“Sis, I’m over here! Hehe… find something to catch me with! The wall’s kinda high. I don’t really dare jump down.”
Even Liu Chuanjia stared blankly in shock.
How exactly had this little sister-in-law climbed over there?
She was way too wild.
“Step on my shoulders and hold onto the wall while climbing down,” Xu Bu immediately offered, walking over beneath the wall.
“I’ll do it.” Liu Chuanjia rushed over eagerly. “I’m taller than you, so I can catch Duoduo more steadily.”
Even if she was only the little sister-in-law—
his future wife still absolutely couldn’t be tired out.
Perched atop the wall, Xu Duoduo placed one foot onto Liu Chuanjia’s shoulder while steadying herself against the wall with both hands.
At the exact moment she swung her other leg over—
she quietly stored the ladder back into her space.
After handing the chocolate to the man in green military clothes, Xu Duoduo had turned around, produced the ladder, climbed it, and retrieved it again in one seamless motion.
But what she didn’t know…
was that every single action had already fallen into Zhou Qidong’s eyes.
Because the moment he left her space—
he had regained consciousness.
He had never fully passed out.
He knew the little girl had been calling to him, but his injuries were too severe for him to open his eyes.
Later, however, he suddenly felt a strange force enveloping him.
Warm.
Comfortable.
It eased the agony from his wounds.
The bleeding stopped.
Even the stabbing pain inside his organs gradually faded.
Then he felt the little girl prick him with something.
Afterward, she seemed to stitch and bandage his wounds skillfully, calmly, and steadily.
And somehow…
it didn’t hurt at all.
Especially that final unbelievable scene—
the ladder suddenly appearing out of nowhere…
and then disappearing just as suddenly.
Was he dying?
Was this all some hallucination?
He had seen this little girl three times already.
The first time was on the bus heading toward Zhangqi Commune.
He’d been seriously injured and had climbed through the bus window just to secure a seat.
At first, the little girl looked dazed and clueless.
But after he jumped past her seat—
her gaze changed.
Suspicious.
Curious.
While helping move her family’s luggage, she had tilted her head upward and stared at the hem of his clothes.
She’d probably noticed the bandages hidden beneath his shirt.
The little girl was observant.
Extremely sharp.
The second time was this morning.
He had obtained some materials, but carrying them openly during the daytime was inconvenient, so he took the alleyways.
The moment he climbed into the alley, he saw the little girl and her older sister cornered by three hooligans inside a dead-end alley.
Though she hid behind her sister pretending to be frightened—
her eyes were sparkling excitedly.
Almost eager.
Sure enough, once the hooligans relaxed and turned their backs toward the sisters while facing him—
the little girl immediately smashed a brick against one of their heads.
She was brave.
And steady under pressure.
The third time…
was just now.
He had gone to the Revolutionary Committee building to rescue a comrade and gotten stabbed again during the operation.
While retreating, he spotted the little girl peeking curiously into the alley from outside.
Enemies were chasing him.
He had no choice but to jump into that courtyard.
And for some reason…
instead of running away alone, he instinctively dragged her inside with him.
Under those circumstances, most girls would’ve screamed immediately.
But she didn’t call for help.
Instead, she calmly observed the surroundings.
And eventually…
she saved him.
The little girl was bold.
And mysterious.
Duoduo.
Her sister had called her Duoduo.
Even her name sounded nice.
During missions, Zhou Qidong had once encountered members of the nation’s mysterious special organization.
Those people were abnormal too.
Some could run like the wind.
Some possessed monstrous strength.
Some could move objects through the air.
Maybe…
this little girl was one of those people too.
Listening to Duoduo’s cheerful chatter gradually fade into the distance, Zhou Qidong glanced down at the chocolate in his hand.
He slowly sat up, tore open the silver foil wrapper, and took a bite.
Sweet.
Even rare things like chocolate…
the little girl somehow possessed them.
After recovering a little strength, Zhou Qidong braced himself against the wall and stood up.
He walked to the opposite side of the courtyard, pushed aside thick weeds, and revealed an abandoned well.
Carefully climbing downward along a rope, he descended halfway before feeling around both sides of the shaft.
Then suddenly—
he kicked hard against the rear wall and swung sideways into a hidden tunnel entrance.
He crawled through the tunnel for nearly two minutes before knocking a coded rhythm against the wall at the end.
“Boss! You finally made it back!”
The hidden wall opened, revealing a filthy soot-covered face peeking out.
What the hell was this thing?
How could someone be this dirty?
Qian Dali quickly helped Zhou Qidong out of the tunnel before sealing the hidden entrance again.
“Boss… just beat me to death.”
Gu Dacheng lowered his head and burst into tears as he walked over.
“It’s all my fault. I got careless and got captured.”
“I ruined the mission.”
“And because of me, you got hurt too.”
“What are you crying for?” Zhou Qidong snapped immediately. “We bleed, but we don’t cry. Hold those cat tears back.”
“Boss, we should get you to a hospital!”
Gu Dacheng continued wailing from the floor.
“I’ll accept any punishment from the army once the mission fails. I deserve it.”
“But your life matters more!”
“Shut up already.”
Zhou Qidong frowned.
“You’ll attract those rats back here.”
“My injuries are already treated. I don’t need the hospital.”
“Even though you exposed yourself and alerted Ning Shengli, he still doesn’t know which group is targeting him.”
“So the mission isn’t a total failure yet.”
“There’s still room to maneuver.”
He paused before continuing coldly:
“Everyone needs to stay alert.”
“Scatter. Go dormant again.”
“Continue collecting intelligence on Ning Shengli and finish the mission.”
“Dacheng, you’ve already been exposed.”
“Your mission ends now.”
“Leave the county immediately at top speed and report back to the instructor.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Gu Dacheng wiped his face hard before turning to leave.
As long as the boss survived, he could finally relax.
Once the mission was completed, he’d apologize properly later.
“I’m sleeping for a while,” Zhou Qidong said tiredly. “You all handle whatever you need to.”
Though his external injuries had been treated, the blood loss remained severe.
He desperately needed rest.
Inside the room, the young men all stared at each other with soot-covered faces like startled rabbits.
Their boss truly was incredible.
Not only had he shaken off the pursuers so quickly—
he’d even somehow finished treating all his injuries too.
“You all leave,” Qian Dali ordered while lighting a fire. “I’ll stay and take care of Boss.”
Boss was injured on top of old injuries.
He needed nourishing food badly.
“Alright. We’ll contact each other using signals if anything happens.”
The others obediently left.
…
Meanwhile, Xu Duoduo — who had deliberately lured Xu Bu away from the area first — had absolutely no idea her secret identity was already partially exposed.
“Sis, why are you together with Brother Liu?”
“And you still dare ask that?!”
Xu Bu was both angry and frightened.
“Wasn’t it all because of you?”
“I told you to wait where you were, but you disappeared instead!”
“You nearly scared me to death, so I ran straight to the police station to ask Brother Liu for help finding you!”
“Sis…” Xu Duoduo blinked innocently. “Then what about the soda you bought me?”
She desperately attempted to distract Xu Bu.
“Xu Duoduo! Don’t change the subject!”
Xu Bu nearly exploded.
“You explain right now how you ended up on the other side of that wall!”
“Didn’t we agree you’d stay where you were waiting?”
As she spoke, Xu Bu’s eyes reddened again.
She was still terrified from earlier.
When Duoduo vanished just now, she had honestly thought the Xu family had kidnapped her back home.
“Uh…”
“Sis, don’t cry…”
Xu Duoduo immediately panicked.
“I’ll explain later when we get back, alright?”
But internally, she still hadn’t decided whether to tell the truth.
Especially with a police officer standing right there.
How exactly was she supposed to explain?
That a man carried her over the wall?
That the same man was currently unconscious behind that wall?
That she disappeared because she couldn’t bear watching him die and secretly dragged him into her space to heal him?
Wouldn’t she immediately get sent off to some research institute to be dissected?!
“Sis, don’t cry. I promise I won’t lie to you.”
“I’ll explain everything after we go back.”
“You really are my nemesis.” Xu Bu wiped her tears angrily. “You’ll literally drive me to death someday.”
“And if your explanation later doesn’t satisfy me, just wait till Dad beats you up.”
Seeing Liu Chuanjia standing nearby, Xu Bu guessed Duoduo might not feel comfortable explaining certain things openly right now.
So she temporarily held back.
But later, Xu Duoduo absolutely would need to explain herself clearly.
“Sis…” Xu Duoduo suddenly pressed a hand dramatically against her forehead. “My head really hurts now.”
“I’ll just sit here and rest for a bit.”
“Where’d you put my soda? Go help me grab it, okay?”
She immediately began pretending to be weak again.
“You really owe me.”
Xu Bu shot her a fierce glare.
“Brother Liu, help me watch her so she doesn’t run off again.”
“I’ll go grab the soda for her.”
After warning Liu Chuanjia carefully, Xu Bu hurried off toward the nearby guesthouse.