At the forefront of the town’s street was a newly opened hotel―the Chunyang Grand Hotel. Several girls dressed in camisoles and miniskirts were greeting a few guests jumping down from a van.
As Ye Jian passed by the hotel, she just looked at the road in front of her. Carrying the food she bought, she walked quickly to Principal Chen’s home.
A bowl of braised pork in brown sauce, a braised grass carp, a bowl of fried dried beans with bacon, a share of tomato soup, and a bowl of green vegetables. Sipping the rice wine, Principal Chen and Grandpa Gen started their conversation, delightedly.
When they finished the meal, they both felt a bit drunk.
On the other hand, Ye Jian had packed everything. Carrying her school bag and taking a flashlight, she headed to the New Recruit Camp.
The New Recruit Camp was about ten miles away from the home of Principal Chen. When she walked past the Chunyang Grand Hotel, several motorcycles sped from the front. Instinctively, Ye Jian turned off her flashlight. She saw the motorcycles turn and stop at the door of the hotel.
The blinding motorcycles lights, which were not extinguished immediately, reflected on the glass door of the hotel, rendering dazzling rays.
The night wind, accompanied by a pungent smell of diesel, contained a slight whiff of blood. Ye Jian couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose, leaving hastily.
Laughing, the several girls dressed in camisoles, whom Ye Jian saw during the day, came out to greet their guests coming down from the motorcycles one by one.
“Get out of the way!” A man yelled angrily, blocking the path of one of the girls. He turned around and got off from the motorcycle. “Take the meal to my room and let Liao Youde come over.”
Ye Jian paused slightly, and when she lifted her feet again, her footsteps were more firm and faster.
The remnant smell of blood had not faded in the air. Instead of walking forward, Ye Jian took a shortcut to the New Recruit Camp.
When she passed by a pond in the village, she heard rapid gasping sounds coming from under the pond bank, and then there was the splashing sound of water. It sounded like someone was crawling out from the pond.
The scent of mud was mingled with a strong bloody smell, which made Ye Jian stop walking. Slowly, she lowered her body and squatted on the wet ground.
The sound of water disappeared, while the panting became faster…
Ye Jian kept her mouth closed tightly. This person was injured. Was he a villager from the town? No, that’s unlikely. If he were, he would have called for help.
She had always been cautious. She did not move. Holding her breath, she blended herself into the darkness of the night.
In the darkness, someone staggered up and limped toward the camp on the hill. The smell of blood was getting heavier.
As Ye Jian saw the black shadow clearly, barely hesitating, she jumped up from the ground. Stuffing the flashlight into her bag, she ran to the limping black shadow.
“Let me help you go over there, come on, lean on me! I’ve got you!”
Ye Jian, who had rushed over to the man, grabbed his right arm and put it on her shoulder. Holding the man’s strong waist with her other hand, she said, “I know Battalion Commander Yang. Don’t talk. Let’s go back and treat your wounds first.”
Since she had been staying in the army for so long, the breath emitted by the black shadow was familiar to her. It was the fierce military authority that made the soldiers remain unperturbed in the face of life and death.
Extremely injured and experiencing excessive blood loss, the man had been holding on until now thanks to his willpower. When Ye Jian rushed out, he had already loaded the pistol in his hand.