Several people gathered around, chattering, and skillfully took the luggage from Lu Mingyu's hands.
Unlike usual, the captain wasn't holding a duffel bag today.
Instead, he had several shopping bags bearing luxury brand logos.
They looked completely out of place in this environment.
"Yo, Boss, what good stuff is this?"
"Boss, did you go out shopping?"
Li Xiaoniu was the most curious; he held a few shopping bags and felt they were quite heavy.
He didn't stand on ceremony and opened them right in front of everyone.
Several neatly folded men's long-sleeve T-shirts were revealed, their fabric and cut clearly indicating their high value.
"Wow, these clothes aren't cheap!"
Wang Yanbing leaned over for a look, clicking his tongue in amazement.
On the other side, Wu Tianlong also opened the shopping bag he was holding.
Inside were several exquisitely packaged bottles of multivitamins, and next to them, a small black box.
Wu Tianlong opened the box, revealing a precisely designed, powerful military watch lying quietly within.
This watch was clearly custom-made for soldiers.
It was not only sturdy and durable but also had multiple auxiliary functions for wilderness survival.
"Boss, this watch is awesome!"
"Boss, these wouldn't be bought by our sister-in-law, would they?"
"It must be our sister-in-law who bought them!"
"Boss wouldn't even look at these, let alone go out of his way to buy them."
"And these vitamins, our sister-in-law must feel sorry for you, afraid you're training too hard and your body can't take it."
"Brothers, don't you agree!"
"Hahaha, that must be it!"
The team members spoke one after another, each with a gossipy smile on their face.
They all guessed that Boss's sudden departure from the base was definitely to see his girlfriend.
Lu Mingyu didn't refute, tacitly confirming their guess.
Thinking of Gu Lina Zha's serious and focused expression when she was picking out these things for him.
His lips had already unconsciously curved into a faint smile.
"Boss, our future sister-in-law has really good taste."
Li Xiaoniu picked up a piece of clothing and held it against himself, saying with a grin.
"I heard that girls from Jiangdu have a different kind of taste; they know how to dress up and are very fashionable."
As soon as Li Xiaoniu's words fell, the surroundings instantly quieted down.
The other team members looked at him with an idiotic gaze, wishing they could rush up and cover his mouth.
The gentle smile on Lu Mingyu's face vanished instantly without a trace.
He turned his head, his deep gaze like a sharp sword pinning Li Xiaoniu.
The air seemed to solidify.
"'Jiangdu'? You know quite a lot!"
"Do you want me to report to the superiors and have you go to the intelligence department to gather information?"
Lu Mingyu's voice was flat, yet it carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Li Xiaoniu's forehead; he then realized he had let slip something.
"I... I..."
He stammered, unable to speak a complete sentence for a long time.
Lu Mingyu's gaze grew even colder.
"Who told you?"
He pressed, the chill in his tone making the surrounding temperature seem to drop a few degrees.
Li Xiaoniu shivered in fear, looking at Wu Tianlong next to him for help.
Without thinking, he directly pushed his companion forward.
"Not me! It was Tianlong!"
"Tianlong was the one who investigated!"
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Wu Tianlong.
Wu Tianlong cursed Li Xiaoniu a hundred times in his heart.
But he still bit the bullet and stepped forward.
He wasn't as flustered as Li Xiaoniu, his expression was still relatively calm.
He met Lu Mingyu's gaze and explained in a deep voice.
"Boss, don't blame Xiaoniu, I was the one who did this."
"It's also because we were all too worried about you."
Wang Yanbing and Zhou Chenguang also quickly stepped out to help.
"That's right, Boss, we just weren't at ease."
Wu Tianlong continued, "We were afraid you'd be deceived, after all, the internet isn't safe."
Wu Tianlong admitted frankly.
"We had no ill intentions, we just genuinely care about you and treat you like our own elder brother."
"Boss, please don't be angry."
The team members all lowered their heads, like children who had done something wrong.
They were the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group, fearless warriors on the battlefield.
But in front of Lu Mingyu, they would always be the team members who needed his protection.
Lu Mingyu looked at them, and the anger that had risen in his heart due to his privacy being invaded slowly subsided.
He knew that they were just using the most clumsy way to express their concern for him.
He was silent for a moment, and only the sound of the wind remained on the entire training ground.
Finally, he spoke in a deep voice.
"This is the first time, and it's also the last time."
His voice carried a warning.
But the coldness from before was gone.
"Without my order, do not act on your own initiative, do you understand?"
"Understood!"
The team members answered in unison, their voices loud, and at the same time, they all breathed a huge sigh of relief.
They knew that the captain had forgiven them.
"Don't let it happen again."
Lu Mingyu threw out these four words, putting an end to the matter.
The tense atmosphere in the team finally dissipated.
Lu Mingyu glanced at the sky, his expression becoming serious again.
He clapped his hands, attracting the attention of the team members.
"Alright, everyone, cheer up, it's time to get to work."
"Tonight, a new batch of Rookies will arrive to participate in our special forces selection."
Upon hearing the word "Rookie," Li Xiaoniu and the others' eyes instantly lit up, and they rubbed their fists, eager to try.
"Don't worry, Boss!"
"We guarantee they'll feel the enthusiasm of our Macrophages as soon as they arrive!"
Lu Mingyu nodded, having no doubt about their execution.
"Get everything that needs to be prepared ready, don't embarrass me."
"Yes!"
The team members received their orders and immediately dispersed, each going about their busy tasks.
Only then did Lu Mingyu pick up his luggage and walk towards the dormitory.
Everything in the dormitory was filled with a tough military style.
It was completely different from Gu Lina Zha's soft and fragrant world.
He placed his luggage on the ground but didn't immediately start organizing it.
He sat down by the bed, leaning back, lying down on the hard bed board.
Her soft body in the car, her tearful voice.
And her eyes, swollen like a rabbit's, replayed scene by scene in his mind.
The pang of sadness and reluctance from their parting now surged up again.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He seemed to want to firmly engrave her soft scent in his heart.
After a while, he reopened his eyes and pulled out his phone from his pocket.
The phone screen lit up, reflecting his deep facial features.
He opened the chat interface with Gu Lina Zha.
Her avatar was a playful selfie, smiling brightly and radiantly.
His long fingers tapped lightly on the screen, typing out a line of text.
"Text me when you arrive, to let me know you're safe."
The loud roar of the airplane gradually diminished, finally coming to a steady stop on the tarmac.
Gu Lina Zha, in the first-class cabin, looked out through the small porthole at the familiar airport.
Jiangdu, she was back.
But her heart seemed to have been left behind in that distant border town.
Left behind with the man who haunted her thoughts.
Passengers around her began to stand up and retrieve their luggage, and the sweet voice of the flight attendant sounded over the intercom.
She, however, was somewhat dazed, slow to move.
It wasn't until her phone was allowed to be turned on that she seemed to have a switch flipped, immediately taking out her phone from her bag.
The screen lit up, and an unread message lay quietly there.
It was from Lu Mingyu.
"Text me when you arrive, to let me know you're safe."
A simple sentence, without intimate addresses or superfluous sweet words.
Yet, it was like a warm current, instantly enveloping Gu Lina Zha's heart.
She seemed to be able to see through these words the man's serious and somewhat clumsy yet caring face.
Her lips couldn't help but curve upwards, outlining a sweet and satisfied arc.
Xiao Lu, her assistant beside her, shook her head helplessly at her appearance.
"Naza-jie, we should get off the plane now."
"Oh, okay."
Gu Lina Zha responded, her long fingers rapidly tapping on the screen.
"I've arrived, landed safely, don't worry."
"It's just... I miss you a little."
After pressing the send button, she contentedly put away her phone, unbuckled her seatbelt, and stood up.