Deadly Lurking
Three years ago, the Gulou cavalry invaded this relatively prosperous border town, burning, killing, looting and doing everything they could. Although it has been rebuilt now, some street corners and roofs still bear traces of war and artillery fire. The once prosperous market is not half as luxurious as the Gulou military camp. The Gulou army returned to the camp in a great momentum, and the people they saw along the way were all terrified and tried to avoid them.
The Gulou military camp was located near the city gate and had occupied many civilians' homes. At a glance, it was filled with rows of white walls and black tiles. In the center, the general camp of Aguda was built in the shape of a palace, with expensive golden nanmu pillars and a glazed tile roof. The sunlight almost blinded Tong Zhenzhen's eyes.
[Oh my god, General Xie, why is their military camp so much more luxurious than ours?! ]
[That’s right, I also want a palace made of 24k pure gold! ]
The college students were all jealous. Xie Ci was busy lurking outside the city. He suddenly saw the news from the live broadcast room and thought something had happened. He hurriedly checked and found that it was this nonsense. He snorted and cursed:
"Humph, they are all plundering the people's blood and sweat. What, you have a big problem with that? Do you want me to wait until I capture the Gulou Army alive and then let you join them?! Shut up and get to work. If you dare to talk nonsense again, you will be in trouble!"
The originally lively live broadcast room suddenly became quiet. Tong Zhenzhen withdrew her gaze and pouted in dissatisfaction. Is there anything worse than a grumpy boss personally supervising the work?
The Gulou soldier leading the way seemed to notice the envious looks of the refugees, and turned his head and said proudly:
"We in Gulou are more dignified than Linyuan, right? That Xie is stingy and cruel to the people, but our General Aguda shares the happiness with his brothers. You should all learn to repay the kindness and spread the good name of our general!"
He stole a glance at Aguda's even more pleased expression, thinking that he was truly the general's sweetheart. Tong Zhenzhen rolled her eyes in her heart, thinking, yes, you guys are enjoying it. She even wanted to call the police on behalf of those oppressed people!
"Yeah, okay, of course!" Even though she was reluctant, Tong Zhenzhen still showed her face and fawned on the teacher to ask for money for the final exam.
Aguda still had some brains left and knew to be wary of these refugees, so he placed them in an empty tent with guards outside. Although he provided them with food, he did not allow them to move freely, saying that they should rest well and would be released after the general found good accommodation for them in the city.
But Tong Zhenzhen speculated that either he had forgotten about them as soon as he turned around, after all, he had taken in the refugees just to compete with Xie Ci, and he actually didn't care at all, or he had sent people to Chang'an Village to confirm their identities just to be on the safe side. In either case, staying here for a long time would be detrimental to their actions.
With the help of Chen Miao, she sat down against the tent. Just as she was about to discuss the next move with her, Chen Miao pointed her finger at her lips and signaled the guards outside the tent who were closely watching their every move. Tong Zhenzhen understood and stopped talking in the newly created action group chat:
[The Expendables No. 1 Tong Zhenzhen]:
My family, we can’t stay here for long. Let’s find a way to get to the city gate and open it for the general tonight!
[The Expendables Queen Chen Miao]:
But the outsiders are watching very closely. Why don't we wait for a few days until he forgets about us and his defense is lax before we act? We can also take this opportunity to look for any of our lost classmates in the Gulou military camp.
Tong Zhenzhen was just about to tell her about this when someone pushed her shoulder and she was moved out of Chen Miao's arms. She turned around in confusion and found that Lin Shizhu had stuck to Chen Miao at some point, nestling in her arms like a little bird, and glanced at Tong Zhenzhen.
Tong Zhenzhen:?
[Lin Shizhu, military advisor of the Suicide Squad]:
Although I also want to stay with you for a while, Xiao Miao, but I really can't stay here. Delay will cause changes. It's inconvenient for the general and his men to hide outside, and we need to make a quick decision. As for finding someone, it will be easy after the general attacks the city.
Chen Miao raised her hand to help Lin Shizhu straighten her messy hair, and replied in the group with a smile:
[The Expendables Queen Chen Miao]:
Ah Zhu's words made sense, but how could we get out? Although we couldn't die, we still didn't have the strength to fight!
[Ma Chengyun, the only supplier of the Suicide T Team]:
This is easy! Xiao Xue, please say something~@【薛义德】
Xue Yide, who usually replied immediately, dropped the ball and didn't reply for a long time. Ma Chengyun looked up suspiciously and looked around for Xue Yide. He soon found Xue Yide squinting in the corner, trying to see the screen clearly.
After all, he was nearsighted with 800 degrees, but in order not to arouse suspicion during the action, he had to abandon his glasses. However, he was allergic to contact lenses and could only go out naked. Now he was no different from a blind person, and it took him a long time to see clearly what was being talked about in the group.
【Xue Yide】:
Got it. I can use a small-scale cyber launch to temporarily knock out the guards. But I need someone to lead the way. Without my glasses, I can't see the road clearly...
[Ma Chengyun, the only supplier of the Suicide Squad]:
Me, me, me! Don't worry, brother, I will pull you away when the time comes. I only need the friendship price of an acquaintance. Hehe
【Xue Yide】:
Group leader, kick him out
After discussing the business, everyone started chatting and laughing in the group as usual, until someone came in to deliver food, they stopped staring into the air to avoid suspicion.
The man who came was a big man with rough features. He didn't look like a member of the Gulou Army. He was wearing a navy blue coarse cloth shorts and the hemp shoes on his feet were torn. Sometimes he stumbled when he walked. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and didn't let the food box in his hand spill. He greeted warmly as he walked:
"The meal is here! Come on, old man, give your daughter-in-law a cake!"
He handed a pancake to Chen Miao through the air. Lin Shizhu was too far away for him to reach, so he had to ask her father-in-law to do it for him.
Lin Shizhu took the cake, lowered his eyes and smiled softly:
"My dear, you misunderstood. I am no longer her daughter-in-law, but her second wife~"
“Ah?” The big man was stunned for a moment, and the smile on his face was a little hard to hold, but he forced himself to smooth things over, “Oh, oh! Haha, this, this old man is also blessed…”
Tong Zhenzhen rolled her eyes speechlessly. This fellow was adding drama to her story again! She had no choice but to step forward and cooperate, pulling his hair again and cursing him as a vixen. Chen Miao smiled and tried to mediate:
"Stop being naughty and make the military officer laugh at you!"
She deliberately emphasized the word "General". As expected, the man stopped and waved his hand:
"I don't deserve it! You misunderstood me, old man. I'm not one of those Gulou people. I was born and raised in Linyuan!"
As he spoke, he glanced towards the door, and only after confirming that the guards didn't notice the movement here did he reveal his disgust for the Gulou army in his tone. Tong Zhenzhen and the other two looked at each other, and continued the show tacitly. They enthusiastically pulled the man to sit down and eat while chatting.
"Ahem, young man, have there been any weirdos in the Gulou military camp recently? I've heard that some 'priests' have infiltrated the Linyuan Army recently, I wonder if there are any in Gulou?" Tong Zhenzhen cleared her throat and lowered her voice to pretend to be that of an elderly person.
The big man was confused and scratched his head:
"Ah? What weirdo? No way, I've been working here for a long time and I haven't seen any weirdos."
Tong Zhen's heart sank. It seemed that Xiaoli and the others were not in Gulou. In order to find out more information, she pretended to be enthusiastic and talkative. During the conversation, the big man revealed his true identity. It turned out that his name was Li Youfu. He had lived in Changle Village before and later moved to a village near Muzhou City.
"It was this damned Gulou who attacked us a few years ago. Not only did they kill the city lord, they also slaughtered most of the civilians. When they ran out of people, they captured people from our village and made them work like slaves. Ugh, what a piece of shit!" Li Youfu spat at the guard's back, then remembered something and asked Chen Miao excitedly:
"Old man, since you are from Changle Village, I want to ask you something. My cousin's family is in Chang'an Village. Since Muzhou City was returned to Gulou, I have lost contact with them. I wonder if they are doing well?"
Li Youfu revealed the name and address of his cousin. Tong Zhenzhen felt that it sounded familiar. She seemed to have heard from Xie Ci before that he wanted to help a young man from Chang'an Village find his cousin who lost his land in Gulou. When she was about to ask Xie Ci, he had already replied:
"I know his cousin. He asked me to find someone before. Let's see if I can persuade him to help."
Tong Zhenzhen faithfully relayed the information Xie Ci had given her, and Li Youfu became even more excited. The seven-foot-tall man actually burst into tears because he had found the news about his relatives:
"Yes, yes, Li Chenggui, that's him!"
Tong Zhenzhen struck while the iron was hot and tried to speak:
"To be honest, we heard on the way here that General Xie Ci was also helping to find the relatives of the lost refugees in Linyuan. If you know someone who also wants to find a relative, go and ask the Linyuan Army after we leave the city."
Unexpectedly, Li Youfu, who was originally smiling innocently, changed his expression in an instant when he heard Xie Ci's name. His beard trembled slightly, and he said in doubt:
"Xie Ci?! Auntie, please don't make such jokes. Everyone knows that Xie Ci is greedy and bloodthirsty. He is very vicious! And I also heard that he likes to kill civilians for military merit. If the high priest hadn't been kind-hearted and stopped him, he would have been even more outrageous than those beasts of Gu Lou!"
"Listen to my advice. If you see Xie Ci's army, stay away from them! Even if he comes to take back Muzhou City, he will definitely come to massacre the city!"
Li Youfu was still talking incessantly, recounting the evil deeds of Xie Ci that he had heard from others, completely unaware of Tong Zhenzhen's increasingly gloomy expression. She cut off the live broadcast with Xie Ci. For some reason, she didn't want Xie Ci to hear these bad words.
If it was Aguda's group, it would be fine. After all, the enemy's insults are praise for one's side. But these are the people that Xie Ci risked his life to protect. Why would he join the enemy in slandering him? !
Tong Zhenzhen rarely suppressed her raised lips, frowned slightly, and retorted:
"Young man, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! General Xie is stationed at the border and fights for the people. How can you humiliate him like this? If General Xie hadn't brought the priests to treat the plague in Chang'an Village, your cousin would never have been able to find you."
Her tone was quite excited, especially the last sentence, she almost couldn't control her voice and some of her original voice leaked out, causing the guard who was eating at the door to look up suspiciously. Chen Miao also noticed that something was wrong with her friend, and reached out to pull Tong Zhenzhen's sleeve. Only then did she realize her loss of composure and fell silent.
"Oh, Auntie, don't get excited. Didn't I hear this from my fellow villagers? Since everyone is saying this about him, I think it's probably true..." Li Youfu was also a little puzzled. He didn't know why the old lady was so excited all of a sudden, but he was afraid that she would get angry and faint due to her old age. He could only mutter his dissatisfaction in a low voice, but Tong Zhenzhen heard it clearly.
Lin Shizhu glanced at Tong Zhenzhen thoughtfully. She seemed to want to speak to defend Xie Ci again, but he took the lead and changed the subject at the right time. Li Youfu was obviously prejudiced against Xie Ci, so he could not be relied on. Fortunately, the big man was a simple-minded person and soon forgot about it and started chatting with the soft-spoken young lady.
When the guards came to urge Li Youfu to leave, he reluctantly wiped his dry lips, packed up his lunch box and walked out. The tent returned to silence, and Tong Zhenzhen resumed the live broadcast that Xie Ci had cut off. As soon as the connection was connected, Xie Ci's anxious question came from the other end of the screen:
"Tong Zhenzhen, what happened just now? What happened? Do you need help?"
Tong Zhenzhen realized her mistake at this time. She took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her chest, and put on her usual heartless expression. While the guard was dozing off, she smiled and replied:
"Oh, it's nothing serious!"
Chen Miao on the side was very familiar with her appearance and put her hand on her shoulder soothingly. Her daughter Zhenzhen seemed cheerful all day long, but actually she was very sensitive. Chen Miao could roughly guess why Tong Zhenzhen lost her composure just now and sighed softly. She was worrying about the other person's reputation before they even got together. Girls can't be kept home when they grow up!
"Why did you turn off the live broadcast when nothing happened? That's nonsense!" Xie Ci criticized.
Tong Zhenzhen was no longer happy. The bitterness and anger that she had just suppressed surged up again, and she muttered in dissatisfaction:
"Yes, yes, you are the only one who likes to hear people scold you!"
"What?" Xie Ci on the other side of the screen was busy telling his guards to clean up the footprints. He didn't react at first, but after sensing the concern in her words, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled again:
"Are you worried that I'll get angry after hearing this? I'm not that petty. If someone scolds me, I'll hold a grudge against them. You scolded me so many times before, so won't I have to make you pay?"
His tone was teasing, and his sharp eyes narrowed in a smile, which made him look more cunning for no reason. He was satisfied to see Tong Zhenzhen's sudden panic like a cat whose tail was stepped on. He thought it was very funny and couldn't help laughing out loud. When Tong Zhenzhen turned away in anger and ignored him, Xie Ci restrained his expression.
"I'm not going to be mad about it, and I'm not going to be sad about it."
Xie Ci spoke hesitantly, feeling inexplicably happy, his voice was so gentle that he himself was not aware of it:
"No matter what others say, my duties as a general will not change, so don't worry about me."
Tong Zhenzhen was touched by what she was thinking and quickly looked away:
"Who's worried about you?! I'd better worry about tonight's operation!"
Chen Miao and Lin Shizhu snuggled together, watching the two bickering with a smile. Lin Shizhu smoothed down Chen Miao's curled wig and mercilessly exposed Xie Ci:
"Tsk, he's not usually that pretentious when he talks, why is he pretending?"
"Hey, you see it all but don't say it out loud!" Chen Miao held her face and smiled like an auntie.
That night
The people in the Gulou military camp were used to being lazy. Even though they were specifically ordered to keep an eye on these refugees, the guards at the gate still clumsily slept all day long. This gave Tong Zhenzhen and the others an opportunity.
She looked intently at the numbers that kept jumping on the panel. The number of people who became crispy due to contact could be viewed intuitively in the system. Although the college students only came into contact with a small number of soldiers today, they would inevitably come into contact with other people after returning. Just like a zombie virus, it would spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, from a hundred to a thousand... By the evening, the number of infected people was almost the same as the total number of Gulou troops estimated by Xie Ci.
When the number jumped forward a few more spaces, the time had come, and Tong Zhenzhen waved her hand:
"Get up and work, folks!"
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