The midsummer sun gradually climbed higher, making the dirt road in the commune scorching hot. Fine wisps of heat rose from the road surface, blurring the shadows of the distant poplar trees. Shen Tingzhou rode his bicycle, the wheels crunching over the gravel on the road. His blue work clothes were already soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his upright back, but he didn't slow down at all—the sentence on Secretary Zhao's note, "The suspicious points of the mission are related to old acquaintances," weighed on his heart like a boulder, making him wish he could fly to the commune immediately to find out the truth.

On the blue brick gate of the commune compound, the five large red characters "Serve the People" stood out prominently in the sunlight. Shen Tingzhou parked his bicycle under the old locust tree at the gate, dusted himself off, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. Old Zhang from the gatehouse saw him and quickly greeted him with a smile: "Tingzhou, Secretary Zhao is waiting for you in his office. He just asked if you had arrived yet."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang." Shen Tingzhou nodded, his steps continuing towards the secretary's office. The corridor was quiet, save for the ticking of the wall clock, each tick like a blow to his heart. He recalled the scene from the mission three years ago—in the dead of night in the mountains, gunshots shattered the silence, his teammates fell one by one, and the person who was supposed to come to their aid never appeared. In the end, only he survived by chance, and he had to conceal his identity as if he had "sacrificed" himself. Over the years, he had been secretly investigating, but had never found a crucial clue. Now, he finally had a lead, and he felt both excited and nervous.

"Come in." Hearing Secretary Zhao's voice from inside the office, Shen Tingzhou pushed open the door and walked in. Secretary Zhao was sitting behind his desk, holding a document in his hand, his brows furrowed. Seeing him enter, he quickly put down the document, stood up, and poured him a cup of hot water: "Tingzhou, sit down. You must have been terribly hot on the way here."

Shen Tingzhou took the water glass; the warm touch on his fingertips calmed him slightly. He sat down and asked directly, "Secretary Zhao, what exactly is the suspicious point you mentioned about the mission?"

Secretary Zhao sighed, walked to the window, drew back the curtains, looked out at the courtyard, and said in a low voice, "Do you still remember the liaison officer who was in charge of providing support when you were on a mission three years ago?"

“I remember, his codename was ‘Nightingale’.” Shen Tingzhou’s eyes sharpened instantly. “He didn’t show up for a long time, which led to our location being exposed and several teammates being sacrificed. I investigated later and found that ‘Nightingale’s’ file seemed to have been deliberately destroyed; there were no clues at all.”

“That’s right,” Secretary Zhao turned around, took a yellowed envelope from the drawer, and handed it to Shen Tingzhou. “This is something I asked an old comrade to find in the military region’s archives. It contains some information about ‘Nightingale.’ Take a look at this.”

Shen Tingzhou took the envelope, his hands trembling as he opened it. Inside was a black-and-white photograph and several pages of paper. The man in the photograph was wearing a military uniform, his face somewhat blurred, but Shen Tingzhou recognized him at a glance—it was Zhao Deshan, the father of Zhao Jianjun, the former secretary of the Hongqi Production Brigade! His heart clenched, and he almost dropped the photograph: "How could it be him? Didn't he retire long ago? How could it be 'Nightingale'?"

“That’s the key point.” Secretary Zhao walked to his side and pointed to the contents of the paper. “The information shows that Zhao Deshan was indeed the liaison officer of the military region back then, responsible for receiving you. But according to this record, the day before the mission, he suddenly asked for leave on the grounds of ‘feeling unwell’ and told another person the location and time of the rendezvous. That person’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

Shen Tingzhou gripped the paper tightly, his knuckles turning white. He recalled Zhao Deshan's usual demeanor in the village—always smiling, polite to everyone. Who would have thought that this seemingly kind old man was actually the key figure who led to his teammates' sacrifices back then! Countless questions flashed through his mind: Why did Zhao Deshan do this? Was there someone else behind him? What secrets were hidden in that mission back then?

“There’s something even more important,” Secretary Zhao’s voice rang out again, tinged with seriousness. “I found out that after Zhao Deshan retired, he maintained contact with a businessman in the county, and that businessman was connected to the smuggling gang you were tasked with arresting three years ago. Coincidentally, Zhao Jianjun has been frequently visiting the county recently and has met with that businessman several times.”

“Zhao Jianjun?” A cold glint flashed in Shen Tingzhou’s eyes. He recalled how Zhao Jianjun had tried to force Lin Wanqiu into marriage and had made things difficult for her after being rejected. He never expected that Zhao Jianjun was still connected to the smuggling gang from back then! This made him suspect that Zhao Deshan’s actions back then might have involved collusion with the smuggling gang, and that Zhao Jianjun was still helping his father cover up his crimes.

“These are just preliminary clues, there is no conclusive evidence yet.” Secretary Zhao patted him on the shoulder. “The reason I’m telling you this is because I know you’ve been investigating the truth. But you must remember that Zhao Deshan has connections in the village and the commune, so you must be careful and not alert him.”

Shen Tingzhou nodded, carefully placing the documents into his pocket, already having made up his mind: "Thank you, Secretary Zhao. I know what to do. I will investigate secretly and find solid evidence to seek justice for our fallen teammates."

It was already afternoon when they left the commune. The sun was setting, casting long shadows. Shen Tingzhou rode his bicycle, his mind racing with thoughts of Zhao Deshan and Zhao Jianjun, feeling both angry and anxious. He desperately wanted to tell Lin Wanqiu the truth, but he was afraid of worrying her—Zhao Deshan was, after all, the former brigade secretary, and his influence was considerable. Their investigation of him would certainly encounter a lot of resistance.

As Shen Tingzhou passed by the supply and marketing cooperative, he saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that Lin Wanqiu and several women were delivering soy sauce to the cooperative. She was wearing a light blue cloth jacket, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, yet she continued to smile and talk to Director Wang of the cooperative. The sunlight shone on her, making her appear as if she were gilded.

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