Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

The letter was sent from Beijing Hospital.

When He Yuzhu received the envelope, there was no stamp on it, only a handwritten "He". The postmark was for July 1st, at four in the morning.

He tore open the seal and pulled out the paper.

He recognized Shen Lian's handwriting.

"Parker's case is closed. Before his deportation, he disclosed the storage locations of three other spare communication frequencies used by the Eighth Army in 1952-1953. The US concealed this information in the annex to the armistice agreement. The evidence has been submitted to the Panmunjom Military Armistice Commission."

Also, Parker asked me to pass on a message: He's remembered for three years the night you didn't shoot.

He Yuzhu's finger paused on the paper for a moment.

Parker. The US lieutenant he cornered behind the metal cabinet in the Erqingdong tunnel. That night, the flashlight beam illuminated two young faces. He didn't fire. The other man didn't move either.

It's been more than three years.

He placed the letter on the table and leaned back in his chair. It was still dark outside, but the light from the streetlamp shone through, making the page appear white.

The voice in my head rang.

[An unresolved hidden reward has been detected in the "Breaking the Net" side quest.]

[Task completion rate assessment in progress...]

[Assessment complete. Excess coefficient: 312%.]

[Bonus points awarded: +4,000,000.]

He froze for a moment.

four thousand.

[Current total points updated: 43,970,000 points.]

He stared at the number without moving.

Forty million. From sixty million to forty-three million, in between were those technical documents, those nights spent copying by hand, and those knowledge packages sent out in batches. He knew he was expending resources, but he never bothered to calculate how much was left.

Forty-three million. Fifty-seven million is still short of one hundred million.

The system popped up another message.

[The host has accumulated 20,030,000 points in "Civilization Inheritance" activities between 1950 and 1955, exceeding condition two.]

[Excess Conversion Factor Activated: The excess amount of 30,000 points will be converted into extra reward points at a 1:10 ratio.]

[Reward points: +300,000.]

[Current total points: 44,270,000.]

Fifty-six million seven hundred and thirty thousand. Fifty-six million two hundred and seventy thousand is still short.

He stared at that number for a long time.

Then he smiled.

It wasn't happiness. Nor was it a bitter smile. It was just a slight smile.

The sky outside the window slowly began to brighten.

He Yuzhu sat in the chair without turning on the light, watching the window gradually change from black to gray, and from gray to white. The streetlights went out, and people began to move about on the street. Bicycle bells rang, and the sound of a bus engine came from afar.

He opened the drawer and took out the work notebook.

The notebook was issued in 1953; it had a blue hard cover and the edges were worn. He turned to the last page, which was blank.

I picked up the pen and wrote three lines.

1950.11-1956.1

Total points earned: 100,270,000

Total points spent: 55,730,000

Remaining points: 44,540,000

After finishing writing, put down the pen.

The system screen hovered at the edge of his field of vision. He swiped over to take a look.

The Rise of Yanhuang Plan

Activation status: Activated

Current Permissions: Civilization Mentor (Beginner)

He didn't look any further. He had memorized everything he knew about what could and couldn't be exchanged for over five years.

It was fully light outside the window. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the sky was a grayish-white. Bicycles flowed past the building like a river, their bells ringing incessantly.

He remembered that early morning at Changjin Lake in November 1950. The snow had stopped, and the sky was just as gray. He lay in a snowdrift and heard that sound for the first time.

[Kill 1 enemy soldier, score +800 points.]

At that time, he was so scared that he thought he had gone crazy.

five years.

From Changjin Lake to Shangganling, from Shangganling to Jincheng, from Jincheng to Beijing. Eight thousand points, fifty million points, one hundred million points. Behind those numbers are the enemies killed, the documents captured, the positions blown up, and the comrades who died.

He remembered those names. Some he still remembered, some had become blurry. But those faces—faces that had fallen in the snow, on the scorched earth, in the rainy night—were still there.

He stood up and walked to the window.

The glass was covered with a layer of dust. He reached out and ran his fingertip across the glass. The dust was cleared away, revealing a brighter skylight behind it.

In the distance, the sound of a broadcast could be faintly heard. The words were indistinct.

He pulled his hand back and looked down at the dust on his fingers.

He turned and walked to his desk. He opened the drawer and put the notebook back. His fingers paused for a moment on the edge of the drawer.

There were other things in the drawer. The major general's uniform was folded neatly, and the newspaper clipping was hidden in the inner pocket.

He pushed the drawer back.

I walked to the door and opened it.

Someone walked by in the corridor and greeted him: "Mr. He, good morning."

He nodded.

"morning."

He walked out and into the now-lit corridor.

Behind me, the office window was still open. A breeze blew in, and the letter on the desk moved slightly.

Shen Lian's handwriting was still on it. The last sentence was what Parker had asked him to deliver.

I've remembered for three years the night you didn't fire.