A Song of Loyalty
In the first chapter of Volume Four, "A Lonely Journey to the Ends of the Earth," the warmth brought by the charcoal fire in the conference room had long been dispelled by the cold confrontation.
Shen Lanjun stopped looking at Yin Xiaoshan and turned to the leader of "Rock Solid." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold chisel, beginning to pry open the fortress Yin Xiaoshan had carefully built. She didn't directly accuse him, but began to recite names, each name carrying the chill of the frozen Northeast and the stain of blood:
"Commander, in the winter of 1938, courier Zhou Danian, after delivering his last intelligence, along with his wife who was seven months pregnant, was trapped in a cellar by the Japanese and suffocated to death by smoke. His last words were: 'The house has been invaded by long-haired beasts.'"
Yin Xiaoshan's hand holding the teacup trembled almost imperceptibly, causing a little hot water to splash out.
Shen Lanjun glanced at him and continued reading:
"In the spring of 1940, Sister Zhao Xiuying, who was in charge of transporting medicines, was dragged from her home by the Manchukuo police. She didn't utter a single word for seven days and seven nights before being torn to pieces by wolfhounds. The day before her arrest, she had just given you, Minister Yin, a private report on the transport route and time."
Yin Xiaoshan's lips twitched, and he forced a cold laugh: "Absurd! Many comrades have sacrificed their lives, are you going to blame them all on me?"
Shen Lanjun ignored him, speaking steadily, yet every word was piercing:
"In the autumn of 1942, twelve members of the 'Snowfield' detachment were precisely surrounded by the Japanese in their secret camp and all of them were killed in battle, with no survivors. The route they took to escape was personally modified by you, Minister Yin, at the operational meeting three days ago, 'for safety's sake'."
"In the winter of 1943, Xiao Jinzi, the head of the underground radio station, was only seventeen years old when he was captured by the Special Higher Police and subjected to brutal torture. Before he died, he wrote three words in his blood on the cell wall... not 'Down with the Japanese devils,' but—'Why?'"
When she uttered "Little Gold" and those three words, Shen Lanjun's voice finally trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly. Yin Xiaoshan's face had turned from ashen to deathly pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. These names, these details, were like red-hot irons, searing his nerves. He felt his carefully constructed facade being peeled away layer by layer by this woman, with the whispers of a ghost.
"Stop reading!" Yin Xiaoshan roared suddenly, his voice shrill and completely out of control. Like a trapped wild beast, his eyes scanned the entire room frantically, and he suddenly drew a pistol from his waist! But instead of pointing it at Shen Lanjun, he took a step forward and grabbed the neck of the old commander "Rock," who hadn't said much, standing closest to him, pressing the gun firmly against his temple!
"Don't move! Anyone who touches me will be killed!" he yelled, dragging "Rock" toward the door.
At this critical moment—
"Bang!"
Gunshots rang out!
But the one who fired wasn't the guard outside the door, nor anyone inside the venue. The bullet came from outside the window! It was Yin Xiaoshan's trusted sniper, positioned on a distant high ground, who fired the shot to create chaos for him! The bullet's target was still Shen Lanjun!
Shen Lanjun was alert the moment Yin Xiaoshan suddenly attacked, and her body instinctively dodged to the side and back. However, the bullet still accurately hit her, striking her shoulder blade. The huge impact made her stagger backward, and blood gushed out instantly.
"Lan Jun!!" The "Rock" leader, who had been taken hostage, cried out in fury.
Taking advantage of the momentary chaos and the distraction caused by the gunshots, Yin Xiaoshan shoved the "Rock" leader forward, sending him crashing into the oncoming guards. He then darted like an eel, smashing open a hidden door on the side of the conference room that appeared to be decorative but was actually a converted old, abandoned chimney! This was the last escape route he had built up over many years.
"Chase!" The soldiers, realizing what was happening, immediately rushed forward.
...
Outside the conference room, Gu Tieshan rushed towards the conference room like an arrow the moment he heard the first gunshot (a sniper shot). He had just reached the door when he witnessed a series of lightning-fast events: Yin Xiaoshan taking hostages, Shen Lanjun being shot, and Yin Xiaoshan breaking through a hidden door to escape.
He saw Shen Lanjun clutching her wound, her face pale, but her eyes were fixed on him, filled with instructions, determination, and an urgent urgency to "go quickly"!
Gu Tieshan felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by a giant hand, the pain making it hard to breathe. He glanced at his seriously injured wife, then at the hidden door where Yin Xiaoshan had disappeared. These two were the most important people in his life; one needed immediate medical attention, and the other needed immediate pursuit and elimination!
This decision, which lasted less than a second, felt like torture in hell.
Ultimately, his worry for his wife's injuries overwhelmed everything. He let out a painful growl, turned sharply to Shen Lanjun, rushed over and hugged her tightly, pressing his hand firmly against her bleeding wound.
"Lan Jun! Hold on! Hold on!" His voice was filled with an unprecedented panic.
Shen Lanjun leaned against him, her breath weak, but she managed to raise her hand, pointing to the hidden door, her lips moving: "...Don't worry about me...chase...we can't let him...get away..."
Gu Tieshan's eyes were filled with tears as he frantically shook his head. He couldn't do it! He couldn't bear to watch her die in his arms again!
In that brief moment of delay, as the soldiers rushed into the hidden door to give chase, only a muffled explosion was heard from inside—Yin Xiaoshan had blown up a section of the passage, completely blocking the pursuit route for the time being.
Shen Lanjun stared at the blocked passage, the last glimmer of light in her eyes extinguished. She grabbed Gu Tieshan's hand and, with her last strength, shoved the pen containing the microfilm into his grasp.
"...Give it to...the commander...to avenge..."
Her hand fell limply to her side.
Holding his wife's still-warm body, Gu Tieshan let out a heart-wrenching howl. He had missed the best opportunity to kill his enemy, yet he still couldn't keep the one he loved most.
A few days later, at a secret location.
The leader of "Rock Solid" looked haggard and pushed a report to Gu Tieshan, who seemed to have lost his soul. "Behind the passage is a long-abandoned drainage culvert that leads directly out of the mountains. He's escaped!"
Looking into Gu Tieshan's eyes, now only filled with hatred and emptiness, he said sorrowfully, "Comrade Tieshan, Lan Jun's sacrifice has cleansed the biggest cancer within our ranks. Now, this traitor has escaped to the battlefield. We need someone who understands him, is capable, and... has an absolute reason to make him pay the price, to complete this final mission."
Gu Tieshan slowly raised his head, picked up the pen stained with the blood of the couple, and gripped it tightly, as if it were the only fulcrum for him to live.
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