And what she just did...

He calmly steadied her, his sharp gaze sweeping over the bulging old cloth bag in her arms, then lingering for a moment on her frightened and evasive eyes.

Years of combat experience had instilled in him an instinctive vigilance towards anything unusual. The thing she slipped into his pocket… felt like paper?

"Where do you live? I'll take you home?" Howard's voice was calm and unreadable.

Mingzhao shook her head, like a startled rabbit, and suddenly broke free from his support.

Howard stood there, watching her stumble away, not immediately chasing after her. He reached into his military uniform pocket with two fingers and pulled out a folded piece of paper, slightly damp with sweat.

He unfolded it.

At a single glance, Howard's pupils contracted sharply! Every muscle in his body tensed instantly, like a cheetah poised to pounce! Those sharp lines, those familiar markings… this was no ordinary thing! This was…!

He suddenly looked up and gazed in the direction where the girl had disappeared, his eyes now filled with extreme seriousness.

He quickly concealed the blueprints close to his body and, as if blending into the shadows, silently followed, his steps swift and precise, a far cry from his previous casualness.

——

Mingzhao ran to the Xiaoqing River, found the third stone pier, looked around furtively like a thief, and quickly stuffed the blue cloth bag filled with pebbles and withered leaves at the bottom. He then tore the remaining blueprints into three piles and buried them in the nearby soil.

Then, without lingering for even a second, clutching her still burning stomach and dragging her tired and aching body, she returned to that suffocating home as quickly as possible.

Li Hongmei hasn't returned yet; she must have gone to buy groceries instead. According to the original owner's memories, Li Hongmei always brought back some groceries after going out.

It was probably a disguise done so that they could go out for a short trip.

Mingzhao ate the cold food on the table. It tasted quite good. At least for Mingzhao, who usually only drank nutritional supplements, this cold food was still delicious.

Before Li Hongmei returned, Mingzhao went back to the room.

Leaning against the cold door, she slowly slid down to the ground. In the darkness, her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like stars in a cold night, devoid of any of her previous panic and weakness.

Even after eating cold food, my stomach still feels uncomfortable, and my body is still aching.

But her mind remained unusually calm.

The bait has been cast.

Now, we just wait for that soldier's next move...