Chapter 102.1

In these times, enemy agents were not uncommon, especially in the Border Defense areas.

Earlier, Wen Nuan had heard Gu Qinghan mention that one of their night training tasks was to shoot down balloons.

The enemy often sent reconnaissance planes at night and released balloons filled with propaganda leaflets about the other side.

There were instances where people were fooled by these little leaflets and defected.

Among the forces, the military bases for the navy and air force were especially crucial, as both had the best escape tools—boats and planes.

Therefore, the political screenings in these two branches were the strictest, particularly for pilots, whose screening was considered the hardest to pass in the entire organization.

These bases were also the ones most desired by enemy agents.

If they could obtain a pilot and a fighter jet, it would be an enormous asset.

Gu Qinghan had previously told her about the most rampant years on the other side, when their radio stations broadcasted messages promising four thousand taels of gold and beautiful women, directly aimed at infiltrating the military forces by enticing soldiers with the offer.

Luckily, the organization had intercepted these attempts, but whether anyone truly defected was a classified matter—ordinary people could never know the truth.

Even now, enemy agents remained active, infiltrating among the masses, but Wen Nuan never imagined they would be so bold as to infiltrate the military itself.

Wen Nuan glanced at Gu Qinghan’s furrowed brows and quietly asked, “Could they be trying to frame us?”

This seemed too obvious. Gu Qinghan was one of the best pilots, and taking him down would undoubtedly remove a significant threat.

Moreover, Gu Qinghan was a test pilot for the new fighter jets, so many people were probably keeping an eye on him.

Gu Qinghan subconsciously glanced toward the small room, then pulled Wen Nuan back to their own room and whispered, “It doesn’t seem like a frame-up. It seems more like they’re using the child to send a message.”

The code on the paper looked like it was drawn by a child, with immature doodles around the edges, as if the child had just scribbled.

It was likely that someone had used the child’s hand, or deliberately imitated the child’s drawing style. If one wasn’t paying close attention, they wouldn’t realize it was actually Morse code.

So the enemy probably used an innocent child to convey the message.

After all, who would suspect that the cunning enemy would hide a Morse code message in the backpack of a three or four-year-old child?

Seeing that Wen Nuan was frightened, Gu Qinghan slowly said, “And the meaning of this paper is: wait.”

Wen Nuan repeated, “Wait?”

Gu Qinghan nodded, then pulled Wen Nuan back to the bed, urging her to sit down before saying, “Maybe they’re waiting for the right moment, or for a person. We don’t know yet.”

This piece of paper was most likely misplaced by a child, and that’s how Lele inadvertently brought it home.

If it were an attempt to frame him, this paper alone wouldn’t be enough to accuse him of anything.

The enemy wouldn’t be so foolish as to use such a crude method to frame a key figure in a Flight Team. That would only be a futile effort.

Instead of trying to take him down, the enemy probably wanted Gu Qinghan to defect.

After all, in this era, the value of a fighter pilot and the intelligence he holds is immeasurable in monetary terms.

Wen Nuan thought for a moment, gently cradling her round belly, and said, “Lele brought a doll home today. She played with many classmates, and there were a few picture books in her backpack. But they weren’t hers—probably just kids swapping toys, which is why they ended up in there.”

Children often mix things up. Lele had previously brought back a dress by mistake, and things like books or pens often got swapped.

However, every weekend, Lele would clean out her backpack herself. Since she started kindergarten, Wen Nuan hadn’t really managed it anymore.

She hadn’t expected to accidentally discover this tonight.

Seeing the thoughtful expression on her husband’s face, Wen Nuan asked, “Since it’s not a frame-up, should we just hold off and not alarm the enemy?”

“They’ve probably already been alerted.” Gu Qinghan chuckled lightly, “They’re very cautious. As soon as they suspect their whereabouts might be exposed, they’ll immediately destroy all evidence and find a new way to communicate. They probably won’t use this method to contact us again for a while.”

Their tactics were ever-changing. They wouldn’t make such a big mistake and continue using the same method to contact them.

Wen Nuan frowned and sighed, “Doesn’t that make it much harder to catch them?”

Gu Qinghan pulled his wife into his arms, gently resting her head against his chest, one hand resting on her belly.

He spoke softly, “Quite the opposite. At least we can be certain there’s more than one of them. When there are multiple people involved, it’s easier to slip up.”

And this narrowed down the scope. At least one of them must have a child at home, or they wouldn’t have been able to infiltrate a school.

Gu Qinghan couldn’t have anticipated that the enemy would use children as a bridge.

But since they made a mistake, it was likely they would become disorganized. That’s when he could catch them in a trap.

Wen Nuan looked at Gu Qinghan with concern, asking, “But will the child be in danger? Shouldn’t we keep Lele from going to school for now?”

To be honest, Wen Nuan was worried. Lele was her precious little treasure.

If something were to happen to Lele, Wen Nuan couldn’t even bear to think about the consequences.

And it wasn’t just Lele at the kindergarten—there were many other lovely children, each one a precious part of their parents’ hearts.

If anything happened to any child, it would be a major blow to the team. The unit would be shamed and marked for failure.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to the kids, not a single one,” Gu Qinghan reassured her, tightening his hold on her arm.

Wen Nuan looked at him in disbelief. From the unwavering look in his eyes, she could tell that Gu Qinghan was confident he could get to the bottom of this.

She leaned into his embrace and said, “Then tomorrow, you should go early to the Colonel’s office and report this. Let him arrange for protection for the kindergarten kids.”

Such a serious matter within the unit would need to be reported to higher-ups immediately, and it would have to go to the highest authorities in the team.

Wen Nuan began to worry. If Gu Qinghan got involved in this situation, would he be in any danger as well?

“No rush,” Gu Qinghan said softly, “The fewer people who know about this, the better.”

“At this time, everyone’s a suspect.”

Even though it was this day and age, there was no way such high-ranking officials would be involved in such infiltrations.

However, Gu Qinghan had to be cautious. Even if he needed to report to the higher-ups, he had to conduct an investigation first.

He needed to rule out the top officials before making any reports.

Wen Nuan stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief, and asked, “You suspect even the Colonel…?”

She didn’t say the word *suspect*, but it was clearly implied.

She still trusted General Xu a lot, but her trust didn’t matter as much as Gu Qinghan’s cautious stance. His position was different from hers.

He had to think about the safety of the entire unit, and every step he took was a dangerous one. Everything had to be handled with extreme care.

Gu Qinghan replied coolly, “If General Lu were in our unit, I still wouldn’t tell him immediately.”

The appearance of enemy agents within the ranks meant that the entire army could be compromised—everyone from generals, colonels, brigade commanders, and political commissars, down to the guards, military family members, and even every child, could become a suspect.

Who was behind this? They had to rule out everyone, one by one.

Especially since this was an air force base—if it was a pilot who was turned, they could easily fly a fighter jet and escape the base.

There was also the risk that they might use the jet to attack fellow pilots, causing irreparable damage and casualties. In such a case, the higher-ups wouldn’t be able to escape the blame.

That’s why Gu Qinghan had to be extremely cautious.

Wen Nuan, seeing the tension in his body, could hardly understand, but she knew that the pressure Gu Qinghan was under at this moment was heavier than any mission he’d ever undertaken.

Noticing his continued tense posture, Wen Nuan teasingly asked, “So why don’t you suspect me? Aren’t you afraid I…?”

Before she could finish, Gu Qinghan kissed her, interrupting her words, and said, “You’ve done so much for the army and the research institute. You even made the compressed biscuits, and General Xu was going to recommend you for a third-class merit. Someone like you—could you betray the organization?”

“Besides, you’re my wife, my revolutionary partner. I have faith in you.”

Wen Nuan was stunned by his words, staring at him blankly, suddenly feeling a warmth in her eyes.

The feeling of being trusted and cherished was wonderful.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his warm shoulder, her voice choked with emotion as she said, “I swear with my life that I will always be loyal to the organization and never betray it.”

The country was growing stronger, and she felt incredibly lucky to have been born on this great land. She knew that every step the country took was hard-won.

She had grown up in a time of peace, under the flag, and her heart was as red as that flag.

Like Gu Qinghan, she was loyal to this land and to this country.

Looking into Wen Nuan’s eyes, which shone with such brightness, Gu Qinghan solemnly replied, “I will always be loyal to you and to the country. Don’t worry, I will protect our child and find out who did this as soon as possible.”

They held each other without saying another word.

Until a playful kick from the baby in Wen Nuan’s belly broke the silence, and even Gu Qinghan’s hand resting on her belly could clearly feel it.

Gu Qinghan, not daring to hug her casually, gently rubbed her belly, smiling, “The baby wants you to sleep now. You should rest.”

Then, he lowered his head, moved closer to Wen Nuan’s belly, and said softly, “Stop being naughty, let Mom rest.”

Wen Nuan gently ran her fingers through his slightly prickly hair and said, “Let’s sleep now. Tomorrow, when you take Lele to kindergarten, keep an eye out for any suspicious people.”

Wen Nuan felt uneasy, constantly fearing that if the enemy’s movements were discovered, they might try to kidnap the child.

Gu Qinghan, aware of her worries, lay beside her and gently patted her back. He remained by her side until Wen Nuan drifted into a deep sleep. Only then did he quietly slip out of bed and into the night.

Wen Nuan struggled to sleep through the night. It wasn’t just because of her pregnancy in the later stages, but also the constant unease in her heart.

A few times during the night, she woke up in a haze and found that Gu Qinghan wasn’t by her side. But when she woke up the next morning, Gu Qinghan was already up, brushing Lele’s teeth.

Noticing Aunt Chen busy in the kitchen, Wen Nuan quietly walked over to Gu Qinghan and asked, “Are you taking the child to school today?”

For a period of time, Aunt Chen had been the one to take Lele to school, and Wen Nuan hadn’t gone along.

Sometimes, Lele would cry and want Wen Nuan to take her, and Gu Qinghan would explain that Mom couldn’t go because of her condition, so only Dad could take her.

Gu Qinghan nodded. “Yes, I’ll take her.”

Wen Nuan hesitated for a moment but said nothing. Instead, she checked Lele’s schoolbag.

The paper with the Morse code was no longer there—it seemed that Gu Qinghan had taken it.

Lele finished brushing her teeth, yawned, and hugged Wen Nuan. “Mom, I’m going to school now. You and the baby stay at home and wait for me, okay?”

Seeing how sleepy and disheveled the little one was, Wen Nuan smiled and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. “Alright, remember to listen to your teacher, okay?”

“Got it!” Lele kissed Wen Nuan’s face back and waved. “Mom, I’m going to school with Dad. Bye-bye!”

Wen Nuan stood at the door, watching them leave. Gu Qinghan seemed unaffected, as usual.

After a moment of thought, Wen Nuan turned and went back inside. She realized there was nothing she could do to help Gu Qinghan, and at this point, the best she could do was not to be a hindrance to him.

With that in mind, she went to the chicken coop to let the chickens out and fed them some feed.