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After leaving the family compound, Wei Xin glanced around the entrance of the military base but did not see the person she was supposed to meet.

A sense of unease settled over her. What was wrong with these people? Such an important event today, and not a single one of them came to check on the situation at the military base? What if they hadn't even set off?

However, she remained outwardly calm and instead smiled at Lin Cuicui, saying, "Sister, it's getting late. I know a road that leads to the dock faster. That way, we won't have to rush." ​​Lin Cuicui, unsuspecting, nodded in agreement.

As they walked, they turned into a small alley. Not far along, they circled around and arrived at the familiar general store.

In the morning light, the grocery store owner had already set up his stall, using a feather duster to tap and pat the shelves, raising clouds of dust. Wei Xin glanced at the owner casually, then suddenly stumbled, her left foot tripping hard over her right, and she fell forward.

"Ouch!" Wei Xin exclaimed, hopping on one foot to dodge a few times, complaining, "This lousy road, I don't know who laid it, it's full of potholes."

Wei Xin's outburst was so sudden that Lin Cuicui didn't have time to react. She quickly stepped forward to look at Wei Xin, "Sister-in-law, are you alright? Is your foot hurt?"

While rubbing her ankle, Wei Xin glanced around the general store. She stomped her foot a few times on the ground to feel it, "Hmm, it hurts a bit."

The grocery store owner paused for a moment with the feather duster in his hand, then continued sweeping as if nothing had happened.

Lin Cuicui didn't know what Wei Xin meant, but she felt that something was wrong. What? She didn't bring Xixi out, so did Wei Xin want to change her mind and not want to go anymore?

"Sister-in-law, are you still able to go? How about we go another day?" Lin Cuicui didn't want to delay any longer. The military had already made arrangements, and she didn't want to give up this opportunity.

Wei Xin frowned and stomped her feet on the ground a few more times, which made Lin Cuicui frown even more.

Wei Xin stomped her feet and spun around twice on the ground. She looked up happily, "Oh, it's nothing serious. I dodged a little harder and it didn't hurt so much. It was probably just a sudden, unexpected blow. It'll be fine in a second."

While dodging and spinning, Wei Xin secretly stretched out three fingers and waved them in the air. Then she pointed in the direction she came from—the three fingers represented the "family compound," and pointing to the way she came was a signal to arrange for someone to kidnap Xixi.

The boss swept the dust with even more force, slamming the duster heavily on the counter with two muffled thuds—a confirmation that he had received the instruction.

Hearing her boss's response, Wei Xin felt relieved. She pretended to be relaxed and said to Lin Cuicui, "Girl, it's okay, let's go quickly. It's not easy to find time to come out, we can't let this little thing delay us."

Lin Cuicui asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, are you really alright? We don't have anything urgent to do, so how about we find a clinic to check your foot first? We can't delay anything."

Wei Xin quickly waved her hand: "No need, no need, I'm really fine. Don't I know my own foot? I just tripped suddenly and didn't react in time. I'll watch where I'm going from now on."

She stomped her foot again to make sure the "foot injury" was nothing to worry about before urging Lin Cuicui to continue on her way.

As the two walked further and further away, the shopkeeper watched their retreating figures, a sinister glint in his eyes. He put down his feather duster, pulled a crumpled piece of paper from under the counter, quickly scribbled a few lines, then beckoned a child playing on the street and whispered a few words in his ear.

The child took the note and skipped and hopped away into the depths of the alley.

"Hey girl, hurry up, we're finally here. It's all my fault, if my foot hadn't been acting up, we would have been here much sooner."

Wei Xin had intended to feign tripping, but she had genuinely fallen. She had planned to pretend her foot hurt to buy herself some time, but now her foot really did hurt.

She could clearly feel her feet were a little swollen. But what was this little injury compared to the land she loved? She could persevere. She didn't dare take Lin Cuicui to the destination too early; what if Lin Cuicui noticed something was wrong and refused to board the ship?

Although she trusted her companions' abilities, she knew there were spies from other countries involved in the operation. She didn't know how professional they were.

The wooden planks of the dock creaked underfoot, and the salty sea breeze, carrying the smell of fish, wafted towards them. Wei Xin's palms were sweaty as he clutched the boat ticket, and the Type 14 Nambu pistol hidden under his blue cotton shirt pressed painfully against his ribs.

She casually glanced at the passengers on the deck: a man wearing a bamboo hat was carrying salted fish into the cabin, his movements swift but revealing a stiffness that didn't belong to a fisherman.

The old woman selling sweet soup at the bow of the boat shakes a copper bell, and the way she speaks, with the tip of her tongue touching her teeth, always has a subtle difference in the curvature compared to standard Austronesian dialects;

The tall, thin man leaning against the mast had an old scar on his calf, which was exposed by his rolled-up trousers, resembling a shrapnel wound.

Wei Xin observed them discreetly. She felt that these people were all suspicious, but she wasn't sure which ones were her people. After all, she had never dealt with these individuals before. She would figure it out once they were on the ship.

"Girl, hurry up and get on the boat." Wei Xin tugged at Lin Cuicui's sleeve and squeezed towards the cabin door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the old woman shake the copper bell three times in a row—this was the signal to start the operation.

Lin Cuicui suddenly stopped. In her eyes, the boat was now a ferocious beast about to devour her. How could she easily get on it?

Her gaze swept over the bamboo tubes floating by the ship's side; the newly carved symbols on them bore a striking resemblance to the mysterious patterns her son, Xixi, had played with. She subtly touched the object at her waist; the cool touch made her heart race, but also brought a sense of relief.

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