003 woke up, rubbing his still sore neck, and saw Zuo Ling and his sister sitting on the rock watching them. He jumped up and assumed an attack stance.
He still remembers the last thing he saw before he fainted: damn it, they attacked him from behind!
Quickly survey the surrounding terrain. Not in a cave. Oh no, weapons and ammunition!
He glared fiercely at the three people in front of him, his mind racing. Where had things gone wrong? Who were they? How did they know the secret code? Where were their weapons and ammunition?
003 was very frustrated. He was a top agent, yet he had fallen into the enemy's trap because of a bite of food. He was extremely annoyed.
He himself was fine; the main problem was that he hadn't completed the task assigned by his superiors.
Crucially, it also caused losses to the country and its people, which made 003 furious.
Zuo Ling smiled at the furious 003, raised her chin at him, and only then did 003 realize that there were 4 men and 1 woman lying around him.
017, an investigator using the aliases Xue Shan, Liao Jie, and Jiang Ya, and a woman whose face is unfamiliar.
Xue Shan was one of the first people to join the food factory. He was a young man in his early twenties, but now he looks like he's in his sixties or seventies.
Liao Jie's temples were streaked with gray, making him look more than ten years older than he actually was.
Jiang Ya arrived at the food factory last, and he also looked like he was lacking in energy.
003 felt a pang of heartache. He was the leader of the group. He remembered how the three of them were when they left, and how they were now... His eyes stung, and he almost burst into tears.
"What... happened to them?"
003 isn't stupid. The fact that these people appeared here means they were saved by Zuo Ling and her brother, so most of their hostility has disappeared.
"Ask them yourself when they wake up. Mission accomplished, you can report to your superiors. Also, we raided the enemy's hideout and got some stuff, but we can't take it with us. You can decide what to do with it."
Zuo Ling had no interest in explaining to 003 how to complete the mission; the more she said, the more mistakes she would make. Let them guess for themselves.
After saying that, he turned to leave, but then remembered something and added:
"She's a woman with a tragic fate; if you can, please take care of her."
She was referring to the unfamiliar woman, 003 said urgently:
"Wait, what did you say? The mission is complete? How was it completed? How long were we unconscious?"
Zuo Ling is impatient:
"You have so many questions. Once it's finished, it's finished. If you don't believe me, go see for yourself."
The three siblings left in a carefree manner, leaving 003 looking completely bewildered.
The four scouts, including 017, woke up one after another. Their reactions were the same: they all rolled over and assumed an attack stance.
The group of men were all excellent scouts, but they had been caught off guard and were extremely unwilling to accept their misfortune. They searched around for the person who had knocked them unconscious.
003 looked at the team members with a complicated expression.
"Boss, where are they...where are they?"
The question was naturally directed at Zuo Ling and her brother.
"Hey boss, how did we get here?"
"Where are the people who attacked us?"
"Boss, did you rescue us?"
003 sighed, realizing that no one knew what had happened or what kind of mission he had accomplished.
017, with sharp eyes, exclaimed, "Hey, there's another woman here! Who is she, and where did she come from?"
Then I saw a large pile of things not far away.
"Compressed biscuits, instant noodles, canned food, luncheon meat, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, clothes, shoes... Ah, ah, ah, head, where did all this stuff come from?"
017 was ecstatic.
Before 003 could answer, she eagerly opened a box of luncheon meat and stuffed it into her mouth, "Mmm, meat, delicious, delicious."
It's been so long since I've had meat, even luncheon meat with its high starch content makes 017 feel incredibly happy.
The scout, using the alias Jiang Ya, excitedly rummaged through the items. Supplies were extremely scarce, and everything looked good.
My clothes are torn, my shoes have exposed toes, and I haven't used shampoo to wash my hair in years.
My teeth are so yellow; I forget to brush them morning and night when I don't see toothpaste...
Camouflage uniforms, Doc Martens boots, table salt, sugar... Ah, ah, ah, everything they could possibly need!
Liao Jie glanced at it a few times and then lost interest, looking preoccupied.
The most dejected was Xue Shan, who plopped down on the ground, staring silently at his hands, which were bulging with veins and shaped like chicken claws.
He is a scout, so he must be able to climb mountains and go down rivers, endure several days without food or water in harsh environments, and do many dangerous and extremely exciting things.
But given his current physical condition, it's questionable how long he can live.
003 didn't know how to comfort the team members; any words of comfort were superfluous at this moment.
He asked Liao Jie, "Tell me, what happened after you went in?"
Every time a task is completed, a report must be written for the superiors.
The mission was completed inexplicably, and 003 didn't even know how to report it to his superiors.
Liao Jie glanced at Xue Bing. He understood Xue Bing's feelings best. He had entered the palace later than Xue Bing and was not as old as Xue Bing. He was only comparable to Xue Bing.
No young man in the prime of his life wants to suddenly become old and frail.
"After entering the food factory, we were taken to a cave, and then we went into a very strange place..."
Liao Jie began to speak slowly.
"Those who go in will age very quickly, we..."
Liao Jie lamented his own fate and could not continue speaking.
Jiang Ya's excitement vanished. He put down his things, walked over to Xue Bing, and hugged him.
He was closest to Xue Bing, and seeing his best friend turn out like this, he felt very sad for him.
Sensing something was amiss, 017 glanced around the room and his eyes widened as he saw the aged Xue Bing, the suddenly aged Liao Jie, and the weak and frail Jiang Ya.
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