No matter how much Qin Qinghuai struggled or hesitated, the matter was practically settled.

The weather was getting colder and colder, and according to the usual season, it was not far from snowing. They did not want to waste time, in case the other side discovered something unusual and took precautions, it would not be good for them either.

Three days after Qin Qinghuai finished speaking, the team was ready to set off. The leader was Battalion Commander Xu, who had previously gone up the mountain with them. Originally, they planned to assign a company, but upon hearing that Political Commissar Qin's wife would also be accompanying them, Battalion Commander Xu immediately volunteered.

"Okay, Commander, give me a company, I'll lead it. You prepare some men to meet me, and I'll arrange for someone to send a message back."

Battalion Commander Xu is an old man, so Regiment Commander Lin was half relieved.

Qin Qinghuai was worried and naturally didn't want to leave for even a moment. However, he was, after all, a political commissar. Putting aside his physical condition, coincidentally, leaders from both the garrison and the county were coming today. This meeting was quite important. Not only would Regiment Commander Lin and he, the political commissar, be present, but two leaders from the garrison would also be there. No matter how helpless and anxious Qin Qinghuai was, he could only watch as his wife left the camp with the squad.

Instead of walking along the foot of the mountain behind the family compound, they took a half-circle route up a small path not far from the market. The outer perimeter was no burden for them, as they usually walked it during their patrols, so there was no need to worry about it. She leisurely followed behind the small group.

Qin Qinghuai couldn't accompany her personally, but he was worried, so he sent Zheng Aiguo, who was somewhat familiar with the environment, along with Cheng Rui and Cheng An. The old man almost sent his own bodyguard as well. In this way, the three of them were following Jian Dan closely, and now even flies couldn't get close to her.

It was so simple that I was speechless. I struggled for a long time but still couldn't get what I wanted.

However, seeing that Battalion Commander Xu and the others didn't seem to be distrusted, she decided to let it go and just treat them as extra laborers, running errands or doing odd jobs.

It's not frozen yet, there's no snow, and the roads aren't too difficult to walk on.

Following the directions given by the bearded man, it wasn't too difficult to find. It wasn't far from here, but it involved several turns and was quite well hidden.

This place was so close to the border that, to avoid alerting anyone, the group wasn't dressed. Even if someone saw them, they could quickly disguise themselves as hunters gathering firewood. The journey had been peaceful until they went further in, when they began to suspect something was amiss.

"Sis, why is it so quiet in these mountains? There aren't any wild boars or anything, and right now, it doesn't even sound like birds chirping or insects buzzing."

He gave a simple, approving smile.

"Good, you're observant. Now, can you guess what the reason might be?"

The experienced Battalion Commander Xu had already ordered his men to remain hidden and on guard.

Cheng An recalled clearly,

“Deep mountains without the calls of jungle birds are generally undeveloped and remote places, where there are more dangerous animals, such as poisonous insects and wild beasts, or complex terrain, possibly miasma, or hiding places for outlaws, or possibly a combination of several factors. Therefore, you should be extra careful in such environments and avoid going there unless there is a valid reason.”

"Good. Now think about it, what could be the reason for this phenomenon?"

Cheng Rui kept his mouth shut and stood closely behind Jian Dan, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Zheng Aiguo and Battalion Commander Xu were talking quietly on the side, glancing at Jian Dan from time to time. However, when they heard the sisters' serious analysis, they couldn't help but prick up their ears. Battalion Commander Xu was relying on experience, but he himself couldn't explain why.

Cheng An spun around twice, looking at his surroundings.

"It's normal that there are few people here because it's located at the border of two countries. But to say that no one can get into this mountain is really not accurate. Not to mention others, even you, sister, can walk through this mountain without any problem. And, although I am very capable, don't you always say that there are people beyond people and heavens beyond heavens?"

No one can guarantee that no one else has the same skills and courage as her. Besides, this is the border, anyone can come, right?

Moreover, tropical rainforests are more prone to miasma, while the climate in Northeast China makes it unlikely that miasma will occur.

In terms of terrain, this area is mainly plains. I remember reading in a book that earthquakes are not common in Northeast China, but the geological structure is mainly composed of compression, resulting in a unique basin-mountain-mountain landform with abundant natural resources.

As for the others, we can't make any judgments without seeing the whole picture; we'll have to see for ourselves.

It's normal to encounter poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, after all, this is a deep mountain forest. Almost the entire mountain range is deep mountain forest, but there are no abnormalities in other parts. They only appear when you enter this area. This factor is still uncertain.

I think the most likely factor is people, but people are also the most uncertain factor.

Of course, I'm not saying that the people we're looking for are in this area, but we can't rule out the possibility that there are second, third, fourth, or even more groups of people on this mountain, plotting something.

Therefore, what we need to guard against next is not only poisonous insects and wild beasts, but also people lurking in who-knows-where.

After saying that, he looked at Jian Dan with shining eyes.

"Sister, am I right?"

Simple and gratifying,

"Great minds think alike."

This remark made everyone laugh.

Battalion Commander Xu couldn't help but take a few more glances at the young man who was speaking so eloquently. This kid really knew a lot; if you asked him, he couldn't say it himself.

“Look around. In the four or five miles around here, look at the trees, the bushes, the hillsides, and the cave we just passed. There haven’t been any signs of wild animals living here for a long time.”

"Sister, what do you mean?"

Simply wave your hand.

"Your analysis is correct, and these details should not be overlooked."

If I'm not mistaken, we should be able to find something within another twenty miles. However, we still need to be careful. If they are the people we are looking for, then since they have been able to infiltrate this area and conduct experiments for so many years, they must be more familiar with this place than we are.

If it wasn't them, then we need to be even more careful. What kind of good people could someone be to sneak into these deep mountains like that?

She had no idea that she had once been one of those who "went into the mountains without permission".

She was accompanying him, and unless it was a particularly critical moment, she would not interfere with Battalion Commander Xu's command. She simply took this opportunity to guide the children to observe and think, and did not notice that a lot of people had gathered around her.

"Commander Xu, uh, you guys?"

“Sister-in-law, please continue. We all want to hear it. You’re so good at it. We didn’t know any of this. It turns out that going into the mountains involves more than just guarding against wild animals. There are so many things to consider.”

Looking at Battalion Commander Xu, he also showed great interest.

"You, you continue,"

I just want to facepalm. These people!