He Sizhao stood in the tent, his eyes and expression all in a state of emptiness.
Su Mo rummaged through the sleeping bag and saw the inner layer soaked with vegetable soup. A hint of amusement flashed across his brows, and then he became serious again.
"She knew what she was doing and left on purpose." He shook the sleeping bag. "This is revenge for you."
He Sizhao stirred, his voice suddenly becoming hoarse: "Even if it was to get revenge on me, she didn't have to go out alone."
He paused, then added, "What will happen to her if I can't find her?"
Su Mo looked at his absent-minded appearance and pursed his lips: "Since you already know, why bother asking me again?"
This sentence suddenly woke He Sizhao up. A gleam of light suddenly appeared in his eyes, and then he left the tent without saying a word.
He bumped into Wen Xi head-on and before she could say anything, he asked, "Which direction did Xiaoyi go?"
Wen Xi pointed in the direction they had left: "Based on the limited traces, it seems she went that way."
He Sizhao understood immediately after taking a look.
Judging from the direction Jiang Chuyi left, she clearly wanted to... find him.
He left her alone in a strange camp, so she would rather walk into danger alone than go to where he was.
After realizing this, He Shizhao instantly revealed great sorrow.
He almost wanted to kill himself immediately.
He hated himself and blamed himself. He knew that Xiaoyi was so shy and it was so difficult for her to communicate and trust with others. How could he leave her here alone just because he thought she knew Wen Xi?
Only then did he remember that in all the days they had been together, Jiang Chuyi had never taken the initiative to look for anyone else except him, not even Wen Xi, who had shared hardships with her.
She didn't trust anyone else, but she trusted him.
But he betrayed that trust.
He Sizhao's breathing became a little rapid, and terrifying bloodshot gradually appeared in his eyeballs.
His appearance frightened the people around him, and they dared not approach him.
"Captain He, this is all my fault." Wen Xi was not afraid. She whispered, "It's all because I didn't comfort Xiaoyi well and didn't notice her abnormality. Please punish me."
"This isn't your fault, it's mine." He Sizhao's voice was hoarse. "It was me who forced her to stay here regardless of her wishes."
Wen Xi pursed his lips and lowered his head deeply.
He Shizhao's vulnerability only lasted for a few seconds. At least on the surface, he quickly regained his composure.
"Su Mo, Su Heng."
The two people whose names he called quickly came to him and looked at him inquiringly.
"You continue as planned and send the survivors to the nearest base."
Su Mo keenly understood the underlying meaning: "You want to leave and go find Xiaoyi?"
"This is my responsibility." He Sizhao said these words, which were unbelievable, but with unquestionable determination. "Our next route has been determined. After I find Xiaoyi, I will go and meet up with you. No need to wait for me."
Su Heng was a little anxious: "But Captain, they searched all night and couldn't find it. Even if you go now, it will be..."
His words were cut off by He Sizhao's stare.
"Even if there's little hope, I won't give up even a slight possibility." He Sizhao looked at his palms. "I have a different method from you. No matter what, I'm going to give it a try."
"What? Boss, you want to leave on your own?" Wuyi's loud voice could be heard across half the camp. He ran over quickly, staring at He Sizhao with his big eyes. "Where are you going to find Xiaoyi? I want to go too!"
"As a heavy firepower expert, you can't leave the team." He Sizhao said firmly, "With you around, I can feel more at ease."
"But..." There was anxiety in Wuyi's eyes.
"If Wuyi can't go, I can." Su Mo said calmly. Facing the gazes of several people, he curled his lips without smiling. "I said, in this era, animals are much more useful than humans."
He Sizhao quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind and nodded: "Su Mo, come with me. If it takes too long, you can come back and meet him first."
"Boss, Su Mo..." Hearing that he was the only one left behind, he felt terrible. "Are you guys planning to elope? Are you so afraid of a third person following you?"
As soon as he said this, he was immediately met with two sharp glares.
"In that case, Captain and Colonel Su, go ahead without worry." Su Heng knew the situation was irreversible, but he quickly calmed down. He was already mature and steady, and now he had even more leadership. "I will do my best to lead the team and wait for your return."
He Sizhao patted his shoulder heavily: "Please."
Su Heng smiled and patted the back of He Sizhao's hand as well.
Wuyi was both scared and unwilling to accept the defeat. The second person to calm down was Wen Xi.
"I'm deeply at fault for this matter. Since I can't join the search team, I'll stay and help Su Heng manage the team." She showed a resolute look, "Don't worry."
He Sizhao nodded briefly and finally walked in front of Lian Riqing.
Lian Riqing was standing up, leaning against a tent, and looked at him coming with no emotion in his eyes.
"Hey, please help me collect it for now." He Sizhao put the wreath back in her hands. "When Xiaoyi comes back, you can give it to her in person and tell her that you did bring her something fun."
He paused and smiled bitterly, "Xiaoyi hates breaking promises the most. I don't know if I'll have a chance to make up for this one. I can't let you break your promise to her too."
Lian Riqing looked at the wreath in her hand, complicated thoughts flashing through her eyes.
“Now that you’ve made up your mind, just do it,” she said. “That’s like you.”
Just like that, He Shizhao briefly explained the affairs and left the camp with Su Mo.
Looking at the vast woods, He Sizhao's figure was tall and firm.
Making this decision was not as difficult as he had imagined.
If someone had told him before today that he would put justice behind his mind for one person, he would have thought that person was crazy.
But when the day finally came, he felt a sudden sense of fulfillment.
This urgent desire to protect and care for someone, the feeling of almost losing one's mind because of her disappearance, is so strange, yet also so... like a normal human being.
It was only after he saw the empty tent that he realized his mood.
It turned out that not only Jiang Chuyi was dependent on him, but he was also dependent on Jiang Chuyi.
If anything happened to Xiaoyi, he would never forgive himself in his life.
When He Sizhao and Su Mo's figures were swallowed up by the huge forest, Jiang Chuyi, who they were worried about and wondering where he had gone to, remained in the original place.
When He Sizhao gave the order, Jiang Chuyi immediately thought of the explosion she had experienced in the tea house sub-base last time, so she kept walking and ran out faster than He Sizhao.
After coming out, she climbed up the tree branch again and sat there watching everyone supporting each other as they left.
But she had no intention of following.
The system had been watching her various unexpected actions, somewhat unsure of her intentions: "Host, He Sizhao is leaving now, do you want to return to the camp?"
Jiang Chuyi: "No."
The system was surprised: "You don't plan to follow him?"
"He's disobedient, and it's boring to follow him." Jiang Chuyi said, "Am I going to go back and get myself into trouble?"
The system knew she was still angry, and didn't dare to ask why she wanted to save He Sizhao. It smiled awkwardly and said, "Then we won't go back. We won't go back."
The system was clearly following her words, but it was horrified to find that Jiang Chuyi's anger was getting worse.
"Damn He Sizhao, wicked He Sizhao, how dare you lie to me? I didn't kill him because I was merciful..."
Jiang Chuyi cursed a few words on the tree branch, deliberately avoiding recalling the dishes He Sizhao cooked for her, the clothes he gave her, and the sleeping bag he covered her with at night.
"You bastard He Sizhao, we're even now." She looked in the direction the special forces had left and said in a voice only she could hear, "If I ever find you getting in my way again, I'll definitely kill you."
She had a childish nature, and after being scolded, she figured things out and her mood improved.
"Chuchu, where is the nearest city from here?"
"The nearest city is about 150 kilometers to the east." The system worked diligently.
"Huh?" Jiang Chuyi's face fell, "Why is it so far?"
She looked at the sky which was just beginning to lighten, muttered, and leaned against the tree trunk, closing her eyes.
"Forget it, let's get some sleep first."
After tossing and turning all night, she was already sleepy.
She gathered shadow hands to hold her around, made herself a peaceful bed, and quickly fell asleep.
When she regained consciousness, she heard conversation coming from under the tree.
What’s going on? Are He Sizhao and the others back again?
Jiang Chuyi rubbed her eyes. The warm morning sunlight shining down showed that she had not slept for long.
Jiang Chuyi, who hadn't slept well yet, looked down and saw several people searching in the ruins of the collapsed base.
She was about to speak when she suddenly realized that these people were not wearing black combat uniforms.
Isn’t it He Sizhao and the others?
Jiang Chuyi was stunned for a moment, then quietly climbed down from the tree and approached these people.
"Captain Lu, someone has indeed taken action first. The bodies are all from the teahouse. They didn't evacuate on their own." One person reported to another.
After hearing this, Jiang Chuyi became even more certain that they were not in the same group as He Sizhao.
The man wanted to say something else, but when he glanced at Jiang Chuyi, his eyes suddenly widened.
The others also noticed his gaze and looked over here, and a few slight gasps were heard in the air.
The petite and pretty girl, wearing ill-fitting clothes, stood on the ruins with an indifferent expression, like a swaying and fragile lily of the valley, exuding the breath of hope.
While they were stunned, the system also gasped sharply.
"Male...Male..."
"Male what? I know he's not a female." Jiang Chuyi was puzzled.
"The male protagonist!" the system screamed, "This is the male protagonist Lu Qianzhi, haven't you met him before?"
Um?
Jiang Chuyi looked closely at the young man in the lead. His handsome face, which seemed to be filled with sunshine, looked... so dazzling.
"I don't remember." Jiang Chuyi said as a matter of course, "We only met once, why should I remember him?"
The system choked, and before it could say anything more, Lu Qianzhi was already approaching carefully.
"Miss, you're not hurt, are you?" Lu Qianzhi tried to soften his voice and tentatively reached out to Jiang Chuyi. "Don't be afraid. Everything is fine now. We won't hurt you."
A beautiful and fragile girl, a destroyed tea house base. The moment Lu Qianzhi saw Jiang Chuyi, he realized her origins.
He simply escaped during the chaos.
The traces here showed that the explosion had just occurred. The poor girl must have escaped and then hid aside at a loss. It was not until she saw them appear that she cautiously tried to seek shelter.
Thinking of this, Lu Qianzhi's eyes became even more compassionate.
He was well aware that his face made him more approachable than others, and he was happy to exploit this when it worked.
Jiang Chuyi had just finished communicating with the system when he saw Lu Qianzhi's outstretched hand, and then saw his gentle eyes. His mind suddenly remembered what he had heard He Sizhao and others say in the meeting outside the tent.
Not only did I think of this, but I also thought of He Shizhao again.
Her mood suddenly turned bad.
"Please stop looking down on others." Jiang Chuyi raised his head. "I'm tired. Hurry and find me a clean place to sleep. Be smart and obedient. Don't try to play any tricks. Do you understand?"
The author has something to say:
The first time Xiao Yi saw Lu Qianzhi, her face was hidden, so Lu Qianzhi didn't see her true face.
Xiaoyi came out, Zhaozhao: Danger.
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