In the Turbulent Spring of Youth, Only You Captivate (1) Part 2

But Lu Huaizheng just grinned. "Awake now?" Then he nudged the bed with his foot again and looked at the man with a smile. "So, how do you like the army's beds? Comfy?"

The man smiled too. "It would be more comfortable with a woman. Where's that pretty lady from before? I like talking to her."

Without warning, Lu Huaizheng kicked again. The other end of the bed slammed into place, straightening the whole frame, though it was now shifted against the wall. He cocked his head with a slight smile and said, "Too bad. From now on, you're talking to me."

"I don't like negotiating with men."

"I don't like negotiating with men either," he said with a smile, turning his head to the side. "So let's make this quick. Ten o'clock tomorrow morning, a helicopter. I'll get you out of here. No other conditions."

"I told you, I only want the woman."

Lu Huaizheng leaned forward, resting an elbow on his knee, and met the man's dark eyes. "What, afraid you can't beat me?"

He insisted, "I don't need the child. I want that female doctor."

"Impossible." Lu Huaizheng's tone was light, but it was unquestionable and left no room for negotiation. "You have two choices now. Either wait to be executed, or leave with me tomorrow."

"What about the bombs in town? You don't care about them?"

Lu Huaizheng smiled. "We've already arranged other helicopters to evacuate some of the townspeople. At worst, it's just some property damage. If homes are gone, we can rebuild. I just find it troublesome and wanted to save the country some money, which is why I gave you a second option."

With that, Lu Huaizheng put his foot down and stood up to leave.

The man suddenly called out to him. After a long pause, he gritted his teeth and said, "I can give you a safe location. There are absolutely no bombs near it!"

"The condition?"

"Before nine tomorrow morning, change the helicopter to a car. I'll leave by myself. After I've left safely, I'll tell you the locations of the bombs. And before then, I can guarantee none of the bombs will detonate. You can evacuate the townspeople to the safe location. I guarantee that even if the other bombs go off, they won't affect that place."

At first, Lu Huaizheng thought demanding a helicopter was a brainless move. Most people don't know how to fly one, so he would need a pilot, and that pilot would surely be one of them. The man must have considered this, which was why he had insisted on two hostages to guarantee his safety.

Now it made sense.

He remained impassive. "Give me the address first. I have to confirm there's no danger before I can make a deal with you."

"The main auditorium behind Heshui Primary School."

...

At five in the morning, the eastern sky was gradually beginning to lighten.

Lu Huaizheng left the Solitary Confinement Room and drove directly into town to meet up with Sun Kai.

Sun Kai and Instructor Tang were standing on a bridge with their hands behind their backs. Their men were all around, clearing mines. The water in the ancient canal still flowed gently. A faint light from the horizon scattered across the small town. Through the thin morning mist, Lu Huaizheng parked his car at the head of the bridge. Zaza from the breakfast shop was up exceptionally early. Seeing Lu Huaizheng get out of the car, he rushed over and grabbed him. "Brother Lu!"

Lu Huaizheng turned around. "Zaza?"

"What have you guys been doing these past two days? Why do I keep seeing planes flying back and forth in the sky? What are they all doing?!"

They had maintained a news blackout, evacuating some of the elderly and children with makeshift excuses, not telling them the truth. Lu Huaizheng knew there would be a lot of public opinion to face later. If this operation failed, they might return to an empty town, and the situation would be even harder to handle.

He ruffled Zaza's hair. "Finished your homework? You have time to worry about this? Go back and do your homework. We'll let you know if anything happens."

Zaza refused to leave. "Are we going to war?"

Lu Huaizheng laughed. "What war is there for you to fight? Go home for now. Someone will notify you all later. I'm really busy this time. If you delay me for even a minute, things could get really dangerous."

Frightened, Zaza quickly let go. "So I'll go back and do my homework?"

"Go on."

As soon as he spoke, Zaza left reluctantly. Sun Kai must have heard something and turned around. Sure enough, he saw Lu Huaizheng and headed over with Instructor Tang.

Lu Huaizheng took his hat from the car and put it on, then grabbed a toolbox from the back of the jeep. He briefly and quickly explained the situation. Sun Kai understood immediately. "We're going to clear it now?"

Lu Huaizheng nodded, glancing down at the time on his military watch.

"We have to finish before six. If we confirm there's nothing in that area, we'll evacuate the remaining people there before nine."

"Are we really just letting him go?"

Sun Kai asked.

Lu Huaizheng sneered. As he pulled on his gloves, he said, "I've contacted the troops below and had them set up an ambush along the way. We'll grab him once the crisis is over." He looked up and asked casually, "Where did you catch him?"

"In the mountains back there. He was dressed like a mountain bandit. He looked suspicious so I questioned him a bit. He was evasive and wouldn't say anything, so I brought him back to the unit. Damn, when we searched him, holy crap, he was covered in bombs."

"Where are the things?" Lu Huaizheng asked, having finished putting on his gloves.

"Confiscated, of course."

...

Yu Hao woke up again at six. The sky was bright, and dawn was breaking on the horizon.

She couldn't help but think about what the two of them had done on this bed before she fell asleep, and her heart began to pound. The thought of seeing him later made her as happy as a magpie on a rooftop, her joy hard to contain. If it weren't for that psychopath, today would have been perfect.

Zhao Dailin was still fast asleep. Yu Hao checked the time, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. She washed up quietly and ran into Chen Rui as she was going downstairs. He was covered in mud, walking upstairs looking filthy. Chen Rui always greeted her with a wide grin, "Dr. Yu."

Yu Hao returned the smile.

This startled Chen Rui. He froze and stammered, "Dr. Yu...you seem to be in a good mood today."

Yu Hao paused. "Do I usually look fierce?"

Chen Rui scratched his head. His hands were muddy, and now he'd gotten it in his hair. "Not really, you just usually look...kind of unhappy..."

"Sorry to give you the wrong impression."

Yu Hao's sudden, sincere apology left Chen Rui at a loss. He stumbled over his words, not knowing what to say, and subconsciously replied, "Uh, it's nothing, it's all good. By the way, are you looking for the captain? He's at the Heshui Primary School auditorium. I was just about to head over, let me just wash my hands and grab something."

Yu Hao wanted to say.

'No, I'm not.'

But since he had already said it, she might as well go.

"Has he had breakfast?" Yu Hao asked casually.

"What time is there to eat? He hasn't slept a wink since getting off the plane. He's been clearing mines until now," Chen Rui said before walking into the bathroom.

Before getting in the car, Yu Hao went to the canteen to get a few buns. Worried that the soldiers over there hadn't eaten either, she grabbed a whole bag and followed Chen Rui to the auditorium.

The car had just stopped outside the gate.

Yu Hao saw him standing with his hands on his hips on a small earthen slope outside the auditorium. He wasn't much cleaner himself, his pant legs covered in mud, but he stood with his back ramrod straight. Despite not having slept all night, he showed no signs of fatigue and was still full of energy. All around, soldiers in Military Uniforms were lying on the ground, probing with mine detectors.

Chen Rui turned off the engine, grabbed his things, and got out of the car.

Yu Hao followed behind him.

She saw Lu Huaizheng walk a few steps to the side, still with his hands on his hips. He smoothed some dirt with his foot, then turned his back, hiked up his pant legs, and squatted down. He reached a hand back, and a soldier behind him silently passed him a probe. He was on the ground, and just as he stood up after finishing his check, he heard Chen Rui call him from behind. He turned and saw Yu Hao walking toward him.

Yu Hao found herself inexplicably starting to run.

When she reached him, he caught her with one arm and asked with a smile, "What are you running for?"

Yu Hao stopped, not knowing why she had run either. She just wanted to get to his side faster.

"I heard the suspect is willing to talk?"

Yu Hao's hair wasn't tied tightly, and when she ran, wisps of hair came loose, falling across her forehead and at her temples. She'd had a lot of baby hair since she was a child, and it was all very curly, escaping easily.

Lu Huaizheng looked down at her, his gaze gentle, and casually tucked all the stray strands behind her ear for her, giving a nonchalant 'mm-hmm.'

Chen Rui watched from the side, completely dumbfounded.

The captain was getting more and more lawless in the way he doted on a woman.

...

Ten minutes later, Lu Huaizheng and Sun Kai completed their final checks, and the alert at Heshui Primary School was officially lifted.

Yu Hao was eating a bun as she watched him and Sun Kai walk over with a group of people behind them.

When they reached her, Yu Hao offered the bag beside her. "Why don't you fill your stomachs first?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Huaizheng took off his gloves, bent down, and took a bite from the very bun she had been eating. He then calmly continued walking and discussing the next strategic deployment with Sun Kai.

...