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Psst! We're moving!
Shen Yihuan ended up staying.
The temperature dropped extremely fast at night. A bonfire was lit by the stream, and sparks flew out with the wind, only to extinguish quickly. The winter night sky was exceptionally clear, high and wide.
“Come down,” Lu Zhou extended his hand to Shen Yihuan.
The area by the stream was surrounded by high ground, so the wind was weaker, a completely different environment and climate from the open plain above.
Shen Yihuan held his hand and descended the slope.
“You can come with the team,” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan looked at him.
Lu Zhou, “But you have to take care of yourself. If you feel unwell, you must tell me and can’t continue with the team.”
Shen Yihuan obediently nodded: “Okay.”
Lu Zhou raised a hand and pinched her face: “Go warm yourself by the fire for a bit.”
“Where are we going tomorrow?” Shen Yihuan asked.
“West, to the Western Pamirs.”
Shen Yihuan sat on a small stone by the river, completely bundled up, her movements quite clumsy.
He Min had just finished grilling skewers and handed one to Shen Yihuan.
It was a fish, fragrant and steaming, slightly charred on the surface. To cook it faster, a few cuts had been made on the surface, revealing the tender white flesh inside.
Shen Yihuan was about to take off her gloves when Lu Zhou stopped her: “Don’t take them off, the low temperature will cause frostbite directly.”
Shen Yihuan stopped, took the grilled fish from He Min, and glanced at the thickly iced river: “Where did you get this fish?”
“Over there,” He Min pointed in a direction, “The ice is thin there. We broke the ice and speared fish to eat.”
“Do you always solve your meals like this?”
He Min smiled: “It’s not always this good. This is already a feast. Usually, it’s just compressed biscuits, nang bread with pickles.”
Shen Yihuan nodded, expressing no objection. Although she was a picky eater, she knew this wasn’t the time for her to be willful. Besides, experiencing the life Lu Zhou lived and eating the same things as him seemed pretty good.
Shen Yihuan was the first to get a fish. It was only later that she realized not everyone got a fish.
Carving a small hole in the ice river, in the freezing cold, it wasn’t easy to spear fish with just a sharpened wooden stick. There were only three, and Lu Zhou and He Min didn’t eat, giving theirs to others.
Lu Zhou sat next to Shen Yihuan, took a piece of nang bread from a bag, toasted it over the fire, and ate it. It was quite hard and had to be torn to be eaten.
Shen Yihuan put the finished skewer into the recycling bag and looked at Lu Zhou.
“Let me take a bite.”
Lu Zhou handed it over, one hand cupping it underneath.
Shen Yihuan took a bite. It was indeed very hard. After only a few seconds of roasting, only the surface was a bit warm; the inside was still cold and tasteless.
It was difficult to chew. Shen Yihuan chewed a few times and swallowed.
Lu Zhou saw her expression and smiled: “Bad?”
Shen Yihuan was afraid he’d try to send her away again, so she said, “It’s alright.”
“Then eat more in the future.”
“...”
The original plan was for Lu Zhou and He Min to share a tent. They hadn’t expected the accompanying photographer to be a woman, so they had initially planned to have the photographer share a tent with other subordinates.
But now that it was Shen Yihuan, that was naturally impossible.
He Min, on his own initiative, tidied his belongings and moved to another tent.
“What are you doing?” Shen Yihuan stood to the side, watching Lu Zhou dismantle half of the already pitched tent’s base.
“Baby, help me get those firewood.”
Lu Zhou’s voice was quite soft, scattered by the wind, with an indescribable tenderness.
Shen Yihuan looked at the charred firewood that Lu Zhou had just collected. She pointed and asked, “This?”
“Mm, bring the bag over. Don’t burn yourself.”
Shen Yihuan carried it over and watched Lu Zhou dig a shallow pit in the sand, place the scorching hot firewood inside, and then cover it with sand again.
Lu Zhou re-erected the tent, securing the four corners and tying them tightly.
Shen Yihuan entered the tent and only then understood what Lu Zhou had been doing. That patch of sand had been heated, like a temporary artificial kang (heated bed).
Shen Yihuan sat on the warm spot. Lu Zhou re-made the bed, putting the two separate sleeping mats side-by-side.
“Do I need to take off my clothes to sleep?” Shen Yihuan asked.
“Take off your jacket and outer pants, but keep your sweater on.”
Shen Yihuan did as told. The team’s specialized jackets were excellent for warmth. As soon as she took hers off, she immediately burrowed into the quilt. Lu Zhou also stripped down and got in, pulling Shen Yihuan into his embrace.
“What’s your mission this time?” Shen Yihuan asked in his arms.
Lu Zhou asked, “Didn’t they tell you when you came?”
“They said it was to catch smugglers, but didn’t say exactly.”
“Firearms smuggling.”
Shen Yihuan was startled: “Was that the target of your night patrol last time?”
“Sort of, but there should be more than one arms smuggling group here, so this journey might be very dangerous and tiring. You need to be prepared.”
Shen Yihuan said, “Anyway, if there’s danger, I’ll hide so you don’t have to worry about me.”
Lu Zhou smiled: “Okay.”
The wind was strong at night. Outside the tent, the wind howled fiercely. Shen Yihuan couldn’t fall asleep for the first half of the night. Every time she turned, Lu Zhou moved with her, pulling her back into his arms and gently patting her back. His eyes remained closed, all his actions seemingly subconscious.
________________________________________
They set off early the next morning.
Shen Yihuan was a bit grumpy in the mornings, though she wouldn’t actually throw a tantrum, she just preferred not to be bothered.
Lu Zhou led her to the car, then, with the others, dismantled the tents and loaded them into the vehicle.
“Where’s Photographer Shen?” He Min asked while carrying equipment.
Lu Zhou took the heavy object from his hand and placed it on the car: “She’s inside.” He glanced inside again and chuckled, “Daydreaming.”
The sky was a colorless white, and the snow had temporarily stopped, leaving a thick layer on the ground.
With everything packed, everyone got into the cars. There were two vehicles in total. Zhao He was still driving the lead one, with Lu Zhou and Shen Yihuan in the very back row.
Shen Yihuan had sobered up a bit. She lowered her head, fiddling with the lens, hung it around her neck, adjusted it for the scenery outside the window, then put her camera bag aside.
Lu Zhou offered her a biscuit: “Have some.”
Shen Yihuan ate while listening to them plan and arrange the journey ahead.
The car had air conditioning on, and Shen Yihuan temporarily took off her gloves. Halfway through speaking, Lu Zhou turned his head to glance at her, then looked away again.
He reached out his hand and tucked Shen Yihuan’s cold hand into his own pocket.
He Min, who was watching the entire scene: “...”
The car moved steadily. Once Shen Yihuan’s body warmed up with the air conditioning, she picked up her camera again and started shooting.
She turned on the recording function and interviewed each person, conducting a simple interview. Many soldiers were assigned here right after graduating from college.
Our country is vast, with an extensive border, making the task of border guards even heavier. Border defense is also different from other units; the danger level is dozens of times higher.
The skills and abilities required for soldiers assigned here are more demanding.
Generally, before being assigned, they’ve had military achievements, whether minor or significant. And Lu Zhou was the captain among this group.
Like He Min, who was a year older than Lu Zhou, the team’s sharpshooter. High-difficulty shooting tasks during mission deployments were entrusted to him.
Zhao He, who used to live in a coastal city in the east, came from a very good family. Initially, his family didn’t support him coming to the Xinjiang military region. In his wild youth, he loved racing cars. Driving on desert ice flats was much harder than on roads, so he usually did the driving. If they encountered a dangerous situation, he could also play a role.
After listening to He Min’s introduction, Shen Yihuan recalled how fast Lu Zhou drove when they encountered a gunfight in Kumtag.
“What about Lu Zhou? What’s his responsibility?” Shen Yihuan asked He Min.
He Min glanced at Lu Zhou and smiled: “Captain Lu is an all-rounder, our team’s strategist!”
Shen Yihuan moved the camera over, pointing it at Lu Zhou, and asked with a smile: “Captain Lu, how old are you this year?”
“25 years old,” he said, very cooperative.
“How many years have you been here?”
“Three and a half years.”
Shen Yihuan asked a few basic questions; she actually knew the answers, but just wanted to record them.
The scenery outside the car window had changed. Mountains undulated, and snow-capped peaks stood tall.
Snow mountains, lakes, and grasslands merged together.
Both exquisite and magnificent.
The car suddenly slowed down. Zhao He frowned, looking to the side: “Captain Lu!”
Lu Zhou turned his head to look, his brows furrowing. He said sternly: “Get out of the car!”
He turned back to Shen Yihuan and said, “Stay in the car, don’t get out.” Then he pulled open the car door and jumped out. The others also quickly exited the vehicle.
Shen Yihuan thought they had found signs of an enemy, her heart skipped a beat, climbing into her throat. She quickly locked the car door, sat by the window, raised her camera, and looked out.
The entire team ran forward.
She didn’t see anyone else.
She just saw them stop in the distance. After a while, Lu Zhou returned to the car and opened the door: “Come down.”
“What happened?” Shen Yihuan asked after getting out of the car.
“We found their traces of movement. They’ve already left, so it’s safe for now.”
Lu Zhou led Shen Yihuan forward.
After crossing the road, there was a frozen grassland. It crunched underfoot, the sound of ice being crushed. It had rained the night before, and areas with standing water were very slippery.
Lu Zhou supported Shen Yihuan: “Be careful.”
Shen Yihuan looked down at the path as she walked forward: “Mm.”
Lu Zhou: “The altitude here is high, and the oxygen content is more than half lower than in the plains. Since you’ve just arrived in such a high-altitude area, don’t run. Walk slowly.”
Shen Yihuan sniffled: “I feel fine right now, no discomfort.”
As she walked, she still held her camera.
The spot they had just discovered was a bonfire, with a stack of wood, charred black.
Lu Zhou squatted down, picked up a piece of firewood, looked at it for a while, and said, “Left behind last night.”
He Min stood on the other side: “They should have driven west, in the same direction as us. Captain Lu, should we hurry to catch up?”
“Chase,” Lu Zhou said gravely.
Everyone walked back to the car.
Shen Yihuan walked beside Lu Zhou, quietly asking him, “How do you know that bonfire was from last night?”
“The wood is wet. It only rained here early yesterday morning. The ice on the surface isn’t very thick, and the damage isn’t severe.”
Shen Yihuan clicked her tongue, then nodded, feeling like her brain and Lu Zhou’s were probably not wired the same way.
Back in the car.
Zhao He drove extremely fast, speeding westward. The scenery outside the car window flashed by, blending into a vast expanse of white.
Lu Zhou lifted the equipment box from the back of the car and handed it to the people in front.
Then he took out a bulletproof vest and said to Shen Yihuan, “Take off your jacket.”
Lu Zhou helped her put it on, pinching the fasteners with his fingertips, pressing firmly and tightening it.
Shen Yihuan frowned, picking at the bulletproof vest that clung tightly to her body: “It’s uncomfortable, too tight.”
“Bear with it,” Lu Zhou’s fingers were long and distinct. He checked all the fasteners, his gaze serious and lowered. After dealing with the bulletproof vest, he helped Shen Yihuan put her jacket back on.
He Min was sitting in the car seat, bending over to assemble a gun and putting grenades and smoke bombs into a bag.
He Min looked up and said, “Photographer Shen, if we really catch up to them later, you’ll have to hide well in the car!”
“Don’t worry.”
He Min smiled casually: “Our car has been specially modified. I guarantee that as long as one of us is alive outside, you won’t be harmed in the slightest.”
Shen Yihuan was startled, subconsciously turning her head to look at Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou ruffled her hair, leaned against her, and shot He Min a glance: “Don’t scare her.”
Shen Yihuan was still uneasy: “Is the group we’re chasing formidable?”
Lu Zhou said, “Their weapons are formidable, but there shouldn’t be many people. Judging by the earlier signs, there’s only one vehicle, a regular off-road vehicle, with about 10 people.”
“Can we beat them?” Shen Yihuan asked nervously.
Lu Zhou curved his lips: “We can.”
To catch up to the smuggling group, Zhao He drove the car like a roller coaster. This road was a bit bumpy, with some low-lying areas still pooled with icy water, making it very difficult to drive.
Shen Yihuan only felt better after taking a motion sickness pill in between.
The sky darkened. There were no streetlights here; besides the headlights, it was complete darkness. A light rain began to fall outside again, drizzling through the light cast by the headlights.
Lu Zhou suddenly spoke in the stillness: “Zhao He, turn off the headlights.”
Zhao He didn’t ask anything and immediately turned off the lights.
Lu Zhou rolled down the car window, paused, and then said firmly: “Left turn ahead.”
As his words fell, the others silently picked up their guns, clearly ready for battle.
Lu Zhou took out a box of specialized earplugs from his pocket and handed them to Shen Yihuan.
“Put them on.”
Lu Zhou’s hearing was incredibly good. Shen Yihuan hadn’t heard any other car sounds at all. The car drove for a while longer before she finally saw an off-road vehicle ahead.
This was almost a no-man’s-land; they hadn’t encountered any cars on their journey until this first one.
Lu Zhou braced his gun against the car window, loaded it with a pull, and leaned forward to aim. With a “bang,” the rifle’s recoil hit his shoulder.
That bullet struck the rear window of the car in front. After two seconds, the front car also opened fire on them!
Confirming the identity of the front car, Lu Zhou said gravely: “Open fire!”
Despite having experienced a gunfight before, and hearing continuous gunfire ringing in her ears, even with specialized earplugs now, Shen Yihuan’s heart was still tightly clenched.
She subtly held her breath.
The gunshots continued.
She didn’t have time to look at others; within her line of sight, there was only Lu Zhou.
She saw a faint, polished gleam in Lu Zhou’s eyes. His eyelids were narrow, and the shallow fold was pressed even narrower, radiating an extremely sharp edge.
After firing all the bullets in the magazine.
Lu Zhou reloaded the magazine and said to Zhao He, “Speed up.”
After overtaking the car in front, Zhao He executed a direct tail-whip drift, and the car slammed into it, blocking its path completely.
Shen Yihuan clung tightly to the handrail with one hand, clutching her camera close with the other. As the car was hit, her forehead slammed heavily against the car window.
Before she could even register the pain, Zhao He stopped the car, and Lu Zhou, He Min, and the others quickly exited.
She watched Lu Zhou’s back as he charged forward, subconsciously swallowing dryly, unconsciously holding her breath, her gaze fixed intently. In that moment, she felt a sense of fate, trembling her heart with Lu Zhou’s receding footsteps.
The people in that car were caught off guard.
As Lu Zhou had estimated, there were eight people in the car in total.
From an outsider’s perspective, Shen Yihuan could roughly tell that the eight people’s combat effectiveness was far inferior to Lu Zhou’s team. They scattered like headless chickens, falling into disarray.
Lu Zhou’s team, on the other hand, was well-ordered and worked together seamlessly, a testament to countless training and drills.
He Min held a gun to one man’s head, while the others quickly surrendered their weapons.
All eight were swiftly tied up.
Their off-road vehicle was also thoroughly turned inside out, yielding a significant number of firearms and ammunition. Zhao He moved the confiscated items back into his own car.
He Min kicked the man: “Tell us, where did the guns come from?”
The man had been shot in the arm, staining a patch of his clothes red. He wailed: “Have mercy on us, brother, we’re just low-level runners! We don’t know anything!!”
Lu Zhou squatted down, on one knee, and asked, “Did Li Wu send you?”
The man gasped in pain, but the person next to him immediately admitted, nodding his head like a sewing machine.
Lu Zhou: “Where is Li Wu?”
“We really don’t know that!”
The off-road vehicle door behind them opened. Lu Zhou looked back and saw Shen Yihuan emerging with her camera, standing by the car door.
The wind outside was strong.
Lu Zhou waved: “Take them all into the car first.”
The eight men were divided into groups of four and squeezed into the two cars, packed so tightly there was no room to spare.
Lu Zhou turned his head and continued his unfinished questioning: “When was the last time you saw Li Wu?”
They hesitated whether to speak, but He Min, sitting in the front, lost his temper. He slammed the pistol grip heavily on the car’s armrest: “Tell me, or I’ll blow your brains out, believe it or not?!”
“Last... last month! The boss himself is already overwhelmed; he won’t be showing his face lately!”
“How is he overwhelmed?”
The man still didn’t speak.
Lu Zhou scratched his eyebrow, then directly asked, “Who is the mastermind of the other arms trafficking group?”
The man was startled: “...I don’t know him, haven’t seen him. I only heard he’s very young, with a powerful background, and his goods come from America. I heard the boss say that his goods are specialized firearms used by the American military.”
After the man finished speaking, Lu Zhou subconsciously looked at Shen Yihuan.
His gaze paused. He reached out to touch Shen Yihuan’s forehead, asking in a low voice: “What happened to your forehead?”
“Ah,” Shen Yihuan recalled, “I bumped it just now.”
Lu Zhou gently pressed his finger on it. Shen Yihuan hissed, recoiled, but was pulled back. After a closer look, Lu Zhou said, “It’s a bit swollen.”
“I know it’s swollen,” Shen Yihuan mumbled, looking down, “Then why are you still pressing it?”
“I’ll put some medicine on it when we get to the border station.”
A circle of people around them watched as Captain Lu, who hadn’t even flinched after firing more than a dozen shots, frowned over a tiny bump on the young girl’s forehead.
Shen Yihuan felt a bit awkward under their gazes. She touched her forehead and quietly said, “You don’t have to go to that much trouble.”
Lu Zhou said, “It’s no trouble, just listen to me.”
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