Chapter 93: How could it be him?

Zhang Yanfei stopped abruptly as soon as his hand touched the rope.

He cautiously observed his surroundings for a few seconds, then leaned close to Ning Xin's ear and asked earnestly, "Don't rush, let me ask you, has Ning Tang noticed anything amiss?"

Ning Xin was stunned for a moment.

He then shook his head vigorously, his eyes reddening with grievance.

Ning Xin said, "She's like she's sick, always suspecting me. Luckily, I didn't give in. Brother Yanfei, she's so ruthless! She just pinched the back of my neck, and now my arm is so sore I can't even lift it!"

Zhang Yanfei glanced at the back of Ning Xin's neck, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

It's quite spicy.

Haha, he likes energetic girls the most, they're so fun to play with!

After waiting for a long time without the ropes binding her being untied, Ningxin was terrified and her voice trembled with anxiety.

She couldn't help but urge, "Brother Yanfei, hurry up! If Ningxin comes back soon, none of us will be able to escape."

"Just bear with it a little longer, and I'll let you out right away."

Zhang Yanfei snapped out of her daze, pulled a sharp dagger from her boots, and swiftly brought it down.

"I'll take you to the steep slope on the east side later. There are many big trees there, which will make it easy for you to hide. There are several loose rocks nearby, and there is a big hole under the rocks. When Xu Qiaofeng's team passes by tomorrow, someone will definitely fall down by accident."

"No matter who falls, Xu Qiaofeng is the captain, so he has to go down and save them. I've already set up mousetraps down there. If he gets injured, our red team will definitely win this training."

"Once I've rendered meritorious service, let's see who dares to look down on me!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Xin pouted, her face showing obvious displeasure.

Seeing this, Zhang Yanfei suppressed his impatience and quickly kissed her on the lips, then said with a straight face:

"Alright, if this is really done, you'll be a big hero. When your allowance comes in this month, I'll take you to buy a new dress, okay?"

Ning Xin's eyes lit up instantly.

But he kept his lips pursed, giving off a "I'll think about it some more" look.

"So what kind of reward do you want?"

"The red dress in the department store only costs 100 yuan, which is not good enough for me at all. If you buy me a set of skin care products, I will be satisfied."

Zhang Yanfei almost choked on her breath and died of anger.

He works himself to the bone for a month and his allowance is just over a hundred yuan. A single dress would be enough to kill him.

That spendthrift woman!

But only Ning Xin could help him get this done. Zhang Yanfei suppressed the urge to beat someone to death and forced out a stiff smile through gritted teeth.

"Okay, it's just a set of skincare products. Once I win the championship, I'll buy you ten or even a hundred sets, let alone one!"

"That's great, Brother Yanfei! I knew you were the most handsome."

Ning Xin immediately stopped crying and started laughing. She was about to rush over and kiss him a couple more times when suddenly, footsteps came from outside the tent, seemingly Ning Tang talking to someone.

Zhang Yanfei was so frightened that his hand trembled and he almost dropped the dagger. He quickly took the opportunity to cut the rope, pulled Ning Xin to hide in the corner, and grabbed a piece of military green canvas to cover himself.

Fortunately, there were many boxes of medicine inside the tent, so the two wouldn't be discovered for a while.

Hidden behind, Ning Xin could only see Ning Tang lift the curtain and come in.

Thinking of Ning Tang's fierce appearance just now, Ning Xin felt uneasy and subconsciously shrank into Zhang Yanfei's arms.

Seeing that Ning Xin was still acting like a jerk at a time like this, Zhang Yanfei was so angry that she pinched Ning Xin's arm hard, making her almost scream in pain.

On the other side...

Ning Tang sat down on the bedside, glanced indifferently at the severed rope, and looked around the tent a few more times.

Seeing the bulging canvas in the corner, a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

She didn't say anything, but ran outside the tent again and shouted, "Dean, the people inside have escaped!"

The sound was very loud, as if it was intentionally meant for someone to hear.

Dean Gou was squatting outside brushing his teeth when he heard Ning Tang's words and was so frightened that he swallowed the toothpaste in his mouth.

His eyes widened, and he mumbled, "Dr. Ning, what did you just say?"

"Dean, Ning Xin has escaped. There are cut ropes on the ground. Her accomplices must have come to rescue her." Ning Tang said, while signaling to Dean Gou with her eyes.

There was a few seconds of silence.

Dean Gou gradually came to his senses.

Dr. Ning is playing the long game; they're letting the person go this time so they can catch them red-handed next time.

Dean Gou coughed a few times, spitting out the toothpaste foam in his mouth, and deliberately raised his voice, his tone full of panic, which sounded quite genuine at first glance.

"What? They ran away? What are we going to do?!"

“The mountains and forests are full of training areas. They're practicing with knives and guns. If something happens, how will we explain it to our superiors?”

Dean Gou called out as he moved closer to Ning Tang.

The two faced each other and began to exchange glances.

Upon learning that the person was inside and hadn't gone far, Dean Gou's dramatic flair kicked in, and he sighed repeatedly.

"Dr. Ning, let's not panic. I'll go get some people and look for them along the path down the mountain. They might not have gone far."

“Okay, Dean, I’ll go with you.”

Ning Tang nodded in agreement, then deliberately said into the tent, "I heard there are minefields left over from the previous battles on the mountain. Although Ning Xin and I don't get along, I still hope she won't go into those minefields."

As they talked, their figures disappeared in front of the tent.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the surroundings fell silent instantly.

Ning Xin and Zhang Yanfei, who were hiding under the canvas, were so frightened by Ning Tang's sudden return that they dared not even breathe.

They quickly fled in a panic while no one was around.

He didn't notice the person following behind him at all.

Halfway through the run, Zhang Yanfei suddenly stopped and nudged Ning Xin, who was panting beside him.

"That steep slope is just ahead. You should quickly go behind the tree and find a good place to hide."

“Let me tell you, you can only leave when you’ve shaken the stone. This is your only chance to bring down Xu Qiaofeng. If you fail, you know what the consequences will be, right?” As he spoke, Zhang Yanfei raised his fist, the size of a sandbag, and shook it in the air.

Ning Xin nodded immediately.

They almost wanted to kneel down and promise that they would never mess things up.

But when she turned her head and looked at the dark forest, especially when the wind blew, the trees seemed to come alive, baring their fangs and claws, as if they were greeting her.

Ning Xin crossed her legs, trying to appear calm, and said tremblingly:

"Brother Yanfei, can you take me there..."

"People are afraid of the dark..."

Zhang Yanfei's face darkened, and he kicked her shin impatiently: "What are you afraid of? You can't even stand this little bit of darkness, and you still want to buy new clothes?"

"Hurry up and go. If you keep dawdling, I might just leave you alone in this desolate mountain wilderness!"

Ning Xin trembled at the shout and could only grit her teeth and move toward the woods.

Splash—

A night breeze blew in my face, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

She always felt like there were several pairs of eyes watching her from behind, and every step she took felt like walking on cotton, her legs were so weak that she was about to fall.

Zhang Yanfei looked at Ning Xin's timid back, his eyes practically overflowing with disdain.

He spat viciously at the ground, and only after the person disappeared from sight did he turn around and jog away.

——

100 meters away.

In a thicket of bushes.

Several men dressed in dark green combat suits lay prone on the ground, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding forest in the darkness.

Pang Bo scratched his head, handed the binoculars to Xu Qiaofeng, and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Captain Xu, I remember there was a notice before we came for training that we weren't allowed to bring family members, right?"

"So all that trouble Zhang Yanfei and her husband went through was just to spend the whole night together being lovey-dovey?"

Xu Qiaofeng didn't say anything, but took the binoculars.

Almost half an hour passed before he finally spoke.

"It's not that they're being affectionate, it's that they're setting a trap."

"That can't be right. We're all on the same team. Even if we were split into red and blue teams because of training, the first place is awarded the King of Soldiers Medal. Zhang Yanfei wouldn't have to go through all that trouble, would he?"

Pang Bo rolled over on the floor; he was exhausted after working all night.

Xu Qiaofeng looked at him as if he were looking at a fool next door: "Come and see for yourself."

"Look for yourself if you want, but I'll reserve my opinion. These two just haven't shown up for dates in days..."

Before he could finish speaking, the eyes inside the telescope widened instantly.

In the distance, not far away...

Ning Xin was squatting on the ground, holding a stick, digging at the soil under the big rock.

Pang Bo remembered that before the training started, he heard from the leaders that there was a large trap on a steep slope nearby, which the villagers used to catch rabbits. Later, fearing something might happen, they blocked it with a stone.

Pang Bo suddenly sat up, his voice trembling.

"Isn't this the sealed rabbit trap? Why is she digging in the dirt? Why is she trying to move the stone?"

Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore and muttered under their breath.

"They just want to kill us, what else could they be doing?"

"Yeah, only a few of us from the blue team will be walking this route tomorrow. It's obviously prepared for us."

"That old Zhang Yanfei is shameless. He's really going to kill us brothers just to get that top soldier title."

"Captain Xu, how do you suggest we resolve this? We'll listen to you."

Xu Qiaofeng remained silent, but his eyes were so cold they seemed to freeze.

He looked up in the direction of Ning Xin and said in a deep voice, "Let's go back and discuss this with everyone. Zhang Yanfei dared to scheme against our Cobra Squad, so we have to teach him what the consequences are."

Xu Qiaofeng led his team back to the temporary camp without making a sound.

More than thirty people gathered together to discuss this matter.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll follow the original route, but change course midway. We'll be responsible for defense, and the red team will be responsible for offense. They'll definitely catch up."

"When the time comes, let the red team members go in and have a taste of this trap."

"Moreover, as the captain, if his subordinates were to walk into a trap, Zhang Yanfei would stop them, whether out of a sense of duty or just for show."

Pang Bo's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood what Xu Qiaofeng meant.

This means that if the enemy doesn't move, I don't move either.

They wanted Zhang Yanfei to voluntarily reveal herself.

“That’s right.” Xu Qiaofeng nodded. “Isn’t he trying to trap us? The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Let’s arrest Ning Xin first tonight. Then we’ll catch him red-handed, and even if he had ten mouths, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.”

No one objected to this decision.

At Xu Qiaofeng's command, they immediately divided up the tasks and began to act.

——

The next morning.

Ning Tang changed her clothes and came out of the tent to go to her assigned post.

Last night, after Dean Gou's shout, all the medical staff now know that Zhang Yanfei from the Red Team has a deep relationship with his wife, and he even makes time for a rendezvous while on a mission.

The more the gossip is passed down, the more bizarre it becomes.

Some people even said they saw the two kissing in the grass in the middle of the night, with their bare buttocks exposed.

The story was told in such a detailed and convincing way that Ning Tang would have believed it if she hadn't known the truth.

Just as she was about to leave, she bumped into Tao Lanxin and the others she had met the night before.

Upon seeing Ning Tang, they immediately thought of her extraordinary powerful background.

Not wanting to cause trouble, the girls who had been hanging around Tao Lanxin just moments before immediately made an excuse to run away.

Tao Lanxin was so angry that her face turned ashen, but she dared not utter any more arrogant words. She could only glare at Ning Tang with resentful eyes.

Ning Tang smiled and asked, "Do we know each other? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tao Lanxin never expected that this woman would dare to ask him why he looked at her that way!

Her anger, which had been building up all night, flared up again, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.

Tao Lanxin kept a straight face, gave a stiff smile, and said sarcastically, "What, are you so precious that you can't even look at me for a second?"

Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, not angry at all; instead, her smile widened.

"See, of course it works."

"But if your eyes are hostile, don't blame me for thinking you're deliberately looking for trouble."

Ning Tang raised her eyes and glanced indifferently at Tao Lanxin's bright red face. Her smile was friendly, but the words she uttered almost made the person furious.

Tao Lanxin's face turned red and white as she was being talked about.

She went around asking around last night, and people at the military hospital said that Ning Tang not only had a powerful background, but even the higher-ups had to be very polite to her.

If things really escalate, you'll be the one who suffers.

After figuring it out, Tao Lanxin dared not argue anymore. She snorted coldly, turned around, and stormed off.

A morning has passed.

Ning Tang and the other medical staff were getting a little bored.

Just as they were gossiping together, Dean Gou rushed over.

"Hey, stop chatting! Something's happened on the mountain. Grab your first-aid kits and come with me right now."

"Dean, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry? It's just a drill, I've heard they're using blank rounds, nothing serious will happen." Everyone was unconcerned.

Dean Gou, with a stern face, quickly explained:

“A large rock fell down a steep slope. The Red Team was ambushing the Blue Team below and didn’t notice it. When they came to their senses, they saw a rock coming down towards their heads.”

"I heard that several people were injured at the scene, and the situation is quite serious. Let's go there quickly."

Ning Tang was initially worried about Xu Qiaofeng and his team, but when she heard that they were on the red team, her anxiety immediately subsided.

But the safety of others is also important, so she quickly tightened her small face and followed Dean Gou with serious steps.

When we arrived at the location, we could hear the wailing from a great distance.

I don't know who was shouting the loudest, but they drowned out everyone else's voices.

Ning Tang strode over and was visibly stunned for a moment when she saw the disheveled person lying on the ground.

How could it be him?