"Well, you have a point," Zhu Mingjun said. He must have his own plans for not getting involved, so as not to mess things up and become a burden to others.
Time flew by quickly until midnight. Elise and the two children were fast asleep.
Before leaving, Lin Yuan called Trist to the living room and asked him to help write a few words on the cloak.
"Little Zhu, this is permanent ink. Are you sure you want to write on it?" Trist asked. After all, something like this, a symbol, could easily expose him.
"Yes, just the four letters hsAC. Make them big and bold."
"Alright," Trist said, wisely not asking the meaning of these letters.
At this moment, Lin Yuan was applying makeup to himself. If he went out in his current appearance, he might be recognized, so he needed to put on some light makeup. This skill was personally taught to him by Ying Tianlong, a direct disciple of a top agent from the former Huaxia Intelligence Bureau! He had learned about seventy to eighty percent of the skill. While not yet masterful, after the makeup, Trist had to look closely for a long time to recognize Lin Yuan.
"Your skills are impeccable."
"Hahaha, thank you for the compliment."
After cupping his fists to thank Trist for the praise, Lin Yuan conducted his final inspection. Weapons, ammunition, gold bars, some firearms and equipment, gas mask filters, emergency water (bagged), two peace charm bags containing Angelica sinensis, a lighter, cigarettes, magnesium rods, a special compass, the black technology given by Carol Anna, Wang Xiaoxin's hair. Wait, Wang Xiaoxin's hair?
Lin Yuan took out the bag and examined it carefully. It did contain two strands of hair. To be precise, were they Andrea's? No, her body was Wang Xiaoxin's, so these two strands of hair belonged to Wang Xiaoxin. When did I put this thing into my pack? Lin Yuan tried hard to recall the situation when he was packing his gear. After returning from hsAC, Lin Yuan had kept these two strands of hair in the safe at home. That's right, he had taken them when he went to get the gold bars. This gold wasn't provided by the command center. Gold is not just a precious metal; it has extremely important roles in various industries. The command center would not give him gold for free; he needed to exchange it with military merit points. Even after exchanging, it would take time for it to be delivered, and he couldn't just get it immediately. He had to exchange it in advance.
This thing seemed useless. Just as he was about to throw it away, he inexplicably withdrew his hand midway. ??? Does my arm have a mind of its own? But since he had retrieved it, Lin Yuan decided not to throw it away. It was destiny, so he would keep it.
At 3:13 AM. Trist had also finished drawing the letters Lin Yuan requested. He had even used his artistic talent to make the hsAC logo less conspicuous, so that enemies wouldn't be able to spot him immediately in the heavy snow.
"Amazing, Trist!" Lin Yuan picked up the combat suit and looked at it from left to right, giving Trist a thumbs-up. Excellent!
"Oh, right, I'll leave this for you guys." This trip was dangerous, and Lin Yuan didn't know if he would return. He left behind a partially used bottle of healing potion, several needles, a bottle of saline solution, a pack of special cold medicine, told Trist the dilution ratio, and the entire food pack, along with half a gold bar.
Seeing that Lin Yuan was giving him so many things, Trist quickly pushed them back. "What are you doing? Why are you giving me so much? It's not like you're not coming back!"
"Trist, I know this trip is dangerous, so I don't need the food. I have drinking water. Consider these things as payment for staying here overnight, plus meals and the exchange for two landmines. I only need water myself. Too many things would be a burden for me to carry." Lin Yuan still had five energy bars. He had given them canned food, and what he was carrying was enough.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Lin Yuan, Trist had no choice but to accept the things.
"I'm leaving, Trist. I hope the next time we meet, I can call you Li Xiangxin." He finally handed him a flashlight. Trist said solemnly, "Okay!"
Watching Lin Yuan disappear into the blizzard, Trist laboriously closed the door again and slumped down behind it, not showing any sign of happiness. He was thinking about how he could help Lin Yuan. This was how loyal Chinese people were; if you help them a little, they repay you tenfold. A drop of kindness is repaid with a gushing spring.
...
Outside the door, Lin Yuan felt the full force of the blizzard for the first time. This was after the blizzard had weakened a bit, but the snow and wind hitting his face felt like being scraped by knives. No, he had to wear a mask. To extend the lifespan of the filter and gas mask as much as possible, Lin Yuan had initially intended not to wear them, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to wear them. Otherwise, he would be "snow-stabbed" to death before even reaching the small town.
After putting on the mask, the feeling became a little more comfortable. It was just a bit troublesome to knock off the ice shards on the filter every now and then.
After walking for about two hours against the snow, Lin Yuan decided to take a break and check his map. In this pitch-black place, even with a flashlight, he felt he couldn't see the road clearly. The snowflakes hitting the mask were large masses, and he often couldn't see the road. He carefully compared his position and then took out the special compass to check the direction. This compass could work normally even at a temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius.
"It seems it's this way."
...
Northern Kancan, Abandoned Manor.
A woman wearing a nun's habit, like a ripe peach, sat on a chair carved with the image of a pharaoh. This sense of conflict was incredibly strange. However, she didn't feel anything unusual about it. She was attentively listening to her subordinate's report. Kneeling before her was a woman in a maid's uniform, who also exuded an incredible allure.
"So, you still haven't found that Chinese woman?"
"Yes, Holy Mother. Your subordinate is making every effort to find her and is expanding the search area, so please give me some time." The Holy Mother's words clearly carried immense deterrence, causing the kneeling maid to fall to both knees with a single sentence.
"Fine, find her as soon as possible. Don't let her ruin my plan."
"Understood," the head maid said, her eyes darting around as she whispered, "By the way, Holy Mother, I have a guess. I don't know if I should say it."
"Speak, I won't blame you," a charming and soft voice echoed from above.
"That woman might have been taken away by Andrea." The moment this sentence was spoken, the entire room fell silent. After a long pause, the Holy Mother finally said, "Get up. I will consider this matter. You just focus on doing your job."
"Yes!" The maid kneeling on the ground slowly rose and retreated without daring to look up.
"Wait."
"Hm?" The maid sensed something flying towards her but did not dodge. She knew that dodging would be useless.
"Heh heh." Something entered her throat, and she was lifted into the air. "Andrea is no longer my child now, but she was once. Do you think you can speculate about her so casually?! Aren't you the high and mighty head maid? Go and spend a few pleasant nights with those lowly insects!" With a bang, the head maid was thrown to the ground. However, she did not dare to complain. After performing a maid's curtsy, she retreated. Midway, the substance the Holy Mother had left inside her began to take effect. Her eyes became hazy and seductive. She involuntarily licked her lips and turned in another direction...