I spent nearly half an hour alone on the rooftop, thinking about my next plan, before going back downstairs.

When I got back to Zhang Zhihao's room, I found that Zhang Zhihao and Sister Jing were both waiting for me.

As soon as I got back, Sister Jing asked, "How did it go?"

Zhang Zhihao also looked at me curiously.

I said, "Su Mu gave me two days to consider whether or not to join Jiangbei. If I don't agree, he will kick us out."

Zhang Zhihao hurriedly said, "Brother Lu, don't hesitate, join Jiangbei. Then we won't have to work so hard."

I shook my head and said, "For us, Jiangbei is a den of dragons and tigers. If we get involved, we'll probably be swallowed up in no time. Not to mention the conflict between Jiangbei and Biyuan. Sooner or later, the two sides will fight to decide who lives and who dies. Do you think we should get involved in this?"

"Even if we intervene, if Jiangbei wins, that's fine; everything will proceed according to Su Mu's plan. But what if Jiangbei loses? What will we do then? Are we just supposed to wait to die?"

“Brother Lu, have some faith in us. With Brother Fei’s training and your support, our strength will definitely improve to a higher level,” Zhang Zhihao said.

I frowned and said, "But I don't want us to get involved in their fight. We could all die! Zhang Zhihao, I don't want to see anyone around me die again, do you understand?"

Zhang Zhihao's face was anxious. "But we can't back down!"

“No, this isn’t backing down. First of all, this matter has nothing to do with us. Our only connection to Jiangbei is you. Jing and I came to Jiangbei with you not for anything else, but to persuade you to leave with us and not get involved in this mess,” I said.

Zhang Zhihao shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. "Brother Lu, do you think I can still leave Jiangbei now?"

I said, "If you want to leave, no one can stop you."

Sister Jing said, "That's right, Xiao Hao, you're one of us, not one of Jiangbei. You've already done enough for them. There's no need to continue like this; it'll get you killed!"

Zhang Zhihao shook his head. "Sister Jing, Brother Lu, there's nothing I can do. I am one of your people, but I am also a Jiangbei person. Jiangbei is home to me now because everything here was built by me and others. I know everyone in Jiangbei! Grandpa Zhang's grandson's birthday is the day after tomorrow, and I've prepared a birthday present for him. Xiaoyu said she has a day off tomorrow and wants me to take her out for a walk, and I agreed."

“Brother Lu, this is my home, I can’t leave.”

Jing and I exchanged a glance. Seeing Zhang Zhihao's troubled expression, we understood that Zhang Zhihao was no longer the kid he used to be. He was now the captain of the Jiangbei Field Team, trusted by everyone, a member of the Jiangbei Committee, and had a girlfriend.

Jiangbei has become almost his entire life now.

And we became his past.

It was indeed very difficult for him to leave Jiangbei.

Zhang Zhihao said, "Brother Lu, I won't force you to do anything. Actually, I know you don't want to come to Jiangbei. The situation in Jiangbei is indeed a bit chaotic. But Brother Lu, I only want to ask you for one thing."

"What's up?"

Zhang Zhihao said, "If, and I mean if, one day in the future, Jiangbei loses in the battle against Biyuan, I hope you can help us out and at least save a few people."

I said, "I can agree to this, but we'll have to discuss the specifics later."

Zhang Zhihao nodded and said, "If I really... die then..."

Jingjie wanted to speak, but I stopped her.

"...You absolutely have to help me save Xiaoyu, okay?"

“I will,” I said, then patted him on the shoulder. “But don’t underestimate yourself. We survived such difficult circumstances back then, do you think you can die this time?”

Zhang Zhihao smiled and said, "Yes, I also think I won't die."

...

It was around 6:30 in the evening, just after dinner.

I took Fei Lichao's walkie-talkie and said, "Old Fei, speak up, are you there?"

A short while later, Fei Lichao's voice came through, "I'm here, what's up?"

I said, "I already talked to Su Mu during the day, so I won't go into the details. In short, it won't be long before Jiangbei and Biyuan go to war. Jingjie and I will be going back in a couple of days, so please remember to meet us. If anything else happens, I'll let you know."

"Just you and Lu Jing? Where's that Zhang Zhihao?"

I said, "He doesn't want to leave. He says he wants to stay. I've tried to persuade him, but it's no use. I can only let him be."

"Okay, I understand. Be careful in everything you do."

"Um."

I put down the walkie-talkie, and Sister Jing asked from the side, "Are you really not going to try to persuade Xiao Hao anymore?"

I shook my head and said, "It's no use. Zhang Zhihao is just like me now. I don't want to join Jiangbei, and he doesn't want to leave Jiangbei either. No matter how much you try to persuade him, it's useless. Let it be. With his strength, nothing will happen to him. Even if a war breaks out, he's not stupid. He won't walk into the line of fire."

Sister Jing nodded: "I hope Jiangbei can win, then nothing bad will happen."

I said, "Who can say for sure about these things? I believe Zhang Zhihao isn't an impulsive person. Now that he has a girlfriend, he'll definitely have a backup plan for his escape. Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Sister Jing, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

I said, "I talked to Su Mu this afternoon. Su Mu is a complete madman, so we need to pave the way for the future. Otherwise, I'm afraid Su Mu might take action against us. This guy wants to unify the entire Jiajiang. If he really wins this war, our situation will probably be very dangerous. And even if he loses, the people from Biyuan probably won't let go of the team in Jiajiang City."

Sister Jing frowned and asked, "Is it that serious?"

I shook my head and said, "No matter what the future holds, we must always remain vigilant. Chen Yefei's Southeast District is unarmed and too weak. It would be very difficult for them to fight against entities like Biyuan and Jiangbei. So we need to find a way out in advance. If we really can't stay in Jiajiang, we'll have no choice but to leave."

Jingjie said, "Hmm, you make a good point. How about we set off back tomorrow?"

"Yes, we'll go back tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)