The cries from behind grew fainter and fainter. Though reluctant, Lin Yuan did not turn back, not even for a glance.
If he looked back again, he wouldn't be able to leave.
They traveled in silence, and Lin Yuan rode in a special car from the Intelligence Department out of the city.
Zheng Mengmeng was driving and couldn't help but find his appearance a bit strange.
*Did the team leader cry?*
As far as she knew, the team leader had never shed tears in front of them.
Even when he was made to stay in that lake for two hours until his oxygen ran out before coming up, he hadn't cried, only cursed that his fear of water was finally completely gone.
"What's wrong, Brother Yuan? Did your wife bully you at home?"
Lin Yuan also realized his state was a bit off. He quickly wiped his eyes, patted his face, and adjusted his demeanor.
"It's nothing. It's just that your sister-in-law is pregnant, and I'm really afraid I won't be able to come back now."
"Pregnant?!" Zheng Mengmeng seemed to have heard something shocking, and the car even swerved. She quickly corrected its course. "Really? Is it a boy or a girl?!"
"It's not clear yet."
"Hooray, Brother Yuan! I want to be the godmother when the baby is born!"
Lin Yuan: "..."
Everyone wants to be my child's godmother, it's really something.
\_(:з」∠)\_
"Well, we'll see then."
"Got it!" Zheng Mengmeng, now cheerful, drove seriously again. Suddenly, she thought of something and reminded him, "Right, Brother Yuan, you can apply to Team Leader Ying for leave. We all joined voluntarily, and for the sake of the child, Team Leader Ying should agree."
Lin Yuan rolled his eyes and said somewhat grumpily, "What are you thinking? We swore an oath in front of the Red Flag. I just got this news suddenly and can't quite process it yet."
"Oh~, okay. Then Brother Yuan, are you in a state not suitable for combat right now? Should we wait for next time?"
"It's fine, I know my own condition."
Seeing Lin Yuan say this, Zheng Mengmeng didn't say anything further and focused on driving.
On the training ground, the helicopters were already parked, and Ying Tianlong was giving a pre-mission briefing.
"Comrades, the target of this mission is Fushui Village in Qingshe County. Your task is to investigate the abnormalities appearing in this area. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
"Let me add one more thing. You have experienced so many missions, you can be said to have shared life and death." When he said this, pride and glory were evident on the faces of every team member.
Because the dangers they encountered in every mission were countless, sharing life and death was not an exaggeration. Moreover, every mission was completed with everyone's cooperation; there was never a case of a solo clear.
"Therefore, I hope that when you encounter situations that cannot be resolved, you can trust your comrades and trust the comrades by your side. Alright, enough talk, let's go!"
"Yes!!"
Although they were puzzled why Ying Tianlong suddenly said these things, the others didn't think much of it.
They just took it as a routine encouragement.
The helicopters took off.
The sound of the rotor blades tearing through the air amplified in their ears, then gradually lessened.
This was the effect of the automatic noise reduction after the helicopter achieved stable flight.
The latest model of aircraft was indeed good.
As expected, technology is the primary productive force!
Lin Yuan was changing his gear but remembered something he had wanted to do for a long time but never had the chance.
Now was his chance.
He reached out.
He grabbed Wang Xiaoxin's hair and shook it.
"Ah! Little Lin, what are you doing!" Wang Xiaoxin covered her head and glared at Lin Yuan hatefully.
Pulling hair hurts!
But she found Lin Yuan looking at her hair very seriously, and her confusion quickly overshadowed the pain. She asked, "What's up, Old Lin? If you have something to say, just say it."
After looking for a long time without finding anything unusual, Lin Yuan twisted the two strands of hair into a ball and casually tossed them away.
He made a funny face, "It's nothing. I've just always wanted to pull your hair. I never had the chance before, or I was too cowardly. Today, I suddenly felt a surge of courage and just did it. Hahahaha."
Wang Xiaoxin: "..."
This old lady's hairpins were meticulously arranged.
In the end, she didn't get angry at Lin Yuan. It was such a small matter. She considered it her act of great mercy as Miss Wang to give him the opportunity to fulfill his childhood dream.
It was a勉强 managed to get past.
The hair didn't move on its own; it was identified as a normal human.
However, Lin Yuan's tossing of the hair was a feint. The hair he threw away had already been discreetly put into a sealed bag and kept close to him.
He wouldn't throw it away for now.
What if it moved later?
"We have reached near the mission destination and are descending to prepare for rappelling."
This time, they didn't use motorcycles. They rappelled directly to a point 5 kilometers away from the mission location and proceeded on foot.
"Commencing operation. Everyone, remember to call out your operation call signs."
Although their individual call signs had been issued a long time ago, Lin Yuan still reminded them before each operation.
This was to prevent any issues.
Ying Tianlong's call sign was Zi Shu, Lin Yuan's was Chou Niu, Wang Xiaoxin's was Yin Hu, Jiang Hai's was Shen Hou, Wan Changfeng's was Chen Long, Bai Shanjin's was Si She, Kong Ming's was Wu Ma, Zheng Mengmeng's was Mao Tu. The remaining four team members were Wei Yang, You Ji, Xu Gou, and Hai Zhu.
The Intelligence Group and the Action Group, a total of 12 people, corresponded exactly to the twelve zodiac animals.
"Yin Hu and Si She, proceed forward three thousand meters for reconnaissance. The rest will follow me to scout the surrounding area."
"Understood."
Four minutes later, Wang Xiaoxin's voice sounded on the communication system.
"Calling Chou Niu, Yin Hu is in position, no abnormalities detected yet."
"Calling Chou Niu, Si She is in position, no abnormalities detected yet."
"Chou Niu received. Maintain cover. Reconnaissance of the surrounding area is complete. We will regroup shortly." Lin Yuan finished speaking and directed the remaining team members forward.
Then, he secretly glanced at the hair in the sealed bag. It was still motionless, and his senses detected no danger from it.
All clear.
On a hidden mountain ridge on the other side, Carol Anna had observed Lin Yuan and his team's actions clearly.
Someone next to her did not understand her actions and asked, "Boss, why don't you do it? They're obviously trying to catch us all in one go!"
(Subsequent dialogue is automatically considered English.)
Carol Anna's lips curved slightly, and she said, "Let's go, Anderson. Accompany Number Three in a play."
"A play?"
"Don't ask too many questions about the specifics. Remember not to hit them for real later, just focus on protecting yourself. Follow orders, understand!"
Although Anderson didn't understand why his boss was doing this, he still replied, "Understood!"
He was loyal to Carol Anna, not her father, so he didn't need to know all the details. He just needed to follow orders.