The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

The brigade commander raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the three men like that of a hawk:

"This group not only engaged in smuggling and illegal mining in the area, but is also suspected of repeatedly attacking our border patrol teams within half a month, resulting in the deaths of several soldiers! The nature of their actions is extremely heinous, and our superiors are furious!"

Zhou Liguang frowned as he looked at the red circle on the map.

He had just returned from that area and knew the terrain all too well. The place was full of towering primeval forests and cliffs, with unpredictable weather and teeming with poisonous insects—truly the perfect place to hide and wage guerrilla warfare.

The brigade commander tapped his fingertip heavily on the map:

"The objective of this mission is singular: to completely annihilate this group of militants, leaving no survivors and no future threats! The three of you will each lead three assault battalions, infiltrating simultaneously from the east, south, and west to form an encirclement and pin them down in the valley!"

The brigade commander put down his pencil and slammed his hand on the table:

"That's the situation. Go back and prepare. The military trucks will assemble on the parade ground in one hour and depart! Any questions? Ask now!"

The conference room was deathly silent.

Lu Baizhou, Bai Zhengyuan, and Zhou Liguang exchanged glances, and a cold and sharp killing intent ignited in each of their eyes.

"No problem!" the three said in unison, their voices so loud that the chandelier on the ceiling swayed slightly.

"Alright! That's settled then, dismissed! Get ready, and set off as soon as possible!"

"yes!"

The three of them stood up at the same time, snapped to attention, saluted, and then quickly walked out of the conference room.

The heavy thud of their military boots on the concrete floor echoed through the corridor.

Lu Baizhou walked on the far left, his face as cold and stern as iron, his dark eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever, his whole being like a peerless blade about to be drawn from its sheath.

Bai Zhengyuan walked in the middle, tugged at his collar with some annoyance, and said in a low voice to the two people next to him:

"Good heavens, this is quite a commotion. The three of us have been sent up at the same time. It seems the higher-ups are serious and won't stop until they've chopped these bastards to pieces."

Lu Baizhou didn't speak, but nodded slightly, his eyes cold.

Zhou Liguang walked on the far right, his fists clenched tightly, but he sighed inwardly.

He had originally planned that after submitting the report, he could take a nice hot shower, change into clean clothes, and go to the Bai family's small restaurant or bathhouse to find his Xin Xin.

It now appears that the plan has completely fallen through.

For border anti-banditry missions of this scale, once fighting breaks out, it can take at least a week, or even half a month, to return while lying in wait and ambushing in the deep mountains and forests.

Zhou Liguang closed his eyes, temporarily burying the sweet and lovely smiling face in his mind deep in his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with the coldness and determination of a king of soldiers.

See you on the playground in an hour.

Zhou Liguang uttered a low voice, turned around, and strode quickly toward his camp.

Zhou Liguang took a deep breath. Although his heart felt heavy, like a stone was pressing down on it, and he felt a pang of regret, he was, after all, a soldier. He knew that military orders were paramount and the mission was of utmost importance. At a time like this, what reason was there to complain about personal feelings?

Bai Zhengyuan walked ahead, but as he reached the corner of the stairs, he stopped as if suddenly remembering something. He turned his head and said to Lu Baizhou and Zhou Liguang beside him:

"You guys go first. I'm going to tell one of my men to go home and give a message so my parents and Xin Xin won't worry unnecessarily."

Lu Baizhou didn't even turn his head. He just kept walking forward, raising his right hand and waving it casually in the air to indicate that he understood.

Zhou Liguang was also a decisive person. He strode towards his camp without even turning around.

Bai Zhengyuan sighed, turned around, and hurriedly ran back. When he got back to his company, he immediately saw the orderly, Xiao Liu, squatting at the door, carefully wiping a semi-automatic rifle with a piece of cotton cloth in his hand.

"Xiao Liu!" Bai Zhengyuan called out.

"Here!" Xiao Liu stood up abruptly and gave a stern salute.

Bai Zhengyuan stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, lowering his voice to instruct, "Xiao Liu, could you go to my house tonight? Tell my parents and my sister Xin Xin that I've gone on an urgent mission and probably won't be back for a few days. Tell them to relax at home and not worry unnecessarily; everything's fine here."

"Yes, Battalion Commander! I promise to deliver the message!" Xiao Liu replied loudly.

Bai Zhengyuan nodded, said no more, turned around, lifted the curtain, and strode into the equipment room. The crisp sound of metal clashing could already be heard inside. He took a deep breath and began to take stock of the supplies and ammunition he was going to bring, stuffing the bright yellow bullets into the magazines one by one.

……

An hour in the military camp passed faster than the blink of an eye.

On the parade ground, the soldiers of the three assault teams had already assembled. As night deepened, a row of military green Liberation trucks stood, their engines emitting a deep, thunderous roar.

Lu Baizhou, Bai Zhengyuan, and Zhou Liguang, each dressed in combat uniforms and carrying heavy packs, boarded the vehicle one after another. With a sharp whistle, the wheels kicked up a cloud of dust, and in a tense atmosphere, they sped off into the depths of the night.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xinxin, who was far away in the family compound in the county town, was completely unaware of all this.

The shop was so busy all day that she went to work at the bathhouse in the evening. After seeing off the last group of customers, she was so tired that her back could barely straighten.

Qiao Xinxin raised her hand to wipe the fine sweat from her forehead, locked the doors and windows of the management office, and then left with the key in her hand.

As she slowly walked into the residential compound, the night breeze was already a bit chilly. She had just reached the foot of her building when she instinctively looked up and froze for a moment.

Bright light was shining through the familiar wooden window on the second floor of my house.

Qiao Xinxin was puzzled. Usually at this time, her parents would have already turned off the lights and gone to bed to save electricity. What was going on today? Why were the lights still on?

With a puzzled look in her eyes, she tiptoed upstairs, took out her key, and unlocked the door.

"Squeak—"

As soon as the door was pushed open, a somewhat somber atmosphere rushed out.

Qiao Xinxin looked up and saw Bai's mother sitting awkwardly on the old sofa in the living room, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with her hands. Bai's father was sitting in a bamboo chair next to her, holding an old enamel mug, but the mug was no longer steaming. He didn't drink a drop, just staring blankly at the floor.