Song Yan jumped out of the window and entered the space. Inside, she used the space to transport herself to wherever she could see—the end of the alley. After coming out, she ran towards the bus stop.

Just then, a bus came by, and she didn't care where it was going; she just got on as soon as it stopped.

Song Yan was a little flustered. Several people on the bus looked at her strangely, but no one asked any questions.

At that moment, Wei Aiguo had just jumped out of the window.

This bus is heading south of the city, so let's go south first. She needs to find Cao Zhang to inquire about Chu Shaowei's whereabouts.

Song Yan entered the space again, tidied himself up, and dressed as Xiao Mu to go find Cao Zhang.

Cao Zhang was quite proactive about this matter.

Song Yan didn't have time to waste; she still needed to deliver the message to the rental apartment Wei Aiguo had mentioned.

Wei Aiguo is quite capable; it's not easy to rent a house these days, but he managed to find one.

"What time is it now?" Song Yan noticed the watch on Cao Zhang's wrist.

"It's 2:30." Cao Zhang was extremely curious. He had seen this aunt just three or four hours ago, but she hadn't asked about Chu Shaowei then. He wondered what Chu Shaowei had done to piss her off.

Even though Cao Zhang was very curious, he tactfully refrained from asking. "Xiao Mu, how about I give you a ticket so you can buy a watch?" She definitely wasn't short of money for a watch.

"Okay! Take care of what I asked you to do as soon as possible." Song Yan left in a hurry. She still needed to find a bus, otherwise she would walk for ages.

I really miss the days when I could drive around the streets freely...

No wonder Wei Aiguo said that the place he rented was quite dilapidated; even a good place shouldn't be rented to outsiders.

The door was still locked. Song Yan took out her key to unlock it. She had barely opened the door when the person inside pulled her inside. "What are you doing here?"

The people inside heard the noise and thought it was Wei Aiguo, but it turned out to be a woman.

Several men surrounded Song Yan, and the leader told everyone to step back. "Comrade, don't be afraid, we're not bad people. I just want to ask how you got the key to this yard?"

"Who are you?" Song Yan was very cautious; of course, she wanted to know the answer. Anyone could be lying.

"This is my work ID." The man handed the ID to Song Yan with both hands.

The photo on the ID card did indeed match the person in front of him. His surname was Du, and his given name was Du Feng. His official position was surprisingly the Deputy Director of the Public Security Bureau of J Province.

"I'm a police officer. Tell me, how did you get into this yard?" Du Feng asked in a manipulative tone. His eyes betrayed him; he was very anxious.

"I don't know you. I don't know if this document is real or fake..."

The man behind Song Yan grew anxious. "If you don't answer the questions seriously, we'll have to take action." The speaker was Lin Tao, Wei Aiguo's platoon leader. So many days had passed, and there had been no news of Wei Aiguo. He was his comrade-in-arms, and he was worried.

Although they were all eyeing him menacingly, their expressions showed no sign of viciousness or the lewdness of thugs. In particular, the one who seemed the most anxious unconsciously adopted a posture reminiscent of a soldier standing at attention.

"What's your name?" Song Yan asked abruptly.

It was clear that Song Yan had a purpose in asking this question. The person next to Du Feng nodded to Lin Tao.

"My name is Lin Tao."

Wei Aiguo instructed her that there would be military personnel present, and by asking the names of a few military leaders, she could confirm whether they were waiting for him.

"Platoon Leader Lin Tao?" That must be it. Wei Aiguo mentioned him in a previous letter.

"Yes, I am Lin Tao, Wei Aiguo's platoon leader!" Lin Tao said excitedly.

The others were also quite excited.

"Are there any people still in the military?" Song Yan then asked.

"Hello, comrade. I am Ye Jiadong, the regimental commander."

"Hello, comrade, I am Zhao Qiang, the deputy division commander."

Then five more people came out of the room, none of them wearing military uniforms. But the way they stood straight and upright made them look like soldiers.

Without realizing it, Song Yan felt a deep respect for them.

Song Yan took Wei Aiguo's ID from his bag and handed it to Zhao Qiang with both hands.

Zhao Qiang accepted it with both hands; it wasn't just a document. He was very excited. Looking at our soldiers, his first thought was to deliver the message to the unit.

This also washes away some of the shame of their troops.

They've been having a pretty frustrating time these days.

The soldiers should have been commended for discovering something so important. However, the message arrived so late, and Wei Aiguo lost contact with the troops while tracking the spies.

The problem stemmed from Tian Zhenguo's actions when the message failed to reach the recipient.

Shu Hang carried the injured Shen Dongqi at a slow pace. After leaving the mountains, they flagged down a villager's donkey cart.

Their group had not returned to their unit for a long time, and it was only when the people sent by the army to look for them met Shu Hang and his group that they learned what had happened.

That's how it is; the news came too late.

What about Tian Zhenguo? They only encountered him when the troops were sent up the mountain.

The entire unit was utterly humiliated. These were elite soldiers destined for a competition, but they got lost in the woods.

This isn't even a boundless primeval forest. What kind of behavior is this?

Tian Zhenguo's entire squad, platoon, company, and battalion commanders were criticized. Can such soldiers be considered outstanding personnel to participate in competitions?

Tian Zhenguo excelled in physical fitness, shooting at moving and stationary targets, and combat, but he had one flaw: a poor sense of direction.

This competition is about various skills; we're not going into the wild, so having a sense of direction isn't important at all.

Tian Zhenguo's grades were so good, so we wanted him to give it a try. That's how Tian Zhenguo made it into the top 20 based on his grades.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!