Chapter 294: Dangerous Mission

Chapter 294: High-Risk Mission

"I will! Absolutely!"

Li Zhen sprang to her feet with excitement.

Then, noticing the other two were unfazed, she sat back down.

"Leave it to me. I guarantee I’ll complete the task."

No one could understand how thrilled Li Zhen felt at this moment—a dream years in the making finally realized. She looked at Ye Xiaoxiao with gratitude.

It must have been Ye Xiaoxiao who helped behind the scenes; otherwise, why would anyone fund a well in such a poor and backward place?

Seeing Li Zhen’s seriousness, Ye Xiaoxiao was put at ease.

Work wouldn’t start until after she’d gone, leaving Li Zhen in charge of supervision.

After asking Song Xiaoguang for capital updates, Ye Xiaoxiao inquired further.

"How’s Shifu doing?"

"He’s fine, though he really misses you."

"As soon as my internship’s over, I’ll return immediately."

Song Xiaoguang nodded.

He hoped Xiao Xiao would keep a level head and not let Lu Hanchuan delay her return.

After finishing both official and personal matters, Song Xiaoguang drove them back.

The car was rented in the city—pricey but handy.

At the base entrance, Song Xiaoguang passed her the things from the car.

If it weren’t such a hassle, he could have brought even more food and supplies.

"Xiaoguang, get going early," Ye Xiaoxiao said.

Song Xiaoguang nodded and waited until Ye Xiaoxiao left before driving off.

This time, Song Xiaoguang had brought a ton of goodies. Normally, Li Zhen would have been eyeing these snacks.

After all, Ye Xiaoxiao always had more than she could eat, handing them out left and right.

But today, Li Zhen was all about the well project.

Even after returning to the dorm, she was still buzzing with excitement.

Ye Xiaoxiao dug through the snacks and fished out two roast ducks.

"We’ll keep one and give the other to Head and Yang Juan."

That’s when Li Zhen piped up, "No share for Regiment Commander Lu?"

"He’s on a mission and isn’t at the base," Ye Xiaoxiao replied.

Oh right, Li Zhen realized.

"Alright then, I'll go deliver it and return the bike to the Director while I'm at it."

The ride back was faster, and it was still far from dark.

The roast duck was naturally cold, and even after reheating, it wouldn’t taste as good as when freshly made.

But it’s the gesture that matters, and getting to eat meat was a treat.

Since Ye Xiaoxiao arrived, she often cooked extra meals, dramatically improving the infirmary's food quality.

...

Lu Hanchuan’s mission this time lasted a week, but after returning, he disappeared somewhere—op-sec meant no questions.

The next time they met was already a month later.

She was also very busy at the base.

"Xiao Xiao, we’ll be able to return to the capital soon."

Lu Hanchuan’s voice held more than just eagerness—there was another emotion as well.

It seemed like he had just completed a mission successfully, and his entire demeanor carried a lingering intensity from the mission.

Ye Xiaoxiao replied coolly, "No matter when you can go back, I can only return in May after my internship ends."

She was calm as ever.

Now that Jiang Leyin, who’d butted heads with her, was no longer at the base, Ye Xiaoxiao’s days were downright tranquil.

Lu Hanchuan said earnestly, "I’ll move heaven and earth to be back with you before May."

If Ye Xiaoxiao’s internship ended, compared to seeing her every day, he’d prefer her back in the capital.

As long as she was in the capital, even if not by his side, he would breathe easier.

The brutal environment of the northwest was unforgiving, and the fact that Xiao Xiao hadn’t fallen ill during her time here was Lu Hanchuan’s only comfort.

In truth, Ye Xiaoxiao had been there for over four years. Apart from the severe illness that killed the original host early on, her health had remained robust ever since.

Besides her own medical know-how and taking care of herself, even she found it strange.

Could this be another perk of transmigration?

Ye Xiaoxiao held Lu Hanchuan’s hand—distance didn’t matter, as long as their hearts were together, that was enough.

...

Lu Hanchuan’s second mission was in April. The weather was warmer than during the Spring Festival, but still biting cold.

Instead, it was the season when sandstorms raged worst.

The troops slipped out unnoticed, and the only sign in the base was that it felt emptier than usual.

Ye Xiaoxiao wasn’t one to worry.

But this time, as Lu Hanchuan’s mission progressed, a gnawing unease grew within her.

Li Zhen comforted her, "Don't worry. What era do you think this is? Our country's military is well-equipped. At most, the outlaws around here have makeshift guns—they don’t stand a chance."

Even though it was already the 1980s, the northwest, northeast, and southern borders were still very chaotic.

Some gangs could even get their hands on firearms, running wild in areas without a military or police presence.

Li Zhen's words didn't reassure Ye Xiaoxiao; instead, they made her even more worried.

"I didn’t even know they had guns until you said something."

In the era Ye Xiaoxiao lived in, guns were a rare sight in real life.

She had never been to a shooting range either.

But thinking about it, even the Ye family kept hunting rifles.

It made sense that those gangs had guns.

Even so, Ye Xiaoxiao still stocked up on medical supplies at the base.

In case of injuries, they could receive timely treatment.

On the night of April 21st, a sandstorm rolled in around the base.

The sky over the entire base turned yellow. If anyone stepped outside for just a few minutes, they’d be coated in grit.

Fortunately, the clinic wasn’t staffed overnight.

If there was an emergency, they could just bang on the dorm door.

Ye Xiaoxiao was on duty during the day. After dinner, she returned to her dorm, read a bit, and then rested.

She’d barely lain down when a car pulled up outside.

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately sat up.

Sure enough, soon someone knocked at the door.

Li Zhen had gone to bed early and was still groggy.

Ye Xiaoxiao was already out the door.

Li Zhen: "Hold up, Xiao Xiao!"

Li Zhen hurried after her too. By the time she ran into the yard, Yang Juan’s room had only just flicked the light on.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiaoxiao had already opened the door.

The knocker jumped—they didn’t expect anyone to answer that fast.

Ye Xiaoxiao peered past them first.

"Is Lu Hanchuan okay? Who's injured?"

"Ah, Regiment Commander Lu is behind us. We rushed ahead with a wounded man—one of them was shot…"

Only after hearing that Lu Hanchuan was unharmed did Ye Xiaoxiao let out a sigh of relief.

"Get them to the clinic, quick."

Once her mind was at ease, Ye Xiaoxiao calmly handled the next steps.

During Ye Xiaoxiao's time working at the clinic, it had undergone significant changes. She had secured a medical refrigerator stocked with anesthetics.

Anesthetics made things a lot easier.

By the time Li Zhen and Yang Juan arrived, Ye Xiaoxiao was already preparing to extract the bullet.

After a quick sanitizing routine, Li Zhen and Yang Juan entered the ward. With swift precision, Ye Xiaoxiao seemed to simply give a quick pinch and tug—and the bullet was out.