Chapter 140: Until the Spring Breeze Brings Good News

The Special Operations Team is gone...

Will there come a day when the country is gone, and humanity is gone too?

Ten years, fifty years, one hundred years...

Can humanity truly continue to survive in an increasingly harsh environment?

This terrified thought suddenly emerged at this inappropriate moment, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on Liu Mu's back.

The box was empty; she stood where she was, facing the soldiers.

After a long while, the bugle sounded again, setting the tone, and over a hundred soldiers, including those from the Special Operations Team, spoke in unison.

"Sending off comrades, embarking on the journey, silent and wordless..."

"Revolutionary life often involves partings,"

"The same separation, yet two different feelings."

"Comrades, oh comrades, dear brothers..."

There was no questioning, no blame; they simply sang their song, turned around, and took their comrades home.

Just like their funeral, the military song was loud and clear, deep affection held in silence.

——"When the spring breeze brings the good news, we shall meet again!"

Military posture upright, standing proud against the wind and rain, the road ahead is long, but the will remains unchanged.

…………

"I'm sorry," Liu Mu slowly loosened her fists, the hatred in her heart growing more intense.

"I have already said it, this is the fate of a soldier."

The only one left, Zhuo Qing, held her husband's portrait tightly and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Everyone came voluntarily; besides our Special Operations Team, there were also the Barrier Guard Army."

"Liu Mu, the world is difficult, but we will not forget the responsibilities on our shoulders."

Liu Mu watched the military vehicle leave, guessed Zhuo Qing's decision, and tried to persuade her, "Sister Qing, please reconsider."

"Say no more. Even if only one person is left, I will not abandon them and leave alone."

Zhuo Qing's attitude was firm, and it was not a momentary impulse; this determination had actually been made several years ago. "You probably don't know, the Special Operations Team has special recruitment quotas every year, especially during wartime. As long as one passes the selection assessment, they can join."

"That Brother Tan of yours always thought he was very strong, and I didn't say anything because I was afraid of hurting his confidence. Actually, I secretly applied for the assessment with the military department every year, and I always passed. Now, this opportunity has finally been put to use."

"He is no longer here, so I must help him look after the team, right?"

……

Three hours, a total of seven examiners, asking about the sequence of events over and over again.

There were no instruments of torture restricting Liu Mu's movements; she simply sat upright and answered, showing no impatience at all.

"Good, we will verify what you said again. Now, may I ask what your relationship with Yang Shuo is?"

For the seventh time, Liu Mu picked up the cup on the table and finished the coffee inside.

"Ten-Day Burning, I won't explain this name. On the fifth day after that, I came out to trade for supplies and met Yang Shuo, the leader of the Base at the time, for the first time..."

"Then what is your relationship with Tan Ziyan of the Special Operations Team? Many people have testified that you addressed him directly as 'Big Brother'..."

"I think," this time, Liu Mu interrupted the examiner, and in the eyes that lit up as they thought they had found a flaw, she answered firmly, "you should have the minimum respect for the fallen martyrs, rather than speculating on the personal relationships of the deceased."

The examiner who asked the question frowned, persistent as a hyena, "Please answer directly."

Liu Mu tapped her cup with her finger, and the examiner sitting at the very edge stepped forward to pour her coffee.

"You must be tired of hearing my answer, so let me say something different. Do you know what the Special Operations Team eats and drinks when they are marching outside?"

"It's laughable; even I, the one being interrogated by you, can sit peacefully in an intact chair drinking hot coffee. Gentlemen, have you ever drunk the Black Rain that falls from the sky? It tastes bitter, and there is also a spicy, sour flavor to it..."

"Why would we drink that?" the young examiner asked, only to realize he had said the wrong thing, and immediately looked uneasily at the elderly man at the far right of the seven.

Liu Mu had long ago discovered that these people were centered around the elderly man, even though they had been pretending for a long time. "The people of the Special Operations Team drink it. When they destroyed the Sky Viper's attack on the Mine, they laid in ambush in the Black Rain for eleven hours."

"When they wiped out the Base No. 18 you mentioned, they force-marched for a day and a night, each person carrying only one kilogram of food and water. Before the final battle began, they ate their last meal with the Black Rain."

"Night Owl, you should know who that is, right? He blew up the entire base, so..."

Pausing slightly, Liu Mu met the elderly man's gaze with an icy stare, "It was also the last meal of their lives."

The hot coffee rose in wisps of white mist, the fragrance rich. Liu Mu asked, "It was even cold. Now it's my turn to ask a question that requires your answer: do you know what it feels like to be in the Red Mist?"

"……Red Mist," the elderly man finally spoke, his voice more weathered than expected, "Deadly poison."

"That's right," Liu Mu followed up, her tone gloomy, "Red Mist. You only ask about the sequence of events; why don't I tell you about the aftermath? I watched with my own eyes as Tan Ziyan struggled in the Red Mist, and then he started vomiting. At first it was blood, then it was pieces of internal organs. He kept vomiting until he had vomited everything inside his body, and his body dissolved into a pool of pus, not even leaving a single tooth behind."

Bloodshot veins climbed into her eyes; amidst the varied expressions of the examiners, Liu Mu drank the scalding coffee in one gulp, as if regretful, "If possible, I really would like to let you all try that taste. Perhaps then, you would know how to respect the martyrs."

"Enough," the elderly man suddenly stood up, his frame gaunt, "This interrogation is over."

"But..." the young examiner was unwilling, but the elderly man had already pushed the door open and left first.

The examiners walked out one after another. The young one who remained turned to look at Liu Mu, and the corners of her lips curled up, "What else do you want to know?"

"We will get to the bottom of this!" The young examiner did not have the authority to interrogate her alone and could only leave in anger.

Liu Mu, however, could not leave yet. In the interrogation room, only a single white desk lamp remained, its light unable to reach her.

Upon arriving at the Base, her vehicle had been impounded. The people who escorted her were not familiar faces from the Barrier, but she had still been slipped a piece of paper the size of a thumb.

On it was Yang Shuo's handwriting: 'Temporary reinforcement Liu Mu'.

The surface of the paper was covered in creases of varying sizes, seemingly torn from some discarded draft paper.

Therefore, Liu Mu did not say that she had formulated the operation plan, did not say she had commanded it, and did not mention the steamship.

In this interrogation room, the sequence of events was as follows.

Liu Mu was temporarily invited by the Special Operations Team to participate in a mission, a force march, attacked Base No. 18 according to plan, killed Yamaguchi Hisashi, Night Owl blew up the base, and there were heavy casualties...

She pursued the enemy to take revenge, and when she returned, the Red Mist had occupied the valley, and all members of the Special Operations Team who participated in the mission had sacrificed their lives.

Two hours later, the gray-black iron door was opened again. It was already late at night outside, and the entire Barrier had quieted down.

"I've wronged you, child," Yang Shuo said as he entered the room with the elderly examiner, stepping forward to shake Liu Mu's hand. "Let's leave it at that; it was all a routine investigation. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Liu Mu extended her hand. "It's fine, the Special Operations Team is more important. Chief, they destroyed the Base and killed the Base's leader, Yamaguchi Hisashi, and another key member of the Sky Viper, Joseph. I assume the mission is complete, then?"

"Yes, the combat mission is complete, and it has made a good start for us in clearing out the Sky Viper forces within our borders," Yang Shuo said with a sincere attitude, seemingly not wanting to discuss the mission details too much, and introduced her to Liu Mu. "This is Mr. Qi Zhengxun from the General Command, and also my old squad leader from when I was young. Old squad leader, this is Liu Mu, whom I mentioned to you before—the child who dared to venture out after the disaster all by herself."

Qi Zhengxun shed his stern demeanor from the investigation and also reached out to shake Liu Mu's hand. "The investigation is official business, little one, don't take it to heart. We understand the situation now, and we will go to the site for an inspection later; this is the standard procedure. So, before the report comes out, I hope you can continue to cooperate."

The words were spoken nicely, but Liu Mu could not refuse; not to mention wanting to clear the names of the dead, she dared not offend these people if she wanted to deal with the Barrier in the future.

The three of them ate a late-night snack together, but Qi Zhengxun could not have excessive contact with them, so he returned to the examiner's reception area to rest afterward.

This cafeteria was newly built during the construction of the Barrier, and now only Liu Mu and Yang Shuo remained, while the latter's guards stood dutifully at the three entrances of the cafeteria.

"Speak," Yang Shuo said, seemingly having anticipated something, taking the lead to ask, "If you have any questions, you can ask me now. Within the scope of my authority, you may ask whatever I am able to answer."

Liu Mu rested her arms on the tabletop, lowered her head to think for a moment, and then spoke. "Regarding this mission, did you all know it might fail? Why did you still send me?"

"In our projections, the probability of failure was not small, but that had nothing to do with you or the operations team," Yang Shuo answered very earnestly, seemingly fulfilling the promise he had just made. "Southeast Asia is one of the main areas where the Sky Viper operates. Over the years, they have infiltrated China through various means and have inextricable ties to the Ten-Day Burning. Today, we don't even know the extent to which their influence has penetrated."

"So, before this mission was launched, we had already made preparations."

"What preparations?" Liu Mu looked up abruptly, a hint of disbelief in her eyes. "You clearly knew something would go wrong, yet you still approved the operation?"

"But what would the result be if we didn't act?" Yang Shuo countered. "The Sky Viper must be eradicated, and without sufficient weapon support, we have to rely on people."

Liu Mu understood; it wasn't that she had actively planned it, but rather that the Barrier had already made its plans. "The Special Operations Team is the elite within the Barrier, so it had to be them, right?"

Seeing the unwillingness on her face, Yang Shuo did not avoid the question. "Yes, Liu Mu, you must remember that as decision-makers, many times we know full well that the soldiers sent out won't come back, yet we have no choice but to do so. If no one goes, then who will protect the 120,000 survivors in the entire province?"

Liu Mu finally understood that remark from Zhuo Qing—sacrifice is the fate of a soldier.

"But, if I had discovered the bombs buried underground sooner, they wouldn't have..."

"No one can predict every situation in a mission," Yang Shuo took off his glasses and rubbed his sunken eye sockets with his hand. "This time was no different."

Without the obstruction of the lenses, the face of this highest leader of the Barrier appeared even more weathered, looking much older than when they first met.

"There is one more question," Liu Mu did not feel relieved; or rather, knowing they were prepared for death only made her heart feel heavier.

"Go ahead," Yang Shuo put his glasses back on, his tone still weary but earnest, without any attitude of just brushing her off.

"You," Liu Mu looked him in the eye, an irrepressible, icy killing intent in her gaze, "you and those people in the General Command you speak of, did you all know from the very beginning when the 'Burning' would happen?"