Back To The 80s-Chapter 189: The Finale_1

Lu Zhanguo re-entered the communications trench dug for air raid defense. Swiftly, he traced the path, one he knew like the back of his hand, towards another exit that led to the back of the mountain.

As soon as Lu Zhanguo emerged from the exit, he saw a silhouette running down the mountain. Quick as lightning, he gave chase and intercepted the figure in no time.

"Lu Zhanguo!" The figure slowly turned around.

"So it is you." Lu Zhanguo didn’t respond but confirmed the figure’s identity instead.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Du Chengjiang, we’re too familiar with each other, and I suppose you’re pretty familiar with Yuan Ye as well," said Lu Zhanguo, calmly.

Du Chengjiang was taken aback. "Why would you ask that?"

"Because Yuan Ye is the shark, and you’re one of the White Foxes," Lu Zhanguo said coolly.

"I’m the White Fox, there’s no ’one of’!" Du Chengjiang was a bit shocked, but he stubbornly refused to admit it.

"You used Chi Xiaoyue to get close to me and Cheng Qijia, and when that failed, you made her get close to Xiangmin. Such a pity that Xiangmin did not cooperate, so in the end, you simply kidnapped her along with Gu Xiaobei. Your purpose here today is to watch and see if Yuan Ye can infiltrate the camp with the blueprint you provided. You never planned to go in at all," Lu Zhanguo coldly stated.

"Hahaha, Lu Zhanguo, you guessed right. But what now, don’t you wonder what indignities your wife is undergoing? I hear your little wife’s quite delicate!" Du Chengjiang cackled maliciously.

A stabbing pain struck Lu Zhanguo’s chest. His hands, gripping the gun, had turned white from intense pressure. His eyes, filled with fiery anger, bore into Du Chengjiang relentlessly. However, he neither moved nor shifted his gun.

With a sneer, Du Chengjiang said: "You truly are heartless and ungrateful, undisturbed even after hearing about your wife being disgraced. It’s a shame that you abandoned your wife without trying to save her, and you still failed to capture the real White Fox."

Lu Zhanguo felt a surge of fury rush up his throat. His voice turned hoarse as he said: "Your biological father, Li Yangguang, is the real White Fox. He didn’t die that year; instead, he fled abroad and sneaked back into the country four years ago. He found you, and you’ve taken advantage of several old comrades to gather various pieces of intelligence."

Du Chengjiang chuckled disdainfully: "So what if you know all this? Even if the White Fox were standing before you, you probably wouldn’t recognize him. Without you guys, how could I have lost my mother and become an orphan?"

Lu Zhanguo didn’t say anything more; he escorted Du Chengjiang back to the base and had the soldiers detain him.

After making arrangements, Lu Zhanguo returned to his office, only to realize that his back was soaked in sweat. He sat down, his hands trembling slightly. An unprecedented sense of fear began to creep into his heart.

Early morning, Guo Huaqiang and Cheng Qijia returned with Xiangmin, Chi Xiaoyue, and two unfamiliar men.

After Guo Huaqiang secured the detainees, he went into the office and saw Lu Zhanguo seated at his desk, gazing out the window. "Is there any news of Sister-in-Law?"

Lu Zhanguo shook his head. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse as he said, "There were no problems on your end, right?"

Guo Huaqiang shook his head, just as the telephone on the table rang. Lu Zhanguo answered. The line was silent, except for Shen Heng’s words: "Jin Cheng has been killed..."

The phone in Lu Zhanguo’s hand suddenly felt like a thousand-pound weight, its burden reaching all the way into his heart. His hand dropped to the table, the receiver landing softly beside him.

Guo Huaqiang had heard the news faintly, though he didn’t know who had died, it still made him uneasy.

Lu Zhanguo sat stiffly in his chair, the news of Jin Cheng’s death, coupled with Gu Xiaobei’s disappearance, came as a shock. For the first time, he felt a loss of control over the situation.

...

Qin Li walked into the room, cradling a metal box. As she pried open the lid, a neatly folded letter lay on top. For some reason, Qin Li’s hands began to shake as she cautiously unfolded the letter:

"Girl: If you’re reading this, I have probably already left you for another world.

At some point, the little girl who used to follow me has grown up and can marry. Unfortunately, I’m not there to see it.

From the time we first met to the times we snuck off to the capital together, those were the most beautiful moments of my life, it was a blessing to have this little girl by my side every day...

Sorry, little one. I chose a path to pursue my dream and left you behind...

...

For this lifetime, I am sorry. I hope you will visit the Dazhao Temple in XZ. I heard that if you spin their prayer wheels with true faith, you’ll be reborn. I don’t ask for that, I just wish that you could live a simple and happy life, it’s my final and only wish...

...

If there is another lifetime, I will not fail you.

Signed off by Jin Cheng."

The further Qin Li read, the more panic she felt. Tears streamed down her face, and when she reached the signature, she sobbed uncontrollably.

Zhang Yufen and Qin Jianghan heard the crying and rushed over. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"What’s the matter?" Zhang Yufen asked in concern, seeing Qin Li weeping so miserably.

Struggling to speak through her sobs, Qin Li just pointed at the letter instead. Qin Jianghan picked it up and paled at its content.

Zhang Yufen took a look and was startled. "Should we tell Aunt Jin?"

Qin Jianghan frowned, deep in thought. "Let’s wait a bit, after all, it’s just a letter."

Hearing this, Qin Li felt a surge of hope. Yeah, it’s just a letter. What can it prove?

With this beam of hope, Qin Li clung tightly to the metal box as she sat in silence, neither crying nor laughing. Qin Jianghan and his wife sat down as well, accompanying Qin Li with worry.

As soon as dawn broke, Qin Li heard someone knocking on the door of the Jin family’s house across the street. Carrying the metal box, she sprinted over to open the door, forgetting to even put on her shoes.

When she opened the door, Qin Li saw Shen Heng, a man she didn’t recognize, and her older sister Qin Mei, standing there with tear-filled eyes.

The metal box in Qin Li’s arms fell to the ground with a "clang". She couldn’t bring herself to ask, but just stared intently at Shen Heng and the others.

With a look of remorse and pain, Shen Heng stared back at Qin Li, unsure of what to say. Qin Mei, understanding Qin Li’s feelings for Jin Cheng, looked away in grief.

The door to Jin’s house opened, revealing Jin’s father, who seemed surprised by their visit. Shen Heng deeply bowed to him, saying, "Uncle, I’m sorry..."

Upon hearing those words, Qin Li became numb. She fell backward, caught in time by Qin Jianghan and Zhang Yufen who were standing behind her.

...

Gu Xiaobei felt that he and Chen Gang were lost in a pile of trouble these past two days. With no food and no familiar paths, they followed Big Brother Ma’s family for a day before separating.

Gu Xiaobei just couldn’t understand; they only crossed one mountain, so why did they end up so far away? Besides, they had been walking along a mountain stream the entire time, and only learned from a man gathering cow dung in the mountain that they had misheard the name of the town. They went to Red Star Town instead of Red Flag Town, leading them on a wild goose chase for nearly a full day.

Gu Xiaobei sighed and looked at Chen Gang, saying, "Why don’t we just cross the mountain and go back? That old man said that if we cross the mountain, we could reach by tonight, right? If we take the main road, it won’t be until tomorrow. They must be going crazy looking for us."

"Okay, Auntie, can you still walk?" Chen Gang looked at Gu Xiaobei, whose hair was a mess and her face streaked with dirt and sweat, with concern.

"No problem, let’s get going. We can’t delay any longer. I’m just a bit hungry, are you?" Gu Xiaobei scratched her matted hair. She hadn’t combed her hair or washed her face these past few days, making her appearance rather unkempt.

"I’m not hungry. I’ll get a stick to help pull you along. This way, we can walk faster." Chen Gang said, snapping a thumb-thick branch from a tree. They each held one end, with Chen Gang leading the way, pulling Gu Xiaobei up the mountain as they set off.