In the early morning, as golden rays of sunlight spilled over the scarred land, everyone's faces wore smiles that followed the gloom of rain.
The clouds parted to reveal clear skies. After days of continuous heavy rain and two further overcast days, the long-dormant sun finally broke through the dawn mist, climbing up from the eastern horizon.
The first wave of rescue teams that had arrived began to withdraw one after another. The medical teams, awaiting the handover to the second wave, were set to depart the following day if all went as planned.
That day, many residents of Bajiao Township saw them off again and again, creating a scene both heartwarming and tearful.
At noon, the locals once more brought hot meals to the medical point. Throughout these rescue days, they had consistently offered warmth to the relief workers, repeatedly saying, "You've worked hard," and expressing their gratitude with heartfelt thanks.
At first, everyone felt awkward and kept declining, but the locals were simply too enthusiastic. In the end, they could only graciously accept.
After all, such meals were hard to come by—they carried the taste of home and love.
Su Anxi sat on a folding stool, eating alongside Liao Zhiping, enjoying the food quite a bit.
With a mouthful of rice still being chewed, Liao Zhiping glanced at Su Anxi and chuckled, "You seem to be in a good mood!"
"Not bad," Su Anxi replied calmly while picking at her food. "Dr. Bao called this morning and said the situation is relatively stable."
"Relatively?" Liao Zhiping blurted out without thinking. "Relatively means for now, it's still uncertain, unclear."
Hearing this, Su Anxi turned and shot him a glare. "Jinx! Can't you hope for something better?"
Liao Zhiping grinned. "Doctors shouldn't be superstitious—that's what you said."
"I said less superstitious, not that we can't be superstitious at all." Su Anxi's knack for splitting hairs was truly unmatched.
"Alright, alright, I'll hope for something better then," Liao Zhiping said, taking another bite of rice before smiling. "So, you and Xu Yu, are you together?"
Su Anxi: "No."
Liao Zhiping scoffed. "Think I'm blind? Lately, whenever he's off duty, he comes straight here. Seeing you two chatting and laughing—still not together?"
"Believe what you want."
As soon as Su Anxi finished speaking, her phone rang. A sudden sense of foreboding flashed through her mind. She set down her bowl and chopsticks, pulled out her phone, and saw it was Dr. Bao.
"Dr. Bao," Su Anxi answered, holding the phone to her ear.
Watching Su Anxi's expression grow increasingly somber, her relaxed lips now pressed tightly together, Liao Zhiping knew he might have truly jinxed it.
Sure enough, after hanging up, Su Anxi stood and said to Liao Zhiping, "I need to head back to Wangliu County first. I'll leave things here to you."
"How will you get back?" An ambulance couldn't be dispatched just for her alone. With vehicles in short supply, that definitely wouldn't work.
"There are still rescue teams that haven't fully withdrawn yet. I'll figure something out."
"Then be careful on the road." Liao Zhiping knew that once Su Anxi made a decision, it couldn't be changed. "See you tomorrow."
"Mm." Su Anxi nodded, strode into the medical point, grabbed her belongings, and hurried off.
Luckily, she happened upon the Fangquan City Firefighting Special Service Squadron team, which was about to depart. She found Squadron Leader Zhou Dingkun, explained the situation, and received his approval.
This group of firefighters had already crossed paths with Su Anxi before, so when she boarded the vehicle, they all smiled and greeted her.
Su Anxi nodded politely in return, saying, "Sorry for the sudden intrusion."
Everyone quickly shook their heads, "No intrusion at all."
Perhaps due to exhaustion from the past few days, the soldiers soon fell asleep, completely disregarding the need to maintain a proper image in front of a lady. It seemed they were truly worn out.
However, Su Anxi, who usually fell asleep as soon as she got on a vehicle, was surprisingly wide awake this time.
Zhou Dingkun noticed Su Anxi constantly checking her phone and smiled at her, offering reassurance, "Dr. Su, don’t worry. Good people have their own blessings. The elderly will be fine."
"I hope so," Su Anxi nodded, offering a faint smile.
"By the way, I heard you and Xu Yu grew up together?"
Zhou Dingkun had collaborated with Xu Yu’s team several times and knew him fairly well.
Xu Yu was excellent in every way, except he was completely clueless about romance. For instance, despite numerous attempts by the young female staff in their Fire Brigade to get close to him, he never gave them a second glance—cool as could be.
However, from what Zhou Dingkun had observed recently, Xu Yu seemed to get along quite well with this Dr. Su. He found it strange, wondering if Xu Yu had taken a liking to this beautiful doctor. Later, after some gossip, he learned that the two were childhood friends.
Su Anxi nodded, "Yes, that’s right."
"I thought it was odd. Old Xu has never been interested in women, so why does he get along so well with you? The bond of childhood friends is truly unmatched," Zhou Dingkun laughed, slapping his thigh.
"It seems you two are quite close," Su Anxi couldn’t help but ask.
Zhou Dingkun nodded, "Close indeed. Firefighters and armed police are practically family. We often run into each other during emergencies, training sessions, and other events. Over time, we naturally became familiar."
Su Anxi replied, "Oh."
"I heard from Old Xu that you’re already married. Coming here for rescue work, your husband and child must be very worried, right?"
Zhou Dingkun had actually taken a liking to this brave and beautiful military doctor at first sight. Later, after learning that Xu Yu was her childhood friend, he specifically sought him out to ask if he stood a chance.
However, Xu Yu casually told him that Dr. Su was already married and her child was old enough to run errands.
From then on, Zhou Dingkun gave up on the idea and stopped prying into Dr. Su’s personal matters.
Upon hearing this, Su Anxi suddenly turned to Zhou Dingkun and asked, "Xu Yu said I’m married?"
"Yeah!" Zhou Dingkun, being straightforward, repeated Xu Yu’s words verbatim, "He told me your child is old enough to run errands. Honestly, Dr. Su, you don’t look at all like the mother of such a big child…"
Hearing this and seeing Captain Zhou’s earnest expression, Su Anxi suddenly felt an urge to laugh. What was going on?
…
Meanwhile, the public security department in Wangliu County intercepted the suspect’s vehicle at a checkpoint. However, the criminal gang was vicious and ruthless, injuring police officers and breaking through the checkpoint to escape.
Later, the command center received intelligence that the suspect’s vehicle had been located at the foot of the mountain after being pursued and intercepted by public security and police forces.
Public security, traffic departments, and armed police units immediately gathered at the foot of the mountain to formulate a plan for entering the mountains to conduct the search and capture operation.
Just as the department heads were about to issue their commands, Han Kaiyun looked toward Xu Yu, who had remained silent from beginning to end. The young man was intently studying the topographic map, his brow slightly furrowed and his gaze sharp.
"Captain Xu, what are your thoughts?" Han Kaiyun's voice drew everyone's attention to the only major in the command team who hadn't spoken.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yu pointed a well-defined finger at the map and spoke at a measured pace: "As everyone knows, Wangliu County is located in a mountainous area. The forest these suspects have fled into has steep terrain, which is unfavorable for search and combat operations—but it is highly conducive to hiding."
His words were a wake-up call. Everyone had been focusing on how to set up checkpoints and conduct search operations, overlooking the terrain issue.
Just as Xu Yu had pointed out, Wangliu County was situated among towering mountains and steep ridges, with complex terrain, numerous forest paths, and high peaks with treacherous roads. This indeed posed significant limitations for search operations. Blindly deploying police forces to comb the mountains would not only be time-consuming and labor-intensive but could also backfire due to the terrain, potentially allowing the suspects to gain the upper hand.
The Deputy Director of the Wangliu County Public Security Bureau was well-acquainted with the reputation of Captain Xu from the Fangquan City Armed Police Special Operations Team. In particular, every mission and operation he had commanded had ended in success—he was known as the "undefeated war god."
While it was assumed that Captain Xu's strength lay in his combat abilities, it now appeared that even his brief remarks revealed his sharp intellect.
"What suggestions do you have, Captain Xu?" the Deputy Director asked.
Xu Yu uttered four words: "Surround three sides, leave one open."
Han Kaiyun coughed lightly behind his hand and shot Xu Yu a glare. "Be more specific."
"Literally, block three entry and exit points and leave one road open for an ambush. Since this forest has many branching paths, I think it would be best for our Special Forces Team to coordinate and merge operations with the Criminal Police Team. When encountering a fork in the road, split into smaller groups and continue. Once the suspects are spotted, apprehend them immediately if possible. If not, use wireless devices to contact nearby groups and work together to lure them to a designated area, then block them from both front and rear to make the arrest."
Xu Yu's deep voice was calm and steady. Everyone looked at this young major and couldn't help but smile.
He was setting a trap, ensuring the suspects had no chance of escape.
Combining Xu Yu's suggestions, they researched and discussed a flawless plan. Once it gained everyone's approval, they all jumped out of the command vehicle and headed toward their respective teams.
Xu Yu strode briskly with precise steps to stand before his team members, explaining in detail the upcoming mountain search mission and the precautions to take.
After finishing, he paused briefly and asked in a booming voice, "Any questions?"
"None!" the soldiers replied in unison, their voices piercing the clouds.
Xu Yu scanned each of his team members. All the soldiers wore bulletproof helmets, tactical vests, and held assault rifles, standing tall and upright like pine trees.
"All soldiers of the Fangquan City Armed Police Special Operations Team."
"Here!"
"Move out."
"Yes!"