls of hemp rope, occasionally twisting them between his fingers to feel the toughness of the fibers.

He was focused, as if he were handling not herbs and ropes, but priceless precision instruments.

Xiao Wang leaned closer to Li Changfeng and asked in a low voice, "Director, is Mr. Su... doing performance art?"

Li Changfeng took a deep breath and said in a weathered tone, "Xiao Wang, remember, from today onwards, don't be surprised by anything Mr. Su does. What you need to do is get used to it, then forget it, and finally firmly believe that everything he does is right."

Just then, Su Ming stood up and clapped his hands.

He tossed the pre-packaged medicine packets and a roll of hemp rope to Xiao Wang.

"Take it."

Then, carrying only a small canvas bag containing the remaining medicine packets and another roll of rope, he walked towards the transport plane with his hands in his pockets.

He didn't seem to be heading to dangerous places; it was more like he was taking a stroll in the park next door.

Looking at Su Ming's overly thin back, Li Changfeng's eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

He knew that behind this nonchalant attitude was the fact that the young man had shouldered the risk of dying all by himself.

The two hundred million he asked for wasn't out of greed.

It's about giving an explanation to the country, and also to himself. If he doesn't come back, the children in the welfare home will have someone to rely on, and future "temporary workers" like him will have some security.

This kid is smarter than anyone else, but also dumber than anyone else.

"Su Ming!" Li Changfeng couldn't help but call out.

Su Ming stopped and turned around.

Li Changfeng gave him a solemn military salute.

"Come back safe and sound!"

Su Ming paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Please settle the payment."

After saying that, he turned around, stepped onto the gangway, and didn't look back.

Li Changfeng: "..."

The emotion he had just begun to feel was instantly turned into a lump in his throat, and he almost lost his balance.