Chapter 16: Surgery

The search party quickly arrived at the deep pit, and Xiao Guohua, leading the group, jumped in without hesitation.

“Commander, we—”

“We’ll talk later,” Qi Jun cut him off.

Several soldiers lifted Qi Jun out of the pit, while someone reached down to help Lin Yiqiao up as well.

Qi Jun turned back and looked at Lin Yiqiao. “She’s coming back to Beidu with me.”

Xiao Guohua gave them a surprised glance, his eyes shifting between the two of them. Lin Yiqiao couldn’t care less about his reaction—once she heard that, she immediately trotted after Qi Jun.

At the foot of the mountain, a line of military jeeps was parked tightly along the path, looking oddly out of place in the rugged terrain.

Several people in white lab coats rushed forward with a stretcher the moment they spotted Qi Jun. They carefully lifted him into a tightly sealed transport truck.

Lin Yiqiao hopped up after them—she really had her eyes opened this time.

She had ridden in one of these trucks on the way here, and she remembered clearly: the back of the truck didn’t even have seats. The soldiers all sat on the floor.

But this truck was different. It was fully equipped—with all sorts of instruments, even an operating area.

Once a blood transfusion was started for Qi Jun, the team of doctors and nurses began methodically checking his vitals—blood pressure, temperature, everything.

“Comrade, we’re about to remove the bullet. Please step out,” one of the nurses said to Lin Yiqiao.

“Okay.” Lin Yiqiao sensed something odd in the nurse’s tone, but she didn’t dwell on it.

She turned and looked at Qi Jun—only to find him already looking at her.

Lin Yiqiao smiled at him, made a fist in front of her face as a gesture of encouragement, then turned and jumped down from the truck without looking back.

Once outside, she realized the entire vehicle was surrounded by heavily armed soldiers. The jeeps formed a tight defensive perimeter.

She was startled and cautiously made her way out. Near one of the jeeps, a field telephone line had been set up, and Xiao Guohua stood in front of it, speaking on the phone with a respectful expression.

“Yes, yes… Commander Qi is still in surgery. The doctors say they stopped the bleeding in time. You can rest assured—he’ll be fine.”

Lin Yiqiao didn’t dare eavesdrop, so she quickly slipped to the side—but Xiao Guohua still noticed her out of the corner of his eye.

Once he hung up, he walked over to her. “Comrade Lin, quite the impressive move you pulled.”

That comment irritated Lin Yiqiao—was he out of his mind?

“What, you like Qi Jun too?” she shot back.

Her words made Xiao Guohua flush red with indignation. “You—!”

Lin Yiqiao thought, Tch, never seen a man this fragile before. Can’t even handle a little jab?

“Big man like you—why don’t you mind your own business and go investigate the case instead.”

With that, she turned and walked off, her long braid swinging behind her with each step.

Soldiers with rifles were stationed all around, and the jeeps were filled with personnel. Lin Yiqiao wisely kept her distance.

She walked over to a large tree, plucked a piece of foxtail grass, and soon wove it into a small bunny.

Xiao Guohua watched from a distance and gave a cold laugh. Lin Yiqiao rolled her eyes and turned her back to him.

Before long, a few doctors emerged from the truck.

Lin Yiqiao rushed over. “How did the surgery go?”

Seeing how anxious she looked—like a family member—Xu Ruyun frowned and was about to speak, but a kind-looking female doctor beside her stopped her.

“The surgery was a success. Commander Qi is in good shape—he’ll recover quickly,” the female doctor said.

“Great! Thank you all. You’ve worked hard!” Lin Yiqiao beamed brightly.

Then she hopped back onto the truck, clutching the grass bunny, and pounced onto Qi Jun, her clothes still a little damp from the night.

Qi Jun slowly opened his eyes—and this was the first thing he saw.

Lin Yiqiao leaned over his bedside and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”

Qi Jun shook his head.

“I’ll make you chicken soup when we get back.”

He nodded again.

“But you’ll have to supply the chicken.”

“Alright.”

Outside, Xu Ruyun heard every word clearly, but didn’t have the nerve to storm in and throw a tantrum in front of Qi Jun.

“What’s going on between them? How long has Zhao Hui been gone?”

Tang Fenghua gave her a sidelong glance. “People can’t live in the past forever.”

“But…”

“That’s enough.” Tang Fenghua’s gaze turned sharp. “Xu Ruyun, don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”