Jiang Xinghuai’s mild fever disappeared the next morning. Fu Yan checked him carefully again. Aside from the pallor on his face caused by excessive blood loss, the boy had already returned to his lively, bouncy self.
After breakfast, he was still in high spirits, grabbing Fu Yan and planting several kisses on him. It wasn’t until everyone in the house had come out and boarded the vehicle that he reluctantly restrained his restless lips and hands.
“Sit properly.” Fu Yan wiped Jiang Xinghuai’s lips, now red from all the kissing, and fastened his seatbelt for him. “We’re starting the car.”
“There are so many people around… isn’t this bad?” Jiang Xinghuai chuckled.
Fu Yan: “…”
The military vehicle had plenty of space. The two of them sat in the last row. Jiang Xinghuai didn’t seem to care about keeping his hands or feet to himself. When Fu Yan finally pressed him against the window, Jiang Xinghuai’s face flushed completely red instead. Stammering, he said that his head was dizzy, his legs sore, and his stomach hurt.
Although Fu Yan knew Jiang Xinghuai was lying, he still released him and reached out to touch his stomach. “Academician Qian has done a lot of research on blood disorders. Once we find him, we’ll run a thorough check.”
The moment this was mentioned, Jiang Xinghuai lost all his excitement. He hung his head and sighed gloomily. “That doesn’t make sense. How could I suddenly fall ill? My body’s always been great. I eat well and poop plenty.”
Fu Yan: “…”
Jiang Xinghuai didn’t notice what he had just said. His mood sank. He leaned against Fu Yan, falling silent.
Because the road was blocked by abandoned vehicles, their car couldn’t move very fast. They had to keep detouring and changing lanes. The constant swaying made Jiang Xinghuai drowsy. Before long, his head started nodding off as he drifted toward sleep.
By the time noon came, the vehicle stopped so everyone could distribute food and take care of bodily needs.
There wasn’t much food left in the vehicle. Just a single box of compressed biscuits.
Wang Qinhai and his group, on the other hand, had plenty of food in their hands. It was obvious they had come prepared. Kang Cheng didn’t bother with them much. He just took some of the compressed biscuits and gave a bit more to Jiang Xinghuai and Fu Yan.
“They’ve got their little clique, huh,” Jiang Xinghuai said, crunching noisily on his biscuit as he looked out the window. Outside, that group was sitting on the grass like they were having a spring picnic. “Why do I feel like they’re plotting something bad?”
“Water.” Fu Yan twisted open a bottle cap and handed it to him.
“I’ve got people keeping an eye on them,” Kang Cheng said casually, glancing in that direction before pulling his gaze back. “They won’t escape punishment, much less think about running.”
Hearing that, Jiang Xinghuai instinctively turned his eyes toward the family of three sitting at the front of the vehicle. Jiang Liangyuan’s family hadn’t gone out to join the picnic crowd. They were quietly eating their own compressed biscuits.
“Mr. Jiang didn’t directly participate in destroying the base,” Kang Cheng said, noticing Jiang Xinghuai’s glance. “He just cooperated. His punishment won’t be too heavy.”
“Oh.” Jiang Xinghuai looked a little embarrassed, turned his head away, and stopped looking.
Kang Cheng nodded slightly and was about to leave. “You two eat first, I’ll—”
“That’s Mo Wang!” Jiang Xinghuai suddenly shoved at the window and leaned out.
“What?” Kang Cheng froze.
“It’s Mo Wang!” Before they could react, Jiang Xinghuai had already climbed out of the window, jumped down, and sprinted forward, splashing through puddles as he ran.
“Jiang Xinghuai!” Fu Yan immediately followed him out of the vehicle.
It was a large German Shepherd, its entire body stained with blood. Its hind leg was limping, but it was still running at a fast pace.
Jiang Xinghuai ran up to the dog. The dog stopped, panted heavily as it looked at him once, and then collapsed to the ground.
Seeing the dog covered in blood, Jiang Xinghuai panicked instantly. He half-held it in his arms, not even daring to use any strength.
“Fu Yan! Fu Yan, come look at it, quick!” Jiang Xinghuai shouted, turning his head.
Fu Yan and Kang Cheng rushed over immediately.
Kang Cheng’s expression changed the instant he saw the dog.
“It’s not going to die, is it?” Jiang Xinghuai’s brows were tightly furrowed.
“Don’t panic.” Fu Yan frowned, crouched down, and first felt the dog’s neck, then pried open its mouth to check inside.
“It’s okay, just exhausted,” Fu Yan said, then looked at the dog’s hind leg where a large chunk of flesh was missing. “But it needs treatment right away.”
“Bring the medical kit!” Kang Cheng snapped out of it and immediately shouted back toward the others.
Mo Wang seemed to have finally caught its breath. It tried to stand up but failed, letting out an anxious whimper.
Jiang Xinghuai held it down, afraid it would strain its wound.
“Didn’t Mo Wang evacuate with the main unit? How could it be—” Jiang Xinghuai suddenly stopped mid-sentence and lifted his head to look at Kang Cheng.
Kang Cheng’s dark, grim expression gave him the answer.
Fu Yan quickly cleaned and treated the dog’s various wounds, then stabilized its injured hind leg.
By now, everyone in the vehicle had gathered around, none of them understanding what had happened. It wasn’t until Wang Qinhai exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t this one of the military dogs? How did it end up like this?”
The crowd went silent for a moment, then murmurs of suspicion began to rise.
Kang Cheng glanced at Wang Qinhai. Wang Qinhai immediately took a step back, forcing a laugh to smooth things over.
Kang Cheng calmly issued the order: “Finished eating? If you’re done, everyone get back on the bus and sit down.”
He had been smiling and easygoing these past two days. But the moment his expression turned cold, no one dared to utter a word. They pushed and squeezed their way back into the bus, though many kept turning their heads to look out the windows.
“Taozi, take that fast vehicle and follow the road Mo Wang came from. Be careful…” Kang Cheng turned away, continuing to give instructions to a few soldiers.
Yesterday’s heavy rain carried into today’s overcast sky. Though it was the height of summer, the air stayed stubbornly cool.
Jiang Xinghuai sat on the ground, holding the dog in his arms, staring at the long, seemingly endless stretch of concrete road from which Mo Wang had run. A gust of wind blew from that direction, and he shivered.
Fu Yan took off his jacket and draped it over Jiang Xinghuai’s shoulders, then stood up and looked down that same road, his expression equally grim.
Everyone stayed there waiting for more than two hours. The people in the bus got on and off repeatedly, all watching the path where the two soldiers had driven away.
The murmuring within the crowd grew louder and longer as time passed.
Then Kang Cheng’s radio crackled to life.
Jiang Xinghuai turned his head to look.
Kang Cheng pressed the button—zzzt—a burst of static came through.
The uneasy voice of a soldier followed: “Captain… you’d better come take a look yourself…”
The engine roared to life again. Inside the vehicle, silence fell. Only the crunching sound of tires rolling over uneven stones remained.
In Jiang Xinghuai’s arms, Mo Wang stayed restless and uneasy. He held the dog tighter.
More than two hours later, the vehicle came to a stop atop a high slope. Two soldiers stood at the summit, looking down below.
After receiving confirmation that the area was secure, Kang Cheng led his team up the slope.
The wilderness lay in utter silence.
Even though everyone had guessed and braced themselves mentally for what they might find, the sight before them still went far beyond anything they had imagined.
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