Early the next morning, Lin Beichen arrived punctually at the dormitory building.
But strangely, Xia Luyao did not appear.
He checked the time; it was already eight o'clock.
He wondered to himself, "Where is she? Could she have ditched me?"
Lin Beichen was lost in thought when suddenly he heard someone calling his name.
"Lin Beichen!"
The voice made Lin Beichen instinctively raise his head, only to see a figure in a light blue long dress walking towards him gracefully.
As she got closer, Lin Beichen felt this face looked familiar.
This girl, how could she resemble their captain so much?
"Lin Beichen, what are you daydreaming about here?" The girl asked with a puzzled expression.
The voice made Lin Beichen's heart skip a beat. Isn't this their captain's voice?
He looked closely and realized the girl was indeed Xia Luyao.
But why was she dressed so elegantly today?
"You..." Lin Beichen looked at Xia Luyao, full of astonishment.
He had never seen Xia Luyao in a dress before; this outfit made her look as refreshing as the girl next door, starkly different from her usual stern image.
Xia Luyao noticed the surprise in Lin Beichen's eyes and, feeling a bit uneasy, touched her ear, wondering if Lin Beichen found her current attire strange.
"Do I look strange like this?" Xia Luyao tentatively asked.
Lin Beichen quickly shook his head, "No, it's not strange. I'm just used to seeing you in uniform, so I'm a bit surprised now."
He thought to himself, with such an obvious trap question, how could he say it's strange?
However, Xia Luyao indeed had a unique charm dressed like this.
Hearing Lin Beichen's answer, an inexplicable joy filled Xia Luyao's heart.
She softly said, "It's getting late, let's head off."
Lin Beichen nodded, and the two set off for the beach.
The early autumn breeze carried a slight chill, just right as it blew over them.
The sand on the beach was soft and delicate, feeling very comfortable underfoot.
Lin Beichen and Xia Luyao walked side by side on the beach, chatting.
"Lin Beichen, why did you want to join the military?" Xia Luyao curiously asked.
She had always wondered why someone like Lin Beichen, inheritor of Daoist Art, chose the path of the military.
Lin Beichen chuckled softly, "Perhaps it's destiny."
He answered vaguely, then counter-questioned, "And you? Why would a girl like you choose the military?"
Xia Luyao answered firmly, "Why can't girls join the military? I want to prove that girls can also be powerful, and can become outstanding members of the Special Team." She longed to prove herself, relying solely on herself, not her parents' influence.
Lin Beichen agreed, "You've already achieved that." He said sincerely.
The corners of Xia Luyao's mouth lifted slightly, "This is the first time I've heard you compliment me."
She looked at Lin Beichen, a hint of a smile flickering in her eyes.
Seeing Xia Luyao's rare smile, something stirred within Lin Beichen, but he quickly calmed down.
He teased, "Compliment you? When did I compliment you?"
Xia Luyao glared at him, feigning anger, and shouted, "Lin Beichen!" Then chased after him, and the two began to frolic on the beach, as if they had returned to a carefree childhood.
The two-day holiday flew by, and upon returning to the garrison district, they received a new mission.
This mission was not complicated, but it made the members of the Venomous Snake Special Team frown.
Deng Zhong called the seven team members to his office, sighed, and said, "Although Comrade Yu Fei was a member of the Wolf King Special Team in the Shen City Garrison District, this mission is one you will execute together. Therefore, the higher-ups and the Shen City Garrison District have decided that you and the Wolf King Special Team members will escort Comrade Yu Fei's ashes home."
"Understood, we guarantee to complete the mission!" The members of the Venomous Snake Special Team responded in unison, with sorrow on their faces.
Deng Zhong looked at them, understanding their feelings.
He stood up, walked in front of them, and said, "I know you're all upset. This time, it's also for you to send off your comrade."
Everyone nodded upon hearing this, then left the office to meet up with the members of the Wolf King Special Team in the Shen City Garrison District to jointly escort Yu Fei home.
At this moment, in a village in Shen City, several giant excavators were busily working, reducing rows of brick houses to rubble under their iron arms.
The banners that used to hang under the eaves were now buried under bricks and stones.
The villagers gathered, expressing anger and dissatisfaction at this forced demolition, but a group of people in black work uniforms coldly blocked them off, turning a deaf ear to the villagers' protests.
After demolishing a row of houses in front, the overseer wearing a black hat directed the excavator to tear down a nearby brick house.
This house wasn't much different from the others, only a simple mourning hall was erected in front of it.
The autumn wind gently lifted the black drapes on the mourning hall, brushing over a black-and-white photo placed inside.
In front of the mourning hall, a grey-haired old man, a middle-aged woman with short hair, and a young girl, all with faces full of sorrow, tried to stop the excavator that had already destroyed their home's courtyard wall.
"I am waiting for my son, I cannot let him not find his way home." The old man begged with deep sadness, steadfast in the old belief that departed souls would return home. But her plea did not elicit any sympathy.
The project foreman, a middle-aged man in a gray suit with a gold chain around his neck, was sitting by the roadside, playing cards.