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Psst! We're moving!
They continued their journey as dawn was about to break the next day.
Zhao He was driving again today. Shen Yihuan lowered her head, fiddling with her camera, checking it over.
She often went through all the photos she’d taken from beginning to end. Shen Yihuan had never been serious about anything since she was a child, except for photography.
In high school, she loved carrying a camera around and taking pictures. She didn’t participate much in class or school activities, but the photos on the bulletin board were often taken by her.
Her serious demeanor was completely different from her usual self.
A pink-blue light reflected on the tip of her nose, her eyes narrowed, revealing a sternness unusual for a young girl.
Quite cool.
He Min asked, “Photographer Shen, how are your photos coming along?”
Throughout this journey, Shen Yihuan had been quietly taking photos: of the border outpost, of the plateau desert encampment, of last night’s fight.
“I’ve shot quite a lot of content.”
He Min: “What’s the theme of your photo exhibition?”
“Just border defense.”
He Min was surprised: “Only us?”
“Mm.”
“Thank you.”
Shen Yihuan paused, a little embarrassed: “It’s nothing, you all are worth it.”
________________________________________
This journey was extremely long.
There were hardly any cars along the way. The altitude kept rising, leading to completely different scenery.
Snow-capped mountains stretched endlessly, the snowline seemingly within reach, a clean, white line, incredibly beautiful.
The ground beneath their feet was very wet due to its proximity to tributaries, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the surface due to the low temperature. The river surface was a thick layer of ice, with no cracks even when stepped on.
Shen Yihuan was completely bundled up, wearing very thick gloves, making it difficult to press the camera button.
Lu Zhou walked over from behind, handing her a pill and some water.
It was medication to prevent altitude sickness, which Shen Yihuan had been taking these past few days.
Among these people, apart from Shen Yihuan, everyone was accustomed to this altitude. Only she needed to take preventative measures beforehand. Fortunately, Lu Zhou had prepared thoroughly, so she hadn’t felt much discomfort so far.
“How much longer do we have to go?” Shen Yihuan asked.
Lu Zhou stood beside her, holding her camera: “We should arrive by tomorrow night.”
“What’s the plan after that?”
Lu Zhou looked at her: “Continue to catch the next one.”
“Is it the other arms group that person mentioned last time?”
“Yes.” Lu Zhou raised a hand, rubbing her hair, “By then, if you have enough photos, go back to Beijing first. Or if you don’t want to go back, I’ll have someone send you back to the military camp.”
Shen Yihuan looked up: “Will it be more dangerous later?”
“Not necessarily, but we haven’t engaged with them, so we don’t know the situation,” Lu Zhou didn’t hide it from her, “We’ve tangled with Li Wu several times before, so we can probably control the situation.”
Shen Yihuan nodded, obediently saying: “Then I’ll go to your military camp and wait for you to come back.”
Lu Zhou smiled, his voice deep: “Good.”
________________________________________
They set off again, with Lu Zhou driving for Zhao He.
By noon the next day, the two vehicles stopped at the foot of a mountain.
Ahead was an expanse of ice, with steep, smooth mountain walls on either side, too sheer for snow to accumulate, only ice that reflected light under the faint sun.
Driving past was impossible.
They were not far from the intelligence they had received, so they had to proceed on foot.
Shen Yihuan got out of the car with everyone else.
Lu Zhou stood at the very front, scouting the path. The mountain was incredibly steep, impossible to climb. However, there was a plank road if they went around, and that was likely the only way to proceed.
He turned back, walked to Shen Yihuan’s side, stood up her collar, and tidied it.
He Min walked at the very front, with Lu Zhou at the rear, moving forward.
Shen Yihuan hadn’t expected the path on the ice to be so difficult. The weather was simply bone-chillingly cold. A gust of wind drained the color from her face. Her hair was tied up and tucked under her hat, only a loose strand at the very bottom peeking out from her clothes.
In such weather and strong winds, even a single strand of hair could become a weapon, scraping against her face, hurting enough to almost draw blood.
The plank road was very narrow, covered with a thick layer of ice. Along its edge, there were only a few wooden railings that could barely be called “decoration,” meaning that if one slipped, they could very well fall off the cliff.
“Everyone, stick with the team. Don’t fall behind,” Lu Zhou said.
He Min still led the way.
Lu Zhou was last.
These were the most dangerous positions in the formation. The one at the front had to clear the path, and any dangers ahead were unknown. The one at the rear, however, faced an even more precarious situation; if they slipped, there wouldn’t even be time for someone to grab them.
Shen Yihuan was second to last.
To secure their footing and increase friction, everyone had taken off their heavy gloves and were tightly gripping the side of the mountain with their bare fingers.
Shen Yihuan’s hands were frozen red, almost numb, yet she pushed forward repeatedly with sheer willpower.
Lu Zhou hastened his steps, whispering in Shen Yihuan’s ear: “Can you still hold on?”
Shen Yihuan nodded, not speaking.
It was too damn cold.
“There’s a stop ahead where we can descend. If you can’t hold on now, there’s still time.”
Shen Yihuan looked forward. The long plank road wound like a dragon amidst the snowy mountain cliffs, extending far into the distance. It was still a long way to go.
Looking down, it was a bottomless abyss, shrouded in white mist. She didn’t dare to look anymore and averted her gaze.
She wanted to speak, opened her mouth, and took a gulp of the thin, high-altitude air. She quickly closed her mouth, tilted her head to the mountain side, and said, “I can hold on.”
Her previous physical education grades were indeed good, and her physique was decent; she rarely caught fevers or colds.
But the current environment was nothing short of a desperate situation.
Even most men would find it hard to persevere, let alone a young woman like her.
Lu Zhou frowned, his voice deep: “Shen Yihuan.”
She paused, then said: “Lu Zhou, I want to experience what you’ve experienced. I want to make up for the past three years.”
Lu Zhou fell silent, saying nothing more.
After passing the first hundred meters of the plank road, the path ahead became a bit wider, enough for two people, making walking less strenuous than before.
Shen Yihuan caught her breath, raised her frozen hands, and turned on her camera.
The lens focused on the winding procession ahead—all backs. These people, guarding a place no one paid attention to, leaving only their backs, their names and faces unknown.
But someone had to record it.
Lu Zhou waited for her on the plank road behind her.
He watched the team appear in Shen Yihuan’s lens, watched his teammates appear in Shen Yihuan’s lens.
The young girl had indeed grown up.
She wasn’t a bad person before, but she was quite carefree, accustomed to being self-centered and doing as she pleased, though she often provoked anger.
After shooting, Shen Yihuan put her camera away again and continued walking forward.
She had only walked a few steps when chaos suddenly erupted ahead. Shouts and crackling sounds mingled together.
Shen Yihuan’s wrist was immediately gripped tightly by a hand from behind, and she was pulled into Lu Zhou’s embrace, held very tightly.
Lu Zhou shouted forward: “What happened!”
He Min, who was leading the way, had already stopped and looked back. Although this section of the plank road was wide enough for two people, they couldn’t pass anyone or get to the center in such icy conditions.
The chaos in the middle gradually subsided.
Someone replied: “It’s fine, Du Ming just slipped, no injuries!”
So they continued forward.
They only finished the plank road at sunset, and the weather grew even colder.
Shen Yihuan’s hands felt even more rigid. She cupped them to her mouth, blowing into them, but still couldn’t feel anything.
Lu Zhou took her hands, sliding them into his sleeves. Shen Yihuan’s fingers touched his skin inside, and she finally felt warmth. She gripped tightly, then quickly let go.
Lu Zhou looked at her: “Hold on to them.”
“Aren’t you cold?”
“It’s alright, I’m used to it.”
Shen Yihuan looked at his face and hands. They weren’t as alarmingly pale as hers. She stopped being coy and directly held them, even feeling the pulse beating in his wrist.
________________________________________
They were now extremely close to the factory.
They could see it in the distance. It was extremely remote, in the middle of a no-man’s-land, a place they had never patrolled or discovered before.
Once the factory was taken down, the source would be cut off, Li Wu’s gang would have no chance of recovery, and the other arms group competing for territory would also be exposed.
Lu Zhou had already seen the general layout of the factory on the way down.
It wasn’t large, and only a few people controlled the surroundings; not many.
But beyond this point, Shen Yihuan couldn’t go further.
Lu Zhou found a secluded, wind-sheltered corner. In the middle of the scattered rocks, there was a place to hide. He put his long arm around Shen Yihuan and pulled her in.
“Wait for us here,” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan nodded: “Don’t worry about me. Don’t get hurt.”
“Okay.”
Lu Zhou kissed her lips and then led the team forward.
Only their backs remained.
Shen Yihuan took a photo of their backs.
________________________________________
Lu Zhou calmly deployed the troops. There were only a dozen of them, and although they were all rigorously trained and top-notch in combat, encircling the entire factory was an almost impossible task.
Lu Zhou: “He Min, there are three guards at the northeast corner. You lead your men there.”
He Min said gravely: “Yes!”
And Lu Zhou led the other men towards the southwest corner.
The walkie-talkie was already connected. Lu Zhou, expressionless, raised his gun, waved his hand backward, and said into the walkie-talkie: “Ready.”
Through the crackling static, a voice from the other corner replied: “Ready.”
Lu Zhou narrowed his eyes, finger on the trigger: “Fire!”
Numerous gunshots merged into one.
Bullets pierced through the biting winter wind, directly striking down all the guards at both corners.
...
Shen Yihuan stood outside, completely surrounded and obscured. She heard the sound of gunfire from inside, and the small area where she stood felt like the only safe haven in this vast world.
Shen Yihuan hugged her camera, closed her eyes tightly, and squatted down.
There was no signal here; her phone had been quiet for several days.
Gunshots continued, mixed with the sounds of a few small explosions.
After an unknown period of time.
The sounds behind her finally quieted down. There were no more gunshots, no more explosions.
Shen Yihuan turned around.
Instantly, a fire burst open in the pure white world. Even from hundreds of meters away, Shen Yihuan felt a sudden rush of heat. Her hearing lagged behind her vision; only then did she hear the booming explosion.
Flames soared to the sky, becoming the most dazzling color within sight, engulfing the entire factory in an instant.
The weapons factory was not lacking in explosives and gunpowder. Successive secondary and tertiary explosions occurred, and the smell of gunpowder smoke rushed in like a roaring tide.
Shen Yihuan’s heart stopped for a moment at that instant.
No one came out, and even faint wails were drowned out by the explosions.
“Lu Zhou...”
You said you’d wait for me here.
Shen Yihuan stood frozen for a full minute, the explosions still ongoing. What followed was a rumble from the mountaintop.
It was an avalanche caused by the explosion, but the spot Lu Zhou had found for her was truly the safest. The avalanche wasn’t on this side of the mountain; this side was a cliff with little snow anyway.
A few sparse bits fell and then stopped.
Shen Yihuan suddenly came to her senses. Her heart, which had stopped, now pounded rapidly. She almost stumbled out of that spot, rushing towards the blaze.
Running for her life.
She crashed into an embrace.
Her legs went soft, and she almost fell, but her waist was held firm.
A familiar voice sounded above her head: “Shen Yihuan?”
She suddenly looked up and saw Lu Zhou, who had just emerged from the fire. His face was covered in a large patch of dirt, and there was blood on him, but his expression didn’t seem injured.
“Lu Zhou...”
Her voice was hoarse, directly tinged with a sob. She fumbled and frantically touched him, her voice trembling: “Are you... are you okay... injured?”
“It’s fine, I’m fine.” Lu Zhou hugged her tightly, feeling the young girl in his arms trembling.
In that situation, they had no choice but to detonate the bombs in the factory. The lingering force of the explosion made Lu Zhou’s head spin severely.
He lowered his head and wiped away Shen Yihuan’s tears: “Don’t cry, baby.”
Shen Yihuan lowered her head, haphazardly wiping away her own tears.
Lu Zhou turned his head, looked at his teammates who were also gradually emerging from behind, and asked: “Is everyone okay?”
Shen Yihuan had not yet fully recovered from the shock. After wiping her tears, she looked up. Perhaps it was the bright light from the explosion that affected her vision, or something else, but a red flash suddenly appeared in her peripheral vision.
Shen Yihuan’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly took a big step forward.
She hadn’t even clearly seen what it was, just an instinctive action in a flash of lightning.
Lu Zhou had always been sensitive to everything around him, but at that moment, his head ached terribly, and his entire body throbbed. His reaction time was much slower than usual.
By the time he realized it and prepared to dodge, Shen Yihuan suddenly stood in front of him.
A loud bang echoed in her ears—
Blood seeped.
White snow on the ground, and blood dripped down, staining large patches red.
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