After the meal, the group left Teacher Chen's house, and Chen Qianqian went downstairs to see them off.

After walking downstairs and watching the other four leave, Fang Heng said to Chen Qianqian, "Junior Sister, you stay with Sister Lu for a while. I'm going upstairs to tell Teacher something."

As he spoke, he took the keys and phone from her hand.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Chen Qianqian asked, displeased.

A voice came from afar, "Why are you playing on your phone all day? You're going to go blind."

Gan Tang wanted to laugh as she listened, worried that I would see the photos, but I had already seen them.

In the study, Chen Jianfeng sat behind his desk, gently touching the photos in the drawer.

Fang Heng went in, pointed directly to Mo Huaixing in the photo, and asked, "Teacher, what mission is he on now?"

Chen Jianfeng closed the drawer, his eyes deep and serious: "What nonsense are you talking about? He sacrificed himself three years ago."

Fang Heng emphasized: "He came to see me."

Chen Jianfeng lowered his head and pondered: "That means he's on a special mission. It happens often in our line of work. It's good that he's alive. Just keep it a secret."

"Teacher, I want to know what task he is carrying out?"

"How would I know?" Chen Jianfeng denied.

Fang Heng knew his teacher was very capable, but he didn't know he could also act. He retorted, "Back then, you were the one who approved his mission. If you didn't know, who would?"

"Aheng, the teacher really doesn't know."

Such a calm reaction—how could he not know? Fang Heng directly exposed his lie, asking, "Since you didn't know, why did you stop Junior Sister from showing Xin Tang the photos?"

Seeing Fang Heng's persistence, Chen Jianfeng slammed his fist on the table in anger: "Are you using all your skills on your teacher? Get out of here."

"Teacher, I just want to know what mission he was on. You don't want anything to happen to him, do you?" Fang Heng felt increasingly distressed as he spoke. "Teacher, do you know how heartbroken I was when I heard the news of his sacrifice?"

Chen Jianfeng said expressionlessly, "Since you have chosen this path, you must bear the consequences yourself."

"Yes, now that we've chosen this path, we have no regrets, even if it means death. It's not that I can't allow it to happen, but I can't just stand by and watch it happen without doing anything!"

"You think risking your life is enough? What you are facing is the most insignificant thing of life and death. If good and evil in this world could be exchanged for one life, the world would be at peace long ago." Chen Jianfeng was slightly agitated, and it took him a long time to calm down before he waved his hand weakly.

"If you continue like this, with no organization or discipline, you'll get into big trouble sooner or later."

Fang Heng dared not anger his teacher any further and turned to leave. As he reached the door, Chen Jianfeng suddenly called out to him.

"You should spend less time with that girl next to you in the future."

He clearly knew, but not entirely.

In the car, Gan Tang looked at Fang Heng, who seemed downcast, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Fang Heng made up a lie on the spot: "I wanted him to give me a promotion, but he refused."

"You're so young, and you're already a squad leader in the Nanjiang detachment, aren't you satisfied?"

The Nanjiang Detachment is not subordinate to any one province or city, but is independent, with jurisdiction spanning several regions, essentially functioning as a special forces unit within the police force. Although its rank is the same as other detachments, promotions are much easier.

"Who would complain about having a high-ranking official position? Don't you think so, Sister Lu?" Fang Heng replied lazily.

Gan Tang felt that if she continued rambling with him, it would lead to a comet hitting the Earth, so she quickly pulled back: "Hey, was the captain your teammates mentioned just now your brother who sacrificed himself three years ago?"

"Yes!" Fang Heng looked at Gan Tang, his eyes deep.

Gan Tang continued, "Is he very capable?"

"Yes!" Fang Heng nodded.

To avoid sounding deliberate, Gan Tang changed the subject, saying, "Since he's the captain, those guys seemed to listen to you quite a bit just now?"

“Our special training group has six people in total. He is the captain and I am the instructor.”

"Oh!" Gan Tang asked, "You were in the exercise they were just talking about, right? How did you guys win?"

“Sister Lu, curiosity is the beginning of liking someone.” Fang Heng looked at Gan Tang, his usual carefree and flirtatious demeanor returning: “I don’t want you to pursue me.”

Can we even continue this conversation?

Looking at the congested road ahead, Gan Tang felt truly stifled being a driver.

"Going to the high-speed rail station?"

Fang Heng said slowly, "You can take me home if you want."

"Are you sure you've never been hit by a woman?" Gan Tang turned on the music and stepped on the gas.

The music, mixed with the whistling wind, stimulated his nerves. As Fang Heng looked at the girl driving, memories of the past flashed before his eyes.

"That year, there was a joint military exercise involving eighteen branches of the armed forces. Each branch had a six-person special training team. The goal was to destroy the command post of a division in a specific area. Because of the disparity in strength, if no team won, the team that was completely wiped out would be the winner."

Gan Tang turned down the music and listened quietly to him speak.

"Whether it's the participating groups or the exercise command, everyone is guessing which branch of the military will be the final winner. Each branch of the military has its own advantages, and since no one can agree on who will be the first, they all agree that our special training group, which is not a military unit, will be the first to be eliminated."

But he led us not only to seize the initiative, but also to destroy the command post with a decisive move. It should have been a huge victory, but I never liked it.

At this point, Fang Heng's eyes glistened: "Because, in that victory, I lost my best brother."

The high-speed train arrived at the station, and Gan Tang pulled over. She couldn't understand the sadness in his eyes and asked, puzzled, "Wasn't that a drill?"

Fang Heng smiled wryly: "There was no drill, it was just fate's foresight."

If she hadn't met a man named Mo Huaixing, she would have thought Fang Heng's words were feudal superstition. But now, those words were like a time bomb hanging over her heart. The agonizing fear was watered with her heart's blood every day, yet she still couldn't escape her constant anxiety.

In her torment, Gantang surprisingly began to enjoy visiting temples. In the ancient temples at dusk, surrounded by the fragrance of sandalwood, one could find a moment of inner peace.

Gan Tang placed a burning incense stick into the incense burner, knelt on the prayer mat, and sincerely prayed: "Buddha, if the gears of fate are destined to turn, I am willing to give my own life in exchange for his peace and health in this life."

The bell rang, and the temple gates closed. Gantang stepped out of the temple and looked at the red glow above the mountain peak. A cloud, like an airplane, was slowly flying in from the southwest.

"Young lady, buy a bracelet. It's been blessed, and it's not expensive, just ten yuan apiece." Under a sycamore tree, an old woman packing up her stall spotted the last customer leaving the temple and decided to make one last effort.

Gan Tang walked over and asked with a smile, "Grandma, aren't all the blessed bracelets in the temple?"

When she was called out, the old woman was a little embarrassed, but stubbornly retorted: "Does Buddha have different levels of salvation? What does it matter whether it has been consecrated or not?"