Chapter 17: Release

Once Qi Jun’s condition stabilized, the convoy immediately set off.

Lin Yiqiao was prone to carsickness, so Qi Jun told her to ride up front in the transport truck—which, to her surprise, was being driven by Xiao Guohua.

The special forces captain himself was driving, with heavy armed escort surrounding them the whole way.

As this thought ran through her mind, she looked up and met Xiao Guohua’s eyes—he was giving her a half-smile, half-smirk.

Lin Yiqiao found him unpleasant, but didn’t want to make a scene. Once seated, she simply shut her eyes, figuring: out of sight, out of mind.

Xiao Guohua’s driving was indeed smooth. Maybe it was because Qi Jun was in the back—he didn’t dare make any more snide remarks.

Lin Yiqiao slept soundly the entire way. By the time they reached Beidu, it was already completely dark.

The only brightness in the pitch-black night came from the military hospital’s lights. Dozens of people in white lab coats stood at attention, ready.

As soon as the transport truck stopped, they quickly wheeled Qi Jun inside.

Lin Yiqiao felt uneasy—nervous, even. She instinctively tried to follow after Qi Jun, but was stopped by several uniformed officers.

The man leading the group held out his credentials. “Comrade Lin Yiqiao, please cooperate with our investigation.”

Before she could even register what was happening, handcuffs were snapped onto her wrists.

She was escorted into a jeep, surrounded on both sides—as if she were some heinous criminal.

Lin Yiqiao tried to stay calm. I’ve done nothing wrong. Maybe it’s just routine questioning…

But when she was brought into the interrogation room, real fear began to take hold.

The small, pitch-dark room had only a tiny window the size of a palm. The iron interrogation chair was agonizingly uncomfortable—her waist began to go numb, and the cuffs bit painfully into her wrists.

A blinding white light shone in her face, forcing her to squint.

Behind a small iron window sat two interrogators, a man and a woman—she couldn’t quite make out their faces.

“Before going to find Qi Jun, did you make contact with a female accomplice?” the woman asked.

“No. I didn’t do anything. I was just following the unit to complete the emergency harvest assignment. I don’t have any accomplices. I didn’t meet anyone,” Lin Yiqiao said firmly.

“Are you sure? You didn’t meet a woman in the cafeteria?”

A short-haired woman flashed through Lin Yiqiao’s memory, sending a cold sweat down her spine.

“I didn’t know her at all. She came to me, asking me to eat with the comrades in the unit!”

The interrogators didn’t respond—just a long, heavy silence.

Lin Yiqiao heard a pen scratching on paper. Her heartbeat quickened, like she was waiting for a verdict.

“Riiing—”

The desk phone inside the interrogation room rang, piercingly loud in the dark.

The two interrogators hesitated, exchanging looks. Who would dare call here directly?

The man finally picked it up.

“Yes, sir,” he answered.

The phone had terrible feedback, and a deep, familiar voice came through loud and clear.
“This is Qi Jun of the 32nd Regiment. I order you—release Lin Yiqiao immediately.”

The moment she heard that voice, Lin Yiqiao nearly burst into tears.

“Sir,” the interrogator glanced at Lin Yiqiao, “but… we were ordered by superiors to investigate this thoroughly—”

“Superiors? Which ones?”

The interrogator didn’t dare respond.

“Fine. Have Hu Junsheng call me directly.”

“Yes, sir.”

The male interrogator immediately got up and left the room. The female interrogator, Chen Yuxiu, finally looked directly at Lin Yiqiao for the first time.

Lin Yiqiao was filled with overwhelming relief. When she met Chen Yuxiu’s eyes, she instantly understood the judgment there:

Vixen.

But Lin Yiqiao wasn’t even angry.

Because—

Even being a vixen takes talent.

Before long, the male interrogator returned—this time rushing in, keys in hand.

He quickly unlocked Lin Yiqiao’s cuffs, no longer as aggressive as before. “You’re free to go.”

Lin Yiqiao rubbed her wrists and said nothing. Without another glance at either of them, she stood up and walked straight out.

At the door, the two guards who had escorted her earlier were still there. They silently led her back out.